DM Jesse's Kingmaker PbP (Inactive)

Game Master Jesse Heinig

Current map: The Stolen Lands

Swag Bag

Realm management

Provisions: 11 person-days

Current Party XP Total: 15,117


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Campaign maps: Jade Regent | Kingmaker | The Temple of Elemental Evil

Wow, I'm gone for a day and a half and BOOM!

Here's my feedback so far.

* Make sure you can fit in with humans and especially the party *

I'm not averse to doing heavy backstory, but it needs to be a way that makes sense and will allow us to do cool stuff that the whole party can jump into and enjoy. (Cass has some heavy backstory that hasn't come to fruition yet and she's waiting for that payoff!) Connections to the faerie world are a good hook; but PCs who don't have any tie to the fae (like Jenya) might feel left out if we wind up doing a few months dealing with strange stuff in the First World where they are out of the loop and don't get much participation.

Ilystria: Like Cass noted, the Lantern King is a Big Deal. We should work out why he picked out your humble little gathlain for significant things. Does he have some larger plan of which you are a small piece? Is he setting you up for failure? Did some mysterious figure in the background call in a favor to set things up? Is it actually an impostor and not really the Lantern King, all designed in an elaborate prank on your character?
Since the Lantern King is part of the pantheon of the Eldest, meeting the Lantern King and getting picked out to do stuff for him is akin to a character meeting a god and being given divine marching orders. It's a massive story thread, so we would need to make sure that it has the subsequent payoff. But your will-o'-wisp tutor could be a steward, a herald, something like that, an intermediary sent to provide guidance for... who knows what. (Faeries work in mysterious ways.)
Now, as Cass noted, later in this AP (spoilers!) there's a strong thread of faerie influence, because the First World has an interest in the Narlmarches. If Ilystria declares herself "Queen of the Narlmarches" this will run head-on into that story thread. This is not a bad thing, but it does mean you guys may run into specific problems sooner than anticipated. It also raises the question of, what do you do in the party's Kingdom when you guys hook up? Do you remain Queen of the Narlmarches and just not participate in the kingdom-building? Do you abandon your fledgling court and take up a role in the party's new nation? Do you become some kind of Vassal state (with a Viceroy position), which is risky because it means you effectively have to found a new city and then subinfeudate to the party's nation, so now you guys are running two nations at once, one of which has faeries and intelligent magical beasts for citizens?
This isn't to say "don't play this character," but rather "let's work out the best way to make sure that we can continue our story of kingdom-building in the wild AND find a way that your character will fit and participate."
You could, for instance, take the Diplomat position from Vallen (much to his relief, I'm sure) and present yourself as an Envoy of the First World. This gives you a stake in the kingdom and a role, but fits the flavor. Then part of your story also becomes figuring out how you fit in with humans. Is your character a first stab at the faeries trying to figure out how to coexist, which has thus far been very one-sided (the humans and friends have made attempts, but the faeries haven't really tried hard to establish any kind of relationship)?

Here4: This AP is frankly pretty crummy for the Vigilante class. Big chunks of it are in the wild where your social abilities and alternate persona just don't come into play at all. The politics tend to be of the "letters back and forth, followed by armies" kind. This means that a chunk of your principal class is not that useful. Plus, if you're basically playing Batman, hunting down criminals is a very urban alternative identity, while this AP has not much urban space until late in the game (when the party's kingdom has developed).
I think your build is hunting for a wide range of ways to work around limitations - android to nullify fatigue from bloodraging; psychic casting to be able to use armor; and of course androids are immune to emotion-based effects so they don't have to worry about the emotion problems of psychic casting.
I'd prefer to pick one strong theme and stick it - if you're playing an android, it's because you wandered out of Numeria looking to make a life for yourself, but you probably don't have a lot of buy-in to Brevic civilization; you could be working as an agent, but you'd be unlikely to have a loyal cadre of buddies surrounding you.
As Cass noted, you probably want to stay away from anything that carries the scent of Hellknights. Brevoy is in the midst of a lot of political turmoil, and outside influences trying to take advantage of that will bring heavy responses very quickly. If your character was sent as an agent of Brevoy, took up a leadership position, then turned out to have a past involved with the Hellknights, there would likely be a war (and your nation isn't ready for that).
I like the basic idea of a Brevic agent who is a no-nonsense hardcase who's here to bust some heads and knock around anyone who might be a threat to Brevoy; this could pay dividends down the road in interesting development of how to get the character to back down if Brevoy starts being really unreasonable. What would be enough to make his/her loyalties shift? Thematically, a Slayer might be a better fit for such a character type.
Just for my own sanity I would prefer to come down a bit from a triple-class five-archetype build. :)


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LG Male Dwarf Cleric (Iron Priest) 5 | HP: 28/28| AC: 19 (12 Tch, 17 Ff) | CMB: +3, CMD: 15 | F: +4, R: +3, W: +7| Init: +2 | Perc: +3, SM: +3 | Speed 20ft | ACP: -3| Channel: 3/3 |Active conditions: Comprehend Langauges (50 min), Divine Favor (+1atk/dam, 1 min), Protection from Evil (5 min)

Uh... wow.

I'll be over here struggling to read Green Eggs and Ham if anyone needs me.


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Female Gathlain Collegiate Initiate Arcanist 5 | HP 27/27 | AC 13 Touch 13 Flat-Footed 11 | CMB +1 CMD 13 | Saves: Fort +5 Ref +4 Will +4 | Perception: +3 | Init: +2 | Status: Normal | Spell Effects

So, let me preface this all by saying that I am not a player who feels the need to have an AP tailored specifically to my character. In my opinion, it's on me as a player to try to tie my character to the story, not for the DM to tie the story to my character. If, as a DM, you want to use my character's backstory to add personal challenges or plot points into the game, you'll hear no objections from me! But if you're being forced to re-write sections of the game to accommodate my off the wall concept, then it probably should be "don't play this character", and I'm a grown enough woman not to be upset by it. It's just a game, and I've plenty of other concepts to try. =)

Okay, that said, here're my answers:

I didn't think my backstory was particularly heavy, to be honest. Yes, meeting one of the Eldest is a BFD, but I didn't think it was too far outside the realm of possibility considering the Eldest are not as removed from the First World as the Core Deities are from Golarion. They make their home on the First World; they have abodes the lesser fey can travel to and see them. Not necessarily meet them or have their audiences granted of course, but my point is they're much more accessible than the Gods of the Material Plane. And if the Gods can take an interest in mortals otherwise beneath their notice and act as patrons for them, why can't one of the Eldest?

The Lantern King wrote:
The Lantern King has no permanent abode. He wanders freely through the fields and forests of the First World, bending reality and changing lives wherever he goes.

I haven't found a whole lot on The Lantern King, but this bit on his PathfinderWiki write-up seemed a good a reason as any as to how my humble little gathlain could have found herself in the presence of one of the Eldest. Most of her unspecified but exceeding long life was spent wandering the wilds of the First World, both before and after she was rejected by the Fey Courts. And it's a small world. I had hoped that by stressing the fact that time is mutable in the First World and subject to the Eldests' whims it would be sufficient to explain why he would bother to take time out of his incalculably long life to tutor this one little gathlain. Because it's but a drop in the bucket for him, and what might have felt like seasons or ages to her could have been minutes for him. I also agree with Cass that, as the master of the long con, TLK would definitely have an endgame in mind while he was doing it. Where we seem to disagree is the aim of that endgame. Cass seems worried that TLK's ploy might be to use Lily to undermine the kingdom they're attempting to build, but I think that

Major Spoiler Alert!:
The Lantern King would be much more interested in setting the wheels in motion for a humble little gathlain to give a certain uppity nymph queen who thinks she should be a God her comeuppance
...rather than causing strife in a, in his view, piddling mortal kingdom.

Now, after explaining my rationale there, let me say this: It makes no nevermind to me if The Lantern King wasn't the one that tutored Lily. I thought it was an interesting idea and that it gave the DM a nice fat hook to use in the game if you wanted to do so. If we never see mention of TLK again outside of Lily one day relating the story of how a floating ball of light taught her magic, I won't be the slightest bit disappointed. If you want to change it to a herald, or a steward, or an impostor, or Twilight Sparkle, I'm okay with that, too. Whatever doesn't go against the grain of the later story and meshes well with your interpretation of how the Fey/Fae operate is fine with me. But pleeeease don't ask me to help write an overarching plot to tie into the story later; there's a reason I went into accounting and not game development, and it isn't because I bring a new and innovative creative process to number-crunching.

The bit about Lily declaring herself "Queen of the Narlmarches" is a nod to her alternate racial trait, Titled.

Titled wrote:
Certain gathlains play at the games of courtly intrigue that dominate much of Fey World culture, assuming titles that other fey may or may not recognize. These gathlains treat Bluff, Diplomacy, and Knowledge (nobility) as class skills. This replaces the feather step spell-like ability.

When she arrived on the Material Plane, she was very much playing at being a Queen. Her courtiers were docile woodland creatures and the occasional child that wandered too far into the forest. I don't expect anyone—human, elf, dwarf or fey—to take her seriously if/when she introduces herself as Queen of the Narlmarches. And on some level, despite being oblivious, Lily would have to know that calling yourself a Queen doesn't make you a Queen. Once she proves her worth to the party and earns a actual title, she would understand that one was for play and one is for real. With real responsibilities, at that. She wouldn't abandon her interest in the Narlmarches; she would want to see that their expansion is done in a way that doesn't "disturb the balance of nature". But her primary responsibility would be the well-being of the kingdom for reasons mentioned below.

I never intended for Lily to create an actual court within the Narlmarches or vassal state or anything like that. I'm shaky enough on the kingdom building as it is without adding extra complications. But damned if that doesn't sound like an interesting thing to discuss at some point. Maybe.

I like the sound of Envoy of the First World. Ultimately, though, Lily came to the Material Plane because she didn't fit in with her people—or at least the snooty noble fey—back in the First World. If you want to have her be sent as some sort of emissary, that would require some retooling of her background in order to make sense, I think. But my vision for her was that she learns, in time, that despite all their differences and the things about them she'll never understand, she fits in better with the mortal races than her own kind. So she'll want to see the kingdom thrive not as some sort of sister cities initiative on behalf of the First World, but because it would be her home, too.

I'm all for her being an Envoy of the Fey (as in those who have, like her, migrated to the Material Plane and want to coexist harmoniously with humans), but I don't think she would have much interest in the First World now outside of (slightly spoilery!) making sure it stays where it's supposed to be.

I hope I've addressed everyone's concerns but let me know if there's anything else. I'm going to have a cup of tea now.


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Ranger 4/Stalker 1 | HP 23/38 | AC 17, Touch 13, FF 14 | CMB +6 | CMD 19 | Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +5 | Init +3 | Senses: Low-Light Vision, Scent | Perception +12 (+13 at night) | Ki Pool 2/2
Beast Form:
HP 24/24 | AC 19, Touch 14, FF 15 | CMB +5 | CMD 18 | Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +2 | Init +4 | Senses: Low-Light Vision, darkvision, Scent | Perception +10 (+11 at night)

I don't think I could include something that big in my backstory and not expect something. And not be disappointed when its not addressed. So Kudos there. Your right, I was thinking big and nefarious but it could be something subtle. Something to oppose [SPOILER! REDACTED]. Envoy is one of the few optional roles. And with the ever increasing number of fae we meet, an envoy might be a good idea. Also I like the idea of her being Queen in name and no one taking her seriously.


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Female Gathlain Collegiate Initiate Arcanist 5 | HP 27/27 | AC 13 Touch 13 Flat-Footed 11 | CMB +1 CMD 13 | Saves: Fort +5 Ref +4 Will +4 | Perception: +3 | Init: +2 | Status: Normal | Spell Effects

Thanks! I guess for me, the purpose of a backstory is just that; to tell the story of my character's origins, explain how she came to be in a position to join up with the characters and explain her motivations for doing so. Besides, creativity isn't my strongest suit, I'll admit, and I'm willing to bet that the adventure paths as written are plenty good without needing me to inject my own plot bunnies to the mix. =)


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Female Human Pistolero Lev 5 HP 28/39 | AC 20 (FF 15 T 16) Init+7, Saves (Fort+5,Reflex+8,Will+4) Grit 1/3 | Per +11

Fae are far. Inscrutable and with a very different conception of time. It'd make complete sense to me for a being like The Lantern King to have aims that don't conflict with our little kingdom at all.


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Ranger 4/Stalker 1 | HP 23/38 | AC 17, Touch 13, FF 14 | CMB +6 | CMD 19 | Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +5 | Init +3 | Senses: Low-Light Vision, Scent | Perception +12 (+13 at night) | Ki Pool 2/2
Beast Form:
HP 24/24 | AC 19, Touch 14, FF 15 | CMB +5 | CMD 18 | Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +2 | Init +4 | Senses: Low-Light Vision, darkvision, Scent | Perception +10 (+11 at night)

Or we find out and he laughs as he watches us collectively shit our pants waiting for something to happen and it never does.


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Campaign maps: Jade Regent | Kingmaker | The Temple of Elemental Evil

Fair warning, I've had a few chats with Chris A. about the upcoming Kingmaker game for PC, and we both agreed that the ending has a problem of being very binary - there's a big bad villain, you rise up and fight her, everyone lives happily ever after, The End. We did a little brainstorming about ways to change it up.

Mostly I want to make sure that everyone in the party feels like they get the spotlight time that they want (it's everyone's story) and that nobody feels like their character doesn't have an opportunity to be special. What you guys do will resonate through the River Kingdoms and beyond for years to come, and it should feel like that - not just "yay we beat up a CR 16 monster" but rather that you have taken an active role in shaping the political and supernatural landscape of Golarion. Right now the game is small stakes but that will change as we continue and you will have interactions with movers and shakers, and make decisions that will affect the lives of thousands and the courses of kingdoms.

As long as everyone in the party can get on board with each others' roles, I'm game. I'm giving the old hands here a chance to talk about what they are interested in seeing because they are already invested in the story and its direction and everyone should be able to find a common ground so that we can make a good time for all. :)

@Cass: You can attempt to hire on NPCs. Your typical NPC who can run things for a kingdom and isn't an adventurer or cohort (from Leadership or one of its related feats) is a level 1 Expert and may not be completely loyal.

@Ilystria: Are you OK with your backstory being unclear about whether your mentor was the Lantern King? An unreliable narrator? I think it's a good fit for faeries, and I am a sucker for unreliable narrator mentors.


Thank you, everyone, for your valued input to my character's elevator pitch; it looks like there's been no real objection to the character's name, so I think I'll definitely keep that element in- as is. ;)

I guess I hadn't quite been clear enough when I mentioned about my personal predilection for Archetype stacking (something that I like to call "Archetype Tetris"); it's more something that I like to do, more for the sake of just doing so than anything else. Quite often, if any past character of mine doesn't have any sort of archetype stacking going on, it's usually because the class: A. has no archetypes to begin with, B. none of the chosen archetypes will ever stack, or C. I've no interest in any of the archetypes that do stack.

That being said, if the general preference for this campaign is to stick with just one single archetype per class (something along the lines of "Archetype Monogamy" perhaps?), I can roll with it; just give me the say so. :)

I should also make mention that my process of playing a Play-by-post character will involve adding in or expanding upon things that I feel may add to my character background (kinda like X-Com building up their tech-base, if you will), whether it be adapting to something from another character's backstory or even just getting plain inspiration out of the blue to add in some minor details that never really got expanded upon but are internally consistent with whatever minor head-canon that I've already came up with.

Of course, I'm always open to any concerns or issues that may crop up in one way or another; in any event, please feel free to message me or post to the discussion thread on the Paizo messageboards. :)

Quote:
@Jenya:

Yeah, the whole immortal retinue thing does seem a bit much; that's what I get for trying to shoehorn a Batman element into something that fits more along the lines of the Highlander "universe". ;p

Admittedly- for my class choices, the whole choosing of those two disparate Vigilante archetypes was mostly intended to gain access to the Aldori Dueling Sword proficiency and Heavy Armor proficiency.

The later adding in of the whole Bloodrager class/elements, while initially intended as a way to shore up Brevnic's combat abilities, it ended up being a sort of "happy accident", where I found that the Id Rager archetype, when combined with the Urban Bloodrager archetype (diverse raging stats that can be picked), could make for a strong melee "front-liner" combatant; with the determination emotional focus, the Aldori Dueling Sword base damage goes up from 1d8 to 2d6... but only for the eight rounds of bloodraging per day (it technically lasts for up to a minute for any enemy that attacks Brevnic, but he only has 14 total in his Constitution score).

The Ancestral Harbinger Bloodrager archetype was more intended to add in towards Brevnic's whole "past-lives" stuff but it does net him a minor summoning ability (Spiritual Blade) as well.

Quote:
@Cassandra:

If it'll be of any small consolation to you, those 5 archetypes would have only applied to just the two (Vigilante and Bloodrager) classes; Had I later "dipped" into another class sometime down the line, it also would have multiple archetypes (minimum of two) as well. ;)

That being said, the whole "immortal butler" part would've been more of a "plot-device" to keep Brevnic focused on serving Brevoy's aims, plus it would've also been a way to explain "in-game" the Leadership feat that the Noble Scion prestige class gets; he most likely wouldn't be really all that interested in playing to any direct Hellknight influencing factors though.

More likely than not, I would've just reskinned the Hellknight flavor/fluff towards being more focused on the side of the Dragonscale Loyalists of Regent Surtova (their "Sith" to the "Jedi" Aldori Swordlords, as it were). Or if push came to shove, Brevnic would also have been opposed to the Hellknights being part of the kingdom, at any rate.

As I had mentioned in my very first post here, I've no problem with taking over the Ruler's part (even if I'm not entirely up to speed on the Kingdom Building rules- I do have access to Ultimate Campaign and JBE's River Nations rules addendum, if that will help); DM Jesse Heinig did mention that he'd prefer an actual player to take part as the Ruler. And judging by how things went for the Strand Gamer's Kingmaker Actual Play Podcast... having an named NPC as the Ruler brings with it its' own set of problems. ;p

Incidentally, I should however mention that there is some minor canonical Hellknight presence in the River Kingdoms already- near Thornkeep and the Emerald Spire areas. Metagame-wise, I suspect that the Hellknights got shoehorned into there due to the whole Pathfinder Online MMO thing that those two adventures were based upon; it might be possible that it gets all hand-waved away for this particular campaign though. :)

Quote:
@Vallen:

I'm kind of partial to that whole Dr. Seuss Seven Lady Godivas and their Peeping suitors story myself. ;p

Quote:
DM Jesse Heinig:

Heh, as a fine purveyor and advocate of tentacled aberrations everywhere, sanity is kinda overrated. ;p

In a way, the whole entire part of the Android element that I was really most interested in was the possibility of the final BBEG "recognizing" Brevnic from some unnamed past encounter that he would have no real personal memory of due to that whole pesky Android Renewal aspect; it would've been intended as serving more of a possible (if heavy-handed) plot-hook to help link the final boss to the party, especially since one of the more common criticisms that I've heard given for entire Kingmaker adventure path was the disconnect between main BBEG and the rest of the adventures preceding it (although it could also work with some "reincarnation" stuff that shows up much earlier than our BBEG does).

Sure, the whole "immunity to fatigue" part would've been the icing to that Bloodrager "Rage-Cycling" cake... although with the Empathy feat, an Android loses their immunity to fear- plus they now have emotions to be able to cast Psychic spells in the first place and also be to able benefit from all that morale-based bloodraging now. ;)

Of course, now that I've chance to look over at Ilystria's background, I think that she does have much of the fey elements all covered in that respect, so I've no problem with just dropping the whole "Eternal" Android race element part from Brevnic's backstory.

And as I had previously mentioned to Jenya, the Vigilante parts had gotten chosen more for their access to the Aldori Dueling Sword/Heavy Armor proficiency than anything else; there are other classes/archetypes that also will give access to those proficiencies so I've no issues with dropping the Vigilante class as well.

The Bloodrager class would be something that I will still likely want to keep though; besides being Charisma stat influenced, it also is a full BAB class that hasn't previously appeared from other players in this particular Kingmaker game, to the best of my knowledge (same with the Slayer, I think).

That being said, I do like your suggestion about playing the hard-nosed Brevic Agent that arrived to get things done- and who has to, in turn, learn to accept all the diversity that this NG Kingdom- and his fellow party members- will likely bring to the table. I'll likely be adjusting Brevnic's origin and backstory towards taking that viewpoint into account.


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Ilystria Leafheart wrote:


The Lantern King wrote:
The Lantern King has no permanent abode. He wanders freely through the fields and forests of the First World, bending reality and changing lives wherever he goes.
I haven't found a whole lot on The Lantern King, but this bit on his PathfinderWiki write-up seemed a good a reason as any as to how my humble little gathlain could have found herself in the presence of one of the Eldest. Most of her unspecified but exceeding long life was spent wandering the wilds of the First World, both before and after she was rejected by the Fey Courts.

From what I've briefly seen of the Lantern King's write-up from the First World sourcebook, he sounds exactly like the kind of entity who'd be "doing things for the Lulz" just because he could. ;)

some written stuff about him:
Even on a plane filled with tricksters and illusions, the Lantern King is a prankster without peer, making the lives of those he touches more interesting—often at their expense.

Quote:
Jenya P. wrote:
Is Bob a leader? Bob has to be a leader! I nominate Bob for Treasurer.
Cassandra Lupin wrote:
I never gave Bob stats. He was just an outlet for my interest in the kingmaker rules.

Heh, it's quite clear to me that Bob is the local cosmic powered entity tasked with overseeing the fate of the kingdom. ;)


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Ranger 4/Stalker 1 | HP 23/38 | AC 17, Touch 13, FF 14 | CMB +6 | CMD 19 | Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +5 | Init +3 | Senses: Low-Light Vision, Scent | Perception +12 (+13 at night) | Ki Pool 2/2
Beast Form:
HP 24/24 | AC 19, Touch 14, FF 15 | CMB +5 | CMD 18 | Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +2 | Init +4 | Senses: Low-Light Vision, darkvision, Scent | Perception +10 (+11 at night)
Here4daFreeSwag wrote:
More likely than not, I would've just reskinned the Hellknight flavor/fluff towards being more focused on the side of the Dragonscale Loyalists of Regent Surtova (their "Sith" to the "Jedi" Aldori Swordlords, as it were).

Now that is something I could totally get behind. Brevnic is a like a test case for a new kind soldier/warrior to go against the Swordlord's. Even worse, he's using their weapon against them. And through some almost blatant political maneuvering, Alexei and Auric are called back and Brevnic is pushed forward as an "excellent" candidate. A show of force from Issia saying "We know what you are trying to do."

Even better, take off the Id Rager so you can prestige into dragon disciple. Then he looks like some long lost scion of House Rogarvia. But he's actually an android, lost his memories, and no one knows what the true connection is. Maybe the butler is a disguised, red dragon. One of the ones Choral the Conqueror used to become king of Brevoy.

MAYBE BREVNIC IS CHORAL!?!

I think I got a little carried away with that.


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Female Gathlain Collegiate Initiate Arcanist 5 | HP 27/27 | AC 13 Touch 13 Flat-Footed 11 | CMB +1 CMD 13 | Saves: Fort +5 Ref +4 Will +4 | Perception: +3 | Init: +2 | Status: Normal | Spell Effects

Making it fun for everyone is what's important, and, as I said, if you want to use elements of Ilystria's backstory for future plots, I look forward to it! My concern was whether my concept was forcing you to rewrite the modules to accommodate it. Outside of knowing that the Fey/Fae play a role in the later books, I know little else of what happens or whether TLK makes an appearance. So I wanted to make sure that nothing I was planning runs counter to the written adventure. But if everything is copacetic with her for both you and the party, then I'm excited to bring my mischievous, clever, naive little fairy to the table. And if the party objects, could I get a primer of Brevic politics so I could make a more fitting character? Read the player's guide, read the wiki, still not getting it.

DM Jesse wrote:
@Ilystria: Are you OK with your backstory being unclear about whether your mentor was the Lantern King? An unreliable narrator? I think it's a good fit for faeries, and I am a sucker for unreliable narrator mentors.

Sure! What could go wrong? =)

Here4daFreeSwag wrote:
From what I've briefly seen of the Lantern King's write-up from the First World sourcebook, he sounds exactly like the kind of entity who'd be "doing things for the Lulz" just because he could. ;)

I thought so, too! My first pick had actually been Ng for some reason, but the more I thought about it, the less sense it made considering how I saw Ilystria. Ng doesn't seem the type to wander around offering his time and knowledge to anyone (the whole secrets aspect and all) and I never saw Lys as the type to attend whatever passes for an arcane college on the First World to learn magic, so I couldn't get the two to work together in my mind. So when I found the write-up about the Lantern King, it was like a light bulb went off in my head. Or a lantern, if you will.

Cassandra Lupin wrote:
I think I got a little carried away with that.

I think I need to hire you as a consultant when I write my backgrounds.


Ilystria Leafheart wrote:
Making it fun for everyone is what's important, and, as I said, if you want to use elements of Ilystria's backstory for future plots, I look forward to it! My concern was whether my concept was forcing you to rewrite the modules to accommodate it. Outside of knowing that the Fey/Fae play a role in the later books, I know little else of what happens or whether TLK makes an appearance. So I wanted to make sure that nothing I was planning runs counter to the written adventure. But if everything is copacetic with her for both you and the party, then I'm excited to bring my mischievous, clever, naive little fairy to the table.

I get where your coming from with that- a Gathlain fresh from the chaotic whimsy of the First World who will have to learn more about this new world that she's found herself in- and being an complete socially "outsider" of sorts, she would also have to learn things about humanity at large, as well as her fellow party members, as she learns to fit into the new Kingdom.

There is one angle I could personally envision from Ilystria's claims of being a queen... and that would be having one of her more informed, longer-lived "courtly" acquaintances say something along the lines of "You know, I heard that the Queen was a real handful- if you know what I mean- but you, you're alright by me..." :)

It would also be all the more reason for me to drop the Android race angle from my own character, since if Androids were limited to being fresh from Numeria's borders as it were, it would end up being just one more socially outsider character that would have to learn how to fit in. ;)

Ilystria Leafheart wrote:
And if the party objects, could I get a primer of Brevic politics so I could make a more fitting character? Read the player's guide, read the wiki, still not getting it.

That question about Brevoy politics does remind me though; I'll have to put up my own (likely to be imperfect) interpretation of Brevic politics in a later post, just so that any inaccuracies based upon my own understandings of it could be caught and corrected before things go further south if it ends up becoming a major facet of a my character's backstory.

Cassandra Lupin wrote:

Now that is something I could totally get behind. Brevnic is a like a test case for a new kind soldier/warrior to go against the Swordlord's. Even worse, he's using their weapon against them. And through some almost blatant political maneuvering, Alexei and Auric are called back and Brevnic is pushed forward as an "excellent" candidate. A show of force from Issia saying "We know what you are trying to do."

Even better, take off the Id Rager so you can prestige into dragon disciple. Then he looks like some long lost scion of House Rogarvia. But he's actually an android, lost his memories, and no one knows what the true connection is. Maybe the butler is a disguised, red dragon. One of the ones Choral the Conqueror used to become king of Brevoy.

MAYBE BREVNIC IS CHORAL!?!

I think I got a little carried away with that.

Naw, anybody that's really in the know could tell you that Choral the Conqueror was actually Aroden in one of his many guises. He was taking lessons from the correspondence courses of BECMI Insider's college by using "Getting the most out of your Immortality by going the Polymath route...". But what gives it away is the fact that he's always got dragons accompanying him; Mengkare of Hermea is a dragon and Mengkare is still so hung up on Aroden that he's trying to genetically recreate him from all the surviving branches of Humanity in Golarion. Yes, true believers, Aroden was, is, and always will be a Pervy Dragon Fancier! I heard it all on Lex Jon'zz's Data Conflict; all of them cool kids are listening in on his electropathic ethereal-telepathy... ;p

Dragon Disciple is pretty much a perennial favorite among Prestige classes, even back in those 3.5 days, but I could never get into it, even now with the Pathfinder ruleset. Now if was the Dragonheir Scion Fighter Archetype with the corrected updates.... now we're talking (even if it might not play well with all the advanced fighter training or has little to no "stackability" with any other fighter archetypes). But I'm still going to try and find another archetype that gives out some free usage for the Aldori Dueling Blade. ;)

PS. Using Alexei, the previous ruler, might be a rather nice touch but we'd have to run it by his player, I think. :)


The Scene: One Here4daFreeSwag, tentacled aberration enthusiast, prepares to post up his own rather distorted views of Brevic politics and history.

Then comes an abrupt knock upon a nearby door.

With an annoyed sigh, Here4daFreeSwag goes and opens the door to find this barely dressed (who the heck goes wearing a chainmail loin-cloth in this day and age!) Male Galtan Ex-Noble declare, "I hear zat Monsieur Brevnic's audition was not well received; it is time that I, Jean Flodt LeBod, advocate for a clothing-optional kingdom, come to take ze center stage...!"

Here4daFreeSwag slams the door shut upon the Galtan and goes back to posting up (and editing) his latest post.

~~~~~~

As promised, here is my own personal take on Brevoy and its' politics:

Once upon a time, there was this nobleman, Sirian the First and he got owned by some fresh upstart; Sirian, totally ashamed that he lost, went and ran away and somehow learned some mad sword skills from somebody named Aldori- who insisted that anybody who learned from him and would use his taught mad sword skills must take up the surname of Aldori. Sirian readily agreed to the terms, came back and brutalized that very same upstart that made him run away in the first place. With everyone impressed with his newly gained mad sword skills, Sirian (with new surname) Aldori opened up a fighting school and made anyone who learned from him or his disciples take up the surname of Aldori- for tradition's sake.

The Aldoris later became renowned for their mad sword skills in all of Brevoy but then, a few decades/centuries (???) later, Choral the Conqueror went and conquered Brevoy and the Aldoris by siccing his massive army of dragons upon them. Most of the Aldoris, not having much experience with fighting dragons- let alone a whole army of them, got mostly demolished. This time, instead of running away in defeat (except for the Aldoris of Mivon who set themselves up in the River Kingdom of the same name instead), the remaining Aldoris agreed to surrender and serve Choral and his descendants for all time; also the Aldoris were to give up governing for all time too, which suited them just fine since they preferred to be factionally neutral and had their own oath of impartiality or something.

Another few decades/centuries (???) or so later, Choral's descendants all went poof and mysteriously disappeared. This put the main serving lackey-house of Surtova (loyal to Choral) in a bit of a bind. They really needed help in keeping all of Brevoy stable because nobody wants to live in an unstable land; the only other ones that had the kind of clout to keep Brevoy stable were the Aldoris of Brevoy. Only trouble was, the main heads of the entire Aldori franchise didn't want to do any of that ruling or political stuff... after all, a promise is a promise, even if it was to an entire ruling descendant family that went all gone and nowhere to be found. That didn't stop some rogue elements of the Aldoris (draconic cosplay enthusiasts, so I hear) from pushing an entirely different agenda and whom had found common cause with House Surtova, who really wanted to step up in making Brevoy great once more. Now why didn't the Surtovas go and take over everything? Mainly it was competition from the other houses; also, just in case, if Choral's missing descendants were to suddenly go and reappear just as abruptly, them Surtova's really didn't want to look like they were caught with their hands in the cookie jar, so to speak.

The Surtovas and the Aldoris decided to do this experimental compromise of sorts; what if they went off and founded their own colony? That way, there'd be no pesky promise of non-rulership/non-interference/pure neutality that the Aldoris would be hidebound to keep (keeping in touch with Mivon was also a worthy goal; there just might be room enough in all of Mivon if Choral's descendants somehow came wandering back in) and the Surtovas could profit and eventually make their own Golarion version of "Australia" if they really wanted to (and that the whole colony stuff didn't really end up working out); not mention, the Aldoris were the perfect patsy in case Choral's descendants came back. They just needed some volunteers to go and do all the heavy lifting...

°°°°°°°

All kidding aside, this is my own personal take on the events leading up to starting the adventure of Kingmaker. It is probably riddled with inaccuracies and such, just so everyone knows.

One question of mine would be: what could have happened in-game that would have made the previous nobleman ruler step down and why would the joint Brevoy authorities/partnership send another noble in his place? Was there any possible complaints from the human side?


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Ranger 4/Stalker 1 | HP 23/38 | AC 17, Touch 13, FF 14 | CMB +6 | CMD 19 | Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +5 | Init +3 | Senses: Low-Light Vision, Scent | Perception +12 (+13 at night) | Ki Pool 2/2
Beast Form:
HP 24/24 | AC 19, Touch 14, FF 15 | CMB +5 | CMD 18 | Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +2 | Init +4 | Senses: Low-Light Vision, darkvision, Scent | Perception +10 (+11 at night)

Corrections and clarifications:

Here4daFreeSwag wrote:
...
  • Sirian First wasn't taught by Aldori he changed his name to Sirian Aldori. Now all that learn his skills become an "Aldori" as well.

  • It was just two dragons but I guess that could technically be a massive dragon army.

  • Haven't read anything about them giving up rulership. So maybe?

  • Surtova took over after Rogarvia disappeared because they claimed a direct line to Choral via Myrna Surtova. She was married to Choral to unify the two houses when he first came to power.

Straight from the adventure path (Kinda Spoilery):

"The establishment of four new puppet kingdoms, all beholden to Restov’s swordlords and the rest of Rostland, would not only bring freedom from banditry and raids along Rostland’s southern border, but also the resources and clout needed to make a play for a higher station in Brevoy’s complicated political scene. If all goes well, the just return of the Stolen Lands to Brevic control could well give Rostland the footing it needs to challenge the Surtova hold on the crown. Working quickly and quietly through pawns and minions, numerous agents have set into motion four separate campaigns against the Stolen Lands, each on the surface appearing to address minor elements of banditry or securing of trade routes, while in fact they are preparing the way for annexation and conquest of the entire region."

...It's complicated.

Ilystria Leafheart wrote:
I think I need to hire you as a consultant when I write my backgrounds.

I mostly do it Pro Bono.


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Campaign maps: Jade Regent | Kingmaker | The Temple of Elemental Evil

So, short take on how Brevoy politics are going in-game right now: Brevoy is a nation that is on a slow burn toward a civil war. Issia, in the north, is not very productive, and has very limited farmland. As a result it imports massive amounts of foodstuffs from the prosperous south. Rostland, the south, is much more productive, and isolated from the harsh winters that often sweep through Issia, so it is full of prosperous farms, but they are taxed and send those taxes north to feed the nobles in the frozen countryside.
Naturally, the folks in Rostland are a little annoyed at sending flotillas of their grain up north to be consumed by noble layabouts.

Issia is also full of pirates, nomadic goatherders, and wandering swordsmen. Rostland is more of your typical "fantasy countryside with rolling hills and farm fields."

The political instability of the country is heightened by the fact that several noble Houses all vie for control. As there is no actual king, and the country is ruled by a Regent, the legitimacy of the throne is in some question, especially because the Surtovas (the current Regent family) are seen in some quarters as nothing more than jumped-up river pirates.

The whole affair is essentially a knock-off of Game of Thrones (dragons backing up an evil king, Houses with "house words" fighting for supremacy, land in turmoil, etc.). Right now, the PCs are just loosely agents of Brevoy who are expanding and claiming southern territory to stabilize the region. As the AP progresses, the politics can become more severe; you may (or may not, depending on what you decide to do) get caught up in House struggles, fights for the future of the kingdom, possible civil war in Brevoy, and so on.

~~~~~~~~~~

As for characters, are we getting closer? It sounds like our gathlain friend is nearly ready, and there's been some back-and-forth for our #5. How're we lookin'?


Thank you, Cassandra and DM Jesse Heinig, for your corrections, clarifications, and general overview of Brevoy; they've been very helpful and hopefully will give a more accurate viewpoint from which to base my character's viewpoint with.

I've kind of an idea of which direction I can take Brevnic (incidentally, in case the name "Brevnic" has gotten far too tainted with that initial android/batman/highlander-immortality concept, I've no problem with using any of the alternate first names given) in:

He'll still be some sort of nobleman type with proficiency in the Aldori Dueling Blade and he'll definitely be human. Maybe instead of being from Brevoy, he could be from the River Kingdom of Mivon (I'll have to pull up the River Kingdoms sourcebook for that) with the intention of reuniting Mivon with the rest of Brevoy now that those lousy Chorals are gone?

Although he has very little familiarity with firearms, once Brevnic learns a bit more about them (from Jenya and/or Vallen), he'll be quite interested in them for their potential to become viable anti-draconic weapons (yeah, as a part of an estranged Aldori franchise, he's still a bit sore about those dragons!).

Brevnic wouldn't be above having a friendly (but strictly professional) drink with the individual members of his party; more to learn about his prior predecessors before him (Cassandra, Jenya, Vallen) but also to get a feel for their motives and such. The ones that don't have any or are also newly arrived as he (Ilystria)... if they've got something of interest about them, he wouldn't mind learning a bit more about them/"shooting the bull with", as it were.

In-game class-wise, he'll be a Swashbuckler with the Rostland Bravo and River Shackles Corsair archetypes; The Bravo would be the main archetype of importance with its' access to the Aldori Dueling Sword proficiency while the Corsair is mostly secondary but it has some nice things for dealing with intimidation for the eventual access to psychic spells (the Corsair could even be dropped if folks really insist upon a one class, one archetype deal). This will be in addition to the usual Bloodrager route with the Id Rager and Urban Bloodrager archetypes... although I could change it to taking some levels in Barbarian instead.

The general archetypes for the Barbarian (if taken instead of bloodrager) that would be of interest to me would be things along the lines of the Savage Technologist (works well with his discovery and interest in firearms)/ or Urban Barbarian (sold on the versatile stat increases)/ or Dreadnought (in an Aldori type of mood to cut things up) plus whatever would stack with them, where the act of raging itself is less important than the plethora of combat additions that could be bought to the table with those archetypes.


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Campaign maps: Jade Regent | Kingmaker | The Temple of Elemental Evil

The only issue I have with the name "Brevnic" is that it is super-close to "Brevic," which is an adjective that will come up a loooot when we get into higher politics with Brevoy. :)

Also, if you want Aldori dueling sword-ness, your campaign trait should be sword scion, though that might lock you out from the campaign trait of being from a noble family, if that's what you want.


DM Jesse Heinig wrote:

The only issue I have with the name "Brevnic" is that it is super-close to "Brevic," which is an adjective that will come up a loooot when we get into higher politics with Brevoy. :)

Also, if you want Aldori dueling sword-ness, your campaign trait should be sword scion, though that might lock you out from the campaign trait of being from a noble family, if that's what you want.

Heh, so I guess Vladric (or maybe Vladovar, depending on my fellow party's preference?) it is. :)

Definitely had that very campaign trait that you mentioned chosen, DM Jesse Heinig, though upon a strict reading of it, it doesn't actually give any proficiency with the Aldori Dueling Sword (just bonuses if they're used)? Of course, if there's really a free exotic weapon proficiency that does actually go with it, who am I (with my screen-name being what it is) to refuse ? ;p


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Campaign maps: Jade Regent | Kingmaker | The Temple of Elemental Evil

It doesn't give the proficiency for free, no, but I'm sure you can find a clever way to get that. Remember that the dueling sword can also be used as a martial weapon, so if you're feeling feat-starved you can always use it that way first and get the exotic proficiency later (which lets you finesse it). Since we're 4th level already that shouldn't be too hard to work with. Alternatively, skip the trait and its juicy bonus, pick a House and be a noble from there, and get the proficiency via something like the Military Tradition human race feature (replaces the human bonus feat with two exotic weapons, more or less). Or the Aldori swordlord fighter archetype, or whatnot. Or do swashbuckler - that lines you up to quickly get Slashing Grace with the dueling sword, since you can finesse it if you're proficient.


Definitely will have to go with the Swashbuckler avenue then, DM Jesse Heinig. :)

Here4daFreeSwag wrote:

I've kind of an idea of which direction I can take Vladric Brevnic in:

He'll still be some sort of nobleman type with proficiency in the Aldori Dueling Blade and he'll definitely be human. Maybe instead of being from Brevoy, he could be from the River Kingdom of Mivon (I'll have to pull up the River Kingdoms sourcebook for that) with the intention of reuniting Mivon with the rest of Brevoy now that those lousy Chorals are gone?

Although he has very little familiarity with firearms, once Vladric Brevnic learns a bit more about them (from Jenya and/or Vallen), he'll be quite interested in them for their potential to become viable anti-draconic weapons (yeah, as a part of an estranged Aldori franchise, he's still a bit sore about those dragons!).

Vladric Brevnic wouldn't be above having a friendly (but strictly professional) drink with the individual members of his party; more to learn about his prior predecessors before him (Cassandra, Jenya, Vallen) but also to get a feel for their motives and such. The ones that don't have any or are also newly arrived as he (Ilystria)... if they've got something of interest about them, he wouldn't mind learning a bit more about them/"shooting the bull with", as it were.

In-game class-wise, he'll be a Swashbuckler with the Rostland Bravo and River Shackles Corsair archetypes; The Bravo would be the main archetype of importance with its' access to the Aldori Dueling Sword proficiency while the Corsair is mostly secondary but it has some nice things for dealing with intimidation for the eventual access to psychic spells (the...

I've also got another proposal for an entirely different character; it'll be a bit out there, since it uses the Knights of the Inner Sea Squire/Cohort system. It might be viable unless the Kingdom rules happens to take character levels into account...

Vladric will stay conceptually as he is, an Aldori Dueling Sword wielder with an interest in anti-draconic firearms. But, he'll be just a Swashbuckler since he'll be the actual "squire/cohort" at level 1 who also gets to be the acting Ruler of Emeria.

The main adventuring character, in this case, would be a lady Centaur character named Kel'Tephea, from where all the local centaurs are from (ie. their location name slipped my mind). Not entirely sure which class to go with her at the moment- probably will make use of the Sarissa reach weapon? Also, as another "social outsider" of sorts, she does kinda veer into Ilystria's schtick, but from a centaur's, rather than a fey's, view-point.

Kel'Tephea could harken back to this adventure's beginning, when it was just all female with varying kinds of races (who got along remarkably well with humanity; not so much on the serious criminality though). Haven't put that much further thought into her yet, so this remains just a far-out proposal. ;)

Edited to give the far-out proposal its' own space... mostly.


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Female Human Pistolero Lev 5 HP 28/39 | AC 20 (FF 15 T 16) Init+7, Saves (Fort+5,Reflex+8,Will+4) Grit 1/3 | Per +11

I think I quite like the swashbuckler idea. Having the Aldori Dueling sword also ties the character into the KingMaker theme more than the rest of us! As does the Ilystria's fey.

Jenya is actually from a gnomish settlement in Mivon (Jovvox). As Jovvox doesn't really care about the noble house politics and kinda just want to be left alone I'm sure there'll be some interesting things to get into there.


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Female Gathlain Collegiate Initiate Arcanist 5 | HP 27/27 | AC 13 Touch 13 Flat-Footed 11 | CMB +1 CMD 13 | Saves: Fort +5 Ref +4 Will +4 | Perception: +3 | Init: +2 | Status: Normal | Spell Effects

Well, if no one has any objections, comments, questions or concerns, great! I'll be working on writing up the rest of Ilystria's backstory today. I'll also be retooling bits of her personality to better fit my idea of her. She was originally built for a Carrion Crown game (not sure what I was thinking submitting her for that, but the GM saw something he liked, I guess) and I didn't think the whole quirky, playful, outsider fey routine would blow over well in that setting so she was more the ancient and pragmatic type of fey.

I wish I had some useful comment to give in response to your concepts, Here, but with my limited understanding of Brevic politics and horse-people, I'm not sure I could add anything of substance to either. But I will say I think the name Vladric is neat! =) I like the concept, and he sounds like just the sort of character the group needs to sit at the throne. I'd be a little bummed to see him relegated to an NPC as I think that a lot of his story would kind of go untold in that case. Or maybe not, if we're allowed to retain control of our cohorts and what not. Not sure how that works.

But the centaur sounds like an interesting idea, too, and I'm sure she'd have a nifty backstory. And not to worry; I wouldn't feel like you were stepping on my toes by bringing another social outsider into the mix. Plenty of awkwardness to go around. If anything, our two characters could bond over their shared misunderstandings about humans.


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Ranger 4/Stalker 1 | HP 23/38 | AC 17, Touch 13, FF 14 | CMB +6 | CMD 19 | Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +5 | Init +3 | Senses: Low-Light Vision, Scent | Perception +12 (+13 at night) | Ki Pool 2/2
Beast Form:
HP 24/24 | AC 19, Touch 14, FF 15 | CMB +5 | CMD 18 | Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +2 | Init +4 | Senses: Low-Light Vision, darkvision, Scent | Perception +10 (+11 at night)

Aw, I liked the idea of Vladric being a "pawn" of the House Surtova. A foil against the swordlords. An overt political statement. House Surtova causes some strife in Alexei's house and he and Auric are asked to come home. Then they plant Vladric in a position of power to keep the Emeria Neutral at the very least. Halt or slow down the swordlord's of Rostland. The only thing I was kidding about was that he'd have dragon blood and was descended from Choral (Though that would be awesome). It was a good explanation for why he's taking the ruler role. Though a swordlord in training from Mivon works too I guess.

I don't have a problem with a centaur from the Nomen Heights, I'm just iffy about the centaur mechanically. Too powerful a race in my opinion.


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Campaign maps: Jade Regent | Kingmaker | The Temple of Elemental Evil

I use a toned-down version of the centaur (lower stat mods - just +2 Str & Con, which drops it from 28 RP to 12 RP, well within the bounds of a reasonable balance). Also, I originally misunderstood that proposal and thought the idea was that the centaur was the companion but also the Ruler, which obviously would create significant problems. With the Nomen centaur as a PC but her cohort as ruler you could sidestep some of those difficulties. It would be an interesting sort of backward build where the cohort shows up with his "follower" and proceeds to do lots of political stuff while the "follower" is out adventuring.

I think we can make some political hay out of either direction, whether due to Surtovan meddling or some kind of Swordlord ploy. Note that the Swordlords are not a unified front; they have their own internal intrigues.


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Female Gathlain Collegiate Initiate Arcanist 5 | HP 27/27 | AC 13 Touch 13 Flat-Footed 11 | CMB +1 CMD 13 | Saves: Fort +5 Ref +4 Will +4 | Perception: +3 | Init: +2 | Status: Normal | Spell Effects

Ilystria's backstory is finished! Please let me know if anything should be edited, added or taken out. Her crunch is also finalized, unless anyone has requests for helpful spells to include. I'll be adding bits to her personality here and there. Just trying to strike a balance between providing enough detail that everyone gets a clear picture of her and how she'll be likely to act vs. giving so many details that I leave little room for growth.

Anywho, let me know what you think. I'm excited to get started!


Ilystria Leafheart wrote:

Ilystria's backstory is finished! Please let me know if anything should be edited, added or taken out. Her crunch is also finalized, unless anyone has requests for helpful spells to include. I'll be adding bits to her personality here and there. Just trying to strike a balance between providing enough detail that everyone gets a clear picture of her and how she'll be likely to act vs. giving so many details that I leave little room for growth.

Anywho, let me know what you think. I'm excited to get started!

Looks pretty good to me, Ilystria; from my brief skimming of the past game-play events, there's been two other fey (the fairie/psuedo?-dragon and the grig) that have made the party's acquaintance- not sure if they personally know (or know of) Ilystria or not though. :)

Jenya P. wrote:

I think I quite like the swashbuckler idea. Having the Aldori Dueling sword also ties the character into the KingMaker theme more than the rest of us! As does the Ilystria's fey.

Jenya is actually from a gnomish settlement in Mivon (Jovvox). As Jovvox doesn't really care about the noble house politics and kinda just want to be left alone I'm sure there'll be some interesting things to get into there.

Good to hear about your vote of confidence for that swashbuckler idea, Jenya; I will have to give credit where credit is due though, Cassandra got the ball rolling with her initial Aldori Sword-use suggestion earlier. ;)

Don't know if you would wish to have Jenya knowing about Vladric in the past but... (off the top of my head) maybe Vladric, in his youth, got too full of himself after spending too much time in Rostland, Brevoy as a Bravo and had gotten trounced in a public duel in Mivon with his terms of loss resulting in Vladric having to spend some time doing public service by guarding the local waterways from river pirates.

Ilystria Leafheart wrote:

I wish I had some useful comment to give in response to your concepts, Here, but with my limited understanding of Brevic politics and horse-people, I'm not sure I could add anything of substance to either. But I will say I think the name Vladric is neat!

=) I like the concept, and he sounds like just the sort of character the group needs to sit at the throne. I'd be a little bummed to see him relegated to an NPC as I think that a lot of his story would kind of go untold in that case. Or maybe not, if we're allowed to retain control of our cohorts and what not. Not sure how that works.

But the centaur sounds like an interesting idea, too, and I'm sure she'd have a nifty backstory. And not to worry; I wouldn't feel like you were stepping on my toes by bringing another social outsider into the mix. Plenty of awkwardness to go around. If anything, our two characters could bond over their shared misunderstandings about humans.

No worries, Ilystria, and I'm glad to have met your approval with the name of Vladric. :)

Cassandra Lupin wrote:

Aw, I liked the idea of Vladric being a "pawn" of the House Surtova. A foil against the swordlords. An overt political statement. House Surtova causes some strife in Alexei's house and he and Auric are asked to come home. Then they plant Vladric in a position of power to keep the Emeria Neutral at the very least. Halt or slow down the swordlord's of Rostland. The only thing I was kidding about was that he'd have dragon blood and was descended from Choral (Though that would be awesome). It was a good explanation for why he's taking the ruler role. Though a swordlord in training from Mivon works too I guess.

I don't have a problem with a centaur from the Nomen Heights, I'm just iffy about the centaur mechanically. Too powerful a race in my opinion.

I hear you on that whole thing about Surtova against the swordlords, Cassandra; while the vigilante Dragonscale Loyalist archetype would've been perfect with that kind of setup, Vladric could still serve as some kind of political pawn (maybe for some other political entity in Rostland?), even being from Mivon and all. :)

DM Jesse Heinig wrote:

I use a toned-down version of the centaur (lower stat mods - just +2 Str & Con, which drops it from 28 RP to 12 RP, well within the bounds of a reasonable balance). Also, I originally misunderstood that proposal and thought the idea was that the centaur was the companion but also the Ruler, which obviously would create significant problems. With the Nomen centaur as a PC but her cohort as ruler you could sidestep some of those difficulties. It would be an interesting sort of backward build where the cohort shows up with his "follower" and proceeds to do lots of political stuff while the "follower" is out adventuring.

I think we can make some political hay out of either direction, whether due to Surtovan meddling or some kind of Swordlord ploy. Note that the Swordlords are not a unified front; they have their own internal intrigues.

Sure thing about the centaur ability stats (everthing else about their racial stats staying the same then?), DM Jesse Heinig; guess I will keep Kel'Tephea on the backburner then- maybe as a future back-up character in case Vladric meets up with some unfortunate demise. ;)


Neutral-Good Male Human Swashbuckler3 (RB, RSC) / Bloodrager2 (UB, IR) ¦ HP: 44/44 ¦ AC: 20; TAC: 13; FFAC: 17 ¦ Panache: 3/3 ¦ Fort: +6 Reflx: +7 Will: +4 ¦ Perception: +7 ¦ Charm. Life: 3/3 ¦ CBldrg/DS 7/8

Here's what I have so far with Vladric, in terms of stats and equipment. Admittedly, much of his magical items serve for things other than purely for combat though. His background is still in flux as well.

Of course, I'm open to suggestions all around for things to change as needed. :)


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Campaign maps: Jade Regent | Kingmaker | The Temple of Elemental Evil

Looks like we are ready to get back on this horse! :D

(Excepting the centaur)

(Also I made a math error, my toned-down version is 16 RP, not 12)


Neutral-Good Male Human Swashbuckler3 (RB, RSC) / Bloodrager2 (UB, IR) ¦ HP: 44/44 ¦ AC: 20; TAC: 13; FFAC: 17 ¦ Panache: 3/3 ¦ Fort: +6 Reflx: +7 Will: +4 ¦ Perception: +7 ¦ Charm. Life: 3/3 ¦ CBldrg/DS 7/8
DM Jesse Heinig wrote:

Looks like we are ready to get back on this horse! :D

(Excepting the centaur)

(Also I made a math error, my toned-down version is 16 RP, not 12)

Heh, Kel'Tephea could wait, I guess. :)

Does that mean neither of us should run for treasurer? ;)


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Campaign maps: Jade Regent | Kingmaker | The Temple of Elemental Evil

Ok, Vladric's entry is pretty obvious, he shows up with a letter and gets added to the charter as Alexi is called back home.

Ilystria is a little tougher. Did you have an idea of how you wanted her to get added to the team? Can be as simple as just showing up in the middle of town and announcing herself, or waiting to catch the party in the Narlmarches next time they go exploring (soon!).


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Ranger 4/Stalker 1 | HP 23/38 | AC 17, Touch 13, FF 14 | CMB +6 | CMD 19 | Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +5 | Init +3 | Senses: Low-Light Vision, Scent | Perception +12 (+13 at night) | Ki Pool 2/2
Beast Form:
HP 24/24 | AC 19, Touch 14, FF 15 | CMB +5 | CMD 18 | Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +2 | Init +4 | Senses: Low-Light Vision, darkvision, Scent | Perception +10 (+11 at night)

We're heading back into the forest to map the rest of it. She could pop up then. Maybe give the grig and the faerie dragon a caemo again.


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Female Gathlain Collegiate Initiate Arcanist 5 | HP 27/27 | AC 13 Touch 13 Flat-Footed 11 | CMB +1 CMD 13 | Saves: Fort +5 Ref +4 Will +4 | Perception: +3 | Init: +2 | Status: Normal | Spell Effects

Initially, I thought of her just riding up to the gates of the town bearing her trunk of ill-gotten gains as tribute to the party before humbly beseeching them for their aid in keeping the humans out of her forest. But I also think it might be fun for the group to wander into her territory and have their first meeting be a little confrontational at first, until Ilystria finds out who they are. Really though, whatever makes the most sense and gives the party a reason to accept her into their ranks.

Assuming she gives them a choice in the matter. =)


Neutral-Good Male Human Swashbuckler3 (RB, RSC) / Bloodrager2 (UB, IR) ¦ HP: 44/44 ¦ AC: 20; TAC: 13; FFAC: 17 ¦ Panache: 3/3 ¦ Fort: +6 Reflx: +7 Will: +4 ¦ Perception: +7 ¦ Charm. Life: 3/3 ¦ CBldrg/DS 7/8

Finally got entry into that roll20 place too; so now maps are visually confirmed on my end. :)

DM Jesse Heinig wrote:
Ok, Vladric's entry is pretty obvious, he shows up with a letter and gets added to the charter as Alexi is called back home.

In-game, character-wise, does the charter require adding the actual character names to it and do they keep the old names referenced or are those older names "crossed out" of the charter, as it were?

Also when we add in Ilystria to the charter, it will have to be sent back to our swordlord sponsors for the official revision?

Vladric Zharatov wrote:
Here's what I have so far with Vladric, in terms of stats and equipment. Admittedly, much of his magical items serve for things other than purely for combat though. His background is still in flux as well.

Seeing that I had some leftover coins, a healthy weight allowance before going over the light load limit, and that I forgot to take into account one extra free Aldori Dueling Blade to spare (from that Sword Scion trait), I decided to add a few extras to Vladric's equipment list, if you don't mind DM Jesse Heinig.

The proposed extras would consist of:

(wpn) the free Aldori Dueling Sword: +0gp;+3lb [his first one that lost him the duel in Mivon; maybe got fixed back up after getting sundered?]

(equip) Waster(Aldori Dueling Sword): +1gp;+6lb

(equip) Breathing Tube: +1gp;+0.1lb.

(equip) Stove Can: +10gp;+1lb.

(books) Scrivener’s kit: +2gp;+1lb.

(wpn) Boarding Axe: +6gp;+3lb [it and the boarding pike was from his time with the Mivon river patrol.]

(alch) Alchm. Kindness: 1gp;-

at a cost of 21 gp (13gp left over) and an additional 14.10 lbs. weight.

I may also change his extra lingustics language from Draconic (since it had already been taken by a few others) to something like Tengu (maybe Vladric had gotten aquainted with some "luckbringing" tengus serving in the river patrol?)


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Campaign maps: Jade Regent | Kingmaker | The Temple of Elemental Evil

No problem with those changes.

Vladric:
I would recommend Strix instead of Tengu. No reason. :D

Also, I will be traveling a lot for the holidays and posting may be sporadic until after the new year.


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Ranger 4/Stalker 1 | HP 23/38 | AC 17, Touch 13, FF 14 | CMB +6 | CMD 19 | Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +5 | Init +3 | Senses: Low-Light Vision, Scent | Perception +12 (+13 at night) | Ki Pool 2/2
Beast Form:
HP 24/24 | AC 19, Touch 14, FF 15 | CMB +5 | CMD 18 | Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +2 | Init +4 | Senses: Low-Light Vision, darkvision, Scent | Perception +10 (+11 at night)

Figured as much. I wouldn't expect much from me between this Friday and next Tuesday.


Neutral-Good Male Human Swashbuckler3 (RB, RSC) / Bloodrager2 (UB, IR) ¦ HP: 44/44 ¦ AC: 20; TAC: 13; FFAC: 17 ¦ Panache: 3/3 ¦ Fort: +6 Reflx: +7 Will: +4 ¦ Perception: +7 ¦ Charm. Life: 3/3 ¦ CBldrg/DS 7/8
DM Jesse Heinig wrote:

No problem with those changes.

** spoiler omitted **

Also, I will be traveling a lot for the holidays and posting may be sporadic until after the new year.

Thank you, DM Jesse Heinig, on the approval for all the additional stuff. Your linguistics recommendation also sounds perfectly legit to me, so the new language change will be done as well. Will have to make a slight adjustment too since I initially misread the Sword Scion trait (+1 to hit and combat maneuvers and not +1 to damage). ;)

Cassandra Lupin wrote:
Figured as much. I wouldn't expect much from me between this Friday and next Tuesday.

That countdown to the holidays are fast approaching indeed; Happy Holidays/Merry Christmas to everyone. :)


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Female Gathlain Collegiate Initiate Arcanist 5 | HP 27/27 | AC 13 Touch 13 Flat-Footed 11 | CMB +1 CMD 13 | Saves: Fort +5 Ref +4 Will +4 | Perception: +3 | Init: +2 | Status: Normal | Spell Effects

Yep yep! Wishing everyone Happy Holidays, a Merry Christmas, a belated Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Boxing Day, Happy Festivus, Happy Saturnalia, Happy Yuletide, and a Happy Winter solstice! Is that everyone? =)


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Campaign maps: Jade Regent | Kingmaker | The Temple of Elemental Evil

Thank you. I hope everyone is well and comfortable and secure. Things are not well out here so I am looking forward to getting back to a normal cadence after the New Year.


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Female Gathlain Collegiate Initiate Arcanist 5 | HP 27/27 | AC 13 Touch 13 Flat-Footed 11 | CMB +1 CMD 13 | Saves: Fort +5 Ref +4 Will +4 | Perception: +3 | Init: +2 | Status: Normal | Spell Effects

I'm sorry to hear that. =/ I hope things settle down soon and you and yours are able to ring in the New Year in health and happiness.


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LG Male Dwarf Cleric (Iron Priest) 5 | HP: 28/28| AC: 19 (12 Tch, 17 Ff) | CMB: +3, CMD: 15 | F: +4, R: +3, W: +7| Init: +2 | Perc: +3, SM: +3 | Speed 20ft | ACP: -3| Channel: 3/3 |Active conditions: Comprehend Langauges (50 min), Divine Favor (+1atk/dam, 1 min), Protection from Evil (5 min)

Hope everything gets settled soon, GM. :(

Please let us know if we can help in any way.


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Female Human Pistolero Lev 5 HP 28/39 | AC 20 (FF 15 T 16) Init+7, Saves (Fort+5,Reflex+8,Will+4) Grit 1/3 | Per +11

Thoughts with you Jesse. Hope 2018 works out amazing for you and all of us too.


Neutral-Good Male Human Swashbuckler3 (RB, RSC) / Bloodrager2 (UB, IR) ¦ HP: 44/44 ¦ AC: 20; TAC: 13; FFAC: 17 ¦ Panache: 3/3 ¦ Fort: +6 Reflx: +7 Will: +4 ¦ Perception: +7 ¦ Charm. Life: 3/3 ¦ CBldrg/DS 7/8

No worries, DM Jesse Heinig; I'm sure this coming New Years will give us all a fresh new start/outlook. :)


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Campaign maps: Jade Regent | Kingmaker | The Temple of Elemental Evil

I have returned!

The holidays were terrible, so let's put that behind us. Thank you for your patience and consideration.


Neutral-Good Male Human Swashbuckler3 (RB, RSC) / Bloodrager2 (UB, IR) ¦ HP: 44/44 ¦ AC: 20; TAC: 13; FFAC: 17 ¦ Panache: 3/3 ¦ Fort: +6 Reflx: +7 Will: +4 ¦ Perception: +7 ¦ Charm. Life: 3/3 ¦ CBldrg/DS 7/8

Welcome back, DM Jesse Heinig, and here's to a better 2018 for all of us. :)


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LG Male Dwarf Cleric (Iron Priest) 5 | HP: 28/28| AC: 19 (12 Tch, 17 Ff) | CMB: +3, CMD: 15 | F: +4, R: +3, W: +7| Init: +2 | Perc: +3, SM: +3 | Speed 20ft | ACP: -3| Channel: 3/3 |Active conditions: Comprehend Langauges (50 min), Divine Favor (+1atk/dam, 1 min), Protection from Evil (5 min)

Welcome back! Onward to the roleplaying!


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Campaign maps: Jade Regent | Kingmaker | The Temple of Elemental Evil

Vladric, gonna try to wrap this exploration segue quick, then get back to the settlement and roll you in.


Neutral-Good Male Human Swashbuckler3 (RB, RSC) / Bloodrager2 (UB, IR) ¦ HP: 44/44 ¦ AC: 20; TAC: 13; FFAC: 17 ¦ Panache: 3/3 ¦ Fort: +6 Reflx: +7 Will: +4 ¦ Perception: +7 ¦ Charm. Life: 3/3 ¦ CBldrg/DS 7/8
DM Jesse Heinig wrote:
Vladric, gonna try to wrap this exploration segue quick, then get back to the settlement and roll you in.

No worries; sounds good to me. :)

Still coming up with stuff over on my end as well as organizing up my character sheet.

Might as well throw in a snuff box under the equipment section; has no added weight but will make the remaining 13 gold to down to 8 gp left.

Not sure which of the named Brevoy houses are already spoken for or are already in planning to factor into the gameplay thread proper but I figured I'd throw in mention of another Paizo canon Brevoy house that got a brief mention in Knights of the Inner Sea, the Khavortorovs, as a possible source for Vladric's background.


Neutral-Good Male Human Swashbuckler3 (RB, RSC) / Bloodrager2 (UB, IR) ¦ HP: 44/44 ¦ AC: 20; TAC: 13; FFAC: 17 ¦ Panache: 3/3 ¦ Fort: +6 Reflx: +7 Will: +4 ¦ Perception: +7 ¦ Charm. Life: 3/3 ¦ CBldrg/DS 7/8

Also, as an alternative, if you feel that it'd be much easier to introduce Ilystria's character to the group, I don't mind waiting for Vladric to make his round of rulership duty in the game. ;)


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Campaign maps: Jade Regent | Kingmaker | The Temple of Elemental Evil

I have been on the road every weekend this month. At least I'm not driving anywhere far away this weekend. :/

Anyway, had a busy workday, but we can move again!

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