No, I'm just finishing up. Just let me know if I've got it right.
And you've got 20 total ranks so you must be putting your favored class bonus there.
It should only be 19, level 1 class went to HP, 2nd level went to skill point.
I have reorganized the Skill list in the profile for a better view.
Improv equipment and panther style are interesting choices. I'll try to give you opportunity to use them.
I'm a big fan of the sansetsukon in films. I've never gotten to use one in game. Nice choice. I also dig the fighting fan.
I have now also included the breakdown of all skills as vanilla Rogue goes. Should I add the extra skill ranks based on your bonus now, or would you prefer I leave as is?
And as far as the twist, I was assuming Just Twist. Twist Reversal was more of a concept question. It could have been something to choose if it made more sense for the story. Still a possibility if you think you could use it.
Roster:
Dabbler : Lydia Wolfheart, scout, shifter feral hunter. OK NEW! and Improved with more Wisdom! (I missed it too.)
NM : Uthar Hammerhand, armor smith, human armored hulk, OK
Treppa : Aljohar Sines, ex-army medic, human cleric of Dol Dorn OK
Mahorfeus: Syrus Regol, human sorcerer. OK
Pinvendor: Vex/Thenji rogue-like changeling OK
Leo : Jamorin Tigersoul , Runner, Unchained Monk OK
Meowselworth: Linokashtai, Kalashtar, clairsentient psion. sheet not yet complete
DSX : Karl Roujon, vintner with 'civilian guilt' , bard sheet not yet complete
****
Haltwhistle is a small place, not even 7000 souls. Please work out your relationships to each other and the town in general. Suggested categories: unknown, facial recognition, nodding acquaintance, casual friend, good friend, business associate (tenant/landlord?).
By background Karl and Thenji are land holders. Others may have their own place.
I think most old timey military units were assembled from local forces, so wouldn't anybody from Halfwhistle who was in the war when it ended probably have come home together? So those who served would doubtless know each other. I'm sure Aljohar knows Uthar; smiths tend to know a lot of people. She surely knows Jamorin and possibly Thenji.
Wow nice
There should be all done now.
Not sure if Improvisational Equipment will actually be useful at all, but it just seemed to fit Jam very well.
Looking forward to Sansetsukon too I've never used it before, it was actually my second choice after I realized that Meteor hammer isn't a monk weapon. And the fighting fan I kind of wanted something that wasn't so obviously a weapon.
The sheet is linked to my profile (click on the name in the profile). I also was unsure what bonus languages a Kalashtar would get for high Int. I put the ones in from the resource I linked earlier, but I can change them if need be.
Oh yeah! We got the green light for 1st level max HP and roll level 2! I never did that.
Sheet adjusted.
Ah I should probably roll Level 2 hp here instead of at home, for clarity!
And I get max! Nice!
Uthar with new HP Count and added non-power attacking bonuses.
D20pfsrd is a volunteer run site. I'd imagine they aren't using Ultimate Psionics for the same reason that I'm not. They don't want to shell out the extra money. I'm sure someone will eventually.
I use http://www.pathfindersrd.com/ which is fully up-to-date.
Lydia passes through Halfwhistle whenever she has goods to sell or trade, she doesn't live there but makes her home in one of the smaller outlying settlements (7000 is a good-sized town by Breland standards) when she settles anywhere at all. Instead she has a series of semi-permanent bivouacs or camp-sites dotted around where she makes her home and lives off the land. She doesn't have much time for social graces and the like, but tends to avoid long discussions. The sole exceptions to this are those she regards as "friends" (perhaps a better term would be "pack"): largely fellow veterans and warriors.
Relations with other PCs (provisional, if anyone feels they wouldn't know Lydia or that my assessment of the relationship is incorrect, let me know!):
Uthar Hammerhand - while Uthar was not officially a warrior, Lydia is well aware of the smith's capacity for destruction. She regards him rather the way a human might look on an affable bear.
Aljohar Sines - Lydia has great respect for the medic who patched her up on more than one occasion, and (rightly) considers that she owes Aljohar her life. She is also one of the few people who Lydia will always listen to when they speak. When in Halfwhistle she always ensures she stops by to see the priestess.
Jamorin Tigersoul - Lydia regards the less combat-experienced Jamorin as a "little brother" - she has respect for his speed and agility, he's almost a shifter in her eyes in that regard.
Linokashtai - while Lydia has heard of the psion, she hasn't crossed paths with her.
It is unlikely she would know Cyrus or Thenji. Whether or not she knows Karl depends on his background.
I think most old timey military units were assembled from local forces, so wouldn't anybody from Halfwhistle who was in the war when it ended probably have come home together? So those who served would doubtless know each other. ....
This is the idea I had, forces assembled locally and commanded by locals form a large part of the army. But the war was so extensive that there were also large numbers of soldiers drafted from the country at large. PC backgrounds can reflect either way.
D20pfsrd is a volunteer run site. I'd imagine they aren't using Ultimate Psionics for the same reason that I'm not. They don't want to shell out the extra money. I'm sure someone will eventually.I use http://www.pathfindersrd.com/ which is fully up-to-date.
My preference is http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/ even though the search function is poor. It's no help for psionics though.
... 7000 is a good-sized town by Breland standards) when she settles anywhere at all.
That will teach me to speak off the cuff. 7000 is too big. Make it 2000 for Haltwhistle.
While we are at it let me introduce you to the most hated man in Haltwhistle, Pensive Starfinder. Even a brave decorated war hero can alienate people if he is unpleasant enough. Pensive is not a nice man. He is verbally abusive, a harsh instructor, a hard bargainer, and lawful to a fault. He has no local connections, indeed no known family. Somehow he was attached to Winehorn's forces during the war.
Another reason for his unpopularity is his job. As the local Militia Sergeant, he is responsible for maintaining the reserve force. (Anyone who has mustered out of the army is still subject to 5 years of recall to active duty.) In this roll he keeps track of local veterans, . Furthermore he organizes the Junior Reserve, a conscripted force of teenagers who suffer quarterly training weeks and occasional light duty with Wineford's forces. It also provides a vent for his considerable verbal ire.
He owns the best sword in town. As part of the Junior Reserve indoctrination he tells recruits the story of how he was personally presented with the sword by Wineford in honor of taking Bresdorf Hill.
With three months to go in his rotation, he has made it plain he'll be much happier back at Wineford's castle.
The reserves are unpopular because most people would rather forget the war. Militia sergeants in other towns are far more relaxed about their duties. Starfinder can't seem to let the war go, however.
His one redeeming feature is his solicitous concern for wounded, especially disabled, veterans. He does not count himself among this number despite the fact that he can barely raise a shield to shoulder level as a result of war injuries. Perhaps with good cause, because few in the village would beat him in a straight up fight.
Winehorn also holds Lydia in high regard as a scout. Despite his age, he tended to lead from the front and preferred to hear his scouts' reports in person.
On a personal level she probably doesn't dislike the man (she has no time for social niceties herself) so much as what he represents, and she's wise enough to separate the two feelings.
Aljohar grew up in a military family, so always aspired to serve as a soldier. When her calling became apparent, she was delighted to follow Dol Dorn. Her family was probably middle/lower-middle class, so she'd know probably know any kids her age that weren't from remote manors or farmsteads. She's definitely a townie. She might have gotten in some scrapes as a kid, but that was knocked out of her by stern family disciplinarians lecturing about honor, etc. She pictured herself striding across the battlefield, sword in one hand, holy symbol in the other, smiting the enemy and raising the friendly dead. Unfortunately, the war ended while she was still in the CPE 1d6 stage, so she feels she contributed very little to the war effort.
I doubt Pensive Starfinder bothers her much. He's paid the price of battle and has the right to be demanding. Besides, if he's careful of the wounded, Aljohar has his back.
Proposed Relationships (draft):
Dabbler :
NM :
Mahorfeus:
Pinvendor:
Leo :
Meowselworth:
DSX :
Clarification on Reserve service for veterans. Every veteran returning from the war is subject to reserve service. But unless you are called back to active duty, there are no obligations other than to register, maintain arms and a mount, and suffer Pensive's occasional 'inspection'.
Bradford does occasionally call people back into service for short stints. In recent months a few folk have been called up for patrols to the east.
Only the youngsters are subject to the quarterly training.
Pensive is quite energetic in his duties and not all compassionate if someone is not properly prepared or called back and doesn't want to go. Part of the reason that he is so unpopular is that he won't let people put the war behind them and move on. He is constantly reminding them of the war in myriad ways.
DOn't worry too much about him. Just let me know what you think and would do with respect to him.
The following are points of time in which people could possibly have encountered or known Thenji. Feel free to review those points which you think would be likely and let me know if you think there are places we would have common ground.
When not with the more dangerous and cruel children, Thenji displayed a gentle if sometimes mocking attitude. An inquisitive mind often at odds with the prankster image lead to a clever boy often assumed to be too foolish to know better. A predisposition towards his bloodline as a hick Cross generally caused most adults to assume he was probably not bright enough or was too indoctrinated to be worth their time, Thenji received little mentoring from his elders and more from his peers. While his relationships may have become estranged from those them as they aged and developed stronger feelings of right and wrong, Thenji would certainly have been known, and it would be unlikely that his personality wouldn't have engendered a strong feeling of one kind or another. Very few people would have been indifferent to him...except say those whose concerns were never of the material, say someone more bookish or concerned with their own spiritual. (example: theoretical scholar or a monk)
It would be fairly well known, the Cross Clan's elders especially the patriarch are notorious for keeping their blood in line with fear and abuse, that's just the way they always have been. Thenji seems to always be in good spirits...when he's not around any of the older Crosses. Around the family, he would be sullen, quiet, and keep his eyes lowered as showing disrespect or sass was a sure fire way to get your ears boxed.
Also, if anyone ran the underworld and gang currents, your character could have met Thenji and even Vex prior to the war.
The choice would be to either have come across Thenji with Vex as he dies and Vex chooses to assume his form, or to come upon Vex as Thenji burying "Vex."
Collaboration: I haven't finished reading everyone's back stories yet, but I will, so I can make suggestions of possible crossover points where Thenji and/or Vex would be at this point in their lives.
Let me introduce you to three of the more popular people in town:
Culpepper, a retired veteran pensioner, owns a small plot & cottage on the northwest edge of town. He is a grand story teller who enhances his tales with the simplest sort of illusions. He is also an unfortunately poor singer.
Sally Turner is the local dairy farmer. Her late husband was barely old enough for military service and was one of the unfortunate few conscripted away to serve in the regular army. He died within two weeks of reaching the front. She has two young daughters. She is friendly and knows all the gossip in town. Most people genuinely like her although that liking is usually tinged with pity.
Jerrik Butterfield runs the local store. Most of his stock consists of goods imported from 'away'. He also acts as a broker for surplus crops from the local farms going for sale in the cities of Breland. Like Karl Roujon, Butterfield did not actively serve in the army, but was an important part of the logistical chain. Any human veteran who passes the time of day for a quarter hour or so before getting down to business with Jerrick receives a small discount.
And would anyone like a little 14 year old sister, niece, or cousin named Amanda?
Predictably enough, although Pensive understands Winehorn's reasoning behind your exemption for duty, and follows the noble's orders exactly, he doesn't even try to hide his contempt and dislike for you. Not even Winehorn's considerable good will toward you and your family diminishes Pensive's feelings.
I can break down the spend per item:
Pathfinder kit at 8GP (I assume a version of this kit exists even in a world where the Pathfinder Society does not)
Saddlebags at 4 GP
Light Crossbow at 35 GP
20 bolts at 2 GP
Ink at 8 GP
Inkpen at 0.1 GP
Journal at 10GP
Crosswords x10 at 1sp each (they vary between 1cp and 1sp)
Board game (strategy) 10 GP (varies between 1sp to 10gp)
Holy water at 25GP
Alchemist's fire at 20GP
(plus 1sp for the inkpen leaves 6.9gp from a Psion's max wealth of 180gp)
Sorry for the amount of time it took me, I'll work on social standing with each player and mentioned NPC next.
Sheet complete.
Amanda would be an interesting problem for Vex. Especially as a sister versus a cousin or niece. I would anticipate Amanda would have a good reason for sticking around the Cross family lands, or maybe she was sent to live with one of the Crosses who married into a townie family upon the mother's death? I would presume she cannot be anything more than a half-sister if we go the sibling route since Thenji's father departed probably before he was born.
The question of course is if you as the GM would want to have to deal with what would be a very non-standard relationship whether sister, niece, or cousin. As such, if anyone else thinks Amanda would be better as their relation, I'm willing to concede the race. :-)
Aljohar certainly has family in Haltwhistle, but I can't think of any particularly interesting twists to having a little sister, cousin, etc.
Thinking about extended family, Lydia's is no longer around. Either they struck out for the Eldeen Reaches at some point (shifters are more welcome there) or more likely were killed in the skirmishing, possibly with Thrane (Thrane troops could get "over enthusiastic" when conquering territory and their persecution of shifters - while no longer official policy - is well known). If she had a sister she would keep her very close and be very protective of her.
It is likely that Lydia would have known Thenji in childhood, but probably didn't have that much to do with him then. Thenji and Vex, as scouts/spies, would probably have worked with Lydia on a number of occasions, or at least been known to her. While she spied out enemy movements and intercepted their scouts and spies, it would be the jobs of Thenji and Vex to infiltrate the enemy camp she guided them to and from.
Possibility: Thenji and Vex could have been embroiled in the same three-way fight that saw Lydia badly injured and lost for several weeks in the Greenblade. She would have been gratified that one of them survived and grieved that one didn't.
Twist: When channelling the wolf, Lydia can identify scents like a bloodhound. As such she is very well aware that it was Thenji, not Vex, who died in the Greenblade. Lydia hasn't said anything about it (not even to Vex), because she simply doesn't consider it any of her business. Vex, like her, was an outsider and a victim of prejudice. If he wants to escape that persecution in Thenji's guise, that's fine by her.
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Don't think of Amanda as a little sister. Think of her as a piece of railroad track.
I was thinking more very big, barbed, pointy hook....
Edit: Actually, having a sister would give Lydia a very solid reason to stay near Halfwhistle. This could work.
Linokashtai could have a sibling if it would fit your intentions for story building, but that would give her a much more vibrant social life than I actually expected from this character. Probably a better hook for someone else's background.
Unfortunately Jam couldn't really have any family around Haltwhistle.
Potential relationships. If anyone objects, or has other suggestions I'm certainly open to them.
Dabbler:
You mentioned Lydia thinks of Jam little brother, but looking at her profile I see she's only 21 which would make her the younger of the two, not that that means she can't think of him that way just wasn't sure if you realized he's 23.
Treppa:
NM:
Mahorfeus
Pin:
Meows:
DSX:
Linokashtai relationships (draft):
As a strategist and advisor (likely for about 8 years if she came to Haltwhistle from Sharn at the age of 17), Linokashtai usually thought of operations as an intellectual exercise. If she was needed on the battlefield, she would not hesitate to help, but would remind them that she's a resource better spent elsewhere. This allowed her to form some distance and detachment from most of the combat, so she is uncomfortable around someone who reminds her of all the blood spilled and people her own advice and direction might have killed.
I'll work on making these more detailed, I'm willing to discuss with anyone potential ways to fit backgrounds together. Also, if I've misunderstood anything, let me know.
A little tied up with work and a long weekend coming up. Probably Monday night before I post again.
Dabbler:
You mentioned Lydia thinks of Jam little brother, but looking at her profile I see she's only 21 which would make her the younger of the two, not that that means she can't think of him that way just wasn't sure if you realized he's 23.
Quite aware - Lydia's not particularly picky on such matters.
Lydia's grandfather was something of a local hero (as much as a shifter could be) following his own service in the long war. Her parents also did their stint of military service, her mother mustering out when she opted to bear children, her father retiring only when invalided out.
A few years ago, while Lydia was away fighting near the Cyre border, Thrane launched a deep raid into Brelish territory around the Blackcaps, seeking to draw off that nations forces from their usual confrontation around the Brey River. The largely cavalry force made for Halfwhistle, destroying and pillaging surrounding villages and hamlets on the way. Lydia's home village, Whistleroot (which had a relatively large shifter population), was in the path of the raiders just a few miles shy of the town, and her father organised a defence to ambush the invaders and keep them occupied while the village's young, old, and infirm fled to safety in Halfwhistle. Her grandfather and sister were among those forced to flee, her father and mother led the ambush. The action was more successful than they dared hope; fighting for their homes and led by veterans the villagers un-horsed many of the Thranish knights and pinned them down in savage hand-to-hand fighting. But although they badly mauled the raiders, they were quickly surrounded and massacred and Whistleroot was burned - the knights neither demanded nor gave any quarter, and those that attempted to surrender were killed on the spot. It probably didn't help that most of the villagers fighting were shifters.
After the slaughter the Thranish leader realised he had too few men to attack Halfwhistle, a well-defended town, and that he had just handed any further defenders a powerful incentive to fight. However with many of their horses slain by the traps laid by the defenders their retreat would be a slow one. They opted to retreat, only to be hunted down by local militia forces. Thrane later declared the raid to be a "bandit" event and alternately blamed the leader for the massacre to Brelish envoys, while at home claiming him a martyr killed by lycanthropes.
Lydia's grandsire, Illthorn, has blamed himself for the loss of his daughter and her husband despite the fact that he was too infirm to fight himself. He raised Lydia's sister in Halfwhistle until she returned from the war, then handed the responsibility to her and took himself off into the wilds alone.
Culpepper - was a friend of her grandfather Illthorn, who features in some of his stories. Lydia likes him but doesn't get too close as she doesn't want to be reminded of her family's tragedy. Amanda is always spending time with the old man, however, learning about family and events that she never knew.
Sally Turner - Lydia has relied on Sally to help raise Amanda, as she often has to go hunting and foraging for game or materials for her bow-making and fletching. In return she has helped Sally with tasks around the farm.
Jerrik Butterfield - Lydia sells her wares through Jerrik; hides to local tanners, arrows and bows to hunters or the militia, etc. She gets on well with him, but doesn't stay long.
I think my sheet is just about done, I wasn't sure if Winemaker was a profession or craft.
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Back. And Awesome; DSX has Karl in.
I've got to check DSX and Meow's sheets. Depending on what surprises work holds, we can maybe start Wed night, GMT-5, or Thursday
I am really looking forward to this.
Didn't get out of work til 9 last night. But I should go home on time tonight and my wife has rehearsal. So I should be able to get through those last two sheets.
Dabbler, DSX, feel free to change your sibs names to better suit. Just let me know.
DSX, go with Profession. You're really so much more than the guy who fills and bungs bottles.
Everyone's feeling ready? Any loose threads?
Do you want family descriptions for all of us who still have family in town?
Amanda is fine as a younger sister, the name can stay.
I think that for a time, it would have been easy enough for Syrus to pass himself off as being a sickly individual - technically true, perhaps. Later on and in more recent times however, I imagine that it would be much harder for him to conceal the true nature of his "condition." That being said, he takes special care to act meek and useless when he's around Pensive.
In that respect, I think I will switch his Intimidate skill to Bluff, if that's all right. Either way I'm all ready to go.
DSX, your hit point count looks low. Please double check. Otherwise all looks good.
Dabbler, Amanda it is.
Mahorfeus, bluff is ok.
Meows, I'm still working on Lino. My apologies. I'm not as familiar with Psion as with bard.
I also got tagged as part of the entertainment committee for a colleague visiting from out of town. GOt a nice meal, but lost free time tonight. I am determined to finish Lino's review and will catch some sleep.
I may be looking at a new (used) car tomorrow. Dancing Friday if Chris and I are up to it and I'll be visiting friends this weekend.
Let's plan on my first game post on Monday.
Meows, Lino looks OK. Although I am tired. At 10 gp, that's a very nice board game. I'd say you could spend as little as 1 gp for something like a chess set. And there's plenty of games for which paper or hide and some colored stones would suffice at even less. (I'm specifically thinking of Penta, a game I could never quite get the hang of, and so occupies a place of respect in my mind.) Cross words -- 1 sp each seems like plenty, mostly because they would need to be schlepped to Haltwhistle. We can use your estimation. I do like the personalized touches.
Whoops, I knew there was something that was a place holder.
Great, I'll reduce the value of the game down to 5gp. I think it would be quite nice, but not something that people would see as an excessive luxury. I figured it would be, if possible, some kind of souvenir from Sharn with carved wooden or stone pieces that has more sentimental value than strictly practical.
Hmmm. The gameplay thread announcement is gone.
Anyway the thread is open.
Please place yourselves in town or on the road thereto.
Sorry about missing yesterday. I had a few personal issues come up.
Brilliant first posts from you guys by the way.
Pinvendor and Mahorfeus have yet to post in game thread, but there's plenty of groundwork to lay, so no worries yet.
Roster:
Dabbler : Lydia Wolfheart, scout, shifter feral hunter. OK
NM : Uthar Hammerhand, armor smith, human armored hulk, OK
Treppa : Aljohar Sines, ex-army medic, human cleric of Dol Dorn OK
Leo : Jamorin Tigersoul , Runner, Unchained Monk OK
Meowselworth: Linokashtai, Kalashtar, clairsentient psion. OK
DSX : Karl Roujon, vintner with 'civilian guilt' , bard OK
Mahorfeus: Syrus Regol, human sorcerer. OK
Pinvendor: Vex/Thenji rogue-like changeling OK
Sorry for the delay! I will try and catch up on the all the posts and get something up by tonight at the latest.
'Tis looking good!
No worries, PV.