Ok great list to start with I like most of the professions listed. I agree with ARC and would change the Lay Healer with a Healer as the characters would need this support person at a greater level. I would take out the Bard as this is more of a flavor character and hard to play the concept with music and spells for beginners. I would put in the Laborer as a Blacksmith apprentice as this will still be a worthy character or use the Dabbler- trouble maker or Magent- tattle tell/Spy apprentice.
I think level 3 is the wrong tone for a beginners Module and should be level one with ways to incorporate small missions to advance to other levels with ease. If the product cannot support a level one character then there is an issue at the core of the game. This has been address many times and a system must support the character at the lowest level or the system fails. RMSS was able to have competent characters at level 1 or 2, so should RMU. At the very most start at level 2.
The adventure should have short stops at Rapata for small missions such as drop-offs or pick-ups of people or items which can be a point for Shadow Arc rumors, Items, Gear, Spells, Exposure to pickpockets, Black Marketers, Scoundrels, Dishonest Merchants, Ect..... All this without any real adventure set in the city to return back to the town with items and tales of Rumors and experiences. You don't have to be high level for any of this.
Hmm, love the feedback. Let me start with professions. I am in no way ties to this list. Just what seemed to call out to me while waiting for a work e-mail at nearly 2 AM. I can see ditching the Lay Healer for the Healer. For me it was a flavor idea. Face it the Lay Healer is almost unique to RM. But i can easily see where the Healer would be of a great benefit to the party.
The reason I have a Bard in the listing is that it is a profession that is in almost every setting known to Man and Beast. Before the advent of electronic forms of entertainment they were crucial for entertainment and news. But swapping it out for a Magent would be very OK in my book. To be completely honest I would have placed the Magent on the list if I was running in one of the settings I created. I enjoy the profession, but was worried it was a bias on my part. The issue would be to integrate the Magent in the village. Hmmm let me think on the politics of the village, might come up with a good idea.
I find the idea of starting at 1st level appealing. To me it is about building the character and advancing him/her trough the missteps of their lives. But I can see the issue with a 1st level RM character is very low powered. While the bully boys (fighter, rogue even thief) can hold their own the spellcaster are left far behind. Almost anything useful would be an Overcast. I might have a way around this that might appeal to many folks.....(wait for it....)
We have been kicking around a path from level x to level y where y > x (Hey it is Romemaster there HAS to be math
) But why does it have to be a single linear adventure. I have been kicking around a grouop of LOOSELY link mini-adventures set in the village. These might include what I call "the house that Jack built" starter. we have all heard the old kids tale that describes lot of things all interrelated and each paragraph where they introduce a new item ends with "in the house that Jack built." I use this name for an adventure that seemingly runs you arund the town in a unending series of tasks. Say you have ahole in the sole of your right boot. Well you go to Clavin the Cobbler. He would love to help but her has no leather, he is waiting on Thom the Tanner to deliver some. So you go to Thom to see what the hold up is, and he tells you her is waiting on some lye from Artie the Apothecary. You go to Artie and find out he is waiting on something else. The four or fifth person might need some fighting done (large rats in the basement stop them from getting the flour, or some such). Then you work you way all the way back down to Calvin who fixes you boot for free for getting the leather.
In the mini-adventure above you meet many of the locals. Then one of them calls on you to do a favor for him. This leads to the next part and so on and so forth. This methodology is used a lot in D&D 5e. Unfortunately it has become a great way for the Attention Challenged to play the game and not have to spend all 4 hours in a slot. Sorry , putting away the soapbox)
OK, as one can see I am doing a lot of things in the mini-adventures that are leading up to bigger and bigger things. The characters could advance from 1st levels that need help tying their shoes to MIGHTY 3rd levels that can take on the large rat and win!
Comments? Like it or am I really suffering from a lack of sleep.
-BP
