DM Stormwind's Legacy of Fire - The Heavens aligned against us.

Game Master LastNameOnEarth

DM Stormwind brings you the Legacy of Fire Adventure Path, in a no holds barred, optimization required, high difficulty delivery.


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I'm gonna throw in Zerekias.

He was in Entombed with the Pharaohs several years ago.


i think i am going with the cleric on this. and just making sure that trait makes it so +1hp and +1 skill point, correct. and should have a fair background by tomorrow.


I think this is all in order. By the way, I don't actually think that Zon-Kuthon is Garulk's patron, but he assumes it is. If that is who his patron was, I don't think he'd have any powers for very long, considering that he does not torture others. Anyway, I don't actually know who or what it is, but I kinda figure that if that sort of thing is ever going to be revealed, it should be momentous or really funny, maybe both. To that end I had a few ideas that range from one of the great old ones who are so far removed from humanity that it doesn't understand what pain even is, and thus is unaware that Garulk is suffering for his power, or on the other spectrum it could be something along the lines of some mischevious nature spirit that is having its revenge on Garulk for all the fluffy bunnies he killed for his tribe to eat.

Oh yeah, I have three traits because I haven't decided whether I want to take a level or two of barbarian somewhere along the way, or be a straight Witch. If I do dip into Barbarian, his second trait will be Magical Knack, if not then it will be Inspired. It will probably be Magical Knack, though.

Basics:
Name: Garulk
Race Orc
Class Witch (Scarred Witch Doctor) 1
gender male
Size 6'5” 237lbs
Age 18
Alignment Nuetral
Diety Zon-Kuthon
Location Katapesh
Languages Common, Orc

Strength 16
Dexterity 14
Constitution 17
Intelligence 10
Wisdom 10
Charisma 5

Background:
Garulk is a slave in Katapesh. He was born and raised in the Hold of Belkzen, but he was singled out for extra abuse because he was smaller and weaker than the rest. They did let him contribute, however, they sent him out to gather food for the clan. It was on one of these foraging trips that he was captured by humans. He doesn't know why he wsasn't killed, or who they even were, but he became a slave that day, and was passed from owner to owner until he wound up a gladiator in Katapesh.

Garulk was expected to be a great fighter, as an orc, funny then, that he almost died during his first fight. It was right before the killing blow he heard a booming voice offering some instruction. He did as he was commanded, and his opponent suddenly fell dead asleep. He killed the sleeping foe in one blow. After the fight, Garulk was offered whatever reward he wished, and all he demanded was a set of tools and building materials.

The next morning, it was revealed that he had worked through the night, creating a mask the size of a large shield. It had wild eyes and an angry mouth, decorated with various colors of paint, and blood. From then on he fought in that mask, using the abilities granted to him by his patron, which he believes to be Zon Kuthon. In an attempt to increase his prestige, Garulk's owner pledged him to the expedition to retake Kelmarane, not realizing until it was too late that any slaves were being offered their freedom in return for their service.

Garulk offers his prayers to Zon-Kuthon, though he is not what could be called a good servant. His prayers are only offered because he believes the Midnight Lord is the source of his power. If convinced otherwise (a likely simple task), Garulk might be convinced to serve another god, like Desna, of all of them.

Combat stats:
Perception 1
Initiative +4

Saves
-Fortitude +3
-Reflex +2
-Will +2

AC/Flatfoot AC 13/11 (+1 when using scar shield)
Touch AC 12

CMB +3
CMD 15

Hit Points: 9

BAB 0
To hit: +3
Speed 30

Skills:

2 ranks per level

Spellcraft 4 (1 rank)
Perception 1 (1 rank)

Feats and Traits:

Traits:
Reactionary: +2 to initiative
Magical Knack: +2 to caster level up to HD OR Inspired: +1 will saves

Race Abilities:
Darkvision: 60 feet
Light Sensitivity: dazzled in bright sunlight
Ferocity: remain active at 0 hitpoints
Weapon Familiarity: proficient with greataxes and falchions

Class Abilities:
Constitution Dependant
Hex Scar
Fetish Mask: +2 circumstance bonus on heal and intimidate checks
Scarshield: gain a bonus to natural armor equal to half class level.
Cantrips
Patron Spells

Feats:
Extra Hex: Slumber

Spells:

Patron: Endurance
Level 0 spells known: all
spells prepared: Spark, Read Magic, Stabilize
Level 1 spells known: Cure Light Wounds, Mage Armor, Command, Enlarge Person, Obscuring Mist, Ear Piercing Scream
Spells prepared: Mage Armor, Enlarge Person

Weapons:

Falchion 75 gp 2d4 18-20/X2 8lbs S
Dagger 2gp 1d4 19-20/x2 range 10ft 1lb p or s

Armor:

Armored Kilt 20gp +1ac +6 dex 0 armor check 0% 30ft 10lbs

Equipment:

78 gp
current weight 21lbs

Spell Component Pouch 5gp 2lbs


Okay, this is Oterisk with my submission.

His background should be in the description, and I have a link to his crunch in there as well.

I know it might be odd to have a Taldane Zen Archer earning his freedom in the Katapesh frontier, but I worked it out in the backstory. It may be odd that he has a few posts as well, because I used this character's father in a high powered PBP a while back with some of the guys who have submitted characters here (hi guys). Anyway, there will be a bit of similarities between the characters, so feel free to look at past posts and get a feel for the character if you wish.

I didn't work out equipment yet, since the Pesh Addict trait is supposed to halve your starting cash, and although I might be mistaken, we don't really know what that is yet. Anyway, it was fun to put this guy together and I hope he makes it hard for you to resist.


DM Stormwind wrote:
Xanyon - The background looks great, and I have no complaints about the crunch. To clarify, I don't see an Archetype, correct? From his visions I presuming his starting gun will be a pistol?

Correct, no Archetype and he will start with a pistol. I'll also be purchasing plenty of ammo and some Alkenstar Arms order forms. The chain shirt he got from his campaign trait.


Ok, So I'll flesh everything out tonight, all I have time to post right now is a Character in head. Undine Flowing monk. Yeah its not a core race but if the character I have in my head come out properly, it would make more sense to be Undine then any of the core races.


I've finished the crunch for Ark'krrrazakh my Gnoll Eldritch Knight, run out of time to get background done now. So will try to get it done as soon as possible.

The Exchange

DM Stormwind wrote:
Numair Nejem - Your character looks good. Build-wise he appears to be a CHA heavy two handed fighter, with some intimidations, and probably building towards crit feats at later levels. Interesting that you left his DEX a 10, as most plate users will shoot for a 12, since it allows a +1, and you'll have no shield. Not a major difference, but as his Con is lowish too, he's set up as a bit of a glass cannon, melee wise. With judicious uses of his lay on hands to heal himself, he may manage though. Personality wise, he could be interesting to see in action, as his inner nature battles with his faith and outer responsibilities. He's kind of like a Neutral Good or Lawful Neutral character who has been told he has to uphold a Paladin's code, but without any miraculous change of his alignment. That could be a lot of fun to play with. On a small note, his profile lists his deity as Iomidae, and his background Sarenrae.

I envision him as NG. He's happy to help people, but he never devoted himself to it. He was a good samaritan, not a crusader. Now, he's been called to task and isn't really prepared for it. He set out with the best intentions, but with no idea what he was getting himself into. Now, he's committed and his pride won't let him back down (plus, you know, avoiding pissing off super scary angry burning chick).

Since I'm planning to take him to Oath of Vengeance, I went back and forth between Iomedae and Sarenrae. I settled on Sarenrae because it fits well, Katapesh being very sand-sun-and-scimitar area. I got all references in the crunch box, but missed the one up top. Fixed.

I could adjust his stats (incl racial) from 16 10 12 10 8 18 to 14 12 14 10 8 18, and that would make him a bit more defensive. If I did that, would likely switch to scimitar & shield. Was considering your 'hard mode' title and thinking that offensive 2h Power Attack might be better - trading defense for offense to end fights faster (hopefully in my favor). Being that his fighting style includes a lot of flashy showmanship from his dueling days (demoralize), I can easily scale back his damage output and focus more on defense, and count on another melee-type to bring the damage.

If he makes it to level 4, high charisma means he'll be able to smite about 5 times a day - enough for one per encounter - and those smites will really improve his attack and ac against the toughest monsters (except for all those nasty non-evil baddies).

Definitely interested if you have any other thoughts.

Sovereign Court

Hey, I just wanted to confirm one or two things in your houserule.

Power Attack: I suppose you still need 13 str to use it?? Can you use it in conjonction of Dervish Dance with a finesse weapon??
Dervish Dance: Do you still need the 2 ranks in Perform(Dance) to get it??

I'm not even sure I'm gonna use any of those, but I wanted to check to be sure.


Background:

Gin grew up in a small coastal village. As such, most of his time was spent helping fishermen in their various occupations and needs on the wharf. Whenever he swam however he noticed changes in his body when he swam. His fingers and toes became webbed, and his bronzed skin would change to a deep blue. Due to peoples reactions to his blue skin, Gin began to avoided the water and the queer looks that he got from the fisherman.
To find order and peace in a world of distress, Gin sought help in a nearby monastery. After speaking with the elders there he decided to join their order. By comparison, Gin was much weaker than the other monk initiates, but he found that he had a very lithe body and seemed a tad faster than the others. It took some time, but Gin learned to take advantage of his speed. He moved quickly in his training, but still felt as though he was being treated as an outsider.
After a few years of feeling this isolation in the monastery, he asked to be given leave or at the very least a quest of some sort to find his place in the world. After a short councel, Gin was tasked with looking into the village of Kelmarane and why it fallen to its current state. 'If there was more than a trickle of interest, he is to pursue the stream of information to the end.'

Appearance:
5 ft. 5 in. 140 lbs. 75 yrs. Bronze or Blue skin, Shoulder Length Dark Blue Hair, Blue Eyes, Solid Lithe Body

Future Plans:
looking at going with a Flowing Monk for awhile and moving on to Brother of the Seal. Most of my focus will be on unarmed combat.


So, after some number crunching I realized that since I am focused on unarmed combat, and there are problems with doing a Flowing monk into Brother of the Seal. I think I'll switch to Monk of the Empty Hand. Maintaining everything else. I'll flesh him out and post everything tonight.


Put my 1st proposed character up here.

Summary: Ranger (eventually dual-shield ranger if you allow that particular optimization, otherwise shield-spec offhand weapon ranger).

PFS has ruled that animals cannot take weapon proficiencies; when I get an animal companion my intent is to have him take Shield Proficiency (if you'll allow it), if not I'll take something else (and it slightly changes my build around lvl 7).

I saw your comment re: Finding Haleen and this character follows your rule (i.e. favored class gets me 1 skill & 1 HP per level, not 1 skill, 1 HP and 1 choice of either/alt bonus)

If you don't like that one, I have a slightly-less optimized hippie-merchant summoner that I can type up, but I wanted to get an opinion of this guy first.

Edit: remembered to mention that I'm compliant with your ruling for Finding Haleen.


Javelle DeLeon - A two weapon fighter Barbarian would be interesting to see, and should be more practical under the given house rules (otherwise it might be too feat intensive). In short, crunch looks good. His background is a bit brief; perhaps he could recount a particular incident that explains his dislike of Gnolls?

pavaan - Yes, +1 to HP and +1 Skill Point. Either can be traided for one of the racial favoured class bonuses, but not both.

Wolfman1911 - A Witch Barbarian would be a new combination for me, but I suppose it might work well since Scarred Witch Doctor makes CON your casting stat. It would also allow you to go Eldritch Knight or another Gish prestige class later. The build looks solid, if unconventional.

Thaddicus Marcaldor I lost my original post just after I wrote something on your character, so I'm trying to remember what I had there. I think the only question I had was as to why and/or how he ended up a monk. I have no issue with him being a monk, but other than the bow, there is nothing monkish about his background. I am not the type who insists that every monk needs to come from a monastery, but there is something meditative and disciplined about being a monk. There are also a lot of none archery related skills. Where did he learn unarmed fighting? In street fights? Why is he so physical (class skills)? Was he an adventurous, daredevil kid? Perhaps one of the masters at the school was a zen monk and took him under his wing. Regardless, I feel in this case there should be a reason he is not a Archer Fighter, or perhaps a ranger. I like the rest of his story, and an ex-wealthy elite who is washed out and ended up being disbelieved and sold into slavery has some very obvious motivations for his behaviours.

Ark'krrrazakh First, a clarification, I didn't ask for Min/Maxed, I asked for optimized, and there is usually a difference. They can end up being very similar, and sometimes the line gets a little blurry, but there is a difference. Min/Maxed is also a term that tends to get missused a lot. It is supposed to refer to Minimizing your weaknesses, and maximizing your strengths, which is pretty much optimization. How it is often used is to refer to maxing your needed stats, and dumping your unneeded stats, which is more munchkin-like, and not really what I am going for. With a low Wis and a low Cha, Ark'krrrazakh might have a great deal of trouble dealing with any social situation, and is likely to be easily disabled by vs. will spells. He could be played in an interesting fashion, and the play makes all the difference, but the surface impression so far is not one of depth. I guess I need to see his background before I judge further.

Numair Nejem - I wasn't meaning to imply that he should change his build, I was just highlighting some potential issues to make sure you were aware of them. There is nothing necessarily wrong with the glass cannon approach, as long as you keep the limitations in mind. A glass cannon (if you are unfamiliar with the term, it refers to a guy who can hit like a cannon for huge damage, but shatters like glass when he gets hit back) can outclass most other builds for damage dealing, but makes a very poor tank or meat shield. As long as you don't try to use him as one, and are mindful of positioning and tactics, he can swoop in and destroy things before they can hit back. However, if he's not, or circumstances align against him, he can go under quickly. Just things to be aware of.

Darkorin - Since anyone can use Power Attack, yes the STR requirement has been dropped. However, I haven't changed the rules in respect to how those feats work otherwise, and if I recall, light and/or finessed weapons can't be used to power attack. I couldn't find the rule though, so someone correct me if I'm wrong. It does make sense though, as power attacking is pretty much not using finesse by definition. Dervish dance can be applied to any finesse weapon, but otherwise functions the same, so yes, you need the ranks in Dance.

Gin Dharak - Looks good so far, I'll wait till you have the particulars of your build up.


DM Stormwind,

I have recreated the Atomie to the best of my ability using the ARG. I came out with a 12 point build, mostly by trimming back SLA's. All the work's on the Alias.

Depending on how the rolling goes I am open to dropping the Inquisitor dip. She may just be an Inquistor in her own mind. With the boosts to Dex and Cha (already existing but modified) she should make a pretty good Ninja.

I did hear your warnings about created (recreated) races, so I realize I'm taking a risk. If you don't like her, I'll understand. But I hope you do enjoy Buttercup the Ninja enough to consider.


What's up, Oterisk?! I see you breaking out some Thad on us! Just a warning folks, if this cat makes it to 18th level, just stand back and enjoy the show. A machine gun of death I tell ya. ;)

@Smite: Buttercup? Seriously? Totally love it! Well, mainly because it reminds me of The Princess Bride. Which is totally a great movie. :)

P.S. By the way, thanks for nothing, Smite. Now I keep saying, "Buttercup", in the king's voice the way he introduced her to the people. I just can't stop. ;)


dotting for interest and intent

And you know, gotta find the right avatar pic. :)


Alrighty, as promised I fleshed out Gin and am submitting him now. I'm pretty sure you said max gold and hp for lvl 1 right? Anyways, let me know what you thing.


Funny story, when I played Icewind Dale 2, I thought that Ilmatar must be the dumbest god for anyone to follow. Why would anyone want to follow a god that demanded that you try your best to become a martyr? I mention that because Ilmatar is exactly what I was looking for in a god for Garulk, and it is especially funny because Zon-Kuthon is about as close as I came. That said, if he ever comes to realize that ZK is a god of torture, not endurance, I can easily see him changing to Irori, Gozreh, or maybe even Gorum. Anyay, I intend to build him as something a little closer to a front line cleric than any kind of full arcane caster I've ever seen.


Gin, yes I did say Max gold and HP for level 1.

I believe I'd like to make my selections by tomorrow, so those who have not yet posted a character, please do so. I'll make my selection tomorrow night, about 24 hours from now. Thanks.

Storm.

Sovereign Court

DM Stormwind wrote:
I haven't changed the rules in respect to how those feats work otherwise, and if I recall, light and/or finessed weapons can't be used to power attack. I couldn't find the rule though, so someone correct me if I'm wrong. It does make sense though, as power attacking is pretty much not using finesse by definition.

Well, there is nowhere in the rules that states that you can't use Power attack with a finessed weapon, I can assure you that. So I guess my new question would be: Do you allow it? (I've builded a Lore Warden Fighter who uses those feats, thus why I'm asking about it)

And would you accept Dervish Dance with a bastard sword wielded with 2 hands? Because Dervish dance specify you must wield the scimitar with one hand only. And then would you consider dex or +1 1/2 dex to dmg?


There is another feat: Piranha Strike that works for finesse weapons only. It works exactly like Power Attack.


Still here, and still interested. ^_^


Hoping to get an inquisitor up in the next 6-8 hours, does this fall within your timeline?


DM Stormwind wrote:
Ark'krrrazakh First, a clarification, I didn't ask for Min/Maxed, I asked for optimized, and there is usually a difference. They can end up being very similar, and sometimes the line gets a little blurry, but there is a difference. Min/Maxed is also a term that tends to get missused a lot. It is supposed to refer to Minimizing your weaknesses, and maximizing your strengths, which is pretty much optimization. How it is often used is to refer to maxing your needed stats, and dumping your unneeded stats, which is more munchkin-like, and not really what I am going for. With a low Wis and a low Cha, Ark'krrrazakh might have a great deal of trouble dealing with any social situation, and is likely to be easily disabled by vs. will spells. He could be played in an interesting fashion, and the play makes all the difference, but the surface impression so far is not one of depth. I guess I need to see his background before I judge further.

Sorry, true you asked for optimised rather than min/maxed I was meaning it in a tongue in check way. Cool, never knew that was what min/maxed meant. To give you some insight into my thinking, I had been weighing up the two sets of stats listed, the negative to will saves from the wisdom would be cancelled out by the 5 levels of Wizard to bring up to the same level as my reflex saves (or about the same as an equivalent fighter with about 12 wisdom) however with your reply it did occur to me failing a reflex save will cause damage which I can take, failing a will save is likely to take me out of the fight so probably want higher will saves so will happily switch the other set of stats I submitted.

Yes having very low cha will have a huge impact on social situations. He is likely to cause the party some strife at times. While he has no clue over human social situations he is practised at cowering before people he thinks are more powerful than him, and smart enough to keep him mouth shut at those times.

Sorry should have given you at least the bare backbones of the background at the same time however this is a very busy week at work I'll try to do that tonight so you can understand where I'm coming from with why he is the way he is.


this is pavaan and here is my dwarf clerics backstory and fluff

background:
Losk has never been a very likeable dwarf with his gruff way of talking and acting around others, one day that cost him as he was robbed of everything he had, lucky for him a stranger by the name of helena helped him out. He got back on his feat and found work. he makes weapons for a living, while in Katapesh he has had to move from city to city at times because the merchant selling his weapons did like like how gruff he was. He always found time at least once a year to see Helena and catch up. Till one day she was gone, he now looks for her as best he can.

It is not easy for Losk being a dwarf in such a hot land, but he makes the most of it, as a cleric of Torag he knows that hardship will make him stronger, so he stays in this land. His prayers to Torag also make him a nice living so long as he can stay on good terms with the merchants that sell his weapons, after all he is not a very good sales man, but he knows when he is being tricked more often then not.

while in battle he ready's himself and his allies if needed to better defeated his foes, if the foe would best be stopped by kicking sand in his eyes then that is what Losk will do, He is not above pulling such a dirty trick, after all most people that fight him end up dead, so no one can call him on such tactics. He thinks that healing should be done while not in battle, unless death is the only other option.

He has a long term goal of helping his fellow kinsmen out in reclaiming the sky Citadels, be it with his action, or with donations given from his crafting.

looks
Losk's face has scorch marks on it, he smells of sweat and embers more often then not, he has flaming red hair that is wild and unkempt. his smile looks like a man mans.


Fair enough. I have re-worked and expanded Seif-al-Din's history extensively, putting quite a few more potential plot hooks into it, as well as expanding on the local lore (drawing primarily from the Inner Sea World Guide).

Hopefully, that will pique your interest ;-)

Background:
Seif-al-Din is the youngest son of the powerful Subhi Trading Consortium, a clearing-house for exotic goods along the caravan lines of Katapesh.

Although Seif-al-Din was well cared for as a child, and provided with excellent instruction through his father's contacts in the Church of Sarenrae, he found his father to be emotionally distant, focusing as he did on spanning the country, and beyond, with a web of commerce that ultimately answered solely to him.

As such, Seif-al-Din became more and more caught up in the doctrine of progress and global betterment of the Dawnflower, eventually becoming ordained as a Holy Warrior of Sarenrae (with his Father's tacit, if distracted, approval). With his faith providing him a solid bedrock of contentment from which to work, Seif-al-Din was able to throw himself into the jobs that his father assigned to him, usually providing protection, and guidance, on troubled routes (Gnoll raids, in particular, being a thorny problem, especially on the more Westerly routes) or investigating rumors of bandits or missing caravans...

...on one such journey, he encountered a small tribe of Janni nomads, who... recognised... something in Seif-al-Din. They invited him to join his tent with theirs that night, and showed him many wonders, culminating in a short foray to the Elemental Plane of Fire. The experience opened Seif-al-Din's eyes to a world he had only been dimly aware of, and awoke something previously dormant within his blood - when he was returned to the material plane, it was to discover that his skin had taken on a bronze-like sheen, his hair had become white as snow, and his eyes had taken on the color of cool, deep water.

The discovery that there was something... not entirely human... lurking in his family tree was shocking to say the least, but what he truly desired were answers... When he had a chance to return to Katapesh, he used his family connections to try and track down any and all information about the mingling of the blood of human and Genie-kind in his family, but drew a blank; the family records only extended back a few hundred years, and even that was shaky.

However, when he broadened his search to include *all* references to Genie-kind in the region, he came upon some interesting information: Time and again, the early records of Katapesh (then known as Sandstar), and Solku (then known as Sarenrae's Bastion) referred to a group of Janni known as the Templars of the Five Winds, a group of elemental warriors sworn to the service of a powerful Djinni named Nefeshti, who acted exactly like a force of nature, clashing with the early human settlers, and local monsters alike, at various points throughout history. In fact, their most pivotal involvement in Katapeshi history occurred shortly after the time when the Pactmasters took over Katapesh - apparently, at the time, a great Efreeti named Jhavhul gathered together a mighty army of Genie-kind, and began to lay waste to Northern Katapesh, until he and his supporters were cast-down by Nefeshti and her Templars. After that, however, the historical record grew disturbingly silent, with only scattered references to the Templars; the Genies returned to being creatures of myth and hearsay, rather than history.

However, far from cooling his interest, this only served to quicken it, fueling his nascent obsession like an oily rag to a flame; he began to throw ever more money at his pursuit, courting historians, seers, and planar theorists, until finally his father was no longer able to ignore what his son was up to, and forbade him to expend any more family resources on the subject, hoping that that would be the end of it.

Unfortunately, cutting him off from his normal sources of funding did little more than slow him down, forcing him to be more... creative... signing-up for mercenary work as a caravan guard, acting as a bounty hunter (having a particular predilection for Gnoll-hunting), and moonlighting as an independent contractor on the Katapeshi Gladitorial circuit.

In fact, it was whilst 'on the circuit' that he encountered a young woman named Haleen; her passion for life, her skill in combat, and her fiery temper spoke to him on a primal level. Initially friendly rivals, they eventually became close friends, often pairing-up for the occasional 'doubles match'. Haleen encouraged Seif-al-Din to continue his research, and was even able to place him in contact with a decidedly unsavory source - a Necromancer skilled in the arts of Haemotheurgy.

Initially reluctant, Seif-al-Din eventually gave in, and went to see him; Sin-shallah was a particularly corpulent man, with an unfortunate habit of licking his lips as he spoke. The ritual itself was relatively straight-forward - he used a lancet to drain a pint of Seif-al-Din's blood, which he then boiled over a green flame, and infused it with magic, before directing Seif-al-Din to drink it...

...Seif-al-Din is not entirely certain what happened thereafter. When he came to his senses, he found himself at the epicenter of a swath of elemental destruction; of more immediate worry, however, was the charred, frozen, and partially melted body of the necromancer at his feet... The only clue to what had happened was a phrase written on one wall, charred deep into the stone - PALE MOUNTAIN.

Seif-al-Din quickly left the scene, wanting to place as much distance between it and himself as soon as possible. He went looking for Haleen, but found that she was gone, leaving behind only a brief note, begging him not to follow. Scared, confused, and bereft of his closest friend, he retreated to the only other place of true solace he had ever known - the local temple of Sarenrae.

Gradually (helped in no small part by the fact that events were never traced back to him), he managed to get his emotions under control, and he began to ponder exactly what had happened. He could feel elemental power thrumming through his veins, as well as a presence, barely felt, like the lightest of breezes, but always there, hiding just beyond the limits of his consciousness... In moments of stress, however, he would loose control, and the presence would come to the fore of his mind, causing him to speak in a voice that burned his throat, and chilled his lungs, and even occasionally to manifest a corona of elemental energy.

Still seeking answers, but knowing that going solo into the Gnoll-infested lands of Northern Kapatesh alone would be tantamount to suicide, when he caught wind of the fact that a man named Garavel was organising an expedition to that self-same region, he jumped at the opportunity to sign-up... Now, only time will tell what Seif-al-Din will learn about his past, and what it will mean for his future...


DM Stormwind wrote:


Thaddicus Marcaldor I lost my original post just after I wrote something on your character, so I'm trying to remember what I had there. I think the only question I had was as to why and/or how he ended up a monk. I have no issue with him being a monk, but other than the bow, there is nothing monkish about his background. I am not the type who insists that every monk needs to come from a monastery, but there is something meditative and disciplined about being a monk. There are also a lot of none archery related skills. Where did he learn unarmed fighting? In street fights? Why is he so physical (class skills)? Was he an adventurous, daredevil kid? Perhaps one of the masters at the school was a zen monk and took him under his wing. Regardless, I feel in this case there should be a reason he is not a Archer Fighter, or perhaps a ranger. I like the rest of his story, and an ex-wealthy elite who is washed out and ended up being disbelieved and sold into slavery has some very obvious motivations for his behaviours.

Well, the idea was that the school had brought experts in from far and wide including an archer master from Jalmeray who would still be there. His father did teach him a bit of archery and was a highly effective Zen Archer himself. I thought I had something in there about that, but I guess I got ahead of myself. I'll add a paragraph to his back story that will explain a bit more of that. Edit: There. The third paragraph in my history I just added has a bit more explanation in the vein you are interested. I hope you will find that satisfactory.

@Javell- Yeah, I needed a bit more Thad in my gaming life. I'd been missing a bit of the high handed pompous hero, and I thought he would be fun in a "fish out of water" kind of story. He definitely doesn't belong, and he isn't going to want to change. Could be a lot of fun!


I plan on submitting an elf magus soon. Should be up today. Here is my dwarf zen archer as a placeholder whose Kingmaker game has stalled. As for minimizing low CHA, and using it as a cheesy dump stat--my gruff dwarves hang their surlyness out there.


Javell DeLeon wrote:

@Smite: Buttercup? Seriously? Totally love it! Well, mainly because it reminds me of The Princess Bride. Which is totally a great movie. :)

P.S. By the way, thanks for nothing, Smite. Now I keep saying, "Buttercup", in the king's voice the way he introduced her to the people. I just can't stop. ;)

I'm glad you got a giggle. The idea of a tiny fey named Buttercup, who sees herself as a fierce warrior named Smite just tickles me.

And +1 on the Princess Bride.

My little buttercup, sweet little buttercup... Everybody sing!


Here is Tarin, the scarred half-elven inquisitor. Hope you like him!

EDIT: Also worth mentioning that I whipped that bio up in about a half hour, if it seems a little all over the place that's probably because it is! I'll be tweaking it over the next day or so.


Smite wrote:

And +1 on the Princess Bride.

My little buttercup, sweet little buttercup... Everybody sing!

The Three Amigo's, another +1. I use that song as a lullaby for my baby girl.


I had hoped to get a pitch together over lunch, not going to happen. I regretfully withdraw my stated intention to make a pitch. This looked SO GOOD.

BTW, I was going to take an old poem I wrote, and build a Helpful Halfling Cautious Fighter-ing, Bumbling-Defenseing, Madu-el-wielding, Combat Expert(ese), headed for Dragon Cavalier. But no time to run the numbers, and won't before the clock goes 'ding'.

You all have fun.


maybe I need an elven pistolero named Ned Nederlander?


Darkorin wrote:
DM Stormwind wrote:
I haven't changed the rules in respect to how those feats work otherwise, and if I recall, light and/or finessed weapons can't be used to power attack. I couldn't find the rule though, so someone correct me if I'm wrong. It does make sense though, as power attacking is pretty much not using finesse by definition.

Well, there is nowhere in the rules that states that you can't use Power attack with a finessed weapon, I can assure you that. So I guess my new question would be: Do you allow it? (I've builded a Lore Warden Fighter who uses those feats, thus why I'm asking about it)

And would you accept Dervish Dance with a bastard sword wielded with 2 hands? Because Dervish dance specify you must wield the scimitar with one hand only. And then would you consider dex or +1 1/2 dex to dmg?

I'd say, yes you could wield it two handed in that case, but no, you wouldn't get +1 1/2 damage for it. What you are gaining by having two hands on it is agility, not power. You are exchanging Finesse for the usual two handed Power.

Sovereign Court

DM Stormwind wrote:
I'd say, yes you could wield it two handed in that case, but no, you wouldn't get +1 1/2 damage for it. What you are gaining by having two hands on it is agility, not power. You are exchanging Finesse for the usual two handed Power.

Yeah, I totally agree with that, but I just wanted to check with you. Now what about Dervish Dance? Can I use the bastard sword two handed and still benefit from Dervish Dance? Can I make a two finessed weapon fighter who applies his Dex bonus to damage?


Odea wrote:

Put my 1st proposed character up here.

Summary: Ranger (eventually dual-shield ranger if you allow that particular optimization, otherwise shield-spec offhand weapon ranger).

PFS has ruled that animals cannot take weapon proficiencies; when I get an animal companion my intent is to have him take Shield Proficiency (if you'll allow it), if not I'll take something else (and it slightly changes my build around lvl 7).

My understanding is that an animal can only take select feats unless it has an INT of 3 or higher. Since an Ape is INT 2, he cannot train in weapons or Shields.

Darkorin wrote:
Yeah, I totally agree with that, but I just wanted to check with you. Now what about Dervish Dance? Can I use the bastard sword two handed and still benefit from Dervish Dance? Can I make a two finessed weapon fighter who applies his Dex bonus to damage?

That was what I had meant in the response. I would allow bastard sword to be used under dervish dance in that case (and I suppose Elven Curved Blade), but not 2 1-handed weapons. A two handed weapon with Dervish dance would still only do 1x dex to damage though. Without using Dervish dance, I believe you can use DEX to attack, and still apply 1.5x STR to damage though. Does that clear it up?


Here is a list of the people who have expressed interest and have submitted a completed character:
Westernwolf777 Muqaq al-Varisi – Ifrit Sorcerer
DreamingWarforged Cahal id’Din – Human Barbarian (Going Alchemist)
Bakodek Xanyon – Half Orc Gunslinger
Luke_Parry Sief Al-Din ibn Subhi – Suli Oracle
Javelle DeLeon Zerekias Tholtan – Half Elf Barbarian (going Ranger)
EntropyRules Gin Dharak – Undine Monk of the Empty Hand
Edelhur Calendir – Half Elf Ranger
Dathom Badi Al’Mukhabat Nabih Ka’im – Half Elf Wizard
Oterisk Thadius Malcador – Zen Archer Monk
Wolfman1911 Garulk – Orc Scarred Witch Doctor (going Barbarian)
Apocalypso Smite! – Fey Ninja
heliopolix Numair Nejem – Human Paladin
Brian Baird35 Losk Harunk
Tim Woodhams Ark’krrrazakh - Gnoll

Here are the people who have submitted a character, but I have not had a chance to review it, or from whom I am still waiting for additional information or a reaction/adjustments due to feedback:
Steihl9 Grymblade – Half Elf Knife Fighter Rogue
littlehewy Terin Larvendi – Half Elf Inquisitor
Chainmail Bimber Longstrike - Dwarf Zen Archer

Here are the folks who have expressed interest, but have not yet put forth a character:
Darkorin – Dervish Bard]
Warsor – Ifrit Wishcrafter
Sir Gavin “The Dancing Blade” - ?
Tormad – Orc Sorcerer
Tenro - ?

If you’re not on the list above, please bring it to my attention, as I must have overlooked your entry or interest. These application processes are rather frustrating, because I am seeing a large number of really good entries. In the end the decision will have to be somewhat arbitrary I think, as I can only have so many players in the group. In that respect, there are good characters who will not make the cut, which is extremely unfortunate, and the major downside to recruiting.

Sovereign Court

DM Stormwind wrote:
That was what I had meant in the response. I would allow bastard sword to be used under dervish dance in that case (and I suppose Elven Curved Blade), but not 2 1-handed weapons. A two handed weapon with Dervish dance would still only do 1x dex to damage though. Without using Dervish dance, I believe you can use DEX to attack, and still apply 1.5x STR to damage though. Does that clear it up?

Yep, now I can finally chose between my whip fighter and my bastard sword one! (And I'll go with my whip fighter that I will send as soon as I'm back home!)


oh just a little edit for Losk, he is a dwarf cleric Forgemaster. also things look good for me with only one other full divine caster up there. true it does not mean i will make it but it might up my chances a bit.


pavaan wrote:
oh just a little edit for Losk, he is a dwarf cleric Forgemaster. also things look good for me with only one other full divine caster up there. true it does not mean i will make it but it might up my chances a bit.

Lolz, yeah I'm looking at it and I'm thinking hmmm 2 other monks (granted they are both archers), and between 5 and 7 other melee people. I'd say your chances are significantly higher. Oh well, let the chips fall where they may.


Realized that I never responded to your note to me Stormwind.

When I first thought up this character, I did some research into the meaning of middle eastern names and pieced this name together. Most of the names have to do with honor, skill and intellect, though I don't know for certain which part of the name means what.

Also, I wanted to let you know that my character sheet should be up to date and I look forward to seeing your final selection.


Tarin Larvendi - Good backstory, I like it a lot. Could have gone a few different ways to tie into a campaign feat, with adventure seeking, campaigning for freedom, if he'd been taken slave himself, or seeking a lost relative (his father). All in all, it's very interesting. His build is good, going for an interesting niche. Elven curve blade for the crit range I guess, as it won't be finessed in his case. Keep in mind that Combat Expertise does not lead to the Improved Feats anymore, and stands alone. Cool if that is what you are going for, but no longer a prerequisite.

Bimber Longstriker - Good solid build for a Zen Archer, which does not really come into it's own until 3rd of course. His background is good, if rather Campaign neutral - or was he made for Second Darkness? Were he tied into this campaign a touch more, I wouldn't complain, but he is a good entry.

Sovereign Court

Here is my submission:

Yorick Kareem
Male Human (Keleshite) Fighter (Lore Warden) 1
CG Medium Humanoid (human), Deity: Cayden Cailean
Init +6; Senses Perception +1

Defense:

AC 17, touch 14, flat-footed 13 (+4 Dex +3 armor)
hp 12 (1d10+2)
Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +0

Offense:

Speed 30 ft.
Melee Whip +3 (1d3+3/x2)

Statistics:

Str 12, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 10
Base Atk +1; CMB +2; CMD 16
Feats Combat Reflexes (5 AoO/round), Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Whip), Weapon Focus (Whip),
Dervish Dance(lvl3), Whip Mastery (lvl2),Weapon Specialization (Whip)(lvl4)
Traits Reactionary, Seeking Adventure

Skills Acrobatics +5, Climb +5, Knowledge (arcana) +5, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +5, Knowledge (local) +5, Knowledge (planes) +5, Knowledge (religion) +5, Linguistics +5, Perception +1, Perform (dance) +1, Survival +4

Languages Common, Kelish, Osiriani, Vudrani
Combat Gear Whip, studded leather armor;


Special Abilities:

Combat Reflexes (5 AoO/round) You may make up to 5 attacks of opportunity per round, and may make them while flat-footed.

Background:
Yorick lived in a small town in Qadira. He used to be a normal kid, even if a lot of the other kids made fun of his strange name, but his parents took care of the small library and being fond of ancient history, they decided to name him after one of their favorite book.

One day a group of pathfinders went by, and stopped by his town. Everyone was talking about these strangers and were wondering what they were seeking here, in this small town, spending most of there time in Yorick's parent's Library. Yorick like everyone else became quite interested in all of this and had the chance to spend some time with these adventurers. Day after day he listened to their stories and tried to help them search for the information they were seeking.

A few day after their arrivals, a group of local thieves came into town and began to wreck havok. Yorick took his courage in two hands and tried to stop them, even if he was only 8. His life was hopefully saved by the Pathfinders. In only a few seconds, their leader, Eron, disarmed every single one of the thieves with his whip.

Most people only saw madness when Yorick tried his best to protect the town. But Eron did not agree. He saw in Yorick honor and bravery, and spent the time he had left in the town to teach him how to fight. When he left, he told Yorick to keep training himself, and studying books, and that maybe someday he could become a pathfinder. As a gift, he gave Yorick one of his old whip, and an old compass.

From that day, Yorick spent most of his time training in order to become a pathfinder, and a few month ago succeeded. Now it is time for him to prove himself as his first mission was given to him, and wielding his old teacher's whip, he is ready to live as a Pathfinder.

Sorry about the backstory, I forgot the original one at work and had to write a short version to make sure to submit my character in time. He's a whip fighter who'll use his reach to protect other characters, and will use a few combat maneuver to turn the tide of the battle. He'll have quite a lot of AoO, and 10ft reach at 5th level. I know he'll not be the best damage dealer, but he's going to be pretty decent at it, and be a great controller!


well that was odd, i forgot to put my gear in, but now i have it, and just for the fun of it, i will be caring around an anvil and a barrel together 70 lbs. ah i love high strength dwarfs. but in all reality, they both have meaning, anvil for smithing, barrel to carry things, even if it is just water. and yes i would fill it full of water till i am amost past my heavy load.

@dm stormwind. anything else i should put down for Losk?


background:
Name: Eileenah Badara

Description: Eileenah is a slim, copper skinned, young human woman who appears to be somewhere in her mid-twenties. Slender and agile, yet pleasantly curved, she moves with the supple grace of one of the famed dancers of Katapesh. She is usually attired in swirling skirts of rich colors with loose tunic and sash or in a simple, flowing caftan. When out on the streets, her head is covered in a scarf and she wears no jewelry. Her oval face is framed by long jet hair which is well kept. Her dark eyes are slightly tilted and almond shaped as she gazes out from beneath long, black lashes.

Background: Eileenah was born to Talaam Al’Badara and his wife Fadilah. She grew up in one of the many nameless tiny communities that dot the harsh lands of southern Katapesh. When she was very young (she herself could not say for certain how old she was), her ‘village’ was hit by one of the roaming tribes of nomads that wander the desert. The raiders burned, looted, and pillaged their way through the tiny outpost, taking what they thought valuable and disappearing as suddenly as they had come in the desert night. Eileenah found herself torn from her bed and dragged along with her parents to join a handful of others in chains. Over the next few miserable weeks, the hapless captives found themselves sold off one by one to various merchants and dignitaries. Eileenah was separated from her parents as each of the small family was sold, their fates unknown to each other.

Since that fateful day, Eileenah has found herself traded, sold, or bartered off to a number of masters, some cruel, some more or less benevolent; a hunter where she learned skill at As the girl grew older and blossomed to maturity, her natural beauty and grace attracted the attention of the owner of the Azure Star, a famous entertainment house in the capitol. She was purchased yet again, and soon found herself serving customers while being trained during the slower hours in the finer points of dance – an art at which she seemed to have a natural talent. Within a few years she had progressed to the point where she was accompanying some of the more senior dancers in the more intricate, exotic – and oft dangerous - sword dance.

Unfortunately, a bad bet on a recent ruk match led to more upheaval as Eileenah exchanged hands once more, this time to a business competitor of the Star, Hadir ibn Fuquar. This was not to be long-lived however, as authorities soon after discovered an accounting ‘anomaly’ in Fuquar’s books. Apparently the fellow had been cleverly dodging taxes for a number of years. One can only tempt fate for so long however. His property confiscated, Fuquar was hauled off to prison and Eileenah found herself now city property. It was then that the oddest opportunity presented itself in the form of one Garavel. The seasoned warrior presented what seems to the girl an odd offer: join Garavel’s band of mercenaries and aid in the retaking of Kelmarane and he would set her free. Eileenah cannot for the life of her imagine how a dancing slave girl could help in such an undertaking, or what Garavel might see in her. She knows only that for the first time in many, many years hope flickers within her, however faintly, and her gaze burns with determination and a desire for freedom as she joins the others gathering…..

concept:
Well I haven't had time today to put something 'good' together,so I thought I'd throw in a character idea from earlier that I never used. This background was written awhile ago with the idea of the character being a bard. I wouldn't be wedded to that class however, and could turn her into a ranger easily enough. From the looks of it there may be fewer archers in the lineup and I could build her in that direction with maybe a tweak or two in backstory.

Given my limited time to do the build (I won't be able to do mechanics until tomorrow) ,the haphazardness of this submission, and the plethora of already great characters to choose from, I won't be surprised if you decide to go with the 'known', built, and ready characters, and if so that's fine! :) I don't envy your decision. lol Best of luck!


DM Stormwind wrote:
Tarin Larvendi - Good backstory, I like it a lot. Could have gone a few different ways to tie into a campaign feat, with adventure seeking, campaigning for freedom, if he'd been taken slave himself, or seeking a lost relative (his father). All in all, it's very interesting. His build is good, going for an interesting niche. Elven curve blade for the crit range I guess, as it won't be finessed in his case. Keep in mind that Combat Expertise does not lead to the Improved Feats anymore, and stands alone. Cool if that is what you are going for, but no longer a prerequisite.

Oops, that was supposed to be Combat Reflexes, looking to make use of outflanking in the future. Tarin doesn't even qualify for Combat Expertise... I must have been looking over your OP when I was typing, and got Expertise in my head :) Fixed.


A precision to avoid a possible misunderstanding: Cahal would take at most 4 levels of alchemist.


No decision tonight? That's ok, I'm totally not on the edge of my seat :D


Ok. As I mentioned before, this group of entries has impressed with with a large number of really interesting characters, which has made the job of narrowing it down extremely difficult. I can understand why many GM's in the same situation try to divide the groups and run two concurrent sessions; because they cannot bear to see good characters go to waste. Unfortunately, I don't have enough spare time at the moment to facilitate that. In the end, I made decisions based on character build, background story, integration into the Adventure Path, and posting history and reliability. That still brought me down to more than ten characters I wanted, so at that point the choices had to become a bit arbitrary. My apologies if your character was not selected, as in many cases the decision could have gone either way between two characters.

In the end, these were my choices:

Bakodek with: Xanyon – Half Orc Gunslinger
EntropyRules with: Gin Dharak – Undine Monk of the Empty Hand
Javelle DeLeon with: Zerekias Tholtan – Half Elf Barbarian
littlehewy Terin Larvendi – Half Elf Inquisitor
Luke_Parry with: Sief Al-Din ibn Subhi – Suli Oracle
Westernwolf777 with: Muqaq al-Varisi – Ifrit Sorcerer

Those selected can head over to the discussion forum. To everyone else, thanks a lot for your interest and the submissions, they were a great read. Hopefully they will get a chance to play in another game. If anyone wants any additional feedback on their submissions, feel free to ask.


ya i saw how there was only two full divine, and i saw how long sief's fluff was, and thought hmm i think he gets the slot. but still now i have a fun char made next time there is a legacy of fire game. have fun everyone.

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