Hello everyone and welcome to GM Endless Forms' Space Shackles (aka Skull & Shackles IN SPAAAAAACE!).
Character creation rules are outlined in the extensive "Homebrew Rules" document (also linked above). Go ahead and discuss character ideas and take your time getting your team assembled. I will be on my honeymoon in New Zealand from Dec 14 - Jan 13 so I am waiting to start until I get back, which gives you plenty of time to decide on a character idea and get your characters built.
Bold Strider has already submitted a custom-made sorcerer bloodline (Madness) that I have approved. If you wish to custom-make anything like that, send me some ideas and I will work with you. Also, since this takes place IN SPAAAAAACE!, you are welcome to borrow ideas from other fandoms/universes. For example, if you want to play a Vulcan you can do so (probably as a re-flavored elf) or a Klingon (probably as a re-flavored half-orc) or maybe a jedi (probably a human black-blade magus). Or a cleric might be reflavored as the Ship Medic, a fighter as the Security Officer, etc. You get the idea. Basically, this game will be a crazy cross-reference of genres and themes so if you have a wild idea, my advice is to go for it.
Good luck on the character creation! Post any questions here and I'll get back to you on my thoughts.
YEAH!!!!!
OMG just read the doc -it's a space opera! haha great! Definitely doing a sidekick type, probably roguish/swashbuckler.
Are 'laser' pistols ubiquitous or need Gunslinger?
Dot
Firearms are simple weapons so you do not need to take gunslinger to use phase pistols/ laser pistols or anything like that.
This is going to be awesome! I've PMed you about my possible character.
So far we've got a crazy sorcerer bent on exposing his foes to the madness of space, a protoss slayer (from Starcraft), and a roguish-swashbuckling-type space pirate.
Quite an eclectic group!
Posting the agreed set of abilities for my custom race as reference. I'll definitely play a Protoss Slayer (trying to emulate the Zealot unit from Starcraft for those who played it) dual wielding short psy-blades (=short swords reskinned for SPAAAACE!) ;)
Size: Medium (0 RP)
Base Speed: Normal (0 RP)
Ability score modifiers: Standard (+2 STR, +2 INT, -2 CHA) (0 RP)
Languages: Standard (0 RP)
Racial Traits:
Telepathy (2 RP)
Darkvision (60 feet) (0 RP, included in Monstrous humanoid)
"Natural-born psion" (like "Fiendish sorcery", but for psionic powers) (1 RP)
Hatred (aberrations) (1 RP)
Total: 7 RP
By the way, what point-buy are we using? I've just read the houserules again but didn't find that information.
20 point buy. Thought it was in there but I must have left it out.
PM with PC sent :)
Just a question on how Ranger combat style interacts with your collapsed feat trees houserule. The combat style allows to disregard the prerequisite but sets a minimum level instead, on which the improved / greater feat is added in the list.
Does the houserule mean that I need to meet the actual prerequisite (for instance, Dex 17 for improved two-weapon fighting) to get it, or would a Ranger / Slayer get the improved version of the feat when it is added to the list (for instance Ranger / Slayer level 6 for improved two-weapon fighting)?
It's an important question because the answer will determine how I allocate my ability points. Thanks!
-Posted with Wayfinder
Hm. I suppose you would get it when you meet the prerequisites, not when it is added to the ranger/slayer list of feats.
Hi Ilmakis, glad to see you join us! Lithrac here.
Alright, so I'll need 17 dex then. Thanks for the quick reply.
-Posted with Wayfinder
A first draw of my character :)
Question : could I take Multiweapon Fighting for my character in the near future ?
Sure! It seems necessary and fitting for a kasatha. And a Warpriest of the Force, that's awesome! Can't wait to get this started in January and see all these characters in action.
Super excited to play with you guys since I usually either GM or get GMed for when in the same game with Lithrac and have GMed a ton for Pathmaker. Good to meet you Ilmakis.
My Madness Sorcerer will take a few crafting feats and focus on enchantments and other mental spells. Thinking he might be a bit like a super crazy John Constantine, always having minor magic "artifacts" to help him get through stuff. I imagine he will be constantly tinkering with stuff, trying to find new ways to restore ancient finds to help himself and the party.
I'm very excited about playing with you too, especially since we're explicitely asked to stride boldly! ;)
Character crunch is up, background will arrive tomorrow I expect.
Yes, Bold Strider and I used to play together quite a bit back when I lived in Bloomington. I was there when Bold Striding (TM) was invented and have been converted not only to its effectiveness but to the greater fun to be had when Bold Striding (TM). It's especially effective over PbP where the game can get bogged down if no one takes the initiative to kick down the next door because everyone is terrified of traps or too concerned about pre-buffing or whatnot.
RIL?
What is RIL?
Would it be possible to take a trait from People of the Stars instead of a campaign trait? Certain ones look very appealing for a Space Shackles game. (Looking at you, Scarred by Space Pirates)
Yeah, that would be fine. Makes sense I suppose.
About the campaign traits, the one I was considering says that underwater attack penalties are lessened by 1 (on top of giving a bonus to swim). Will the Swim skill be used to float in space (for example in a space suit)? Will the underwater penalties be applied to fighing in space?
Both good questions. I would say yes to the Swim skill being used for zero-gravity situations but no to the underwater penalties.
In case you guys missed it, the module Plunder & Peril was just sanctioned for PFS (and offers the usual "campaign mode" option). It features three linked pirate adventures and could easily be integrated into Skull & Shackles.
I wanted to get everyone thoughts on using Plunder & Peril in this campaign. It would mean the overall campaign would be extended a bit, as we'd have to take a few diversions to do the three adventures in the module, but it would mean you'd get extra PFS chronicles. As a bonus, if you put all three chronicles from Plunder & Peril on the same character you can get a fourth bonus chronicle sheet with a nice boon for that character and the boons on the Plunder & Peril chronicles stack nicely with the boons on the Skull & Shackles chronicles. So you would be wise to put all the chronicles on the same PFS character (although that would mean you'd probably actually play them very little because you'd be getting 9 levels worth of chronicles I think).
I'll leave it up to you guys. The upsides are that it fits well with the campaign and will give everyone bonus XP for their PFS characters; the downsides are that it will detract from the main S&S plotline for a bit and lengthen the campaign by a few months at the least (I'm guessing).
I'd love to play that module, especially for credit. Count me in, yarrrr!
-Posted with Wayfinder
I don't mind to play it in a campaign mode, but I would prefer to do it without PFS credit.
I guess if you don't want the PFS credit you don't have to take it; I just won't report you for those chronicles. Then you can play it again for PFS credit in either a (non-space-themed) campaign mode or regular PFS mode.
I would be playing for PFS credit; I think 7 levels worth of chronicles is a good amount that gets my vote.
What is RIL?
:P I meant, In Real Life, EF played tabletop with Bold in Bloomington ?
Oh yeah, I didn't catch that earlier; yes, Bold and I played PF quite a bit together IRL back in Bloomington. In fact, Bold was one of the culprits in my favorite PF story ever. We had some good times, lol.
GREAT TIMES!
Read it - yea, that's pretty unbeatable as far as a sanctioned PFS goes.
Oy, we're the Flesh Puppets! lol,..immediately thought of Spinal Tap; then ends with a Supertramp music video
Hey EF, I got a silly request...
Every day I check this thread, I always think the ticker shows a new post; "The Wormwood Mutiny (Book 1)"; parenthesis always get me seeing (1 New). Hope not out of line to maybe ask for hyphen substitute?
Ha! Sure thing!
Ahh...the universe is right again. :)
Just a reminder to everyone that I am leaving for my honeymoon in New Zealand tomorrow and will be gone until January 13. I plan to start this campaign as soon as I get back so make sure you are all ready to go by then if you aren't already. So sit tight for a few weeks, enjoy the holidays, and I will see everyone when I get back! Thanks!
Oh, and here's a little treat for your patience: if you would like, you may all choose a Story Feat for free. I will do my best to help you achieve it during the campaign, too. It's not mandatory if you can't find one you like, but if you find one that fits your character you can take it for free.
Fantastic!
Happy New Year from Paris !
Happy New Year from snowy Switzerland!
And from Middle Earth New Zealand!
And from Washington D.C.!
En route to Indiana! I might need a day or two to review the beginning of the AP and get an intro post up but I'm very excited to get started!
En route to Indiana, huh?
Very excited as well! How was NZ? :)
Did you meet any hobbit ?
En route to Indiana, huh?
Not Bloomington though-LaPorte. Just for the rest of the week before we head back to Madison. Gotta pick up the dogs from my parents' house, you know! (BS knows but for those that don't, we actually bought a new puppy while in NZ. We've been looking for a rough collie aka Lassie dog for a while now and there happened to be a good deal near my parents so I bought it remotely and had them pick it up. Now we've got a collie and a golden retriever.)
Very excited as well! How was NZ? :)
New Zealand was fantastic. We are about to get on our last plane home in a few minutes. We did a lot of hiking and are totally exhausted. Probably the best was hiking to the top of Mount Alfred, although it got a bit technical at the top. The Tongariro Alpine Crossing was also great, and not just because that area was used as Mordor in the movies and we hiked near the summit of Mount Doom. It was a great hike but unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate and we were hiking through the clouds and couldn't see much from the top. The winds were also bad and brought the windchill to below freezing. Still a great experience though. And of course we went on a number of LOTR location tours, which was awesome. No hobbits though :(
Brutal work hours in progress - not lack of interest. Liking the start very much