Ok. I've sent pms to everyone that was selected for the game. Thank you all for your interest, and happy gaming!
It was interesting/fun reading everyone's submissions. Good luck and happy gaming. :)
Hi there gamers, We're looking for a skill monkey to round out our party.
The game is centered on a group a friends (all 18-20 yrs old)in junior college who somehow find themselves transported from the real world to a fantasy one.
We're down one party member, so if you like playing trapfinders, bards or rogues, please submit a character idea.
The characters have just arrived in the fantasy world and are still getting their bearings, so now would be a great time to jump in.
Character should be build thusly:
Build stats at 15 pts (min stat 10), and then I'll bump them some.
1st level "modern" commoner[/b]
Class Skills: - Climb, Perception, Swim,
- choose 1 of Craft/Perform/Profession
- Choose 6 others
Knowledges should be modernized. Just take a look at the titles of college courses for ideas.
Noone may take UMD (for this level)
Skills points per level: 5+Int mod
Characters can take 2 traits, but they will probably need some fine tuning.
2nd level, heroic class level as normal.
Max hp for those 2 levels.
This sounds interesting. I have a few concepts, but I don't want to sit here and stat them out quite yet. Plus, it would probably better to get some insight from the players and you as to what you want in the game.
My first character concept is a shiftless slacker. A little older than the rest (24-26?), he been in college for a long time, supporting himself with funds from his rich parents. According to the university, he has been in no less than 6 different colleges, ranging from Art to Engineering and twice that many majors. As such, he has picked up many random bits of knowledge and skills. He is the epitome of the phrase "jack of all trades, master of none". Which is fitting, as his name is Jack. He'd be a human bard or a rogue.
The second is, well, me. A student that shopped around a lot with majors, but was always a science major of some sort. Ended up with 4 minors and a major and a 3/4ths (in biology and computer science). Spends way too much time reading and playing games, whether video or tabletop. As such, his level in commoner will give him a wide base of knowledge skills and his level would be a beastmorph alchemist (as in real life I am getting my PhD in genetics).
The third is an engineer. A bit odd, he is intelligent and dexterous, always building devices to do otherwise mundane tasks. He would be a rogue, but with one caveat. With GM's permission, I'd like to replace sneak attack with bombs, as per the alchemist feature, and allow bomb related discoveries as talents. His race would be gnome.
Okay-I'm thinking of a brilliant, charismatic yet eccentric Writing major who turns into a bard.
@Rowan: Thank you for your interest and character ideas. I'm one of the current players in the game.
In regard age, we are looking for someone specifically in the age category given by the DM (18-20) because we want a strong friendship base and we have established our group went to high school together (whether in the same grade/year or the grade/year above). So I don't believe a character 24-27 would work well because there would be no definitive high school affiliation. We could make your character an older sibling or cousin of one of our original characters ... but I'm not sure how the group would feel about that, at this stage.
We have a character in play currently who is into science and games (Phillip) and another who is somewhat of an electrical engineer/mechanic (Lydia). I'd like to see someone who is different in concept to what we already have and can fill in other roles/skills within the group.
We currently have in the group:
Phillip - Wizard (Diviner)
Lucian - Invulnerable Rager, Urban Barbarian
Lydia - Ranger
Miya - Samurai (Nitōjutsu Sensei)
Adam - DMPC - Druid
We had a bard -- but we lost him and that is why we have opened recruitment.
Fluff
The archaeologist smiled briefly as he imagined his friends teasing him about his incessant geekiness. Then the grin disappeared. His friends were gone, killed in a supposed terrorist attack on the Mesa campus in San Diego. They weren't coming back.
Josh thought to himself that he was lucky... and yet unlucky. A brilliant student in archaeology, Josh's natural fetish for knowledge and curiosity for ancient history made him a natural. His professors, seeing all of the knowledge that they offered Josh completely devoured in under a semester, got permission for a grant to take Josh on a transcontinental field trip.
Unfortunately-at least it seemed like that at the time-he wasn't able to see his friends before he went. Writing a letter about how this was the chance of his life and he had more important things to attend to, he set off for Eurasia. For three months, Josh ventured across Europe and Asia, doing field work for the professors and being a general errand-boy. Then, he got the letter. His friends had all died in an explosion, along with a few other college students. Josh has immersed himself under a sea of facts, glyphs, and dusty tombs since then, hoping to drown his sorrow.
Unconsciously, Josh traced one of the Peri carvings with his index finger. The young man's finger pricked on something sharp, and drew blood. "Ow!" Josh exclaimed, and nursed his thumb. However, he soon found himself with something else to occupy himself with. Slowly, red light flowed out from the spot where the red-haired youth pricked his thumb.
Josh's mind went awhirl with the possibilities. A compound that reacted to blood, possibly? Before he could even sort out the chemical formulae required for such a thing, the light began to fill the whole room, illuminating Josh's ruddy skin. A rune on a pedestal in the center of the room began to glow brightly, and time seemed to slow down. Josh screamed-except the scream arrived several seconds after the intent, and it was strangely elongated. A burst of brilliant, multicolored light flashed before Josh's eyes. And then all was black.
Josh woke up in a strange room, completely different from the one he passed out in. "Jonas," Josh grumbled "Did you get me to drink ten consecutive shots of tequila again?" Suddenly, he remembered. Some kind of trap door? Jonas mused to himself as he stood up unsteadily. Looking at the roof, he found no hint of a crack or line. Josh then turned his attention to the six wells in the center of the room. Five were empty, one was glowing. Inexplicably, Josh felt the urge to dip his hand in the glowing one. He strode toward the glowing one and, taking out a vial from his khaki vest, dipped it into the well. Knowledge suddenly coursed through Josh's veins. He felt himself grow more agile and stronger.
Josh sat down for a couple minutes afterward, stunned. After he had recovered, he checked the vial. Nothing in there. Propping himself up, Josh glanced at the well. Entranced and shocked, the young archaeologist looked at his reflection. His ruddy skin had turned downright metallic bronze, his eyes were flashing gold, and his hair had turned flame red. That was the final straw. Josh fainted on the spot.
Josh woke up a few hours later, and took some time to asses his situation. He chuckled. It was eerily similar to one of the Pathfinder games he had run, where he and his friends were dumped into a world of fantasy. Because they were using a rough approximation of their real statistics, they all got TPKed after stumbling upon an orc camp. I wonder what that says for my chances, Josh thought grimly, and walked to the nearest exit.
Can you give me feedback on my fluff? Thanks! (Crunch is coming soon.)
@Tsiron: I like how you bypassed the obstacle of how your character would end up in the fantasy world and back with us ... and how in the RL the rest of us are considered dead ... I'm not sure if the GM wanted it to go down that way -- but it is still a valid storyline. Miya's mum is an archaeologist and historian; so it's a nice tie-in for Josh and Miya.
A question : Will Josh be the same age as Lucian, Miya and Adam (19) or Lydia and Phillip (20)? Or are you following in our last bard's footsteps and making your character the youngest of them all at 18?
@Tsiron: You're clearly a competent writer and that goes a long way. I actually had considered what the rest of the world would think happened to the group and that was almost dead on. No others were affected though, no other casualties.
The other change I'd make is that when he got to the other side, the rune that he saw before he came to the pedestal room would also be what he fished out of his basin.
Lastly, I'd probably throw you in the game with a bit of lost time right after the fainting.
as for crunch, it sounds like you want to be an bard(archaeologist) aasimar?
@Rowan:Miya is right, (and thank you, Miya for the summary of roles) the age difference is something I'd rather not have. As far as concepts go, though, I do like your first one the most.
I think I'll be the oldest. As an archaeologist, I would probably 20. That would explain how I was good enough to go on a transcontinental field trip with some professors. And you're right, Schrodinger. I'll give you extra points if you guess what kind of aasimar I am without peeking at my stats :3
Since I noticed that my introduction didn't tell you guys anything about his character background, personality, and how he looks, I'll give you guys all of the above.
Personality
Monsters, of course, are almost always a problem, but Josh's knowledge of "all things geeky, nerdy, and dorky" has saved his life more than a few times-as well as his newfound skill as a diplomat, liar, and snooper. He often wonders whether Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson have gone through the same ordeal as him. Although Josh often feels reminiscent of the RL, as he calls it, he feels a strange attraction to this place, and because he has been in the system for much of his life, he doesn't really have anywhere to go back to.
Josh remembers his dear old granddad's tales of "the World," and now he wonders if there is more than a grain of truth in them. If there is... Josh knows that his parents had found their way into the World. Now, along with sniffing around ancient ruins, he often asks around about any people that had matched himself roughly had been around in the last twelve years. Interestingly enough, he got two answers-his parents were one of them. And his old friends was the other one. He now searches furiously for both, trying to juggle three mysteries: how did he and his friends get here, how could he get them and any others back, and what did his parents do here?
"I have learned pretty much everything the RL had to offer. I'm frequently amazed by this place, wherever 'here' is, and discovering more about this place may lead to clues about how to get back-not that I want to, just if I meet some other poor soul here who wants to. Anyways-this place is much more interesting!"
Character Background
Josh's bloodline always ended up stumbling into "The World of Other Normals" as Josh's granddad called it. Sometimes they did it before propagating. Sometimes not. Same went for going back. Josh's granddad, a hero in his time in the World, described a wonderful, magical place, fraught with peril and adventure. He told Josh of his own exploits, and why his parents had disappeared-they had felt the call too. "And you," Josh's granddad looked him straight in the eye and told this at the end of every tale, "will one day feel the call too. So get prepared."
At age eight, Josh's grandpa died-but not before introducing Dungeons and Dragons to Josh, and instilling a curiosity for the ancient world.
Josh rotated through the system every six months. It wasn't as horrible as all the popular books starring orphans suggested. It had its mix of good and bad. Oftentimes, Josh hit rock bottom for a foster parent for one rotation, then got set up with an amazing one after. It was just random chance.
In his free time, Josh read social studies textbooks and visited museums, learning more about ancient history and archaeology as he went. And, although he had no one to play with, he studied AD&D 2e rulebooks by heart, until he knew every caveat of the system. Josh knew the difference from the oriental barbarian and the standard, the Knight of Solamnia and the cavalier from Unearthed Arcana. Yet, I must reiterate, he had no one to play with.
His two peculiar hobbies set him apart from everybody else at his schools. And, combined with his amazing grades, that made a juicy target for bullies everywhere. To make a long story short, Josh's life was miserable until Enter the Dragon.
There, he found common ground with many members in the group. Josh studied archaeology with Miya and discussed various trivia about ancient history, learnt the wonders of video games with Phillip, and Luc scared away whatever bullies that still tried to go after Josh.
All of Josh's friends begrudgingly complied to playing Dungeons and Dragons with him, and were surprised when they actually liked the game.
By the time college rolled around, they went their separate ways and said their goodbyes. And you know the rest of the story
Looks
And here's the new and improved introduction.
The archaeologist smiled briefly as he imagined his friends teasing him about his incessant geekiness. Then the grin disappeared. His friends were gone, killed in a supposed terrorist attack on the Mesa campus in San Diego. They weren't coming back.
Josh thought to himself that he was lucky... and yet unlucky. A brilliant student in archaeology, Josh's natural fetish for knowledge and curiosity for ancient history made him a natural. His professors, seeing all of the knowledge that they offered Josh completely devoured in under a semester, got permission for a grant to take Josh on a transcontinental field trip.
Unfortunately-at least it seemed like that at the time-he wasn't able to see his friends before he went. Writing a letter about how this was the chance of his life and he had more important things to attend to, he set off for Eurasia. For three months, Josh ventured across Europe and Asia, doing field work for the professors and being a general errand-boy. Then, he got the letter. His friends had all died in an explosion, a presumed terrorist attack. Luckily, all of the other students in the library survived with some broken bones, but his friends were in the center of the explosion. There wasn't even a trace of them. Josh has immersed himself under a sea of facts, glyphs, and dusty tombs since then, hoping to drown his sorrow.
Unconsciously, Josh traced one of the Peri carvings with his index finger. The young man's finger pricked on something sharp, and drew blood. "Ow!" Josh exclaimed, and nursed his thumb. However, he soon found himself with something else to occupy himself with. Slowly, red light flowed out from the spot where the red-haired youth pricked his thumb.
Josh's mind went awhirl with the possibilities. A compound that reacted to blood, possibly? Before he could even sort out the chemical formulae required for such a thing, the light began to fill the whole room, illuminating Josh's ruddy skin. A rune on a pedestal in the center of the room began to glow brightly, and time seemed to slow down. Josh screamed-except the scream arrived several seconds after the intent, and it was strangely elongated. A burst of brilliant, multicolored light flashed before Josh's eyes. And then all was black.
Josh woke up in a strange room, completely different from the one he passed out in. "Jonas," Josh grumbled "Did you get me to drink ten consecutive shots of tequila again?" Suddenly, he remembered. Some kind of trap door? Jonas mused to himself as he stood up unsteadily. Looking at the roof, he found no hint of a crack or line. Josh then turned his attention to the six wells in the center of the room. Five were empty, one was glowing. Inexplicably, Josh felt the urge to dip his hand in the glowing one. He strode toward the glowing one and, taking out a vial from his khaki vest, dipped it into the well. Knowledge suddenly coursed through Josh's veins. He felt himself grow more agile and stronger.
Josh sat down for a minute afterward, stunned. Feeling something in his hand, Josh opened all five of his digits slowly. There was a smooth, polished stone in it, with a smaller version of the rune on the pedestal back in the shrine on it. Josh flopped down, breathing slowly, trying to process all of the information he was receiving.
After he had recovered-slightly-Josh checked the vial. Nothing in there. Propping himself up, Josh glanced at the well. Entranced and shocked, the young archaeologist looked at his reflection. His ruddy skin had turned downright metallic bronze, his eyes were flashing gold, and his hair had turned flame red. That was the final straw. However, before he could faint, reality began to shift and change again
Josh watched, enraptured, as the room deconstructed itself, stripping itself down to the barest, most basic levels, before disappearing altogether. It's like watching some sort of bug degrade a complicated program, Josh mused to himself before blacking out.
When he came too, Josh felt a subtle difference in reality. It felt like-and Josh realized that it was-that he had been out for three days. Looking around, he found a small wooden cabin, and then stalked down for answers.
Introducing Josh Tarko, Archaeologist! His stat block and everything else is in his profile.
When does the recruitment end?
@Miya: World Traveler is a trait, not a feat. Also, taking Scion of Humanity as a race trait qualified me for both.
Quick note: I have an insanely high diplomacy and a decent bluff skill, so I would make an amazing party face.
@Josh: Why did you decrease DEX from 14 to 10? Once we're in the fantasy realm, we have a 25 pt buy. Ah you upped INT from 16 to 18. In your stat block it's still showing as 16, btw. ;)
And no problem re party face.
Yeah, I modified it in my profile.
Planning on increasing Dex to 14, increasing Con to 12, and keeping Str 10.
Alright, I'm pretty sure everything is airtight. Please tell me if there's something I need to fix. (I fixed my HP, BTW.)
One little caveat, however: I was wondering if I could take the Arcane Duelist archetype as well. I was thinking that the Arcane Duelist performances would instead use rounds of Archaeologist's Luck instead of Bardic Performance.
I know that it replaces Bardic Knowledge-but I can always take more ranks in Knowledge skills because all of them are class.
Is this okay?
Okay.. Is it okay if I post in gameplay?
Sorry Josh, I'm still working over some things on your character in my head. I'll have an introduction for you tomorrow probably. (after we go over it again)
Welcome, though. :)
Welcome, Josh. :)
Does that mean that I'n in?!?!
It does, yes. I'll go over you character with you and post your intro tonight.
As Yihdra, the Goddess of Paradoxes would say: Yaaaaaay!!!
Hello, there fellow gamers. I'm currently running a game where the characters (all friends fromthe "real" world) have been transported to a fantasy world. We're looking for a rogue tyoe to join the group. If this sounds like something you could enjoy, please submit an idea. There's lots of info about how we created the characters in this thread, but if have any questions, I'd be happy to answer.
Thanks , and I look forward to seeing your ideas.
To any new recruits, we currently having the following characters in the group:
Phillip - Wizard (Diviner)
Lucian - Invulnerable Rager, Urban Barbarian
Lydia - Ranger
Miya - Samurai (Nitōjutsu Sensei)
Adam - DMPC - Druid
Dotting for interest. Will get an idea/character up soon.
@shrodingerscat: Here is my submission. I gave her the Rogue (Spy) class on level 2. She is 19 years old and is/was best friends with Miya and Lucian. She graduated the same year but during senior year she applied for an internship with the C.I.A and was accepted. Jess hasn't been around the others much since high school - Christmas and New Year (maybe a random get together or two) as she is busy with her study and work.
I have placed her stats, feats, traits etc on her profile page, plus some information about her family.
I swapped out the Skilled racial trait under Human for the alternate: Heart of the Streets.
I gave her the following 10 class skills on her first level (commoner): Climb, Perception, Swim, Profession: Private Investigator, Bluff, Diplomacy, Disable Device, Escape Artist, Knowledge (Caving/Spelunking), Stealth.
I have not listed weapons or gear on her profile until you have a chance to look Jessalyn over. If there are any errors, please let me know, and I shall correct the character.
Thank you for the consideration.
Hello Jessalyn and welcome. I like your character idea, it looks quite well thought out. At first glance, the character looks correct, so I don't think they'll be a need to change it.
As far as I'm concerned, you're in!
I just need to figure a way to work you in.Shouldn't be too hard though.
So I guess, welcome, and do you have any questions?
Thanks, shrodingerscat! :)
I will dot the game thread while I wait for Jess' introduction.
I presume that on the cross over between worlds, Jess still has all of the possessions she was carrying on her person?
Yes, minus a few things that would make life too easy. :)