Ascension
I'm looking for 16 or 20 players to form four groups of 4/5 players each representing a different faction. Each of the four groups has different goals and motivations, sometimes those goals will overlap with another faction's goals, and sometimes they will conflict. As a result players will find themselves sometimes working with the other groups, and other times in opposition to them.
Players wishing to participate in this game should be able to post once per day (Mon-Fri). More is certainly allowed, but if you cannot meet this posting requirement please don't sign up for this game. I will generally post updates between 10-11 PM MST. I will sometimes post small updates during the day as well dependent on me having some down time at work. Maps will be posted to my photo bucket account for viewing by the players. For example
Despite the campaign name, this game is not using the mythic play test rules, and there is no mythic ascension point in the campaign.
This is the recruitment thread for the Rebellion.
Other factions can be found here:
Mageocracy
Merchant's Guild
Thieve's Guild
I'm expecting to leave the recruitment thread open for about one week. After which players will be selected for each faction and another week will be given for players to flesh out any final details for their character back story and create a character stat block.
You have tired of the rule of the mages due to their incompetence or some perceived or real injustice, or perhaps you seek power but are outside of the current political system to ever get it. Perhaps you were thrown out of the tower for some reason or another. Or maybe the rumors of the mages practicing dark and evil experiments with strange creatures and consorting with other worldly beings has left a uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach. Regardless you have joined in the rebellion to see the mages overthrown.
Allowed Alignments: NG, CG, N, CN, NE
Allowed classes: Any as allowed by the above alignments.
Allowed Races: Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, Half-Elves, Half-Orcs, Haflings, Humans, Catfolk, Ifrit. If you select Ifrit in addition to your normal racial abilities you also get an extra feat (similar to humans).
When creating your back story feel free to talk with other players wishing to join this faction and create ties between your back stories.
More information on your faction will be given once the game starts, though you are free to ask questions if you are looking for additional details to flesh out your back story.
The remainder of the spoilers contain information that is identical in each of the faction threads. If you have already read this information in one of the other threads you can skip these.
This campaign is mostly an urban campaign, though some wilderness travel and ocean travel will also occur.
The factions will give their teams various goals or objectives to meet, it is up to the players to determine how to achieve those goals. While I've got a number of missions for each faction to give to players, this campaign is intended to be fairly sandbox. If players come up with things they'd like to try to further the overall goals of their faction I will try to incorporate those ideas into the campaign. Be aware though that there are some places in the world that will prove death to the players if they wander about haphazardly.
I'm not currently interested in character stat blocks, I want to see first and foremost a back story for your character. As part of this back story all characters are required to include one (though more is allowed) individuals living in Coran, Gumlat, or Issust Hold (see geography below) whom they hold dear. When your character is in the neighborhood it is expected your character will take some time (stealthily or openly) to visit with this person. This could be a spouse, sibling, parent, aunt, uncle, cousin, etc. But it must be someone the character would take great pains (or even be willing die for) to prevent harm to them. This NPC will be a commoner and is not capable of defending themselves from more powerful PC's or NPC's.
It is expected your character has friends and acquaintances from this region of the world, feel free to include a couple such friends in part of your back story.
All players are from this region of the world and should select one of the areas from the geography section as a birth place.
I'd like to know what motivates your character and what your character is afraid of. Anything that I can hook some side plots into will make for a much more interesting play experience.
Please also include a physical description of your character including such things as skin color, hair color, eye color, and style and color of clothing.
Your posted stat block for your character should use this format or something very similar to it. Feel free to copy and paste this into your profile then change it up to match your own character.
Characters will be created using a 20 point buy.
Characters will start at 5th level. You may choose no more than 2 classes (or 3 if the 3rd is a prestige class) to create your character. This also applies when leveling up.
Each character starts with 10,000gp, of which no more than 50% may be spent on a single item. During character creation all items within the given 5000gp or less per item are available.
As you accumulate wealth you can assume anything costing 4000gp or less (assuming it is not an illegal item) are readily available. Anything costing more than 4000gp will require crafting time to have made for you, though anything up to 15000gp can be obtained. Anything above that price may or may not be available. Characters may not start with custom made magic items. You may request to have a custom magic item made – though I'm likely to add a flat cost on top of whatever costs might normally be associated with said items – or may just flat out disallow it.
Slotless magic items that mimic the ability of an existing magic item that normally requires a equipment slot are not allowed.
Magic items that provide +x enhancement bonuses such as cloaks of resistance, rings of protection, belts of physical stats, headbands of mental stats, etc can always be upgraded to a higher level for the cost difference. Also, these items may always be combined with another effect that uses that item slot for the price of the additional magical enhancement + 50%. For example a cloak of resistance +1, cost 1000gp, could be combined with a catching cape, normal cost of 200gp (plus 50% for a cost of 300gp), for a total of 1300gp. Or a ring of protection +1, cost 2000gp, combined with a ring of counterspells, normally 4000gp (plus 50% for a cost of 6000gp), for a total of 8000gp.
Players should select 2 traits using the standard rules.
Depending on which faction you are a member of there are alignment and racial restrictions (see the individual faction recruitment threads for this information).
Because of the nature of this campaign there will be PvP between factions. Players should plan for escape mechanisms from a battle turned against them.
Inter-party PvP will be strongly discouraged. If you wish to engage in PvP with those who should be your allies you must talk to me about it first, and your reasons must be compelling in story character reasons (like your allies endangered your NPC dependent – not something petty or trivial).
All players will get one free true resurrection during the course of the campaign should they die (you may choose to use this to raise a fallen ally). Unless the player's gear can be recovered though, resurrected players will start with one-half their WBL based on their current level. For arcane casters you will get a new spell book with only those spells you would have for your current level, any additional spells will need to be purchased again. If your body can be recovered then normal uses of spells like raise dead are available.
Players get max HP at every level.
Players will level up when I say they do, but this will be roughly following the fast experience track.
I do enforce encumbrance rules, keep this in mind when equipping your character. In general I will not be keeping track of food or normal ammunition (things like arrows made out of special materials will be tracked). If you somehow get yourself trapped in an area though where you could not readily restock these items then these items will be tracked until you can escape the situation. You must still buy 1 quiver (or 2) full of arrows, bolts, sling stones, what have you. At such time as you may become trapped you will have the amount listed on your character and those items will be tracked at that time.
Rule books allowed are Core Rule Book, Advanced Players Guide, Ultimate Magic, Ultimate Combat, Ultimate Equipment, and some portions of the Advanced Race Guide (alternate racial features and archetypes are allowed, as are racial spells and feats, and see faction specific areas for races allowed). Other source books are not allowed.
I recommend all characters train the stealth and disguise skills, but this is not required.
Leadership feat is not allowed, I've got enough to keep track of without worrying about cohorts.
Antagonize feat is not allowed. It is especially problematic for a PvP type game.
You may take item creation feats, but these feats will not be applied to your starting 10k wealth to reduce the cost of magic items. You will be able to get use out of item creation feats though if you select them.
Diplomacy and intimidate skills don't exist. They are all rolled into the bluff skill. If your chosen class has diplomacy or intimidate as a class skill you instead have bluff as a class skill. Feats and traits that would increase diplomacy or intimidate instead affect your bluff skill, however these do not stack with other feats or traits that would increase one of these skills.
In game when you are using your bluff skill please specify what you are actually trying to accomplish. i.e., still state you are trying to intimidate someone, or calm someone with diplomacy, etc, but your bluff skill will be used to modify the d20 roll to determine the effectiveness.
Because of the potential PvP encounters realize that using the bluff skill to get someone to act more friendly towards you (because of good diplomacy or fearsome intimidation) in a social situation may or may not work, though role-playing in this area is certainly encouraged. Combat uses of bluff skill can also be used to apply the shaken condition (as per intimidate) or apply class specific abilities that rely on one of these skills.
Note that many d20 rolls will be done by the GM. Skills that have an obvious success or failure such as climbing, swimming, crafting, attacking, should be made by the players. Skills which have more hidden results will be made by the GM such as Bluff, Sense Motive, Knowledge, Spellcraft, Stealth, Perception, etc.
When your character speaks, unless you specify otherwise, it will be assumed you are speaking in common. This means any listeners, known or hidden, will be able to understand you. Speak in another language and you may be able to foil spies if they don't have a means of understanding the given language.
Because this game will be taking place in four different threads simultaneously I ask that you refrain from reading the other factions threads. Doing so will only reduce your own and other players enjoyment.
Also because of the four threads game time will not always be consistent between the different groups. This could also result in a given thread being put on hold for a day or two if an encounter is about to occur between two groups but one group needs to finish something up.
The campaign takes place in the city of Coran, capital of the Ondian empire. Coran lies on the eastern coast of the continent and in the southern foothills of the Chaggath Spine, a large mountain range that runs northwest from the city. Coran is home to the great library, which draws scholars from across the continent to it for study and research. The city is a good sized metropolis with a large transient population. The given population at any given time is around 15,000 people. Many magical wonders and exotic goods are available in the city, as are illicit substances and other secrets for those who know where to look. Coran is also home to the current ruling Mageocracy, who rule from the Tower of the Heavens. What happens inside the walls of the tower is a secret to all but those allowed inside. From the tower come the laws of the land as enacted by the Council of Seven. Coran is primarily human though it is not uncommon to see all the varied races of the lands walking its streets.
A weeks travel to the west is a small village known as Gumlat (population of around 600). This village lies at the edge of a large expanse of forest. Rumors and stories of were-creatures surround the rise of this small village. It is said many years ago, Aroale Nulil, priestess of Erastil, defended what was then a settlement against a large number of lycanthropes through the strength of her god, though she perished in the effort. The tales of beast men continue to float about the area, though no one has since that time brought forth clear proof that any such creatures continue to exist in the area. Many believe the forests west of Gumlat are haunted though, and more than one soul has disappeared into those forests to never to return. The land between Gumlat and Coran is mostly farmlands with small thinly wooded areas near the base of the Chaggath Spine. Gumlat is primarily human though a good number of gnomes and haflings also inhabit the area.
North across the Chaggath Spine, two and a half weeks of travel over the high mountain roads, lies the city of Akleta with a population of around 3,000. This population is not centralized though, perhaps 1500 live in the city proper, with the other 1500 inhabitants within two days travel of the city. The area consists mostly of shepherds, cattle ranchers, and miners. The mountains separating Akleta from Coran have given the people of Akleta a sense of independence from the rest of the empire, though they are still dependent on Coran for trade goods from across the sea and rely on them for aid in times of war and to influence the surrounding tribes of hillmen. Akleta consists of almost entirely of humans in population. Other races visiting this area are frequently given a cold shoulder.
South of Coran lies a large expanse of desert known as The Endless Desert. At the northern edge of the desert, nine days travel south of Coran (or 3 days by ship), lies a mining town known as Issust Hold. The population is actually scattered between a small walled port that services Issust Hold (population of roughly 100 people) and a more heavily fortified settlement that was built on top of a natural oasis (population of around 500). Issust Hold primarily produces iron, but also mines some precious metals and gems. The place seems to attract the unsavory sorts of characters, perhaps in part due to a recent war against pirates from the southern seas which occurred nearly 30 years ago. No doubt some of those pirates make up part of the holds population. Issust hold is the home of a large number of dwarves, half-orcs, tieflings, and ifrit, though other races also commonly seen.
Seven days voyage by sea, to the east of Coran, lie the islands of Ioso, considered a tropical paradise by many. A relatively simple people inhabit the islands, which export fish, spices, and exotic goods from other lands. Outside of the villages the islands are the home of wild animals, dinosaurs, and a few other dangerous creatures. The islands are primarily inhabited by humans and undine.
The Chaggath Spine is home to several goblin clans, but these are probably the least dangerous of the the creatures that roam the mountain cliffs and dens.
The Endless Desert is home to desert nomads and various dangerous creatures, both natural and magical.
West of the empire are various smaller kingdoms who trade with the Ondian people.
South of the islands are pirate infested waters, and east of the islands lies a great ocean.
North of Akleta live tribes of savage hills men. These disparate groups are usually not a concern for the inhabitants of Akleta though there was a time in the past when they banded together under one tribal leader and threatened the area.
Laws are about what might expected of any medieval society, with punishments fitting the crime. Pick pockets will lose their hand after a 3rd offense. Murder is punishable by death. Creating undead is illegal (this doesn't mean you can't select spells/abilities to do so, just don't get caught). Slavery is illegal.
The Tower of the Heavens is home to the current ruling mageocracy. While it primarly consists of wizards, they also have among their ranks magus, witch's, sorcerers, and all other forms of arcane magic users. The Council of Seven makes up the ruling body and currently consists of masters Veray, Isul, Akeli, Torenest, Danroth, Banock, and Liam.
In recent times the roads have become a bit dangerous of late for individuals or small groups. Bandits and highwaymen, and in the mountain and desert roads more dangerous creatures are becoming a growing problem. This has been a cause of contention between the Mageocracy and the Merchants Guild. Tariffs have been raised to help pay for the costs of patrolling the roads but the added protection seems to be of limited effectiveness.
At the same time a group dissatisfied with the mages rule is starting to become more than a mere nuisance. The Mageocracy would like to put an end to this discontentment, if only they could figure out who is behind it and where they are hiding out.
With the current turmoil and politics the thieves guild is looking to expand their operations while the mages are distracted with other matters. Crime in Coran is on the rise, from petty thefts to rumors of an underground slave trade.
Because this campaign allows for evil characters there are some things that are likely to come up that could make other players uncomfortable discussing.
Sexual content should be limited to a PG-13 range. Rape or other sexual crimes are not allowed in the campaign.
Violence against children is not allowed, though you may run into street rats and such at times – bringing them to the authorities if the situation merits is a real possibility. You may burn down an orphanage if you like, but slaughtering its inhabitants is not allowed.
Torture is allowed, but highly detailed descriptions of such are not. Cutting of a limb or breaking some bones is fine. Descriptive details of what you do with a carving knife, or hot poker, etc, are not.
Excellent Pedwiddle. One minor detail to adjust in your backstory - you would have never made it up to the tower itself, but instead been arrested shouting and making a ruckus at the gates to the tower grounds.
The tower itself is an odd structure for a tower. It measures roughly 100 feet across at the base, tapered inward slightly such that it is perhaps 90 feet across at the top of its squat 60 foot height. The entire building is made of some kind of marble. At times a door can be seen standing open on the south side of the tower. When the door is closed, those looking in from outside the grounds are unable to discern where the door is located precisely or how one might gain entrance. Those who have been inside the grounds say the entire building is covered with carvings of celestial bodies. Stars, moons, suns, comets, etc.
Around the tower itself is a circular area, the tower grounds, 100 feet distance in all directions from the tower. These grounds hold half a dozen more traditional wood and stone buildings for housing the students of the tower, the tower guards, kitchens and so forth. The grounds are well maintained, including a small garden. The grounds are encircled about by a 15 foot wrought iron fence with a large double gate on the south side.
This looks interesting. A large scope, but it seems to have been thought out and seems fun. Count me in.
I'm particularly interested in a background that concerns this: "rumors of the mages practicing dark and evil experiments ... "
I have a summoner that's been itching to have a Thing From Beyond as an eidolon. Could this eidolon perhaps have been a result of said experiments? The original background was that he found the eidolon accidentally through a ritual in a summoner's journal. The eidolon had been sealed/stuck/imprisoned in a demiplane and was amnesiac. Despite the summoner's initial panic of WHAT THE HECK IS THAT and OH MY GOD OH MY GOD they grew to bond with each other. Even if the eidolon looks like an evil ravaging monstrosity beyond mortal comprehension and acts like it on occasion.
It doesn't have to be such--my character could simply suspect that the eidolon was created from the rumored experiments but he'd have no definite proof. He's joined the rebellion to learn the truth along with his new 'best buddy' and if such rumors were true, end or expose them. Possibly with his eidolon going REVENGE REVENGE REVENGE.
Basically the summoner would have an eidolon that would be something like WHAT HAS SCIENCE DONE?!/Bizzare Eldritch Abomination.
This looks interesting. A large scope, but it seems to have been thought out and seems fun. Count me in.
I'm particularly interested in a background that concerns this: "rumors of the mages practicing dark and evil experiments ... "
I have a summoner that's been itching to have a Thing From Beyond as an eidolon. Could this eidolon perhaps have been a result of said experiments? The original background was that he found the eidolon accidentally through a ritual in a summoner's journal. The eidolon had been sealed/stuck/imprisoned in a demiplane and was amnesiac. Despite the summoner's initial panic of WHAT THE HECK IS THAT and OH MY GOD OH MY GOD they grew to bond with each other. Even if the eidolon looks like an evil ravaging monstrosity beyond mortal comprehension and acts like it on occasion.
It doesn't have to be such--my character could simply suspect that the eidolon was created from the rumored experiments but he'd have no definite proof. He's joined the rebellion to learn the truth along with his new 'best buddy' and if such rumors were true, end or expose them. Possibly with his eidolon going REVENGE REVENGE REVENGE.
Basically the summoner would have an eidolon that would be something like WHAT HAS SCIENCE DONE?!/Bizzare Eldritch Abomination.
This could easily be worked in. Depending on your characters race and age there are a number of angles that could be worked. You may have formerly been a student of the tower - or abducted at some point in the past. This may or may not involve forcible removal or changing of some of your memories - or maybe you have simply suppressed those memories because of the horrors you witnessed. I'll leave that to you of course depending on what you want to add or not for your background.
As to the rumors themselves, these range from the more mundane to the rather fantastic. Among these rumors there is one thread that seems common enough that there is perhaps a grain of truth to it. Something happened in the not to distant past, around the time of the founding of Gumlat. Exactly what happened no one seems to agree on and there is a distinct lack of records on the subject. These range from more mundane things to the fantastic.
They capture and experiment on trolls and other creatures.
They are crossbreeding horrific monsters and creating new breeds of nightmarish creatures.
The consort with demons inside the confines of the tower.
That they plan to kill everyone in the city and turn them into mindless undead.
That they built the library to attract strangers to the city whom they then abduct for their experiments.
They are working to stave off threats from other worlds.
They are working with other worlds to take over this one.
They seek to overthrow the gods.
They seek to become gods.
They seek to release some dark god from his prison.
Or prevent the release of said dark god.
I would like to submit Errol, an Ifrit Arcane Duelist Bard 5. Hailing from Issust Hold he has recently arrived in Caron hoping to access the secrets of the great library. He comes from a hard scrabble background, being the bastard son of an innkeeper's daughter, and has had to claw and fight for all he has achieved in the world.
I will develop a more rounded background and submit later tonight.
This could easily be worked in. Depending on your characters race and age there are a number of angles that could be worked. You may have formerly been a student of the tower - or abducted at some point in the past. This may or may not involve forcible removal or changing of some of your memories - or maybe you have simply suppressed those memories because of the horrors you witnessed. I'll leave that to you of course depending on what you want to add or not for your background.
I like that.
What do you mean by 'abducted at some point in the past'. Does that mean abducted for experimentation?
There were two backgrounds I thought of: either my PC seems to have been experimented himself together with the eidolon or that he just stumbled on the eidolon and was somehow bonded to it.
If 'abducted' means 'abducted and experimented on', then the first would definitely be my choice. I was going to use a Variant Tiefling to represent the experimentation but then saw Tieflings weren't one of the allowed races for Rebellion. :P
So I suppose I'll go with human, but would you allow some aberration-like features on him? Summoner doesn't get Aspect until 10th level so it would be purely cosmetic.
This looks amazing. Here's my idea for a character. His name is Axiom. He grew up in a poorer area of Coran with two brothers and a sister, his mother a simple woman who sold food on the street markets, and his father working as a slave to a mage of the Tower of the Heavens. At the age of twelve, his life changed. His father came back later than usual. Lying cold in his ragged bed, he saw his father stumble through the door smelling of whiskey, tears streaming down his face. He watched as his father stripped off his tunic, revealing a whip-scarred back, still covered in open cuts. Horrified, he stood, and ran toward his father. His drunken parent turned, wide-eyed, and gripped his shoulders, bringing him close. He spat curses in his face, terrible words of the mages and their evil. He spoke of the whipping he received and would not discern why. The next morning, Axiom, blinded with rage, ran from home, towards the Tower. As he saw one mage walking into the walls, he drove his foot with great force into the man's shin, to the point of drawing blood. The mage grimaced and took Axiom by the throat. He told him he would later realize he had made a mistake. That evening, his father returned from his working, dead-eyed. His only words being praise of the Mages and generic conversational pieces.
Twelve years later, his father has stayed exactly the same. His mother is naught but a sorrowful, broken beast who must hold herself together in the public eye. Currently working in a smithy as an assistant, he always keeps an eye on the Tower, hungering for revenge. Axiom never made too many friends, his gruff attitude and pent-up anger putting off potential comrades most often. His only true fear is losing his unbridled rage, his cunning anger, and eventually giving up, or worse, becoming like his father.
So..
FRIENDS/RELATIVES: His mother Corea,
brothers Rendel and Tark, 25 and 30
sister Silia, 31
father Boram, 62
and master at the smith Dranak, 45.
(Tark harbors anger toward the Mages to an equal extent. Silia left Coran out of fear at 19 to live in Gumlat alone. Rendel, however, always defended the Mages, and disappeared at 15. Rendel always showed sadistic and violent tendencies, and his family fears what has become of him)
How's that? I'm pretty excited about him. As far as crunchy bits, at this point all I know is that he'll most likely be a Rogue or Barbarian, based on what works with the party. That way, I could focus on either his cunningness or his rage.
Here is my application for the rebellion:
They couldn’t wait for ever Maria was crying all the time because she was hungry and Jake didn’t know how to get food. He started to beg for food and of the little that they got he gave the majority to Maria. They survived like this for a while but when Jake got sick he could even beg for food. He thought they would die and then Puck turned up. Puck had been his friend when he was little, the one who did the naughty things and then disappeared so that he got blamed. No had believed that Puck was real but he was and now he came to their rescue with food. As he recovered he learnt that Puck was stealing the food from the rich houses and merchants, he had explained that they had too much food and didn’t need it all. Puck lived in another world he said but taught Jake how to summon him.
Over the years puck taught Jake a lot about the world and magic. Jake had a knack for magic and learnt to cast a few simple spells. Puck won’t teach him about stealing however explaining that he could get away if caught, so instead Jake learnt to sell the thing that Puck had stolen. Puck’s thefts were more than enough for Maria and Jake to feed themselves, so used the spare to feed other kids also down on their luck. Soon, he was the head of small gang, calling themselves the pack rats, they modelled themselves after a story they had heard of a gang who would steal from the rich and give to the poor, but only Puck was allowed to do the stealing. He knew that children were meant to go to school, so he saved up money and by the time Maria was of the right age to go to school he could effort to send her. While this wasn’t the life he remembered from when he was young it was getting quite good until one day Maria disappeared. She proved to be talented in magic as well and was welcomed into the mage tower to further her training. That was 5 years ago, Jake and Puck has continuously tried to get in touch with Maria but all attempts have failed and market place oracle reported now not only was she kept against her will but also now in danger.
Jake is a member of the thieves guild as fence and small gang leader, he disagrees with the leaders motives and technics and only a member because it would be suicidal not to be. Previous times he has ask members to find out more about his sister have failed so he has no faith they can help now.
Jake is also a member of merchant’s guild owning a small shop “nik naks” as a pawn broker where he and the other packrats sell their ill-gotten gains and information. He however is doesn’t hold any power in the merchants and know they won’t risk annoying the tower for someone like him.
The packrats had been hearing rumours of a rebellion rising against the tower for a while now and so Jake decides they are the last chance for Maria and him. Over the last week Puck has been collecting the odd item to help Jake rather than selling them.
My sister Maria - is in the tower and may or may not being trained to be a wizard
Puck – My Eidolon, naturally sneaky and practical joker. He is small and fey like and excellent thief. (Based roughly on Puck from Mid-summer’s night’s dream)
The packrats – a group of street kids, beggars and ex street kids which have been saved from starvation or the thieves guild proper. While the gang steals from the rich, Puck does most of the stealing. Most of the looks out for each other and gathers information while on the street and a few of the older ones man the shop or convert the stolen goods to make them unrecognisable. A few members of the gang:
Susan Watersmith – Susan and Jake are the main two that run the shop, she was an early member of the gang and claims to be the bastard child of the Watersmith family who are wealth merchants. Jake has a crush on her but hasn’t acted on it as he knows he is getting himself into trouble.
Mule – Mule is a large strong youth, he is the gang’s muscle by which he moves heavy items more than brawling. Although his imposing frame has stopped a fight or two before they started.
Zassar gold thumb– Zassar was orphaned when her father a jeweller committed suicide after losing the business in a bet. Zassar converts the jewellery they get into other items they can sell.
Saul – Saul is a young boy that also lost his family and house to a fire and Jake feels an affinity for him and keeps a extra eye out for him.
There is not much to Jake physically. Typical of children who grew up on the street he is gaunt and his muscles are underdeveloped giving the impression that he is younger than his 18 year olds. He is clothed in an old torn jacket and grubby shorts and shirt that don't match and his backpack has seen better days, while he owns much better clothes he prefers people to under estimate him. He hair has been roughly cut away to leave him almost bald. His skin is dark probably through decent rather than just tanning. When he looks at you there is a glint in his deep brown eyes and if he smiles there is something captivating and charming about that is hard to put a finger on. If given a wash and nice clothes he would probably be quite good looking if still scrawny.
Short: rescue Maria, help the rebellion to get them to trust him enough to help
medium: keep the packrats alive and feed, buy a house to shelter them, get them in to legal work
long: change the government to one more considerate of the poor and unlucky, replace the leadership of the thieves guild to cut out some of the more horrific stuff he has heard they are up to, bring a social justice thinking into the merchants guild.
Jake the rat is a human summoner and newcomer to the rebellion, as for party role he is a face, and his eidolon is a thief who will concentrate on skills and infiltration rather than combat. In combat he'll summon monsters and buff party members but would generally prefer it to not come to that. I didn't mention in the background but he has lived entire life in Coran and as yet never left. Maria his sister might well not be kidnapped by the mages it might just be part of her apprenticeship (she would be 14 now).
I know you have said no to leadership which I understand, how do you feel about the trait "natural-born leader" justifying the gang who I don't intend to play any combat roll in the game?
I haven't don't crunch but can fairly quickly if you want to see it.
@other player: There is plenty of room for me to integrate my background to fit yours and anyone is welcome to use mine in their background. With the GMs permission this includes players from other faction as I figure Jake knows a lots of people.
Allow me to submit Digger Chandler, fifth level charlatan rogue, lover of rebellion, and storyteller supreme.
On the road, there was always someone who'd love to tell a great story to a young boy. Tock's favorite stories were all about Cayden Cailean. He marveled over how the human-cum-god went through life with nothing more than a sense of adventure and a chaotic tendency towards luck. As time went on he became a devout worshipper, though without a real cleric around, his theology isn't exactly orthodox. He loves nothing more than chaos and luck. He spreads it wherever he goes, constantly spinning tales about himself and the world around him.
Tock loves nothing more than telling a story. Whether it's meant to be fictional or a lie, he is in his element. He befuddled his parents as a child, getting away with more and more as time went on and they tired of trying to figure out "the truth." One day at the market, his convoluted reasonings on why he should be allowed to drink as much ale as he wants became so intense that there was no way to refute them.
Also at this market was a shady merchant named Nicolardi, who was impressed with the youth's force of personality. He later dug up some information on the child and periodically kept tabs on the boy's development. When he reached 16, already tall and handsome as most any man, Tock was hired to work as a bartender at a tavern Nicolardi had influence upon.
His oft-stated goal is "to live the greatest story of all time." He generally believes in the greater good of life, for what is more chaotic than sapient life? However, he is a near-compulsive liar and cheat and hedonist. His ethics and moral code are flexible to say the least. His deepest dream, which he would never reveal, is actually to garner enough power to conquer the Starstone and join his hero in godhood.
Digger is tall, in great shape, and very handsome. He is frustratingly aware of these facts. His story-spinning is aided all the more with that charming smile. He has the medium-brown hair of his father, and the small but expressive eyes of his mother. He dresses stylishly, bordering on foppishly. He always makes eye contact and remembers people's names. He loves a good joke, and has almost perfected the art of friendly teasing.
However, he is conceited and sometimes downright spiteful. He feels a life of adventure is basically owed to him, and prefers the story of the Drunken God to the slow deterioration and death of his parents. He will not go out quietly, but he can hold a quiet grudge for years before acting upon it.
He enjoys creating other identities and disguises, filling each in with elaborate personalities and backstories. He seeks adventuring with characters fit for the greatest story of all time. His friendship is unswervingly loyal (unless it would make a REALLY good story).
Despite his demons and flaws, he does hate actual, true evil. His definition of it might just be a bit more specific than others'.
His father is long since past, but his mother still lives in Coran. She is old but fairly spritely, and one of the few people in his life so far whose life he holds more dearly than his story.
Stat blocks show first and fifth level, which needs just a bit of work. I think this is an awesome idea and I've been dying to play this character.
can you make player made races.
if not i'll make a Synthesist Summoner with a eidolon that looks like a Cyborg-Shark
Sorry, no custom player races.
If 'abducted' means 'abducted and experimented on', then the first would definitely be my choice.
More along the lines of this.
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ok hear is his backstory
BACKSTORY
As a boy Horvon lived north of Coren by one days travel. he had a human father and elven monther and went to his uncle Cadwell's on the weekends but one day he was sent home with a cart and horse. on the way home the horse got frightoned and ran back droping a scroll after reading it he tryed the summers artifact (not his uncle's) ane next fing he new he had A shimmering form around him.
of course his dependent is uncle Cadwell.
The game has me very interested! Developing Rocosmia Semvelo, or Rocos, a healsong street performer bard, working to fix the problems in the Ondian empire through revolution. This is one of two characters I'll submit, the other being either a dwarven barbarian or undine cleric serving the merchants.
Note; I'm interested in seeing if Errol and Rocos are complimentary characters, despite both being a bard. Also interested in linking up back story with any interested. Rocosmia will focus on ranged attacks and debilitation. She'll be stealthy.
- Born in Coran and raised by sorcerer father and ifrit mother before father dies when she's twenty, then an elven couple raises her
- Love interest gets into trouble because of her soon before coming of age, which turns her life upside down
- Old aged human sibling tips her off of her mother's whereabouts and Rocos reunites them in Coran after soul-searching
- Seeing the state of the empire prompts her to vigilante activities before redirecting her efforts in aid of the rebellion
- The mere thought of stagnating in a prison makes her queasy. She'll panic if it seems she's going to be captured.
- Being labeled as an evil demon due to her appearance. She has nothing against tieflings or the like, its just her pride of being ifrit speaking.
- She wants to see Candarel make something of himself. Its more about personal validation; him having been better off with her than without her.
- Public praise really makes her day. She feels worthy of it already; its just a matter of getting more.
- Rocosmia needs adventure, not a settled life. She doesn't yet realize the desire to make her mark.
Roco seems like someone Digger would know, for sure.
Oh, and as for previous experience, I belong to four or five pbps here since this summer, and have three other campaigns elsewhere that have lasted literally a decade.
This looks amazing. Here's my idea for a character. His name is Axiom. He grew up in a poorer area of Coran with two brothers and a sister, his mother a simple woman who sold food on the street markets, and his father working as a slave to a mage of the Tower of the Heavens. At the age of twelve, his life changed. His father came back later than usual. Lying cold in his ragged bed, he saw his father stumble through the door smelling of whiskey, tears streaming down his face. He watched as his father stripped off his tunic, revealing a whip-scarred back, still covered in open cuts. Horrified, he stood, and ran toward his father. His drunken parent turned, wide-eyed, and gripped his shoulders, bringing him close. He spat curses in his face, terrible words of the mages and their evil. He spoke of the whipping he received and would not discern why. The next morning, Axiom, blinded with rage, ran from home, towards the Tower. As he saw one mage walking into the walls, he drove his foot with great force into the man's shin, to the point of drawing blood. The mage grimaced and took Axiom by the throat. He told him he would later realize he had made a mistake. That evening, his father returned from his working, dead-eyed. His only words being praise of the Mages and generic conversational pieces.
One minor tweak for your back story. Your father wouldn't have been an actual slave (it's illegal) though his employment conditions could easily have been about equivalent to slavery. Otherwise looks good.
I know you have said no to leadership which I understand, how do you feel about the trait "natural-born leader" justifying the gang who I don't intend to play any combat roll in the game?
Taking the trait is fine. I especially like that you've created some ties to the other groups.
I'm thinking she'd be a fan of Digger's stories, and while she wouldn't have much storytelling to offer (not that kind of bard), she might be spotted performing the tale through acting and dance.
Characters so far:
Drewan (Pedwiddle) - Catfolk, Ranger/Rogue, mother killed by unknown hands, blames the mages for lack of sufficient city guard. Significant NPC's: sister.
? (rashly5) - Human Summoner, twisted and scarred, still recognizable as human but wouldn't want to see him lurking down a dark alley. No other info yet.
? (Killer Munch) - race?, Synthesist summoner - no other info.
Errol (wolfheart) - Ifrit, Arcane Duelist Bard, from Issust Hold, moved to Croan to study in the library.
Axiom (jdkle309) - race? (human?), rogue or barbarian, from Coran, parents suffered greatly at the hands of the mages, significant NPC's: family, employer.
Jake (Tim Woodhams) - race? (human?), Summoner, parents lost in a fire (possibly to the mages), has ties to the merchant's and thieve's guild as well, has a small gang of street-rats. Signficants NPC's: Younger sister, street rats.
Tock (Digger) Chandler - Human, rogue, from Akleta, follower of Cayden Cailean and a thrillseeker/adventure seeker. Significant NPC's: mother.
Horvon (Killer Munch) - Half-elf, Snythesist summoner, from Coran. Significant NPC's: Uncle.
Rocosmia Semvelo - Ifrit, Healsong Bard, I've only just quickly glanced over your info so far Rocos, I need to finish posting and get to work.
Candarel's recently-ended addiction is a total hook to the merchants or thieve's guild, assuming he got his supply from them. It would give her a non-hostile brush against the thieve's guild or merchants, but I'd have to consult with you or a member of one of them to do it. Idea would be that it was enough of a "oh, this is dangerous" sort of thing to get her to look for a gang. Preferably something that strongly hints at the slave trade going on. She knows to keep her mouth shut about such things, but I figured that'd be taking too much liberty to just throw in on my own.
Oh, and both Sisani and Candarel are very important to her.
Alright, sounds good. I actually like that idea of them treating him as a slave, breaking their own laws. And yeah, he's a human. Sorry for not specifying.
Characters so far:Errol (wolfheart) - Ifrit, Arcane Duelist Bard, from Issust Hold, moved to Croan to study in the library.
I have changed my concept and submitted to the merchant guild. Sorry i did not mention sooner.
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Definitely need to expand the backstory later, but I put in some basics.
Dev - Male Human Summoner
Vower - Aberration Eidolon
Woke up with no memories in Coran with Vower, attacked on sight and he eventually headed to Gumlat. Lived safely in forest for a while and befriended a family while hiding his face. Revealed, but they accepted him. Sought for truth about what happened to him, heard tell of Rebellion, etc.
Dev
A human with dark black eyes, his pale skin is covered with twisted scars and burns. Large areas of his skin are covered with what looks like a black growth rooting deep into him. The growths feel slimy to touch and seem to pulse. He is unnaturally light and incredibly thin, making him seem emaciated. He has no nails.
His face seems to be mostly spared though his ears are slightly pointed. Tiny stubs are on his head and they seem to be horns. His teeth are perhaps a little sharper than what is normal.
Vower
A humanoid figure whose skin is entirely black and and composed of what seems like rubbery scarred patches and chitinous armored growths. Vestigial organs and features cover it, mandibles and teeth, feathers and small mouths, blinking crystalline eyes, fingers and tentacles. His face is composed of a large main mouth, taking up most of the face, and it is composed of smaller mouths inside with sharp teeth outwards. Large eyes surround it and the middle has a curve that seems like a nose.
It visibly has main limbs, two arms, two legs, but they are warped and seem to be composed of many smaller limbs intertwined, finally ending with large claws. Small spikes trail its spine.
He casts no shadow.
Yes, Jake is human. Thanks for the comment about the links with other factions, to tell the truth I really struggled with where I should apply with him as he naturally had connections to thieve's guild and merchant's guild but I couldn't get his personality to fit.
Good call on who killed his parents, in his opinion it could have been any of the factions but claiming mages did it might help with the acceptance in the rebellion.
Good call on who killed his parents, in his opinion it could have been any of the factions but claiming mages did it might help with the acceptance in the rebellion.
My post above is intended to be a summary as I understood it from reading the back stories of the various characters. This one I think fits very well, but for other players, if I've got something wrong with your details don't hesitate to correct me.
Candarel's recently-ended addiction is a total hook to the merchants or thieve's guild, assuming he got his supply from them. It would give her a non-hostile brush against the thieve's guild or merchants, but I'd have to consult with you or a member of one of them to do it. Idea would be that it was enough of a "oh, this is dangerous" sort of thing to get her to look for a gang. Preferably something that strongly hints at the slave trade going on. She knows to keep her mouth shut about such things, but I figured that'd be taking too much liberty to just throw in on my own.
Oh, and both Sisani and Candarel are very important to her.
Candarel would have been obtaining the stuff from someone associated with the thieve's guild.
Addendum to the possible character list, I missed
? (Faelax) - Human, Monk, no other info yet.
If Thieves Guild is full is this one still available? or are you all full on your campaign?
If Thieves Guild is full is this one still available? or are you all full on your campaign?
Recruitment is open till the 13th, at that point I'll take a day or two to narrow it down to 5 players per group.
Characters so far:
Drewan (Pedwiddle) - Catfolk, Ranger/Rogue, mother killed by unknown hands, blames the mages for lack of sufficient city guard. Significant NPC's: sister.
Dev (rashly5) - Human Summoner, twisted and scarred, still recognizable as human but wouldn't want to see him lurking down a dark alley. Currently living in/near Gumlat, both Dev and his eidolon are nightmarish to behold.
Axiom (jdkle309) - Human, rogue or barbarian, from Coran, parents suffered greatly at the hands of the mages, significant NPC's: family, employer.
Jake (Tim Woodhams) - Human, Summoner, parents lost in a fire (possibly to the mages), has ties to the merchant's and thieve's guild as well, has a small gang of street-rats. Signficants NPC's: Younger sister, street rats.
Tock (Digger) Chandler - Human, rogue, from Akleta, follower of Cayden Cailean and a thrillseeker/adventure seeker. Significant NPC's: mother.
Horvon (Killer Munch) - Half-elf, Snythesist summoner, from Coran. Significant NPC's: Uncle.
Rocosmia Semvelo - Ifrit, Healsong Bard, still feels responsibility and guilt over Candarel her first (only?) love interest, dance performer, joined the rebellion due to mage corruption. Significant NPC's: mother, half-brother, Candarel.
? (Faelax) - Human, Monk, no other info yet.
? (Killer Munch) - race?, Synthesist summoner - no back story yet.
Rocosmia Semvelo - Ifrit, Healsong Bard, still feels responsibility and guilt over Candarel her first (only?) love interest, dance performer, joined the rebellion due to mage corruption. Significant NPC's: mother, half-brother, Candarel.
First, not only.
why am i on it twice?
Parsing error on my end.
My crunch is in side and the avatar is how he looks.
Just a reminder that recruitment closes Sunday afternoon. It will likely take me 1-2 days to select the groups after that.
I put the backstory in.
Oh dear, and I'm still not done. *hurries up*
Did i make it?
Here's the expanded backstory.
Dev - Male Human Summoner
Vower - Aberration Eidolon
DEVOUR.
The word came from within, the only thing in his mind, reverberating with the inevitability of fate. He woke with nothing but that word and knew then who he was, his purpose. He opened his eyes and realized he was lying down and there was something beneath him.
This was where Dev's memories started, Vower's razor-teeth voice in his mind and the eidelon's twisted form beneath him on the dirty ground of Coran. Dev knew how to do things--how to read, how to speak, what a horse looked like, how to summon Vower--but he knew nothing personal about himself. No memories that told him who he was. Only the nagging feeling that he is, or at least was, human.
Dev wandered the streets of Coran for some time, confused and without purpose. He was shunned everywhere he went. Most seemed wary if not hostile to him and he survived only by scrounging. Eventually, he left the city, heading towards the forests of Gumlat, having heard the rumors of the forest and curious if they held any truth to them and whether or not they are connected to him.
He stayed there for some time, finding comfort in his silence and in the freedom to summon Vower without everyone around them panicking. Months passed as Dev and Vower lived alone, trying to figure out what they were capable of and what they were going to do next. He visited Gumlat every now and then to trade for supplies, cloaked and covered.
One of the village's inhabitants, a youth named Geoff, was curious about the mysterious stranger who appeared in the village, traded, and then left soon after. He would often strike up conversations with Dev whenever he visited until they became something like friends. He followed Dev into the forests one day and saw him remove his coverings, showing his features. Geoff didn't panic until Dev summoned Vower.
Later, after Dev dismissed Vower for the moment and managed to calm Geoff down, explaining that he was a summoner that lived in the forests with his eidolon, Geoff was still shaky but promised to say nothing. He went back to the forests the next day looking for them and said that he still considered them friends. They continued to meet, Dev hungry for social contact and Geoff curious about Dev.
Geoff was telling his family about Dev every now and then, saying nothing about Vower, when he mentioned how Dev was living in the forest. Concerned, the family offered to let him stay in the spare room. Touched and overwhelmed, Dev accepted though he still spends most of his time in the forests with Vower or alone in his room. When they saw his face, they assumed to be a Tiefling and accepted him. Though it irked him, he didn't contradict them, relieved. Geoff now sometimes accompanies him though is still uncomfortable with Vower, but at least he doesn't outright run from his presence anymore.
Dev heard stories about the Tower and the dark experiments rumored to be carried out there. He joined the Rebellion, wanting to find out the truth behind these rumors, and the truth behind himself and Vower.
Significant NPCs: Geoff and his family (mother: Elissa, father: Jackson, younger sister: Bethany)
Dev
A human with dark black eyes, his pale skin is covered with twisting scars and burns. Large areas of his skin are covered with what looks like a black growth rooting deep into him. The growths feel slimy to touch and seem to pulse. He is unnaturally light and incredibly thin, making him seem emaciated. He has no nails.
His face seems to be mostly spared though there's a large patch on his forehead and his ears are slightly pointed. Tiny stubs are on his head and they seem to be horns. His teeth are sharp.
He usually wears heavy clothing to hide himself in, usually a dark hooded cloak and gloves to cover his abnormal features. He prefers more open and casual wear in private, however.
Vower
A humanoid figure whose skin is entirely black and and composed of what seems like rubbery scarred patches and chitinous armored growths. Vestigial features cover it, mandibles and teeth, feathers and small mouths, blinking crystalline eyes, fingers and tentacles. His face is composed of a large main mouth, taking up most of the face, and it is composed of smaller mouths inside with sharp teeth pointed outwards. Large eyes surround it and the middle has a curve that almost seems like a nose.
He visibly has main limbs, two arms, two legs, but they are warped and seem to be composed of many smaller limbs intertwined, finally ending with large claws. Small spikes trail its spine.
He casts no shadow.
Anybody wanna link stories? Dev would be mostly around Gumlat if you'd care to meet him. He would be a very recent addition to the Rebellion and most wouldn't have heard of/be used to him, I think. He'd keep himself covered and wouldn't summon Vower around people.