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Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition

Bare-bones Background:
We open our story in the bustling village of Pikespire. A modestly-sized town, it is well-known on account of its fortuitous location at the crossroads of several major trading routes. It has few attractions of its own to speak of, but it is still a sight to see.

The town attracts all kinds and it is not uncommon to cross paths with a hulking Dragonborn prize-fighter, a squad of the King’s finest soldiers (whether they’re marching for battle or for a brothel) or a silver-tongued Tiefling merchant selling all manner of wondrous and fantastic items, sometimes all at once on the same day.

The only attraction that the place can really call its own is Pikespire Keep, the castle that overlooks the city named for it. The castle is home to Lord Sterling, a kind-hearted and well-loved ruler, who could be seen each week walking with the commoners, always happy to listen to their thoughts and opinions no matter how small their owner.

Or it was his home, at any rate. His life was taken from him only too early, just days after our heroes have entered the town, having just been brought together through some combination of battle and treasure. Their modest exploits quickly made the rounds of the town and were inflated to involve villainous dragons, squads of bloodthirsty Orcs and a beautiful princess in distress.

The Situation:
Contacted by the Lord’s aid and current steward of Pikespire Keep, a man named Deinos, the party has been called upon to help make Sterling’s dying wish a reality. Specifically, he wished to be buried in the tombs south of the city with his long-deceased ancestors.

The problem is that the tombs have gone unused and unexplored for close to a century and nobody knows what may have set up shop in the meantime. In exchange for a certain sum of coins and other possible non-monetary rewards, they have been contracted to clear a route to the old ancestral burial chamber.

CHARACTER BUILDING

CHARACTERS ARE FIRST LEVEL.

Ability Scores:
Keep it simple. Roll 4d6, drop lowest score, reroll any ones.

Races:
Dragonborn: The proud warrior heirs of an ancient, fallen empire. Dragon-people.
Dwarf: Tough, gritty heroes from the mountains. The same as you remember.
Eladrin: Otherworldly, mysterious, graceful and intelligent. Basically high elves.
Elf: Quick, quiet and yet wild. Basically every other kind of elf not called a drow.
Half-Elf: Outgoing, enthusiastic leaders with the blood of two races.
Halfling: Affable, warm and cheerful. Much the same as they’ve always been.
Human: Decisive and resourceful, the most versatile of the races. Also familiar.
Tiefling: Heroes with a dark side. Part of an infernal bloodline. Again, familiar.

Classes:
Strikers – Specialize in dealing high damage to single targets.
Ranger: Concentrates on ranged attacks or dual-wielding. Relies on speed and mobility.
Rogue: The cunning and elusive backstabber you all know and love.
Warlock: Channel arcane energy taken from primal entities. Resourceful and secretive

Defenders – Tough heroes with the power to contain the enemy while keeping allies safe.
Fighter: Determined martial adepts who beat foes into submission at the front lines.
Paladin: Indomitable warriors who have pledged their skills to a greater power.

Leaders – Strengthen and bolster your allies while still keeping the heat on the enemies.
Cleric: Leaders, pledged to the gods, who heal allies and then improve their offense.
Warlord: The inspiring commander and master tactician known for martial prowess.

Controllers – Exert control over the chaotic battlefield and affect multiple foes at once.
Wizard: Masters of the magical energies and experts of arcane lore.

Equipment:
You have 100 gp each to spend on whatever you want.

Other Requirements:
A sentence or three about motivations, personality and history of your character. Again, keep it simple. If you can think of an interesting way to relate any of your characters to each other, that's cool, but hardly required.

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If you happen to have access to the rules, go nuts. If not, there’ll be character-building time, I’m sure. It doesn’t eat up a terribly huge chunk of time, which is cool.

As you might know, I've been pretty excited for this edition. I've got some stuff prepared and I think it'll be generally a fun experience. It'd be in the general setting that comes with 4e and would be, at first, a return to basics as far as adventuring goes.

I'm not actually sure if any other games besides SAME are carrying over into the summer schedule, however.