Before sending a request to join the game, I recommend to read through the general info here. This gives you a bit of understanding of my house rules and playing style, to help you decide whether this is the game for you. Feel free to ask me any questions if you want something clarified. I'd also recommend a peruse of the information provided on the setting. This will tell you something about Merinthia. Merinthia is not the whole world, so your character can potentially be from elsewhere, but it will help to understand where you are.

All are welcome to apply to join, including players with no experience. If you don't have access to the Player's Handbook or other DnD material, just let me know and I'll walk you through the character creation process.

All characters will start at 1st level and ability scores will be rolled for as described in the PHB. To get things rolling all I need from you is:

    Race
    Class
    Background info on your character concept

The background info can be very detailed or very brief - that's up to you. I know players who prefer to keep things vague until they get a feel for the world and then fill in details later. You're welcome to do so, but please keep me posted of updates to your background. I will integrate details of your background into the world, so I'll need your cooperation to ensure that your idea of your backstory doesn't end up contradicting mine. This applies to those who do have a detailed idea ready - please let me know as much as you can so we're sure my vision of your origin matches your own. I may request you to change some things to fit into my view of the world.

You can choose equipment prescribed by your class and background, or can use the PHB guidelines of starting money per class to buy your own, whichever you prefer.

Suitable Races and Classes

A Merinthian adventurer will be either a human, an wood elf, or a mountain dwarf. Most standard classes are fine. Those accepted are listed below with notes and exceptions:

Barbarian (not human)
Cleric (not elven - they only have druids. Human Merinthian clerics should serve Lady Ellantha - domains life, nature and knowledge)
Druid
Fighter (no Eldritch Knights)
Monk (not from Merinthia)
Paladin
Rangers (but only the modified version without spells - see here)
Rogue (no Arcane Tricksters)
Sorcerer (not Dwarfs)
Warlock
Wizard (not Dwarfs)

If you want to be something not listed, or something that contradicts the above restrictions, just ask and I'll see if we can make it fit. If you're not from Merinthia, you'll need to think of a reason why you're there at the start of the game.

I'm open to races and classes from other sources or that you've cooked up yourself, but I'll need to see all the rules to decide if it's approved. Half-elves and half-orcs don't exist. You'll note that a lot of the restrictions involve taking away the options for spellcasting - so more spellcasting classes will be a tough sell.

The game will begin in the tiny northern mining village of Criplot. Please try and think about why you'd be there. If your character was in the north; they may have heard panicked discussions of the recent increase in goblin sightings and goblin raids on sheep in the area - then you just need a reason as to why your character would head towards rampaging goblins, rather than away like a sensible person.

Languages

Ignore the languages given in the PHB. There's no such thing as Common here. Your character doesn't have to speak two languages - but if you speak only one it should probably be Merinthian. I'm also open to characters speaking more languages than allowed in the rules - it just needs to make sense with your backstory.

Languages spoken in Merinthia -

1. Merinthian (the standard human language)
   
2. Elvish
   
3. Dwarfish
   
4. Acanti (the lingua franca of the Acanti coast - most foreign humans in Merinthia speak Acanti, even if they are not Acanti themselves)
   
5. Goblinoid (very unlikely a human would speak this)

I use a more complicated system for languages than the standard rules (where you either know a language or you don't). My rules proved impractical in face-to-face roleplaying, but should work fine in the message board format. Your knowledge of a language sits on a five-point scale:

    None- totally foreign language, completely meaningless to you
    Familiar- You don't speak the language, but you know of it and have perhaps spent time about people who do speak it. You probably know a few common words.
    Basic - you speak the language at a basic level - enough to follow simple directions and communicate siomple concepts
    Intermediate - You speak the language tolerably well; but struggle to communicate complex concepts and are liable to get lost if people speak very quickly; have a heavy accent; or use a lot of idioms or complicated expressions
    Fluent - You speak as a native or almost as well.

Knowledge of non-Merinthian languages is of course also possible depending on your character.

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Any questions - just let me know!