Celestial Warlock Quest (D&D 5e/Worm Crossover)

[tulsa360]

Hello Sufficient Velocity, I am a long time lurker, first time poster. The premise of this quest is that you will be playing a person in the universe of Wildbow's Parahumans who gains the powers of a celestial warlock from 5e D&D. The exact knowledge of your patron and the nature of your patron will be a mystery (how did a D&D celestial end up in the multiverse of Worm? What type of celestial is it? Is it a celestial, or just a sapient shard?). Don't expect these questions to be answered in the near future, if at all. Feel free to theorize, though. : D

The overall structure of the quest is that your character, (which you will be voting on in the next post) is tasked with redeeming, arresting, or if absolutely necessary killing, every villain in the city you live in. Thus, the quest will have a defined end point (either with you dying, or succeeding).

On to how I plan on doing some things:

If you are at all interested in some of the back-end mechanics of how I will be doing some of this stuff, this is the inspiration for the mechanics of the other parahumans powers. For your character I will attempt to translate the mechanics of 5e into the real world.

As an example: for the purposes of translation four HP from D&D is 1 lethal wound in weaverdice. 0 dots is a stat of 4, 1 dot is an eight, etc.

HP and damage

Explanation 2 in this link is how I think of HP in D&D. I understand that in 5e the explanation of HP is: "Hit points represent a combination of physical and mental durability, the will to live, and luck". I am pointing this out so that you all know that I understand that is the case. I don't want anyone to get on my back for doing things "wrong" in regards to the PC.

Feel free to ask questions! If it is a question I have already answered I will post the page that it is answered on. If this quest does really well and goes on for hundreds of pages I may just say it is already posted and trust the other questers to find it.

Omakes will get a reward based on the quality of the work. As this is my first quest I may end up tinkering around with how that all works.

I plan to close the voting on any chapter one week after I post said chapter, or when it gets ten votes, whichever takes longer (I reserve the right to change this). I intend to have the following chapter out within at least a month. (I'd like to say faster, but I can't commit to that. I will try to have them out a week or two after the voting closes.)

Lastly, as an experiment with voting, where do you all want the quest to take place?
[ ] Aurora, Colorado
[ ] Seattle, Washington
[ ] Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Aurora is interesting in that it is within 10 miles of Denver (Dept 21), so you will have to worry that if you are too effective the villains of Denver may come over to fill the power vacuum. With that in mind this is still the easiest option.

Seattle, one of the most northern bastions of power for the Elite. This interstate crime group has many favors and much resources to throw at you. When anyone can owe them a favor, who and how much can you trust? This is the medium option.

Philadelphia is a big city with strong heroes and villains. As the #5 department of the PRT, the villains have risen to match. With a long history of mercantile uses of superpowers and a cape scene of heavy hitters, inertia will be your biggest problem in making change. This is the hardest option.

 

[tulsa360]

You find yourself gently floating in the midst of the void between stars. Despite the situation, all you feel is a warm contentment. No cold fear, hot anger, or muddy confusion. Lazily looking around, there is nothing near you; only the endless dark and glimmering stars in the far distance.



...


......



..........



You are unsure of how long you have been floating in that empty space. After both an eternity and a single moment, a star forms, blinding you.


After blinking the sunspots out of your eyes, you find yourself now able to hear. This dream-like logic makes perfect sense and you simply bask in the glory of the sight in front of you.


Now surrounding the star there is a ring-like sea of red gas, stretching vast distances in every direction. Swimming, flying and teleporting through this sea is a zoo of diverse winged beings. Some seem humanoid, if giant and with skin of bronze, gold, or alabaster. Others have three extra animal heads and an extra pair of wings. Some remind you of an orrery, with rings inside of rings, all of them lined with eyes and wings.

The one thing that links them all together is that they seem to be singing, chanting and crying in some melodic language. Hearing this choir calms you into a state of bliss. You realize that you could listen to this forever. Even after a million, million years you still wouldn't get tired or bored of it.

One the members of this choir, a humanoid creature with skin glowing bronze, veers off from the Dance-Without-End and flies towards you. It is difficult to gauge distance in this celestial scale but, with each beat of its massive wings you think it must be finally getting close. By the time it is within a few hundred feet of you, you feel as though you would need to crane your head to look at it in your normal body.

"Greetings and salutations. I am Kabaiel," the being thunders.

"It's an honor to meet you, I am-"


[ ] -Robert Cordato."

You grew up as an only child. Your parents Matthiew and Linda were encouraging, helping to foster your intellect and curiosity. You did theater and excelled in academics as you grew up. Because of your hard work, you have yet to find a problem that can't be solved. Earlier in the year you just finished university at La Salle University with a dual Bachelors in Entertainment and Psychology.



[ ] -Carson Bailey."

You were a hyperactive kid, and have a younger brother named Travis. You switched between private and public school as you grew up. Your dad died of cancer when you were fourteen and in the wake of that your mom showed you what strength really is. This caused you to step up as an ambassador between the different cliques in school. Your athleticism got you a swimming scholarship for a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Hussain college.



[ ] -John Bradley."

You grew up in the Boy Scouts with a constant drive feeling you had something to prove. Your father loved to hunt in the Allegheny National Forest and when you were old enough he would bring you along. That respect for nature and the outdoors stuck with you leading you to pursue the job of a park ranger. You have a job as a Park Ranger in Wissahickon Valley Park.



[ ] -Marshall Fraser."

You have two older sisters and a younger sister. Growing up in rural West Chester Pennsylvania you were the peacemaker in a chaotic house. That "training" meant that you were a natural diplomat in forming teams in school. As such, you became the tennis team captain all throughout high-school and into college, leading your teams to victory and consoling them after defeats. Now that you are out of school, you are living in Philadelphia with a job set up as a guard at a museum.

 

[tulsa360]

"-John Bradley."

"Well, Jonathan Bradley I must ask: the world you are from is a broken place, are you willing to take on the burden of repairing it?"

"Of course, but I can't, or-or I suppose I can't do more than I am. I try to be a helpful and giving person, but despite what I have, that isn't enough."

"That charity and dedication to good is why you are being offered this power." At that, the being plucks a glowing feather out of its wing and presents it to you. This glittering feather is near the same size as you. "To prove the nature of your soul my creator has decided to give you some minor powers to begin with. If you use them in a righteous way then they will grow."

Bubbling up from the depths of your soul, you begin to chant an oath as you grasp the feather between your arms.

"I vow I will act with Wisdom.
I will understand the world and people around me.
I will learn from the mistakes I make.
I will plan and prepare for the future.

I vow I will act with Justice.
I will grant mercy to those I have defeated.
I will give compassion to those in pain.
I will dispense judgment on those who have gone too far.

I vow I will act with Forbearance.
I will be patient, for time is no-ones fault.
I will be valorous, for fear is the mind-killer.
I will persevere, for what is right is rarely easy.

I vow I will act with Restraint.
I will have moderation, for I must be clear headed at all times.
I will forgive, for hate helps no-one good.
I will have humility, for arrogance is a subtle corruption."​

At that, you wake.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pick 2 cantrips from the following:


[ ] Chill touch

Representing a colder side of your patron, this ability will let you manifest the cold of the grave as a hand on an enemy nearby. If it is able to cling to them, while it lasts, if they have a regeneration power this chill will inhibit that power, in addition to removing some of their life force.


[ ] Eldritch blast

This will allow you to shoot a beam of crackling energy to an enemy in sight. It is unlikely that they will have any resistance to this projectile.


[ ] Mage hand

You can create a spectral, floating hand nearby. If you focus you can use it to do anything that you can do with your regular hand.


[ ] Minor illusion

Using a bit of fleece this power will let you create a small and harmless illusion.


[ ] Prestidigitation

This is a catch all for minor magical effects. Things like a temporary small mark on a surface, a faint odor, the ability to put out a candle from a few feet away.


[ ] Write-in for: Blade ward, Friends, Poison Spray, True Strike
(The write in spells are ones that I don't see as being particularly useful/in character for John, but I am open to hearing convincing arguments. As an example, I don't see how Poison Spray makes much sense for a celestial warlock, but feel free to convince me.)


Pick 2 spells from the following:


[ ] Armor of Agathys

This will create a barrier of cold that will manifest as armor. Anyone who strikes the armor from nearby will be hit by a retaliatory strike, as long as the armor lasts. It will last until either an hour passes or it gets hit with a mighty blow.


[ ] Comprehend Languages

This will allow you to understand the literal meaning of any spoken language that you hear. You also understand any written language that you see, but you must be touching the surface on which the words are written.


[ ] Expeditious Retreat

This will allow you to sprint at near double speed for a while, only requiring a bit of focus.


[ ] Heavenly Rebuke

If a nearby creature harms you this will allow you to respond in kind, with a flare of fire. For people without durability enhancement it is likely to be lethal. With that in mind a target can dodge out of the way of some of the blast


[ ] Thunderwave

This power will allow you to create a wave of thunderous force to sweep out in a nearby cube. People will be hurt and perhaps pushed away and unsecured objects within the area of effect are automatically pushed 10 feet away from you.


[ ] Unseen Servant

This will allow you to create an invisible, mindless, shapeless force that performs simple tasks at your command. If you command it to perform a task far away from you it will disappear.


[ ] Witch Bolt
This will allow you to create a beam of crackling, blue energy which lances out toward a creature nearby, forming a sustained arc of lightning between you and the target. You can cause this lighting to continue to strike at the person


[ ] Write in: Arms of Hadar, Charm Person, Hex, Illusory Script, Protection from Evil and Good


New powers that you gain either way:

Healing Light

With a bit of focus you can provide a soothing light to heal the wounds of those around you. This pool of energy will start small but will grow with your experience.


Cantrips

Sacred flame-

You can call down a pillar of holy light to judge your foes. They may be able to doge out of the blast, but as long as you can see them you can try again.


Light-

Should you have something that was glowing when it was alive, perhaps a firefly, glow worm, or jellyfish, you can cause another object you hold to glow for some time.


Spells.
Cure wounds-

Should you need additional healing energy this will let you heal nearly any wound to the skin, muscles, or organs of an individual.


Guiding bolt-

If even greater smiting power is needed, this bolt of divine wrath will give you that power. Even if the foe still stands, you or an ally can rush up and the attack will be magnetized to your foe.

 

[tulsa360]

Rossum brings up something I hadn't thought to mention: which source books I am using. For the duration of this quest I am going to be using just the Players Handbook for level up spells. It is possible or even probable that at some point as a reward for in-character actions you may gets spells from Xanathars Guide to Everything and/or Tashas Cauldron of Everything. I may include some of the tech based UA spells but that is very unlikely.

One other thing that this brings up is other forms of optional rules. Because you are human you do get to start with a feat (which one was based on the person you chose, feel free to guess), but at level up you are not going to be able to replace the ability score increases with a feat. In regards to being able to craft magic items, I am undecided. If you had picked the easy or medium cities then I would lean more towards yes, but you overwhelmingly picked the hard option. At minimum it won't be happening until level 5ish (that should give me enough time to decide ).

 

[tulsa360]

Here is a special vote, I will be closing it at the end of the day!

Rank these from 1 to 6 in terms of how important info about them is.

Local Protectorate Heroes
Local Corporate Heroes
Local Rogues
Local Villain Gangs
Local Powerful Villains
Other (if there is other things you would want to know about it must be contextualized in terms of why a park ranger would want to know it)

 

[tulsa360]

Special Voting Closed.

3) Local Protectorate Heroes
6) Local Cooperate Heroes
5) Local Rogues
2) Local Villain Gangs
1) Local Powerful Villains
4) Other (Safe places to test your powers)

I suppose I should clarify, this is to represent the information that your character already knows as of the beginning of the quest.

 

[tulsa360]

John Bradley
HP 11-------AC 12-------DC 13-------Resource Tier: 3

STR------8
DEX------14
CON-----12
INT-------10
WIS------14
CHA------16

Spells:
Cantrips: Sacred Flame, Light, Mage Hand, Eldritch Blast

1st level: Cure Wounds, Guiding Bolt, Armor of Agathys, Thunderwave


Feats: Tough

Skills:

Stealth +4
Survival +4
Nature +2


Class Abilities:

Healing Light


Edit: Apparently SV doesn't keep multiple spaces

 

[tulsa360]

I have been GMing for long enough that the minutiae of counting individual gold pieces has worn a bit thin (in this case it would be dollars). So for this quest I intend on using a resource tier system. You will have a tier from 1 to 10 representing roughly, how wealthy you are. At the start you will be at 3.

Purchases are broken down into two types: major and whim. A major purchase is something that for the tier you are in could plausibly need to be planned out (something you would need a loan, or save for). A whim purchase is something that someone in whatever tier we are referring to, could buy with money they have on hand (pocket change, credit card, etc).

If you want to buy something that is considered a "major" purchase for someone in a tier <= half your tier, I will consider it a whim purchase and not lower your tier. If you are making a major purchase it has a chance of lowering your tier.



Resource tier approximations
1 is near homeless
3 is median income
5 is a member of the 1%
7 is multi millionaire
9 is billionaire

 

[tulsa360]

---The Haitian Revolution---

Named after the only successful slave revolt, this group claims to be devoted to the protection of the black folks of Philadelphia from the white supremacists of the area. At one time that may have even been true, nowadays the gang preys on the vulnerable and does whatever it can to keep its tight grip on the west side of the city.

Remit- The leader of the gang; this man has some kind of ability that makes him faster and stronger the longer he duels someone in melee. His power has not been seen to have an upper limit. At base he can outrun cars in the city, and punch through walls.

Onyx- One of Remit's lieutenants, this brute seems to be made of his namesake. This affords him the strength to knock down buildings with ease. Add to that strength a durability to match, and it is easy to understand why Chevalier is the only hero who will fight this powerhouse.

Maman Brigitte- You have seen this villain in the park you work at several times (that villains tend to be in the park is one of the reasons you get paid so much/get to have flexible hours). She seems to have some kind of power relating to moving or controlling plants.

You know there is also: a mover, a changer, a blaster, a tinker and a few more minor capes.


---Argonauts---

The Argonauts prescribe to an older definition of hero: an individual of great skill or power that uses that power for their own goals. As such, they have a near cult-like reverence for personal freedom and the pursuit of ambition. Nearly any impulse crime that one can think of, a member of this gang has done at least once.

Bacchus- The leader of this group has some sort of power granting ability. He turns water into white wine. While people are intoxicated by the wine they have a brute power. The stronger the power they get, the more influence Bacchus has over them.

Dolos- The second in command is a biomaster that implants parasites into people's spines that give him control over their body. If the parasite is removed, whatever control he had over them is now gone, but the person doesn't get it back either. One day after implantation the person is a paraplegic, two days a quadriplegic, after four days if the parasite is removed the host will die.

Neptune- One of the powerhouses of the Argonauts, Neptune is a shaker able to create earthquakes strong enough to bring down skyscrapers.

While you can't remember the details at the moment, you know there are also: a tinker, mover, brute, two blasters, and another weaker cape.


---Gold Coin---

Refugees from CUI aggression make easy recruiting grounds for parahuman led gangs. The Gold Coin in the city are a smaller splinter group from the larger organization of the same name. In Philadelphia they recruit members and deal narcotics to the sizable south-east Asian population in the south of the city.

Phụng Hoàng aka Phoenix- The leader of this group of Gold Coin is a brute with the ability to go into an elemental form. If he takes enough damage in his normal self, he is reborn into a flaming bird for as long as he wants.

There are several other parahumans in the gang but you are not familiar with any of them.


---The Artisans---

The Artisans are a group of mostly tinkers and a pair of changers. They focus on getting money and expensive components for their tinkering. All of the members are somewhat solid, but none stand out as super strong. They tend to stay out of the limelight only picking fights with other gangs in the university district.

There are four tinkers and two changers.


---Hombres---

After the Simurgh attack on San Juan in '04 there was a flood of Caribbean refugees to the city. Unfortunately, due to the fact that the endbringer was the Simurgh there was also a flood of fear and hate crimes along with them. These desperate folks catapulted the "brotherhood" into a city wide power. Because of the prejudice that they faced from the residents of the city they found themselves, many of these refugees embraced their roots and out of spite refused to integrate. Thus, the "brotherhood" became the Hombres.

Revelation- Not much is known about the leader of the Hombres, he has some kind of sensory power. At minimum he can see through objects/walls through some mechanism, the core of his power is assumed to be some kind of danger sense.

There are 4 or 5 other capes involved with the gang though you know little about them.


---Hoodlums---

A relatively new group, the Hoodlums are a group of teens or young adults (no-one knows their exact age) that commit minor crimes in the northeast side of the city.


---Crackers---

The crackers are a bunch of white burglars and thieves. The most notable aspect is their pride in "edgy" jokes and their offensive sensibilities. The name is a reference to both that they crack safes and that they are all young white guys. Basically it's Steven Crowder types as a bunch of thieves

Menlo- Named after the Wizard of Menlo Park, Menlo is a skill thinker that has some form of interface with technology or passwords. He is reported as knowing any password, being able to pick any lock, or break into any safe.



---Campbells---

The oldest gang by far in the city, the Campbells were formed in the prohibition. It was only due to the fact that the son of the patriarch of the crime family triggered in '89 that they have managed to stay relevant all these years later.

McLane- The current patriarch is McLane, he has some kind of brute power that makes incoming attacks much less effective as well as a reflective blaster power.

You know of three other capes in the gang, though you don't know their powers.


---Brood---

If caught, any of the current members of Brood will go to the Birdcage. With a habit of kidnapping people from their beds, it is only the relative infrequency of attacks that keep the city from declaring a kill order on any of the members.

Hive Queen- The reason the group has its name is because of Hive Queen. She doesn't enter fights herself, instead she spawns minions who complete the tasks she has sent for them to undertake.

Vlad- A strong tinker who powers his tinker-tech with blood. He is the main direct muscle of the gang.

Fleece- This guy can make temporary matter. The larger and more complicated the creation is the less time it lasts. He made his start by replacing gold in stores with his creations.

Sharp- It?...They?... Sharp?-Sharp is a breaker or case-53 that appears as a whirlwind of glass shards and has the ability to remove some mass to blast out at distant opponents.


---Overhaul---
On the more mercenary side of the villain continuum, Overhaul has made a name for themselves by selling single use powers and single use tinker-tech. They also make use of hired muscle for any heists or targeted strikes they may make.

Arsenal- Able to grant temporary powers, Arsenal is a powerhouse when teamed up with unpowered thugs. The specifics of his power is a closely guarded secret, but anyone can observe that he doesn't seem to be limited to any single category of powers.

Yggdrasil- Having gained a reputation rather quickly, she sells "seeds" that grow into a variety of single use items. Some when planted into a cut grow a fungal seal to stop bleeding, others grow into a wooden tube that shoots out exploding splinters, there are even ones that grow into tubers that produce a variety of drug-like effects.

There is also the mysterious leader of the group that keeps himself (?) well hidden.


---The Destroyers---
A group of arsonists and wide area threats, The Destroyers are a rather new group that you know little about.


---The Three Musketeers---
Consisting of three blasters named: Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, this group tends to act as hired muscle for other groups. What about d'Artagnan?


---Runners---
A group of drug dealers and smugglers that operate out of the western side of the city. Aside from that, and the fact that they get in clashes with the Revolution often, you know little about them.


---The Bratva---
A Russian gang that has two known capes in the city. The only reason you know of them in particular is because they practice human trafficking.


There are anywhere from a dozen, to twenty villainous additional capes not associated with any gang in particular, in the city.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Whew, I figured I would break this info dump into two clumps, the hero and rogue one will be coming out later. It might be on Monday and the chapter may be a couple days after. I am not sure though. I hope this fuels planning and discussion in the mean time!

 

[tulsa360]

Heroes
Chevalier- The overall leader of the department, he has the ability to combine the properties of several items into one. His distinct weapon: a cannon-blade is made up of several different swords, meaning he can adjust the strength of his attacks from a regular sword strike to a building destroying wrecking ball. While he spends around thirty weeks a year in Philadelphia, the rest of the time he gets teleported around to take down warlords and the absolute monsters elsewhere.

Staunch- In a word he is solid. This tinker has near indestructible power armor that lets him also wield a giant tower shield and power maul. A founding member in the department, he has been fighting villains and saving civilians for over twenty years. If Staunch is on the scene you will be safe.

Archetype- This hero has three different breaker states: one is a hyper-mobile blur of light, one is a giant earth elemental, the last is a humanoid emerald sensory beacon. While you aren't sure of the mechanism, she doesn't seem to be able to change breaker states mid battle.

Crucible- This pyrokinetic has produced several techniques with his fire. He has a sustained flame thrower, a condensed fire blast, and a super heated blue-fire lance. He is also the constant subject of gossip magazines and a well known flirt.

Ratatoskr- This guy turns into a giant humanoid rodent. He tends to avoid the public facing side of heroism. His claws let him climb walls, and act as razor sharp blades.

Shatter- A hero with the power to turn glass into her minions, she can make them either turn to dust or explode when destroyed.

Rime- The head of the second side office, she is a powerful blaster, able to make small ice projectiles that on impact form ice. She seems able to control how big the formed ice is, before she makes the attack.

Flamel- A second generation cape and older brother to Paracelsus, Flamel's father was the protectorate hero Alchemist. After the endbringer attack that killed his father, the two brothers signed on in his memory. Flamel has the ability to shape materially uniform objects. The less uniform the object, the slower the change.

Paracelsus- Unlike his older brother, Paracelsus doesn't affect objects. He strikes the ground and causes all nearby enemies to fall over.

Cultivate- He is a cyborg having spent time replacing and improving most of his body. Recently, he finished his "dermal plating system", giving him much greater durability. Unlike nearly every other member of the team, he has gone on record saying he doesn't need sleep.

Dianmu- Named after the Chinese goddess of lightning, Dianmu can create lances of energy. It is not electricity despite its appearance of a lightning bolt. It is far slower than lightning and doesn't follow electric paths.

Commodore- While you're not certain of her power she is almost always seen steering a flying wood ship. While it doesn't fly much faster than a car, it does let heroes avoid any potential traffic.

Kamuy- This wooden hero gets faster and stronger as his bark is destroyed. He does tours of the schools of Philadelphia far more than the rest of the team.

Luster- One of the fastest heroic flyers on the eastern seaboard, when in her breaker state she can make large scale blasts. These blasts have a target circle that narrows into the lance after a second or two.

You also know that there are at least five more heroes in the team as well as some part time heroes. You also know that there is a wards team with ten or eleven members.



Rogues

The biggest reason that the city of Philadelphia has a higher ratio of rogues than anywhere else in the nation is because of The Mill. While you have never been there yourself, you know that it is a heavily secured building that the rogues of the city are based out of. It has many parahuman vendors that rent spaces from the core team of Tinkers and Thinkers that own the place.



Corporate Heroes
Corporate hero teams are halfway between law enforcement and celebrities. You know that there are two corporate hero teams in the city, but neither their names or where they are based out of.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I would love to hear your thoughts on the write-ups of I did of the heroes and villain's of the city. I should have the chapter out some time tomorrow.