Witch Hunter 3

[Captain Marius]

Greetings Adventurers, welcome to Witch Hunter 3,

Some of you might remember the old Witch Hunter RPG and its sequel from before the crash. Unfortunately we lost Witch Hunter 2 just before the Final Battle, and I don’t have enough data to complete it. However, suffice to say that the Witch Hunter Gabriel Stern survived, the sorceror Kheladras the Immortal was put to flight, and the city of Wolfenburg was saved…

Witch Hunter 3

This RPG is set in the Warhammer World during the events of the Albion Campaign, and will follow the exploits of the Witch Hunter Gabriel Stern and his retinue of religious zealots, mercenary scum and heroic warriors as they travel to the Blighted Isle to do battle with the many foes of Sigmar.

The patrons of the Fox and Goblin tavern in Marienburg looked up as the wooden door was flung open. A crackle of lightning silhouetted an imposing figure whose very presence seemed to fill the doorway. The light of the fire and lanterns illuminated him, showing a tall, stocky figure dressed in a long greatcoat. His jet black hair hung lank about his square face, and his eyes glared angrily at the denizens of the tavern. A long scar crossed his nose. At his hip was scabbarded a large broadsword and he kept a brace of pistols at his belt. He strode into the chamber and stood in the middle, then carefully cast his gaze across each and every occupant of the room.

As the GM, I will play the Witch Hunter, Gabriel Stern, who will lead a retinue, played by you the players, to the land of Albion to bring the light of Sigmar to the heathen degenerates. If you are interested in joining this thread, you may join now. Select a character class from the list and introduce yourself with a brief IC (In Character) paragraph and, if you would like, a more in depth OOC (Out Of Character) history and profile (see the example below). Characters will be assigned a statline (which will be rubbish to start with) and gain increases for heroic deeds.

I would like to make it clear that we want no 'uber-characters'; even the Witch Hunter is only be a man, albeit an instrument of the Divine Sigmar. Characters should not be too developed yet, as they are guaranteed to change a lot throughout the course of the thread, whether from injuries or learning new things. The recommended character types are available as follows:

-Flagellant (Psychopath)
-Soldier (Professional Soldier)
-Mercenary (Sell-sword scum)
-Priest (of Sigmar, Morr, Ulric etc)
-Interrogator (Witch Hunter Apprentice)
-Other (PM me if you fancy playing a Dwarf Warrior, Elf Bowman, or Halfling Scout)

These are just suggestions, feel free to invent any other character who might realistically join a Witch Hunter warband. I request that most characters be human, your character doesn’t need an interesting background as he will develop during the RPG. I would appreciate it if we could have no magic weapons or items; there will be plenty of opportunity to find these later on!

"My name is Gabriel Stern," the Witch Hunter's voice boomed around the room, stopping any conversations by the patrons. "I am here to recruit worthy men for an important quest. You will be paid with gold and any treasure we might come across on our journey. If you are interested, declare yourself now. We leave at dawn."

The year is 2520 (during the Albion campaign) and the Fox and Goblin is a tavern in the city-state of Marienburg on the coast of the Sea of Claws. Gabriel Stern's stats and brief history are below (he is approximately the equivalent of an Empire Captain; other characters will be equivalent to Soldiers of the Empire):

Gabriel Stern, Witch Hunter

m38 ws48 bs45 s37 t39 w2 i48 a3 Ld89 weapons/armour: broadsword, brace of pistols, light armour

The Witch Hunter is a tall man, broad of shoulders, with long black hair and a square face. His eyes glare over a scare across his nose. He wears black clothes and dulled armour. He has a booming voice and walks with a slight limp.

History: Gabriel Stern was inducted into the Order of Sigmar at the age of sixteen, following in the footsteps of his father, the renowned Witch Hunter Andreus Stern, who had burnt heretics and unearthed evil cults beyond number. Gabriel Stern has proved himself a worthy Witch Hunter, having sought out and destroyed the Cult of Everlasting Night in Talabheim, the Necromancer van Schwarzheim in Sylvania and driven the Chaos Sorceror Kheladras the Immortal from Wolfenburg. He has made two powerful enemies, the first being Kheladras who gave him his scar, the second the vampire Vyncent von Carstein. Now he is to travel to Albion with the Imperial Army to bring the light of Sigmar to the Blighted Isle.

[Captain Marius]

Guide to Character Creation and Stats

This is how to work out your starting stats. The idea of these stats is to compare them with the relevant stats of the opponents you will fight, usually found in the appropriate Warhammer Armies book, and that should give an indication of how you will fare in the fight. In this RPG it is perfectly acceptable to be taken out of action in a fight, (and frankly I’ll reward it as bloody fights are far more exciting!). Remember, a single orc is as likely to kill you as you are it, we’re looking for gritty fighting here.

None of your characters are older than 25 and your stats will be fairly similar to start off with. This will change as the RPG progresses. I'll award stat points after each chapter of the RPG, which you can then add to your stats, so you get to choose how your character advances. You may not add stat points to wounds or attacks; I may add these if you really impress me during a chapter.

These are the basic starting stats for each race:

Human m40 ws30 bs30 s30 t30 w1 i30 a1 ld70

Dwarf m30 ws40 bs30 s30 t40 w1 i20 a1 ld90

Elf m50 ws40 bs40 s30 t30 w1 i50 a1 ld90

Ogre m60 ws30 bs30 s40 t40 w3 i20 a3 ld70

As you can see, the statlines are similar to their Warhammer counterparts, except that they are out of 100 rather than out of 10 (except for attacks and wounds for obvious reasons). This allows for a greater degree of comparison between characters.

To generate your statline, you take the stats of your character’s race and may add up to 5 stat points to slightly customise the statline. As you progress you will be able to further customise your character. For example, you may choose to add +2 to WS, +1 to BS and +2 to I to show that your character is slightly faster and more skilled than average.

There are limits to your maximum stats. Your stats may not exceed the relevant following statline:

Human m45 ws65 bs65 s45 t45 w2 i65 a3 ld95

Dwarf m35 ws75 bs65 s45 t55 w2 i45 a3 ld100

Elf m55 ws75 bs65 s45 t35 w2 i75 a3 ld100

Ogre m65 ws75 bs55 s55 t55 w3 i45 a4 ld95

When choosing weapons, you may take two weapons, one of which may be two-handed. Most weapons will count as hand weapons in game terms (whether its an axe, a sword or a club). A shield counts as a one-handed weapons. A brace of pistol counts as a two-handed weapon. You may wear light armour or a helmet. Everyone has one or two daggers about themselves. No one has a horse.

Finally, your history should not be too in depth. I want rookies who can be moulded into heroes, not hard-bitten veterans who kill everything with ease. Perhaps you are a mercenary and this is your first job, or you are a young priest ready to spread the word of your god to the heathens.

As the RPG progresses, I will introduce NPCs (non-player characters). Some of these I may assign to you to use in addition to your main character. The main purpose of an NPC is usually to meet a painful death however, so don’t get too attached .

(As a note, I would like all brand new characters so that everyone is on an equal footing; no reprising former roles, sorry lads)

All right, let the fun begin!

[Commander X]

Ok, you've got my interest now.

I'm curious, does this involve a system with dice, or the 'common' type-what-you-do system?

[Shuya]

i am intriqued too. though i am not a fluff God i do think i may be able to keep up with this rpg. just wondering if you would accept a priest of morr going to remind the dwellers of albion of there mortality and making sure nothing ungodly risen

[Captain Marius]

Commander X: No dice involved, the stats are so you can get an idea of exactly how skilled your character is (and helps me choose appropriate baddies to fight). Each post on the thread will describe what your character does in the scenario, from talking to other characters to fighting to the death.

Shuya: A Priest of Morr would be an excellent character; just post up the name, stats, a little background and an IC (In Character) introduction

[Commander X]

Ok, good to know that. Now all I have to do is ask you permission to be the Ogre, representing my overall knowledge of the witch hunter world

[warlordgrubnatz]

okay this sounds cool ill play if its okay with you:
the wooden door of the tavern slamed open, temporaroly exposing its inhabitants to the bitter wind, a young man with brown wavey hair stumbeled in. He was slightly wounded and blood stained his bolied leather greaves. He wore a suit of boiled leather armour and wore a dark green cloak on his back. he sat down next to the inquisitor "I hear your looking for work"
Ruben
Human m40 ws30 bs30 s30 t30 w1 i30 a1 ld70
weapons: long sword, brace of pistols, light armour
background: a young mercinary. has totted up gambling debts and has dangerous people following him. secretive, keeps to himself.
the mercinarry is tall with long brown hair, he always wears a green cape

[Shuya]

The tavern door opened slowly and as it dist a small mist covered the figure in view, as he entered the echo of his large heavy boots echoed through the tavern. The man brought a stir to the tavern as a scraping could be herd behind him as he entered the view of most of the men they could see from whence he came. The large black rose branded onto his muscled chest was a clear example let alone his grim complexion and his stark white hair. He reigned from Wolfenburg in the heart of Ostland he was one of the priests of Morr that has defended his City until death. In his left hand he held a book and in the other he clenched onto a dark ring with a shining black Gem hidden from view. He stopped as soon as he stepped into the tavern. He went to the table where the witch hunter and young man where standing. He stood her in silence waiting for the witch hunter and the man to finish there conversation, after waiting for a few moments he removed the scythe from his back and let its base hit the creaky tavern floor, Hopefully gaining the Hunters attention.

Oldaur Iccaius, Priest of Morr
M 40
WS 32
BS 30
S 32
T 30
W 01
I 31
A 01
LD 70
Equipment: Scythe, Book of Morr, A strange Black Glowing Ring (if you will allow these)
Background:A young orphan thanks to the war in Wolfenburg, The young child was given to the church to become another priest, whilst there he learned how his soul was Morr's and it was his duty to claim souls in Morr's name until he perished. And that is what he did, using the Blessings of Morr and his pure physical strength to fell his foes he took to the battles to defend his city as soon as he could. But he himself felt the sting of an enemy blade, wounded he was brought back to one of the camps to recover, as day broke Oldaur was left alone it seemed the others had left to go take the fight to the enemy and left the priest there to recover if Morr would deem him worthy. He wandered for days hunting and killing all he could whilst banding together with others to kill the scum. He was lost and no matter who he fought with him never made his way back to Wolfenburg and his home. Soon enough he had fought in many battles and grown far from home and he gave up returning to the chapel now all that he wanted was to please Morr. Soon enough he herd of the plight of a witch hunter so he left to Marienburg

[Captain Marius]

Commander X: you may play an ogre, but keep in mind that as such a tough guy you'll be receiving lots of abuse from the enemy If you have any questions about background just PM me and I'll see what I can tell you.

grubnatz: The Witch Hunter sat in a corner booth, a stein of ale sitting untouched before him. He gave the mercenary a brief interrogation and smiled when he learned of the man's gambling debts. "Your life will be in great danger, but I think that the rewards should be worth it. You are hired." With that, the Witch Hunter pressed a silver coin into Ruben's hand and sent him to the bar.

Shuya: "You fought for the Empire during the Wolfenburg incident eh?" the Witch Hunter asked Oldaur. "Many brave soldiers died; I helped where I could," Oldaur replied. "Good," the Witch Hunter said in his gruff voice. "You will bring the blessings of Morr to Albion then?" The muscular priest nodded. "It is my duty to bring souls to Morr. I ask no more than that." The Witch Hunter looked into Oldaur's eyes and saw the fire of a zealot. "Splendid. We leave at dawn."

Good stuff so far, we'll begin when we have four or five players.

[Commander X]

"Me's will join yous. Me liking treasury stuff" From one of the tables an Ogre stood up, hitting the ceiling with his head in the progress. "*Grumble*Yous humans make dese building thingies too little fo' us big guys.*Grumble* He walked up to the Witch Hunter and introduced himself. "Me is Orgh, who is yous?"

Orgh the Ogre
Profile:m61 ws30 bs30 s42 t42 w3 i20 a3 ld70
Weapons/Armour: Large round wooden shield, big club, Light armour(leather with several metal strips)

Orgh is like your normal Ogre, big, strong and not very clever. The distinguishing part in him is that he's pretty clumsy. That's why he has been banned from his village. He is allowed to come back only if he is either less clumsy, or has earned enough expensive things to pay for his damage.

[Yin - Yang]

Greetings Marius! Having just found that the new Portent forums are up and running, I registered and was overjoyed to see that you are running Witch Hunter 3. I'm a bit annoyed that we never managed to complete Witch Hunter 2, but cest la vie. However, it's great to be back. Now, on to role playing. i would be eager to bring Thorgi Thorgisson and Drongi Drongisson back, as role playing with them not only was very fun, but both characers had great room for expansion. So, is there any chance that Thorgi and Drongi could come back.?

Yin - Yang


P.S I'll tell Jet Black Mamba that Portent is back, and that your running Witch Hunter 3. I know he will want to bring Shadow back, so expect to hear from him in the next few days.

[Essia]

Yay for Marius!!!

Good to see you back there. I'd love to come back for another game.
After loosing all his money on gambling and drinks, Leitbec should be sober enough to fight again.

By the way could you plese outline what happened to the party before we got cut off so I could map out the story so far.

Good to be back!

[Captain Marius]

Yin-Yang and Essia: I did state that I wanted to start characters from scratch to give them the most room for development. However, I suppose there is no real problem, although they will have to start again with their stats (in the interests of balance and all ). Assume that the battle in Wolfenburg was massive and killed most of the old warband; perhaps only Drongi and Leitbec survived? (Yin-Yang, you may remember the plans for Drongi following Thorgi's death?)

Commander X: The Witch Hunter stared at the ogre incredulously. "My name is Stern. I could do with the extra muscle one of your kind can provide. You are hired." (Please not Jar-Jar, have mercy! )

We will begin shortly.

[Commander X]

Don't worry, it's not that bad
It's just that being clumsy when you're big leads to destroyed stuff pretty fast.

[McGonigle]

OOC:/ No horse, No recuring characte oh well that's Faron out on two counts

Finally, your history should not be too in depth. I want rookies who can be moulded into heroes, not hard-bitten veterans who kill everything with ease. Perhaps you are a mercenary and this is your first job, or you are a young priest ready to spread the word of your god to the heathens

Okay you asked for it

Davet
Human m40 ws30 bs30 s35 t30 w1 i30 a1 ld 70
Previous Careers: Farmhand
Weapons: Pitchfork, and Sickle
Equipment: Wooden Helmet
/:OOC

Davet looked up form his pint of beer. The harvest was coming soon and that ment earlier rising, more work and then going to sleep later in the night possibly after dark.The combination of that work looming over his head, the fact that he was a lightweight drinker and the promise of Wealth and Adventure. He stood up and pottered over to where the Inquisitor was surronded by men who were probaly far more suited to this kind of work than him. But he was not totally inexperianced he had killed that wolf good with his pitch fork. He also had that short spell training with the Milita, that should be hardened enough.

"Well consider this me Volentering. Oh if it please ye to say where exactly will we be heading?"

OOC:/ Firstly yes I am being serious, secondly the wolf was actually a wild dog and he badly injured it. Though quite possibly the story could get more exagerated as it goes on.:/OOC

[Yin - Yang]

It was actually the other way round between Thorgi and Drongi. However, I would rather actually RP this happening, so how about I write up a backstory to have them both at the start of Witch Hunter 3, and then a while into Witch Hunter 3 I continue with what was planned?

[Essia]

Okey, I’m fine with staring another character.

Name : Benson Kempa
Equipment: Spear and a Shield, Light Armour.
Stat: m40 ws32 bs30 s32 t30 w1 i30 a1 ld71

Benson ran again, darting between the shadows to escape his former comrades from seeing him. He didn’t know why he was sent to the barrack prison and it was only when the old family servant brought the tragic news of the death of his family. The Rummends Trade Guild had wanted his family trade agreement for years and it seemed they have finally made their move, He clinched his fist as he thought of bloody retribution, then brushed it aside, this is not the time for revenge, it is time to survive.

After another squad of men ran past his hiding place, he kept on moving towards the port, there he can try and get on a ship and get out of here and return when he had enough power to topple the Trade Guild. Eventually he saw the Fox and Goblin and decided to go there and hide amongst the crowd. He sat as he listened to the scarred man’s speech.

Benson stumbles out of the crowd, He was covered with dirt and look tired. He stared at the scarred stranger standing in the middle of the room. This man had power, he can tell from the noble gaze he cast on the other occupants of the room and the way his men deferred top him. Maybe he can help get him out of the damned city.

“I’ll join you” he said, planting his spear firmly on the ground. “Provided we leave this city soon, I’ve been trained in the city regiment and can hold my own in a fight.”

[Captain Marius]

McGonigle: The Witch Hunter looked over Davet carefully. He appeared to be little more than a farmhand. He'd probably left home to find his fortune and wound up in this cess-pit of a city. Still, the young ones were the easiest to mold to his will, and Gabriel Stern placed a silver coin in Davet's hand and pointed him over to where Ruben was drinking.

Yin-Yang: Well ok, I can hardly oppose a good roleplaying opportunity can I They can already be in the employ of the Witch Hunter; I'll work them into the first post. Still, you'll have to start the stats again. As Thorgi is old school he can have 10 points extra instead of 5. We'll find a way to make Drongi's doom exciting

Essia: The background PM sounds good to me; it'll be easiest to make Benson an escapee who has to join the Witch Hunter to escape Marienburg though, so if you detail his escape in your first post.

All: We'll begin when Yin-Yang has posted his characters' stats. Feel free to roleplay being in the pub, getting to know one other and whatnot

[Yin - Yang]

Great Marius , thanks for keeping the two dwarfs. And I think we could defiantly be able to find an interesting death for Drongi...not too hard to find an exciting doom with a Dwarf........they excel at it....

So, on to the important stuff, Thorgi and Drongi's stats. I'll put a description in for those (everyone except Marius and Essia) who haven't encountered these guys before.

Thorgi Thorgisson

M: 30
WS: 43
BS 30
S: 32
T: 42
A:1
I:21
W:1
LD:92

Thorgi's extra 10 points went on +3 WS, +2 S, + 2 T, +1 I and + 2 LD. These stat upgrades seem right for him, as the veteran wanderer. Now his description:

Age:136 (couple years older)

Equipment: Axe, Shield, Heavy Armour, Pistol. Plus various other oddments, lantern, pipe etc

Appearence: Average height, for a dwarf, he comes up to most humans lower torsos. Has a thick black beard, which reaches to his knees. Immensly proud of this fine growth of hair, he makes sure other dwarfs take note of Gnollengrom, and accord him the respect he is due because of it.

History: Originally from Barak Varr, he left the Dwarfen port at the young age of 74, to see the world. 62 years of the wandering life have left him tired, and he desires to return home. However, he also loves this life, and despite what he tells himself he knows in his heart he will not return to Barak Varr any time soon. After the events in Wolfenburg he remained with the Witch Hunter, eager for the adventure that this would bring, although he keeps telling himself that it's going to be his last adventure. As he always does.

And now, on to his nephew...

Drongi Drongisson

M:30
WS:42
BS:30
S:31
T:42
A:1
I:20
W:1
LD:90

Age: 67

Equipment: Pickaxe, Heavy Armour,

Appearence: The same size as his uncle, he has a light brown beard, which reaches just above his waist.

Description: Drongi Drongisson is the son of Thorgi's brother Drongi Thorgisson. He became a miner, much to the pleasure of his family, who were relived to see he wasn't like his radical uncle Thorgi. He traveled to the dwarfen holds in the Worlds Edge mountains, and mined in Zhufbar for a decade. He then decided he wanted to go home to Barak Varr, to see his family again. On his way back, he ended up in Hergig, capital city of Hochland. While staying in the Dwarf quarter he met his uncle, who was in Hergig with Gabriel Stern and his warband. He wanted to see if all the tales about his "Mad" uncle Thorgi were true, if the old dwarf had really been around the old world and had many adventures. He was not disappointed, and developed an attachment to his uncle, staying with him and the Witch Hunter after the Wolfenburg incident.

Right, there we go, two Dwarfs for the party. However Marius, there is one other matter. I mentioned to Jet Black Mamba at school that Portent was back, and that you were running Witch Hunter 3. Since we are starting this RP soon, because my characters have been posted, will we introduce his character later in the RP? I know he is keen to be back in one of your RPs, and I don't think he would mind if he couldn't bring Shadow back. Anyway, its up to you Marius.

Yin - Yang

[Yin - Yang]

Well, are we going to get this started soon Marius?