DM Barcas - Kingmaker: Interregnum (Inactive)

Game Master Isaac Duplechain

So, just like the PCs would, you leave the nuts and bolts to Verik to hash out? Roleplaying!

Aww man and here I thought most of you were Civ IV veterans -- hey Berrin I know you're keen on the Kingmaker progression right? If so then how about Berrin and I make the suggestions on the monthly turns and the rest get veto power :)

For example, I'm looking at the proposal on the upcoming month here to build a Noble Villa (?) and some other things to near blank-out our treasury and it's causing me physical pain...

lol.

I am indeed keen on the building process, I've played one too many city building games not to be. (Civ I-IV, Rome I-II, Cesar I-IV, Masters of Olympus, various war-ish games like Warlords, Heroes of Might and Magic, Settlers and on and on.) Whats giving me pause is the fear of ruining Newhaven, there's no save/load or restart function here, so I've mostly been waiting on someone with more knowledge or experience of the process to discuss this with (read; Eoin). And as someone with a mild case of AD I really appreciate the maps and kingdom stats update, it's a huge help in wrapping my head around this thing.

Frankly I'm fine with burning up our BP with costly buildings with large bonuses. Intellectually I think we should look to building a cathedral soon and the following buildings, the bonuses for a religion based city in reduced costs and direct +'s is just to big to ignore, though RP wise Berrin will be pushing for raising an army and fortifying Newhaven.

I don't mind the minutae of building; in this case however I feel I've already experienced it in my IRL Kingmaker campaign so I don't feel the itch. I'm far keener to suggest things that require the GM to adjudicate how they work: like instating mandatory schooling.

The noble villa is built! See a few posts back. The cost was halved by the castle. I figured that they'd spend the next few weeks hashing things out before setting out again.

Just realized, we may want to investigate the possibilities of wondrous items and magics and the like that can influence a battle between armies. Most such items/magics are limited to 30ft radius which is simply not enough to encompass a big battle.

The only existing items that spring up in my search are in the APG: lord's banner (swiftness) (10000gp) and lord's banner (victory) (75000gp) both of which are exceptional additions to a set of armies.

Any other items/magics that I'm not aware of?

Okay, I've updated the picture links in the Campaign Info section. Can you guys check to see if they are good to go? Make sure that your permissions from NoScript and the like are set to allow skydrive.live.com to show.

One of the snazzy things about the map is that you can watch Newhaven grow by hitting forward in the main viewer.

I've also updated the building, army, and kingdom-building rules into PDFs.

Yeah that's good to go looks like - I can see all of the docs and the maps show up and work as stated. Pretty neat how the progression of the maps plays out like a slide show!

Sigh...well great so we have a noble villa now, and I'm interested to see how the RP works out as to who moves in over there :) Well assuming we have some good rolls here coming up we should be able to push on to claim the Stagfall hex and then the mountain in two months, but we need BP saved to build that gold mine, so we should hold off on building until that happens, especially with the force building considerations.

(Off now to see if I can make my spreadsheet match up with the current Kingdom Stats hehe...)

I can email you the sheet tomorrow, since it includes a few of the changes I made to the sheet itself since I last posted it.

You'll notice that I included the city layouts as well, for those curious how they are laid out.

Well DM Barcas, how could I refuse your generous offer? You give me the time, place, and person, and I am THERE. But you didn't ever need to apologise.

We have a wide variety of potential matches for you, sir. Please, peruse them at your leisure.

The most interesting, RP-wise, is definitely Nikolai Rogarvia. He was, until his death (at the hands of the party) the bandit king called the Stag Lord, the villain of Chapter 1. He is also the last heir to the disappeared House Rogarvia. He was given by his father to Choral the Conquerer (the forebear of House Rogarvia, still alive nearly 200 years after his 'death') as collateral in exchange for the continued power and control of the Dragonscale Throne. Choral experimented on him for years, burning him, healing him, pumping him full of magic. He was approached by the fey queen Nyrissa one day in his captivity; she arranged for his escape and had him pledge his loyalty to her. After he escaped, all of House Rogarvia disappeared that night. Nikolai, half-mad from being tortured all those years, headed into the Stolen Lands and restyled himself the Stag Lord. He and his bandits came head to head with the PCs at the Battle of Stagfall. (Read here onwards, including Beyond the Veil in this thread.) It was a fearsome fight, with him taking Jemini and Corwin out before being blinded by Tandlara and killed by Taisper and Berrin. Corwin survived, but Jemini did not. Nikolai and Jemini then went into the spirit world together, where she helped redeem him. While they were resurrected, Nikolai reminds partially blinded by Tandlara's magic. (As I played him, he was a Barbarian/Sorcerer/Dragon Disciple. He will be the same level as everyone else (4), so he could be remade into really anything. I currently have him built as an Oracle of Battle with the Blind curse.)

There's also Akiros Ismort, who was the Stag Lord's trusted lieutenant and largely responsible for reining in his madness. He is an exile from Mivon to the south. He is an incredibly, incredibly lawful figure. He takes oaths exceptionally seriously. He's also very honorable. After defeating the Stag Lord, his oath to him terminated, and he accepted a new oath to Newhaven. He is currently the general of their army. (In game terms, he is a LN Samurai.)

There's Jhod Kavken, a cleric of Erastil. He is a quiet figure, largely assisting in the running of the kingdom while trying to push it towards a more nature-and-village-oriented style compared to the urban blight that the Abadarians advocate.

Kesten Garess, another semi-exiled noble from Brevoy, is the diplomat of Newhaven. He's also an accomplished rider and warrior. He is thoughtful and cautious.

There are a few of the Wardens who work under Zander, such as Gregary, a gregarious mercenary who has been missing for a few months. There's also any of the three teenagers who were spared and given sentences serving the realm. They are pretty undeveloped, except for basic personalities.

Esmerelda Ludovan is Berrin's girlfriend/lover. She has some talents beyond that, largely rogueish. She's not particularly well-developed either at this point beyond her relationship with Berrin.

We have two other NPCs who were once PCs: Corwin and Alexius Morai-Thrune. Corwin is a bastard barbarian related to the Surtovas, while Alexius is a magus Hellknight who assists Taisper on his Hunts. (Alexius and Taisper have a fascinating and twisted relationship.)

Any of these characters would work, or (mostly) any other character that we've run across. Bokken, Oleg, and Svetlana are the only ones off the top of my head who are not available. Here is the list from the campaign section.

Nikolai Rogarvia, Human Male: Former bandit king of the Stolen Lands called the Stag Lord. Heir to the Dragonscale Throne. Defeated at the Battle of Stagfall after killing Jemini, traveled through the afterlife with her and was redeemed.
Kesten Garess, Human Male: Disgraced noble who accepted a commission to protect Oleg's Trading Post. Assisted in the battle against the Stag Lord. Currently serves as Newhaven's diplomat because of his knowledge of noble affairs.
Jhod Kavken, Human Male: Cleric of Erastil, formerly of Mivon. Endorses a simpler style of life, but assists the development of Newhaven. Currently serves as magister.
Alexius Morai-Thrune, Human Male: Mysterious stranger from Cheliax and Hellknight signifier. Assists Taisper on his Hunts.
Akiros Ismort, Human Male: Former lieutenant of the Stag Lord. Pledged his fealty to Newhaven for sparing his life. Was blinded by Tandlara, but the blindness was lifted. Currently serves as the general of their army.
Gregary, Human Male: Enthusiastic former sellsword, voluntarily sworn to the Wardens; currently missing to the south.
Travess, Human Male: Former member of the Red Stag's gang; moody and quiet; currently sworn to the Wardens for a ten-year sentence.
Yanna, Human Male: Former member of the Red Stag's gang; angry and defiant; currently sworn to the Wardens for a twenty-five year sentence.
Demitir, Human Male: Former member of the Red Stag's gang; studious and shy; currently sworn to the Wardens for a ten year sentence.
Esmerelda Ludovan, Human Female: Sultry lover to Steward Berrin Myrdal.

Given the choice, and assuming a lack of objections, Nikolai Rogarvia sounds like a blast. And a Barbarian/Sorcerer/Dragon Disciple sounds very familiar.

But this guy is a leader of men, yes? The sheer force of personality he possesses would allow no less. So I'm getting this slightly mad idea for an Bard (Arcane Duelist)/Dragon Disciple. I also have no problems with him being blind. That's what the Blind-Fight chain is for. And after a few levels of Dragon Disciple (by level 10), he'd have short-ranged Blindsight. Problem solved!

He'd be pretty badass on the melee side thanks to Arcane Strike, and turning his leadership abilities towards encouraging the group during conflicts.

Plus, Bards are cool. Thoughts/opinions/counterproposals?

Yeah, being dead would definitely have changed him, so a rebuild to make him yours is A-okay. He is still a looming, scary figure of prodigious strength. I'll post his original build for comparison and a starting point. If you just want to adapt his stats, I believe he has 18 Str, 12 Dex, 14 Con, 8 Wis, 10 Int, 14 Cha, after racial modifiers.

I'd love to see the original build for comparison. Those stats you posted basically make him a 20-point buy character. With a little juggling, that becomes: 18 Str|12 Dex|14 Con|8 Wis|13 Int|14 Cha after racial modifiers and the attribute boost at level 4. Would that be alright? I'm using it to gain an additional perform skill, giving him max ranks in Oratory and either Strings or Sing. It also means he can take Combat Expertise.

Also, hit points. Average per level? Max? Normal rolls? Which do you prefer?

Here's the first draft of Nikolai's sheet, which assumes full HP, and no gear.

Any suggestions for a portrait?

You can roll or take average, whichever you prefer, for HP.

He basically didn't have any ability to draw on the spellcasting side of his heritage. He mainly swung his massive sword around and beat things to death.

Here's a few good matches.
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7 (My favorite)

Oh, hey, they've got a picture of Grigori!. In case you were curious what he looks like.

Okay, so I just finished reading all the stuff from the day before Stagfall up to now. Admittedly I didn't read all the 'real world' stuff, I mostly skimmed it. But I did read all the 'Beyond the Veil' stuff.

And may I just say: Wow. I feel extremely blessed.

I'll Roll HP and see how I go: HP lvls 2-4: 3d8 + 6 ⇒ (6, 2, 7) + 6 = 21 Better than the average, so I'll take it.

I like the first portrait you put up, I think (other than my one). He just has this impression of size that the others don't.

You've got the idea regarding Nikolai and Jemini. Considering that he's not the only one with the same feelings, I expect some interesting dynamics.

The dynamics of having Nikolai in the party will be really interesting to explore. Here is the man that they feared and fought in a brutal battle that actually killed one of their number. Now he is back, and the only person who really believes in him is the very person he killed. He'll have to work hard to gain their trust, but can they ever get the image of the raging barbarian out of their mind? (Maybe, once they find out that he's an accomplished singer? Who knows!) Can he gain the trust of the populace, some of whom definitely will want to see him punished for his previous life's actions.

I also want to explore Nikolai and Akiros at some point, but that's further down the line.

No doubt. But can they compete with a king?

I agree that the dynamics will be pretty awesome. And hey, now the group has a mini-giant. Being 6'7" is pretty cool. But I imagine that they'll find Nikolas a changed man. How quickly they come around, that remains to be seen.

I've started Nikolas out as a True Neutral alignment, to denote his tabula rasa. As the story progresses, we'll see where his actions land him. I don't know if he'll ever be lawful, but he'll certainly become good. He wants to validate Jemini's faith in him, and kindness towards him.

The question is, can we kit him out before the group goes a-troll hunting? Because that'll be his first great chance to prove his worth.

Since him running around with a greatsword was a fairly iconic part of the character, I'm going to switch out Combat Expertise for Martial Weapon Proficiency (Greatsword), and thus try and keep as much of his old style as close as we can (with the obvious loss of a few levels).

Which brings me to another build point: As a PC, he scores two traits. Any suggestions? And does one need to be a Campaign trait? Should we make up a Noble Born: Rogarvia trait? Or just hit him up with 'Bastard'? And then his second trait. Thoughts/ideas?

Possible choices...
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Some of the religion choices might be good for him, though I don't know who he worships at this point. Probably Sarenrae for redemption or Pharasma for actually giving him a second chance?

You can pick 4,000 gp for him in gear. He can try asking Berrin for the greatsword back, but I don't think that that's going to fly. I'm also not sure he would want that particular sword back. However, I'm sure Oleg can find him some decent stuff, along with a few hand-me-downs from the like of Akiros and Kesten. Pick the items, and we'll come up with a backstory for them.

Speaking of gearing up. Should Jemini acquire more things? I think her collective wealth pool is about 2600 currently.

Yeah, bump her up to 4000 plus the crown (if she chooses to wear it).

Oops, both those "4000s" above should be 6000.

Just a couple of things real quick for Nikolai and Jemini in terms of gear...

So we never did do away with Nikolai's Enchanted Leather Armor (+1) and Composite Longbow (+1), and we could easily state those were kept and now could be restored to him -- obviously the Longbow with the 24 Str requirement (!) is probably not too helpful in his new role, but the leather armor could be.

For Jemini, well I think the last idea on the proper use of the Stag Lord's Amulet of Natural Armor (+2) was that it SHOULD go to Jemini. That could make for some good RP tie-ins as well. Also, I'd hate to see the Circlet of Alluring Charisma (+2) go to waste, as it would really help Jemini the best and we can RP another 'crown' that should be left unclaimed (plus Berrin's description of the Circlet was excellent). Finally she'll also get one of Verik's Cloaks of Protection (+1) just so that she's doesn't acquire that from her funds.

Discussion will continue in the OOC thread of Kingmaker: Rivers Run Red!

No doubt. But can they compete with a king?

OOHHHHHHHHHH NOOOO HE DID-NT! ;)

Hehe well this should be really fun, and already it feels like a new cool dynamic is hitting the main thread (now we just have to get Eoin to at least come in every so often and do some cameos or such with Tandlara).

TSL (yes, Berrin still thinks of him as the stag lord) asking for his greatsword back would result in some interesting RP. I can almost hear Berrin mutter "Make me." and clutch his hard earned new toy like a sullen child if the group would support the idea.

As to the rest of his gear, it was never finalized how it would be distributed. We talked about selling it but our party treasurer (Zander) went awol around that time and nobody picked up the slack he left in that regard, so I suppose that saying we still have it somewhere is plausible. The bow would look great above the fireplace f.ex.

It will be interesting to hear his reaction to the recast stag helm, he ain't getting that back either. :P

Shoo! Shoo! Into the new OOC thread!

Hey! You happen to have any More openings DM B? I've been drooling over getting into this game for eons.

Khaladon, poke your head into the ooc thread he lists in the post above yours. Not sure he is still checking this one.

I am, and I will respond to it in the RRR thread.

What's an RRR thread?

*face palm* rivers run red...