I'd like to throw my hat in the ring with a straight cleric. Been a long time since I played just a cleric. Is the Advanced Race Guide in effect (now that almost everything is in the PFDSRD?).
A warning here: This PBP can at times grind to a halt, due to personal things. It took us long enough (more than 2 years!) to get not nearly a month into the campaign.
I'll put together a cleric based on the above stats during lunch today. I assume lvl 2 starting wealth? If no ARG, then I'll likely go standard dwarf cleric.
Here's the background for a character I've loved for years, but never got to play much. The drunk cleric just strikes a chord :)
Spoiler:
Born to a name he barely remembers, Whiskeyjack joined the ranks of a mercenary army involuntarily at the age of 21, when he was caught with a cup in the officers' private barrel of whiskey. Captain Montagne, a good hearted man for the leader of a mercenary company let the dwarven boy finish drinking, then gave him some more, and then more until the boy passed out cold. By the time the orphan boy woke up, the mercenaries were 30 miles down the road and he had a new name. The life of a boy in the Black Company wasn't a bad one, and Whiskeyjack was soon tasked as the Healer's helper and sometimes apprentice.
Parson Wentles was one of the few non-dwarf clerics of Sarenrae, and taught the boy a smidgen of faith, in addition to how to boil and lay bandages, clean wounds, and a dozen herbal remedies to everything from headaches to diarrhea. in between his duties as a healer's apprentice, Whiskeyjack learned to wield a hammer and shield, cast a few rudimentary spells of protection, and snuck into the liquor tent as often as he could get away with.
By 47, Whiskeyjack was a confirmed alchoholic, drinking any 4 men under the table and snoring off the excess in the healer's cart afterwards. Often in trouble, always complaining, the young dwarf was nevertheless seen as a good healer and a better fighter and was never flogged, though promotions were not forthcoming either.
At 52, the Black Company dissolved over a leadership dispute after Captain Montagne was killed fighting orcs. The largest portion reformed as the White Company, and Whiskeyjack followed them to a disastrous defeat in the Southern Desert, barely making it back out of the desert alive. After that was Dougan's Devils, a mercenary group out of Farthington. That didn't last long after Dougan upset the mages of the Trident Tower. Breden's Barbarians fell to a large ambush of orcs and giants east of Calimport. Then it was Cavall's Cavaliers...or was it the Red House Gang? So many groups, so many battles ago.
Through it all, Whiskeyjack drank and healed. Healed and drank. He was good at being a soldier, but not so good at following orders - especially orders like "sober up" or "if you pass out drunk again, we're leaving you behind". That's how he ended up in Bronze Company. Bronze Company was hired to help a tribe of goblins fight off some marauding giants. As Whiskeyjack lay in a drunken stupor, one of the goblins - enraged by hatred of dwarf kind - slit his throat with a rusty dagger.
Choking on his own blood, the dwarf had a vision. In it, Torag appeared and chastised him for falling so low that he was willing to work for goblins. After several foolish and slurred attempts to explain the situation to Torag - each less likely to be believed than the last - Whiskyjack vowed to serve the dwarven god for eternity. Surprisingly Torag said "Eternity'll have to wait. I need ye in the mortal world, serving me as ye can, and where I will." With that, the dwarf awoke. His throat was healed and over him lay a shield with Torag's emblem on it. The symbol of the dwarven god's protection and strength.
Mercenary companies are the only family he can really remember, and he protect his squad mates like a mother hen. Most of his effort in a fight is devoted to protection, with a little left over to bash some heads in if necessary. When he's not staggering drunk, Whiskeyjack is a pretty good fighter, and he takes decent care of his gear. Other Clerics tend to look down upon him - partly because of his drinking habit, and partly because he "perverted" the Create Water orison of their faith pro produce a flask's worth of whiskey instead of water.
Whiskeyjack was picked up by the leader of an expedition to some smoking mountain - the mission approved by Torag in a vision while Whiskeyjack was worshipping in his favorite manner, roaring drunk - shortly after the last company he was with was decimated by a coordinated attack from 4 groups of well-armed bandits.. "He's the best healer we ever had" boasted Sergeant Hixby, before guiding Whiskeyjack forward. "He's just a little toasted at the moment - mourning lost companions, right?" Four days later, Whiskeyjack sat down amidst the group of adventurer's heroes, and ne'er-do-wells gathered for the journey. Looking around, Whiskeyjack opened a swollen eye and with a grin on his face said "You boys ever heard about the charge of Cavall's Cavaliers into the Storm Lord's teeth? I was there, saw it all. Someone bring me a little something to wet my whistle and I'll tell ya all about it."
*hmm... I did write 1 or two additional players...*
@bigrin42: I like Whiskeyjack so far, but I think you misread the ability creation rules.
It's assign the dice and then take the best 3 of the array.
@Aroach1188: elf wizard hu? I don't say anything to that right now, but one other thing:
Your rolls are really sucky... even though you rolled two dice more than the others. 28 was the baseline. I'll let you roll again, starting fresh. It can only get worse, right?
@Oleg: right, level 2 it is. I don't see any mention of race and class, or anything else for that matter though.
@all: I will only have two new players. Right now the drunken dwarfen cleric has the best cards, but I'm giving it another day.
Ah, I did indeed misread them. I was going off of what someone else had posted, not being very familiar with the "dice pool" rules. I guess that makes the stats (using the same rolls, and just taking the best 3...
I haven't got a name yet but I see him as an explorer and hunter of sorts that upon hearing about a charter to reclaim the Stolenlands saw it as a opportunity to test his skills and put them to use for a good cause.
Depending on how the game progresses and which way he is needed to develop I see his going either arcane archer or eldritch knight
I am pretty flexible if you wanna see something changed
@Whiskeyjack: Yeah, the rules are a bit obscure and, should I start another game, I'd likely not use them again. At the very least, I'd modify them and take away some dice.
But here you have the same standards as the starting characters, so it's okay enough.
And your stats now fall better in line with the rest of the group so far.
@Aiunder: Elfen Fighter/wizard...
@Aiunder & Aroach1188: Nothing wrong with an elfen wizard at all. It's just that elfes and half-elfes haven't been given the most warm a welcome from the party. Mostly due to the behaviour of said (half-)elfes.
(Hint: Don't speak to them in elven at first when you meet them. ;) )
What else d' ye need from me? I been holdin' back on selectin' me gear until I be hearin' back from ye, but if'n ye be wantin' me to finish i' off I can be doin' jest tha'.
@Whiskeyjack: You are in. Finish your char and gear, I'll write up a little something to get you going.
Not having heard from anyone else I'm torn between Aiunder and Aroach1188's proposals. Both are interesting and would fit the group, I guess, but right now I only see the skeleton of characters, their stats. Time to flesh that out a bit!
I want to thank all others for their interest. You'd probably be awesome players, that I have no place for, on this virtual table, right now. Thank you.
Th' drunken cleric t' th' rescue! Jest ye sit righ' back an' I'll tell ye o' me time in th' Copper Dragoons. Ol' Major wahtsisname, Carver were i'? He gave me a souvenier dragon tooth, it's here in me pack somewhere...
I'll get the equipment sorted out here in a bit. Just let me know how and when you want to introduce Whiskeyjack.
Edit: Also, how did you do HP generation on level up? And what Xp value?
okay lemme add a little muscle and flesh to this..
first things first a name... Nero Vendel Thelaris
personality:
Despite his attempts at being nonchalant about how people view him he is actually very self conscious of what people think about him which stems from his childhood where both his older siblings seemed to get all of the attention of his parents and the constant bullying he had to endure from children and adults alike.
goals:
At his core Nero wants to be accepted by people and find somewhere that will accept him for who he is. Hearing about the charter inspired him in a grand way, rather than finding a place that will accept he could help build somewhere that he could call home .
background:
Born and raised in the Brevic city of Restov and youngest of three children. His father is a member of the Restov's wardens tasked with threading the roads and wilderness approaching the city and his mother is a court wizard for nobles of the Lebeda family. His eldest brother is a sworn knight in service to the lord of Brevoy and the pride of his parents. His older sister is currently teaching in a moderately famous university in Absalom. Two years ago, unable to decide what to do with his life Nero left home and chose to travel the countryside in search of a purpose which developed into a pilgrimage of sacred sites to Erastil.
Elrond grew up with his traveling parents in Varisia mostly, where he and his father studied Thassilonian Magic. While there, he took up wizardry, becoming quite the power mage. he could manipulate the elements within his spells to adapt to any environment. He soon left Varisia to go off on an adventure, hoping to find wealth, knowledge, and power, and to hone his arcane powers. He stands at 6 feet tall, with a really thin figure, long silver hair going down to his shoulders.