These boards are the only opportunity I get to be a player. You know about my RL S&S game and my RotRL's here on the boards, but I also GM a RL game of RotRL's and just recently I started a Way of the Wicked game at my local gaming store (which replaced my Pathfinder Society)
Also, I know you said that you didn't think advanced firearms were going to be in this campaign, but if there is even a chance to get a rifle, I will go to the ends of Golarion to get it. Not just for the stats or anything, just for the RP process of describing how its loaded and fired. And that everyone will be like "What the heck is that thing??"
well Aldon I think I heard of an ulfen lord in the Northern most corner of Avistan who has one... :)
I'll see what I can do, but it will have to be a pretty special weapon, The rank and file NPC's will only ever have muskets but I'm open to you somehow getting one, or learning how to make one or something It may not happen just yet.
I've always wanted to do pathfinder society but...I'd just end up GMing it and never playing in it. I only started GMing this year after not playing any RPG's for several years after moving away from my home city. I jsut got fed up and realized alot of my friends want to play but didn't want to GM so I bit the bullet and started to learn how to GM...and here we are.
I'm actually only playing in one PBP, I was playing in three but two fell apart due to GM disappearing. The other one is a Skull and Shackles where I play a Chelish Half-orc Opera Dive (bard) who until recently was disguised as a chelish swordsman on the wormwood. She's my favourite character I've ever played so far lol, and most unique.
It would defiantly be something for the future, and I'm sure Marn and I can figure it out.
Has anyone given any thought as to which role they want to fulfill when we are pirates of our own ship? Due to my class I was thinking master gunner
Of course deciding who the Captain will be will take some debate, so we can skip that for now
I'll be gone this weekend and am leaving tomorrow to return on Monday.
Fell free to NPC Marn. He'll just be swinging his hammer at rats for now and he'll make sure his mutagen has ended before going upstairs again.
Oh, as far as roles go Marn can do quite a few things. Surgeon is a given, but he'd also make a decent shipwright and eventually (in quite a few levels) he'd be able to be master gunner or at least help the master gunner in fire fights (yay for shooting my bombs from a cannon)
My character has worked as a master gunner, so he could do that, but he's also got a high Profession (sailor) score, so he would also be happy as boatswain or pilot of the ship. (While the Captain is the pilot unless otherwise specified, another character can be appointed the pilot).
Musket Masters can reload two handed firearms as if they're one-handed, but I thought that wasn't at lvl 1 (otherwise I'm playing my own musket master goblin all wrong)
Aldon can reload as quickly as he does because he is using alchemical cartridges instead of powder and ball. Makes reloading one step faster.
And now I see the discussion posts... yay...
As for a job on the ship, I envisioned him as the... cook? Probably also as bosun. Spellcaster? Layabout... Yeah, that one. Or... mascot?
I still haven't made up my mind what job I want Almathea to go for. I'm sure I'll figure out what she'll be good at eventually. :)
Yes, you found me out. With Rapid Reload and alchemical cartridges, I reload as a move action, which makes my character not as useless as he would be.
At level 3, I gain the ability to reload two handed weapons as if they were one handed, as Marn said. Which means I will be then reloading my musket as a free action, making it possible for me to have multiple attacks at level 6 and for me to use abilities like rapid shot and manyshot
Gunslingers are my favorite class, but I've played three in various campaigns, read as much of the FAQ's and RAW, and designed multiple concepts. Its just sad that a lot of GM's won't allow them in campaigns. I even have this character designed all the way to 20, and I can show you if you like.
Have we earned any XP for our exploits so far?
I'm guessing our GM is using event based leveling, which I find is perfect for pbp
I never realized how well a martial artist monk would work in the Adventure Path. I will have to remember that one if I ever play it again
Any unarmed character, really. Fighter (brawler or unarmed fighter) or any monk should do really, really well in the early parts.
Or an alchemist that has had time to prepare and has both a strength mutagen and Stone Fist ready, maybe Enlarge Person as well (or Feral Mutagen starting lvl 2)
In this particular fight I'm in right now I think the pirates would call foul though if an STR 10 swab suddenly showed up to a "fists and fists only" fight with STR 14 and fists of stone. I'm pretty sure "fists only" precludes the use of magic lol. Plugg would probably just promise lashings with the cat when you were back to normal and throw the weakest looking PC to Owlbear in the meantime.
Just as an aside, I've been thinking of writing my own campaign and was wondering if you guys could take a look over the introductory info and let me know if its a campaing that would interest you, if so why, if not why not and just to generally get a bit of feedback.
Its just the introduction to the campaign as well as character creation rules. Its a bit rough and not formatted for the forum but let me know what you think.
Campaign Prologue:
The time has come, winter has ended and the Chelish armada sails north with the spring winds and the flocks migrating to their summer homes.
The southern expanse of Varisia has been visible for several days, the Mushfen swamps nearly reach the coast to the west spotted with sparse green coastal forests and rocky beaches. To the west the Fenwell mountains rise, easily visible from the decks of the warships as they sail like silent monoliths through Conquerors bay.
The fleet sails past a small town which appears to have been abandoned in haste at their coming and into the mouth of the Jeggare River.
The way is wide open and calm and the fleet makes an easy passage, just as was foretold by Arastus. No sailor dares to question which devil or demon he made a deal with for such fine weather.
Soon the fleets of merchant ships are visible on the horizon, coming and going like ants to sugar in the great harbour of Korvosa.
At the sight of the Approaching armada they either turn back and try to take to the harbour or set sail into open ocean as fast as they can.
The Chelish Armada makes no efforts to pursue. The beast cares little who knows it is coming. The time has come, the age of reclaiming has begun and the Chelish war machine is on the move.
Chapter 1:
Oathday, the 13th of Pharast in the 4776th year During the Age of Lost Omens on the deck of the Chelish War Galley Braxus, five youngsters, barely old enough to have left home stand at the railing and look towards the Merciless Cliffs that shelter Korvosa, the spires of its castle visible behind the imposing rock wall.
Soon they will be tasked with carrying, fetching, packing and preparing for the invasion of Varisia, but for now these five youngsters who have spent the last month together aboard the Braxus have a few moments to themselves to wish each other luck or talk about the adventures to come.
Notes about the campaign:
This campaing begins with the invasion of Varisa by the Chelish army. The idea is that you are brought along and the Cahracters would experience life in an army, grow as a group and expereince war while also fighting creatures or overcoming hardships in Varisia as they grow to become leaders of the Army and perhaps conquer much of varisia, head out on their own in a war ravaged country or turn the tables and join Varisia in defending against the mighty chelish army, or do something completley different.
It would be a sandbox style adventure in a country that is mixed up in a war.
Level per Year: Each level is one year in the characters life. As the story progresses the characters age.
Starting Ages: Characters start at age 14 to 16, or equivalent for their race. So they would be about 36 or so at level 20.
Starting Jobs: Characters start as servants, porters, assistants or squires in the Chelish army and are essentially nobodies to begin with, but the idea is that they grow in prominence and become heroes, they don’t start as heroes or someone special but must become one. That means the characters background should reflect how they ended up in service to the lord or lady etc.
-Core races only
-No stat greater than 18 even with racials.
-20 point buy.
-All classes except Samurai, ninja and Summoners.
-Early firearms are very common, so are cannons, firearms are martial weapons and cost 75% of listed price.
-Advanced firearms are extremely rare.
-Any alignment except CE.
-2 traits, (I would prefer is traits actually align with your backstory as much as possible)
-Gear given to characters by GM
A note on Alignment: I’m fine with evil characters with a purpose, but no characters like the joker. If you want to play evil then why is your character evil? What made him evil? Does that mean he hates everyone else all the time,? I’m okay with evil but not okay with someone who will make life difficult for the other players. Some conflict in party is just fine but there needs to be some common sense to playing tighter or else it’s no fun.
CHARACTERS-----------------------------------
Each player will essentially be the servant of or assistant to an NPC of some note in the chelish army. There will be traits associated with the position; essentially the trait is the hook as to how you got the job.
The types of characters I’m looking for are (these are general guidlines, I can be flexible as well):
The Squire of Ser Magnus Cortain, knight and commander of the Black Guard cuirassiers (Ideal Classes: fighter, paladin, cavalier, gunslinger)
You have somehow come into the service of the young and charismatic Cuirassier and Knight Magnus Cortain. You serve him by maintaining his armour and grooming and caring for the horses. He has also been teaching you to fight. Although he is friendly enough you have not gotten to know him that well since coming into his service three months prior to leaving for Varisia
Porter for the third regiment of Arquebusiers (Ideal Classes: Rogue, ranger, barbarian, gunslinger, bard, fighter)
You were caught up by the press gangs in the Egorian slums and forced to serve the army carrying baggage, loading unloading, pitching tents and setting up fires are now your duties with a rough group of veteran soldiers how have taken you under their wing and treat you like a little sibling.
Cooks assistant and scullery maid to the great lady Dessra Thrune. (witch, druid, Alchemist, rogue, bard)
Somehow you came to be a scullery maid for house Thrune, you are tasked with cooking and cleaning and also with staying out of site. You have never spoken to mistress Thrune nor are you allowed to. Bertha Hosh is the maid you are tasked with obeying and she is far to willing to assing tasks you hate.
Wizards apprentice to Arastus, the great wizard of the house Thrune (sorcerer, wizard, magus, oracle)
Arastus is old and feeble and he is doing everything he can to avoid dying. You are one of many of his apprentices; you have been tasked with caring for the message ravens. You are not his favourite pupil, in fact you are uncertain he knows who you even are. You are picked on by the other apprentices. You mostly take your orders from the head apprentice Ivan Drasik, a cruel and spiteful young man.
Servant in the Church of Asmodeus, ( or Erastil, Iomedae, Zon-Kuthon, Abadar or other deity if desired, but they are there serving with the Asmodians) under the orders of the High Preist of Asmodeus Hastur (Cleric, inquisitor, Oracle,)
You have been sent overseas to minister to the soldiers of the Chelish army, both their physical and their spiritual needs. You serve under the Asmodian delegation but you yourself do not necessarily1 fall into that faith. Duties primarily consist of setting up the chapel, collecting offerings, encouraging the men and healing the sick caring for the wounded. (This is not a healer character, simply the reason you the character was sent)
Note: Again I am open to ideas and am willing to be flexible with characters, but generlay I want young characters who are nobodies to start with. I think it could lend well to character progression and development.
Campaign Setting:
-The campaign will be set in Golarion but the age will be reminiscent of the early to mid 1600s of earth, Knights in armour still exist but they are being phased out. The pikeman and halberdier dominate the battlefield and the musket is replacing the crossbow, but the crossbow is still used. Ships of war sail with Cannons and armies march with cannons. Clothing and armour will be reminiscent of the 1600s as well for flavour, so it’s not really a medieval fantasy world but its on the cusp of it. I will try to keep the game consistent with pathfinder lore and golarian geography, because I think its a great setting
Player requirements:
-Must be willing to post regularly (unforeseen circumstances are understandable and family comes first)
-Must be willing to let me know, as best you can, if you will not be able to post for some time.
-Must be willing to RP, I will try to make this an RP heavy campaign so only players who can create dialogue with NPCs and each other.
-Must be willing to think of others and try to keep the game fun for the others as well.
GM requirements:
-I will try to keep the campaign fun and interesting.
-I will try to post regularly
-I will try to let you know when I am away or unable to post
-I will be open to suggestions, thoughts and correction.
I like it, and even though I promised myself I would not join anymore campaigns, especially homebrew, I find myself wanting to join this one.
Let me know when recruitment starts, I have an interesting idea for a concept that will take a lot of work, but has a deep connection to Varisia.
Sounds interesting, I'd definitely give it a shot! Let me know when recruitment starts :)
You could actually turn those roles into campaign traits easily enough.
Squire of Ser Magnus Cortain You gain a +1 trait bonus on Handle Animal and Ride checks, and one is always a class skill for you.
Porter for the 3rd Regiment of Arquebusiers: You gain a +2 trait bonus on Fortitude saves to avoid fatigue or exhaustion.
Cook's Assistant and Scullery Maid to Lady Thrune You gain a +1 trait bonus to Profession (cook) or Profession (scullery maid) and Knowledge (nobility) checks, and one of them is always a class skill for you.
Wizard's Apprentice to Arastus, Wizard of the House of Thrune You gain a +2 trait bonus on Handle Animal checks involving birds, and a +1 trait bonus to either Knowledge (arcana) or Spellcraft checks, and one of them is a class skill for you.
Servant in the Church of Asmodeus You gain a +1 trait bonus to Heal checks. If your patron is Asmodeus, you gain a +1 trait bonus to Knowledge (religion) checks, and it is always a class skill for you. If you patron is not Asmodeus, you gain a +1 trait bonus to Bluff checks, and it is always a class skill for you.
The reason I asked you guys in this game is because I've really enjoyed seeing your group Rp and I like your style of posting so if I do get it together i'll open it up first to you guys for recruitment.
I mean I have it planned out pretty well, at least for the first part of the campaign in my head but I need to work out some stuff on paper. The nice thing about doing it pbp is I would have some time during one situation to plan the next.
Lex, i had played around with that idea of having campaign traits and even tried to make some this morning but my brain couldn't do it, but the ones you suggest sound perfect. Do you mind if I use them for this campaign?
Go right ahead! That's why I posted them ^_^
I like the idea of starting off as nobodies in the army. Kinda reminds me of when my husband ran his Pendragon game and we started off as squires before attaining our own Knighthoods.
You can expect me to submit a character whenever you open up recruitment. I'd be a good little maid. :)
lol thea
I like the idea of becoming someone rather than starting as someone. Starting the character at 14 or 16 is kind of interesting because they are essentially nobodies caught up in a war they didn't start, and at this point have no where near enough power to affect it's outcome.
Also the reason I want to have them age one year per level would give a larger sense of progression.
Just as an example, the characters might fight and take a town in the first year and then be snowed in, life continues even though they don't need to fight anything or conquer anything so the players just outline what they plan on doing for the next few months and roll some skill checks based on what they do, maybe one of the characters decides to build something and succeeds or fails or another one starts a family while another one tries to open a business. That kind of thing. Not exactly that but you get the idea. Then after those few months we pick up the game and they are another level higher and have some new skills that they developed in the mean time.
If you guys are interested let me know what character you are thinking you'd want to play and what class/race you are thinking might be fun. It doesn't have to be specifics just some broad strokes and initial thoughts. It might help me better understand how people view the potential characters.
I would app a human sorcerer, maybe a tattoo Sorcerer. He would be a varisian, but grew up in Cheliax. The only thing he would have from his family in Varisia is a Harrow Deck.
I would take the Harrowed feat as well as the Varisia trait of an heirloom Harrow Deck. Essentially my character would eventually take the Harrower prestige class and do amazing feats with his harrow deck. The backstory is extensive.
Also I won't be able to post until tomorrow, hosting my RL game of Rise of the Runelords tonight
Sounds nice with the exception of my hatred for Cheliax and all things Chelish. Then again, I have a fondness for the Bellflower Network and a campaign like that would be perfect for someone who's sympathies actually lie elsewhere.
I think would pick the scullery maid job.
Looking over my choices for class, I just realized I could make an animal speaker bard and totally be the disney type whistle and sing while you work with animals helping out....
I think I'd want to run a half-elf oracle of nature with the Wrecker curse (it's flavored as a destructive curse of the Abyss, but the way I imagine it it is a curse bestowed on him by some avatar of Nature's power who is punishing his materialism and greed as a young man). He was pressganged as a porter, and on his first day his superiors were furious with him and beat him because the Wrecker curse makes all items you hold, wield, or wear gain the broken condition. They were about to kill him when they realized as soon as someone else touched the items they returned to normal. Then they all laughed at him and asked which god he pissed off.
And yes, this will be extremely interesting to play a character who breaks any equipment he tries to use. I will probably dip into monk (martial artist) at second level just so my armor class doesn't suffer and to get a bunch of awesome monk feats. :)
Doesn't the wrecker curse only affect items you hold, so in your hands/prehensile tail/other appendage? Armor and the such are safe afaik.
It says if you use OR equip a held item then it gains the broken condition (so I guess merely carrying something wouldn't break it). When armor is broken you halve its AC bonus and double its Armor Check Penalty, so if I can get away with not wearing it, it would be very beneficial.
Yeah, but it also refers to a HELD item, so is armor a held item? By the wording it would almost seem that if you put on your own armor it's broken but if someone else puts your armor on you it isn't broken since you never actually held it.
Hmm, if people got ideas for two casters already, maybe I'll go with the rogue option. The stealth should be good since maids shouldn't be seen anyway. They just quietly go about their business and learn all kinds of great gossip. :)
I would actually like to see the porter as a rogue/ranger/bard type character. Sort of the street urchin living in the camp gathering supplies and information etc. The oracle would probably be the Wizards apprentice and servant to the Asmodians.
The idea of the porter is he fits in around a campfire, blends in and goes unnoticed. Kind of the dirty kid.
No prob. What class best fits your idea for the maid? I'll play any class except ninja and summoner.
the character I envision would probably be similar to Marn in that he is not overly fond of his keepers, with the Varisian wanderlust affecting him at every turn.
I actually got a bit of the inspiration for the character from a PC in my Rise of the Runelords pbp campaign, a cool Varisian character by the name of Zelladania ;)
*Blushes*
Glad you like her. She's been pretty fun to play, I even had a good laugh at playing jealous with the Shaylis bit. :)
I'm not sure what class I want to go with, just that I want to try and build something with chakrams, maybe Myrmidarch Magus.
Idea basically started with Kingdoms of Amalur PC game, which isn't that good but still quite fun and chakrams are fantastic in that game (sadly thrown weapons have always been pretty crappy in pen & paper)
Everytime I see someone with a chakram I think of Xena. Used to watch that and Hercules a lot. I really appreciated the Hades and Cupid characters....
I was just looking at the crew disposition list and I just realized that though it listed under description that a woman was beautiful or pretty, it didn't do that for any of the guys. How am I gonna know who to hit on?
lol,Thea, my apologies...but most of the male pirates are pretty ugly, the only relatively handsome pirate was jackes magpie and...well...he's the one who got keelhauled :( There is Jack Scrimshaw but he's a bit young and crimson Cog but he's a bit too stern, frowning all the time. But I guess the real problem is that as a man I don't really think about if the NPC men are attractive or not.
I guess plugg could be described as young and handsome but he's always got a scowl on his face as well.
As for the maid, I was thinking witch or bard, some kind of character like that. someone who has more potential than simply slopping up the kitchen, so your idea of the Disney princes kind of character, the Cinderella character would fit perfectly as the maid.
And here I was worried you'd think the Disney thing would be too silly. :)
Cinderella it is, though under a different name. :)
Damn pirates keelhauling the decent looking fella. And plugg? Even if he is young and handsome, he's not exactly a good guy even for a pirate. Though I guess that might be a way to get on his good side? Might also put a smile on his face... ;)
That idea sounds absolutely fantastic. There's a lot of historical text to it that mixes well with the Pathfinder world.
Avakor's turning out to be more passive than I initially thought, which is fine, but I'd like to play someone more active. I'd pick a frontline warrior, probably a cavalier. I've been itching to try a cavalier, actually, and considering that this seems like it'd take place a lot on more open terrain, I think the class would be well suited.
He'd be a Lawful Neutral Human (Chelaxian) Cavalier of the Order of the Dragon. He's the fifth son of a minor noble house that jumped at the chance for such a "worthless" son to be placed into a position that might earn some note or fame for the family. Although he's been seen to have a stout sense of honor and most think of it as a sense of duty to his country, in all reality, he cares little about the country and only somewhat about his family. He's often felt a bit empty inside and his service to Ser Magnus is of little import to him. He's someone looking for a cause and will likely find it in a small group of people rather than something large, like a sense of nationality.
Weapon-wise, he'd prefer a large, polearm-style weapon and carry a pistol, although he's crap at using it.
lol Thea!
Avakor, I like the sound of the character. I think he would fit well with the campaign. I don't envision it so much as a dungeon diver campaign so a cavalier with a pistol would work well and would fit very well as a squire to a knight from a cuirassier unit.
Those units used three quarter plate a longsword and a pistols. Eventually they just wore a breastplate and maybe a helmet but in the era between medieval and Napoleonic style warfare the knights still existed and armour still helped out because there was still so much melee.
Yeah, I see him relying mainly on melee rather than the pistol. Part of it is simply how the mechanics align, but there's also the fact that he's the squire of the leader of a military unit, so he carries one in order to match with the group. I was thinking of him using a polearm or similar weapon as a method of marking his subconscious desire to be independant as well as use something that felt more natural to him than the pistol-and-sword style of the cuirassiers.
He might take a level of gunslinger, simply to get better at using the gun and to match up a little better to the unit he's fighting with.
Animal speaker bard it is. She can be in charge of her mistress's pampered pooches. Maybe a halfling. I just like playing short characters. It's probably cause at 5'1" I'm kinda short.
Heh... Might be interesting if the pooches were mastiffs.
Hmm alright then probably the wizard's apprentice one sounds better for the character I was thinking of. Maybe after being cursed he was sent by his parents to live with the wizard to see if the wizard could teach him to control his curse and use its power. Seems the wizard wasn't too helpful with that, but what do you expect from an ancient mage spending hours studying who--let's face it--is probably trying to become a lich. By taking care of the ravens I'm probably helping him send in order forms for "Phylacteries for Dummies" or something.
Also, I got I found the answer to my armor question in the Ask James Jacobs thread:
"Held" means precisely that—held in your hand.
A shield would be affected by the ability, but worn armor would not be.
Wrecker is intended to affect shields, weapons, and items you carry and use in your hands (like wands, staves, and rods). Ask James Jacob Thread
So you were right Marn. I'll probably just take the Improved Unarmed Strike feat then and not dip into monk. :)
What say you DM? Sound good? I have other character ideas floating around too, that's just the most interesting one IMO.
Might save the fortune teller idea for a different campaig and come up with a different idea
Been looking into the whole chakram thing and came to the conclusion that I'm stuck as either Magus or Fighter, the first because it's cool and the second because I'll need a ton of feats to get started (Quick Draw, ranged chain and probably also some from Two-Weapon chain)