Character Creation Guide

Welcome to the West Marches!

  Your journey on the unlost island of Ätna begins here! This article will serve as your introduction to both West Marches styled games and as a prompt for your characters.
  West Marches is a style of game built around drop-in, drop-out sessions where anyone can play or pass for that particular session without fear of missing vital story components or narrative beats. While the setting is unified between games, there is no linear progression to the game itself and is therefore lacking in a singular campaign narrative. This freeform, more sandbox-style approach is meant to ease any feelings of missing out, and hopefully works best for those of us with busy schedules.
  That is not to say that this game will not have story progression! Instead of a linear narrative or campaign frame, West Marches utilizes a mission-based story structure. In this setting on the island of Ätna, you will be participating in guild-sponsored missions divided into three categories to support the burgeoning foothold on this land: Expeditions, Hunts, and Requests. All missions will be available to view from the world map on the main page via the pins placed around the regions you have unlocked ("unlocked" you say?? Why YES! Story progression in this campaign will be tied to the world state, and by completing certain missions and advancing specific groups' interests in Ätna you may find ways to uncover new parts of the island!)
 

Planning Sessions

Unlike a typical campaign, I, the DM, will NOT be planning the sessions ahead of time. Because of the sandbox nature of the setting and game style, you, the available players, will determine when and what we play any particular week.
  By Wednesday night / Thursday morning of any given week, at least one player from the group selects a mission from the map and posts it to the discord. If at least one other player responds to being available, the game is on! If a game is not selected by this time, no game will be held that Saturday as a general rule - so as to give me time to prep materials. After a session, I will write a short report and post it either here on WA or on the discord.
 

Character Creation Guide and Homebrew

Now the fun part! Because this is a sandbox game where any number of players may be in or out for extended periods of time, I've elected to introduce some homebrew to accommodate this so that we don't encounter the last-minute character leveling fiascos we've had in the past or not knowing when we've leveled up or advanced in some way.
  Characters will start at Level 3, and will not advance in levels past this point throughout the duration of the game.
  Before you panic, let me explain! You will still have character advancement, but for the purposes of this I think it best we halt level progression and instead use the mission board system as your primary means of advancing your characters. Rather than leveling milestones or experience, you will receive feats at the end of most missions (should you survive). For missions that reward feats, you will have your pick of any which you meet the requirements for. Now, in the 2024 edition of the game (as we call 5.5e in our house), that severely limits your options to only a couple dozen, so I will be writing MANY homebrew feats that are both setting and system specific to give you more than enough new choices - these will include feats that will help you navigate the more dangerous regions of Ätna, as well as setting-tailored feats like handling special weaponry, to granting class features you would normally never have access to as level 3 characters.
  My goal here is twofold: prevent players from feeling like they are missing important milestones, and impart the level of danger present on the island. Even though you are only level 3, you may come across dangers intended for a typically higher level party such as adult dragons and the like, and for these particularly dangerous encounters you will have to prepare by completing missions which reward magical items, special equipment, or environmental advantages to ever have a hope of overcoming them. Which leads us to character creation guidelines!
 

• You will create multiple characters for this West Marches game. At minimum 2, at most 3. I encourage diversifying your characters to tackle different types of challenges, but keep in mind their progression is not shared!

• They will be level 3, and may include 5th edition and 5.5e character options.

• While the island's lore and locations are yet a mystery, I encourage you to write your own lore, lands, and organizations which exist on the mainland (because I have and will not have written ANY existing lore for the greater part of this world such as the "mainland", I leave that to you all! The island is mine, though!). The fantasy-colonial setting should provide plenty of opportunity for inspirations, and whatever nations, peoples, and powers you create I will do my best to implement representatives of their interest within the hub as quest givers, merchants, and machinators working behind the scenes to establish more prominence here on the island.

• Your backstory prompt is simple: You are members of the inter-continental Adventurer's Guild and will be working with any nations or powers that wish to hire your services in surveying the island. Anything beyond that is not necessary, but if something specific brings you here, feel free to develop your character further. Just keep in mind, however, that West Marches is an exploration-first game, so outside of "following a revenge target to the island" or "messages from the divine sent me here" there will not be as much personal character stakes this time around - at least from my side. But feel free, should you have the time and inclination, to write any kind of motivations you feel appropriate!

 

Themes, Setting, and Technology

Ätna is an unlost island full of mystery and danger. But you come from a world altogether known. What that world is like, is mostly up to you, I will simply explain the general idea of the setting, timeline, and themes here to better aid your creative process.
  35 years ago, a merchant vessel sailing east happened across an island long since thought lost to history. Cultures the world over tell tales of this wondrous place, full of promise and abundance, but also terrifying monstrosities and foul spirits. All depict the great mountain at its center, a towering volcanic edifice which can be seen from all shores. But for centuries, or perhaps millennia, it was unable to be found. Now, a generation later, several nations vie for a strong foothold here in this dangerous place hoping to secure resources, explore, and survey its wonders. Due to the dangers, however, individual powers have been unable to take the island themselves, and so have put aside inter-political rivalries to create a port town capable of supporting all of their efforts. In the last year, the Adventurer's Guild - a trans-continental organization of errant heroes and mercenaries - was finally commissioned to create a base of operations here in order to support the explorers, archeologists, hunters, and private interests the the town, which was recently named Port Sanctum in honor of the cooperative efforts of all involved in its creation and sustainment.
  The fantasy setting we are playing in has light colonial-era themes and reflects the technological level of that era. Sailing ships capable of crossing vst oceans are common in most nations, and interest from across the globe can be found here with their own priorities and technological advantages. Muskets and matchlocks are uncommon but used in a variety of guilds by those who can afford them and maintain their high ammunition costs, and so are supplemented with magical enchantment at even higher costs to make them effective. On the island, however, they have not been made available due to being unable to sustain a source of niter to create gunpowder - perhaps you all could do something about that?
  Ätna, the notoriously-dubbed West Marches by those who rediscoverd it, is home to a few indigenous populations, though communication has been sparse with them and they seem reluctant to aid or beseech communication with the settlers. Their cooperation may be imperative to surviving on the islands most dangerous regions, or perhaps an alliance may be forged in the right conditions. The island also has several unique properties including magical-enhanced weather patterns, soil so rich it nearly doubles to abundance of crops grown on it, metals unlike any have seen before, and flora and fauna mythical in proportion and description waiting to be discovered and catalogued.
  Now you have everything you need to start your adventure! If you ever have any questions, please send them my way!