Welcome, everyone. Please use this thread for lengthy character discussions and general conversation inappropriate for the Gameplay Thread. If you haven't yet, create an alias for your character and post here to let me know your stats are complete so that I can look them over for any inconsistencies.
I also ask that you fill out the Gender, Race, and Class/Levels fields of your alias profile. Provided enough of the group post to express their readiness, the game may formally get started as soon as tomorrow.
((at the Formidably Maid))
"Let me be the first to buy all of you a drink," said the little man. Once again, he had slipped through his family's fingers, though this time, he had no intention of getting on board any ships. This time, he was staying in Port Peril and building ships. Let the sailing of them be the task of those with a taste for sea water, Lucky had learned his lesson. He'd been on six ships in his life, and all six had sunk within a week of him coming aboard. Maybe seven was his lucky number, but he'd always believed in making his own luck. By staying on dry land, for example. He raised another pint to the pirates in the room, telling his tale to whoever cared to listen and buying round after round with the purse he had lifted from that pompous twit of a merchant at the last tavern.
He had left his father and uncles and brothers there. They were big men, strong and straightforward. They liked to brawl when they drank, and Lucky, well, he didn't have the Wilkins' bulk or bluster. He got out before he was forced to get someone's back in some pointless fight. It was another way of making his own luck, he thought.
If only the room wasn't spinning quite so treacherously....
Mawimbi drinks little but eats meat with gusto. He dines alone, none of the more flashy patrons approach the tall jungle walker, with his eerie white tattoos. He leaves his meal briefly to check on his companion who remained outside; the orangutan had nestled himself comfortably in the eaves of the inn.
As a prank, some young pirates poured two spoonfuls of salt into his cup of water in order to test the notion that the druid drinks from the sea as most land lubbers would from a well. Upon returning, Mawimbi drains his drink and asks for another, much to the shock of the guffawing observers.
Hi all! I'm looking forward to plundering it up with you.
Hi Mawimbi,
It should be fun.
@ GM, I changed craft: carpentry to craft: ships because it actually fits better with his story and his goals. It also threatens to be potentially more useful in the game, but I don't think it'll exactly be a game breaker.
I'm looking forward to this as well. There's a lot happening in the Shackles, and you're all about to find yourselves in the middle of it. :D
@ GM, I changed craft: carpentry to craft: ships because it actually fits better with his story and his goals. It also threatens to be potentially more useful in the game, but I don't think it'll exactly be a game breaker.
That's fine.
Strom sits by himself at the bar, trying to look menacing. He'd just left his first ship, it was either that or wake up to the kiss of steel across his throat some morning. He stretches, the large muscles across his back pulling tight against the angry red scars recently earned. It had been a harsh, miserable experience, but he'd survived. And he'd found the ocean, that dark mistress, and for all he wished a painful death upon the captain and crew who'd drug him aboard like so much tuna, he did recognize that without them he'd never had found his first true love.
He shakes his head to clear the memories, gulping more grog to push the all-too-recent memories down. The huge man tries again to identify someone he could steal a boat from, if he was ever going to be a raider he had to have a boat. Surely some of this rabble he could frighten into sailing with him. He grinned drunkenly at the thought, 'Captain Burlog' feared above all pirates to sail the Shackles.
His eyes got heavier as he drank away his share of the whaler vessels take, and though he'd been warned of drinking to excess in Port Peril, his daydreams became more and more grand with each mug. Why stop when it felt so good to keep drinking?
Very excited as well! This should be quite the adventure. Any thoughts on how long the barbarian's going to survive? ;)
Depends; what's the DC to survive a keelhauling? ; )
Transmuter, barbarian, druid, rogue ... this is going to be good.
I think a barbarian should have a pretty good shot at surviving the keel. I'm just worried the barnacles on your skin might rip up the ship's hull too badly, and then I'll have to ... you know ... work.
While I'm down there I'll try to look for sunken treasure, or a mermaid perhaps, as motivation for the work that'll need to be done.
That depends on whether or not the druid gets a chance to touch you prior to the plunge (and whether air bubble was prayed for that morning).
Alias all updated. Good to go here.
Whoops I never expressed my profiles readiness. Readiness!
Mawimbi, maybe we'll both get keelhauled and we can share an air bubble? That wouldn't be awkward right?
So I figure I might as well introduce myself. My name is Mike, I'm from Melbourne in Australia, am married with two small children (age 3 and 1) and I work as an Operations Manager for a consulting company.
I am most active on these boards between 5:30 and 8:30am weekdays my time--that's from 3:30pm Pacific/6:30pm Eastern, at the moment (as far as I know!). I don't tend to post much (if at all) on weekends as two kids are enough for me to handle! The time difference usually means I make posts on US Sunday (my Monday) but miss out on US Friday (my Saturday).
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On the topic of actually discussing this game, though, there are a couple of things I thought I should bring up.
First is my character's name: Šeherzada is pronounced with a 'sh' sound at the beginning, and if you can't be bothered finding the Š symbol every time you want to write her name, 'Sheherzada' will do just fine. Bonus points to anyone who picks up on the inspiration for some of her history. ; )
Second is Šeherzada's alignment: I notice you're all Neutral or Chaotic Neutral. Šeherzada is Chaotic Good. Her particular flavour of Chaotic Good is strongly influenced by her mother's faith in Calistria though, so if someone has wronged her (or later, us) she will be more than happy to exact bloody vengeance upon them.
However, if faced with the opportunity to take slaves, she'd be strongly against it.
If faced with the opportunity to attack and plunder a ship, she'd be okay with it so long as the bloodshed was kept to a minimum and civilian casualties were preferably avoided altogether.
She's fine with being a pirate...she's just most likely to wind up more of a Will Turner kind of pirate than a Jack Sparrow kind of pirate, if you get my meaning.
If that is a problem for any of you (including the GM!) please let me know and I will have a go at amending her backstory to give her a Neutral alignment.
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I look forward to waking up in the ship's hold with all of you. ; )
Hey, has anyone seen or heard from Cecic?
Paging the party cleric...would the party cleric please report to the Formidably Maid for immediate press-ganging...
Cecic was attending PaizoConUk this weekend. There was a post in another thread to the effect, and I imagine he is still recovering. Hopefully he is not suffering from the dreaded Con Crud. We will proceed slowly to start with until he responds.
I've no issue with your take on piracy, Šeherzada. Pirates can be heroes from time to time, though they should also be prepared to be villains; attacking merchant or even transport vessels, stealing from individuals from all walks of life, and generally being a plague to any and all legitimate business on and around the seas is expected. That said, you do not have to be evil to accomplish these tasks. In fact, evil in the AP tends to be incredibly dark, and in my opinion is unsuitable for player characters. This is the primary reason I decided to exclude evil alignments. Nor are you required to engage in the slave trade, though it is an option presented by the AP.
Does anyone have differing opinions?
EDIT I have also gone over the character sheets. Only a few things really stood out: First is an extra Trait taken by Mawimbi: I apologize, I worded that part of my recruitment post poorly. You get two Traits in total, and one of the two must be a Campaign Trait.
Second, Strom: Have you selected your rage powers yet? I'm not seeing them.
Third, Šeherzada: Do you have a familiar at this point?
Finally, the Gameplay Thread.
I was thinking I'd just wait to take a rage power till Strom was presented with a situation to use one... seemed to make the most sense. ;). I believe I don't have access to rage powers till level 2, can you confirm that? I'll gladly choose one now if I'm able!
:P
You are correct, sir. It's been too long since I last played a barbarian. He ended up getting gutted by an owlbear early in a campaign. Downed the thing on his own. At level 2, no less. But died from his injuries shortly thereafter.
Pity he didn't have a kind druid nearby.
This is true; I ended up rolling a druid after. :D
Aha! Originally I had only 2, then reread it (too quickly) and added the 3rd. It's an easy fix.
Just checking in after PaizoCon UK .. absolutely cream crackered will catch up with you all tomorrow.
@Cecic: That sounded like a fun snack, and then I looked it up. Get some rest, man. Or bloke/blokess? Or guv'na? I'm not sure which expression is most appropriate here.
Dude? bro? Home-skillet?
Easy-Bake Oven.
Well, bloke is a term that applies to me, and dude an honorary title.
I'll get to reading what I've missed tonight when I get back from work.
I've added Cecic's details to his page for DM AGent to check over if you want.
You get two Traits in total, and one of the two must be a Campaign Trait. I worded that part of the recruitment post poorly.
If Cecic's name offends I'll change it to another, or willing to consider other suggestions, I have another 4 or 5 posts before it becomes permanent.
I prefer 'Cecic who's parents were never married' but that's just me.
I would advise changing it, Cecic. I don't mind myself; there's precedent for the term's more colorful usage within the setting, after all. That said, a case could be made that it violates the Message Board Rules. I usually find it best to steer clear of questionable actions like this whenever possible.
OK, no problem, I'll try and think of an alternative, being as he's the son of a woman of ill repute.
Thanks to Roget's Thesaurus, I found a more acceptable name that I like too.
I like it. (course I liked the last one, but this is more apropos at least)
Hooray for the thesaurus.
Lucky little baseborn, getting to paizocon uk. Get in some good games?
GM Character stuff
I realise that the age I gave previously of 13, maybe deemed fairly childlike now, but would actually he'd be sent out to work in Port Peril then. So if you don't mind me retconing to look like a 7 year old, its much better.
Social stuff
Yep PaizoConUk was an absolute blast we had some great moments. I played 2 characters over the game sessions an orc rogue and human paladin. Both now 2nd level characters, yea!!
The convention started with a Friday night get together in an Indian Balti House, where I sat next to Mike Brock the PFS coordinator. Unfortunately didn't really get to chat with him as much as I would have liked as he and some others were having heavy Pathfinder rules/builds discussions. Sorry but life as too short. Anyway was a good night and with lots of silliness and gazoo playing...
Then first game Saturday morning, I'd slipped through the cracks and hadn't been set to a gametable. Never mind, soon sorted and then it was down to gaming, and my fellow rogue decided to be first climbing across the tree blocking our path. As he went flying, he reminded himself he should have looked for traps ... we started as we meant to go on. Later on in the scenerio, my rogue went on his own to be a watching ye for the others in the party as they split into two groups searching for something. Well I went down without a sound as some naughties caught me unawares. They then snuck up on the others, at one point 4 of the 6 were down and out I think, or was it 3 ... we survived just ... great game.
Then it just got better and better ... last game I had a rubber paladin .. down he went .. up he got ... down he went ... up he got (thank you bard), damned ranged attacks. DM never threw below 16 for those attacks. Aaargh!!
Another game the rogue was afflicted by insatiable thirst, so after drinking a few waterskins he led the way into the next room were a few hobgoblins were waiting for a bit of a ruckus. So what did Natty do ... obvious, first round he runs over to the first hobgobin and steals his waterskin, next round drinks it ... yea!! then later in the chest he found a potion, well that should help quench his thirst, so drank that too...luckily it was CLW...
One saturday night there was a cross between Pathfinder and Larping as we, as our characters, were introduced to many of the Lodges Venture Captains and many others played in costume and aplomb by many of the convention goers. There were many different games giving boons for success in a particular skill. Natty with his Charisma of 7 really struggled in the story telling game ... dah! But won a 3rd prize in the archery, much to his amazement. Then there was the Harrow reading, how lucky for Natty he came away with the opposite of a boon, the next 3 saves Natty made were all failures, great for a rogue... Luckily the DM threw 1 damage on the first failure, 2 on the second so he managed to get out of that alive ... some other friends left the weekend still with that 3 save failure hanging over them ...
Lastly and most importantly I met loads of really good people all having fun. Including some on the pbp boards that I play with and hadn't seen before. It was a great weekend, as tey say 'I'll be back'.
You're about as tall as a seven-year-old, Cecic; go ahead and run with it, though you'll want to avoid drinking when you want someone to think you're actually that young. :P
@Cecic... jealous!
You know, I've never been one for conventions, but I certainly want to make it to PaizoCon one day. Of course, being over here in Australia makes that an expensive proposition...and one I'd have to convince my wife of... : s
My and three buddies were all gung-ho to attend PaizoCon in California this year, but that idea got the axe about 4 months before it happened. :*(. There's always next year.
After (gulp) 30 years of gaming, I just went to my first con this past February. It was a little 'un, but I had a great time. Trying to barter time to go to one of the biggies next year (paizo or gencon).
I've never been to a convention myself. I wouldn't mind going to PaizoCon as my first.
PaizoCon UK probably had around 25 game tables. Much smaller than the biggies you guys have in the States, I kinda like small.
I'm tired tonight, should post simple post, more wordy tomorrow .. sorry
Lucky let out a soft breath, and then put his hand over the man's mouth, pinching his nose closed. He watched the hatch until the body stopped struggling, and then counted to a hundred to be sure.
Well, that's certainly spiced things up on day one! I suppose we're hoping they don't have access to speak with dead then? ; )
Oh yeah. Always have to break the jaw. Do we get the vibe from any of the pirates that they have any arcane or divine talent? Looking specifically for things like holy symbols and spell pouches....
If they have speak with dead, I'm screwed. Otherwise, I think it's a pretty bad joke making me spend all day down there with a corpse and pray that they buy it.
Most of the crew seem like a random bunch of rogues and cutthroats. Some of the officers certainly have magical compliments of various sorts, and much of the crew boasts some form of symbol of Besmara, but for a pirate crew that's to be expected.
No experience for the kill, Lucky. Good try though; reminds me of Dorkness Rising.
What does everyone think of the pacing? I'd like to keep major updates to one a day in order to allow folks the time to respond, with minor responses throughout the day as warranted and as I am able to do so. Anyone feel things are moving too quickly or slowly?