Message in a Bottle:Main page

Message in a Bottle Campaign

Dungeons & Dragons 5e
Game details
Game master	Lithl Notes
Number of players	5
Game time	Saturdays

Message in a Bottle blends fantasy and sci-fi in a homebrew campaign setting.

Wiki editing note: "Message in a Bottle:" can be a lot to type for a namespace. "MiaB:" is provided as an alias, including for talk pages ("MiaB talk:") and GM pages ("MiaBGM:").

Background

The Stellar Pioneering Society wished to colonize the universe... unfortunately, Earth had not developed faster than light travel, and no method of storing humans in stasis would function well enough on long enough time scales to send colonists through the void.

Instead, the SPS developed neuro imprint technology. A von Neumann probe would carry a recording of the colonists' minds as well as a record of their genetic profile out into the stars. The unmanned probes would find a world to land on, develop a base of operations, and then biofabricate its crew. Of course, this means the same few people would be colonizing the universe planet after planet, but without FTL they're never going to meet each other.

You, the player, are one of the lucky ones who had their imprint recorded to be carried by the probes. The SPS required talents from all across the spectrum, from soldiers to scientists to politicians to engineers. Each colonist's skillset was recorded along with their memory imprints and genetic profiles, so that the computer could prioritize which minds would be most likely to bring about mission success. Eventually, every single mind stored in the probe would be biofabricated to populate the colony, but depending on the circumstances different people may be required to help in the early stages. A dense jungle planet would benefit from botanists and biologists to help identify and catalog local flora and fauna (especially to figure out what's safe to touch or eat!), while an already-occupied planet would require translators and negotiators to learn the locals' language and work out a treaty with the local government to obtain land for the colony.

The application process for having your imprint selected included an exam testing your knowledge of the Pioneering Society Handbook. Follow that link if you need a refresher course!

Character creation

Race

When you had your memory imprint recorded, you were human. Now, you're not. Forerunner has given you a new bio sleeve using local DNA. Unfortunately, only one sample was obtained, and all the members of your expedition team are clones of the single local specimen as a result. You are a female aarakocra, with yellow feathers across most of your body save for a blue crest on the top of your head. In D&D Beyond, select the homebrew Ryder aarakocra race.

(OOC: Depending on the events which transpire during the campaign, your race may change. If your race does change, the circumstances surrounding that change may result in a change you have control over, or one the GM does.)

As an adult human mind in an aarakocra body, you never learned how to fly. (At least, not under your own power. You may have experience with one or more aerial vehicles.) In fact, so far as your knowledge of physics and avian anatomy goes, your new body shouldn't be capable of flight; the wings are too small to be able to support you. However, it will become immediately apparent that flight is possible once you observe native aaracockra doing so, and you can gain access to your fly speed with some time devoted to training.

Class, level, and multiclassing

At character creation for the beginning of this campaign, player characters will be level 2.

Spellcasting and pact casting is prohibited at character creation. There was no magic on Earth, and so you have no history with its use. Your level 2 character may have at most 1 level in each of Paladin or Ranger, and up to 2 levels in Barbarian, Fighter, Monk, or Rogue in any combination to meet the character level 2 baseline (multiclassing is, obviously, permitted, and it is permitted without restriction). Starting from level 3 and onward, there are no such restrictions; you can take levels in full caster classes, a second level in a half caster, a subclass such as Arcane Trickster or Eldritch Knight, whatever you please.

Any feature which grants proficiency with martial weapons automatically grants proficiency with firearms as well. If a feature normally grants firearms proficiency, you gain +1 to attack rolls with firearms. If you gain proficiency with any tool, you may replace that proficiency with proficiency with a vehicle at your discretion. If you gain expertise with a tool (eg: Rogue 1 or Artificer 6), you may instead gain expertise with a vehicle you are proficient with, or proficiency with a vehicle you are not proficient with.

Ability scores

Use point buy (27 points) or standard array to assign your ability scores.

Character details

Alignment

The SPS performed numerous psychological screenings for its candidates. They didn't just want people with talent, they wanted people with a drive to explore, and those who valued Earth and the SPS's mission to colonize. The expectation is that all team members are some version of Good aligned. However, it's certainly possible that some unscrupulous individual might be able to find a way to have gotten their imprint onto the probe...

Languages

Your starting languages are English and Mandarin Chinese; at the time when your imprint was taken, some level of fluency in both of these languages was mandatory to graduate from school. If your Intelligence is above 10, you may take a third language for free, which can be any Earth language; either you've taken some extra interest in language (though not necessarily to the level of the Linguist feat), or you have a native language other than English or Chinese that you're keeping alive.

(OOC: You must add these languages manually. Rogues, of course, will also gain Thieves' Cant automatically.)

As you might imagine, aliens do not speak English or Mandarin. Overcoming the communication barrier will be a challenge you face in this campaign. Whether you handle that challenge by learning the local language, teaching them your language, communicating through pantomime, fucking off and never speaking to locals, or some other plan, is up to you.

Backgrounds

Backgrounds which grant spells are forbidden. When selecting a background, consider that background traits which rely on your reputation may not function, or may function differently than expected.

Equipment & currency

You have no currency; you were just biofabricated. If you're still around when the colony gets to a point where it needs currency, you'll be given back pay for your time employed with the SPS, but until then there's no need for any such thing. If you wish to make purchases from the locals, however, you're going to need to obtain some of their currency, or come to some agreement on barter.

You may requisition any common nonmagical equipment from Forerunner at no cost. Assuming it's a reasonable request filling a need for the mission, it will oblige. You may have one personal item which does not need to fill a mission need. (It can be a set of items if that makes sense, such as a chess set or paper and drawing supplies.)

Bonus feats

All players may take one of the following feats for free, reflecting the reason your imprint got into the program or why Forerunner chose to print you over someone else in a similar field:

• Acrobat*
• Animal handler*
• Arcanist*†
• Brawny*
• Diplomat*
• Empathic*
• Historian*
• Investigator*
• Medic*
• Menacing*
• Naturalist*†
• Perceptive*
• Performer*
• Quick-fingered*
• Silver-tongued*
• Stealthy*
• Survivalist*†
• Theologian*†

• Charger
• Defensive duelist
• Dual wielder
• Dungeon delver
• Fighting initiate
• Gunner**
• Healer
• Inspiring leader
• Linguist**
• Martial adept
• Mobile
• Poisoner
• Savage attacker
• Sentinel
• Shield master
• Skill expert**
• Skilled
• Tough

^{* Make sure to select the "(proficient with X)" version of these feats in D&D Beyond if you have proficiency in the relevant skill from another source!
** Select the "[MiaB]" homebrew variant of the feat in D&D Beyond which makes small changes to the normal version, such as removing the ASI. You may not select the "normal" version of the same feat at a later level if you chose the MiaB version at character creation.
† The spell(s) granted by these feats will not be usable until you reach level 3}

Cybernetic enhancement

While Forerunner only had a single genetic sample to work with when developing your bio sleeves, it was able to improve upon the biology. All characters with a bio sleeve created by Forerunner get the Cybernetic enhancement homebrew feat.

Sources

All official D&D content other than setting-specific content is available without question (barring elements that have been otherwise restricted). Homebrew content must be enabled in D&D Beyond in order to get everything you're meant to have, as well. Content from other sources may be available on a case-by-case basis with GM approval; ask first.

Places

• Landfall base
• Ryder

• Earth

Organizations

• Stellar Pioneering Society
• ISMU

People

• Forerunner

Technology

• Biofabricator
• Fabricator

• Neuro imprint
• Parabolic jumper

• Cybernetic implants