Nice. You even did a hex map for The Lost Coast. Very cool.
Working on a Shoanti druid. Hopefully I'll have it done before I head out for the night.
Here is my Human Chelaxian Skinir Magus, Brutus Tarsi. I will flesh him out a bit more if picked, but I think that is all the needed information.
Classes/Levels: Magus (Skirnir)/1
Gender:Male
Size: Medium
Age: 24
Alignment: Neutral Good
Deity: Irori (If this is allowed I know it wasn't on the list of common faiths. I would imagine him more paying homage to the Goddess of History and Knowledge
Languages: Common, Thassalonian, Chelaxian
Strength: 14 + 2 = 16
Dexterity: 15
Constitution: 12
Intelligence: 16
Wisdom: 11
Charisma: 10
HP: 10
Init: +2
Fort: +3
Reflex: +2
Will: +2
BAB: +0
CMB: +3
CMD: 15
Speed: 30ft.
Armored Speed: 30ft.
Armor Class: 10 + 4 + 2 + 2 = 18
Touch Armor Class: 12
Flat-Footed Armor Class: 16
Melee:
- Heavy Spiked Shield Bash 1d6+3 x2
- Spiked Gauntlet 1d4+1
Ranged:
Light Crossbow - 1d8 19-20x2
Bolts (10)
Combat Gear: Masterwork Heavy Spiked Shield (arcane bond), Chain Shirt
Other Gear: Backpack, (Travel Spellbook (50 Pages - 17 used), Bedroll, Trail Rations), Spell Compent Pouch, Belt Pouch, (Waterskin)
Feats:
- TWF
- Imp. Shield Bash
Class Features:
- Diminished Spellcasting: A skirnir casts one fewer spell of each level than normal. If this reduces the number to 0, he may cast spells of that level only if his Intelligence allows bonus spells of that level.
- Arcane Bond: At 1st level, a skirnir gains a shield (except for a tower shield) as anarcane bond item. This is identical to the wizard class ability, but the skirnir may only bond with a shield, not a familiar or other item.
- Arcane Pool - At 1st level, the magus gains a reservoir of mystical arcane energy that he can draw upon to fuel his powers and enhance his weapon. This arcane pool has a number of points equal to 1/2 his magus level (minimum 1) + his Intelligence modifier. The pool refreshes once per day when the magus prepares his spells.
At 1st level, a magus can expend 1 point from his arcane pool as a swift action to grant any weapon he is holding a +1 enhancement bonus for 1 minute. For every four levels beyond 1st, the weapon gains another +1 enhancement bonus, to a maximum of +5 at 17th level. These bonuses can be added to the weapon, stacking with existing weapon enhancement to a maximum of +5. Multiple uses of this ability do not stack with themselves.
At 1st level, a skirnir can use his arcane pool to grant an enhancement bonus to a weapon as normal, as well as to his shield, paying the arcane pool cost separately for each. At 5th level and above, he can also add the following shield special abilities:animated, arrow catching, arrow deflection, bashing, blinding, fortification (any), reflecting, spell resistance (any).
- Sorcerous Shield - At 1st level, skirnirs are proficient with all types of shields, including tower shields, and do not suffer an arcane spell failure chance when casting magus spells while using a shield. They treat their magus levels as their fighter levels for the purpose of qualifying for shield-related feats. This ability replaces spell combat.
- Spellstrike - At 1st level, a skirnir may use this ability with a weapon or shield bash attack.
Traits:
- Shield Bearer (Human): You deal 1 additional point of damage when you shield bash, and once per day on your turn as a free action, you may provide one adjacent ally a +2 bonus to his AC. This bonus lasts for 1 round, so long as you and the target remain adjacent to one another.
- Scholar of the Ancients: You've either been drawn to Varisia by tales of the cyclopean monuments from a long-forgotten age, or else never outgrew your youthful fascination with the ancient ruins littering the Varisian landscape. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Knowledge (arcana) and Knowledge (history) checks, and begin play able to speak and read Thassilonian.
ACP: -4
Climb: +3
Intimidate: +4
Knowledge (arcana): +8
Knowledge (history): +5
Spellcraft: +7
Swim: +3
Use Magic Device: +4
Cantrips: All cantrips in his Spellbook
1st Level Spells:
- Color Spray
- Magic Missle
- Shocking Grasp
Brutus was born and raised in Magnimar, his father was a military man, and his mother was a scholar. When he was growing up, on his father's day's off, he would spar in the backyard, Brutus holding a shield, his father pressing the attack with a wooden sword. His Father always believed in the power of a shield, how he could protect himself and that which he cared about just be his positioning and his choices. His mother spent much of their time in the evenings teaching him the great events of history. He grew up with a dual nature, a martial nature, and an intellectual nature. He learned strategy and tactics, history and language, but more than that, he found himself intrigued by the mysteries of the monolithic monuments, the mysterious field of arcane studies. His mother, more of a scholar of history, shared as many of the historical accounts of the arcane, but he was left on his own to further his experiential knowledge of the arcane world. He found many with arcane talents to learn from, and he went throughout Magnimar learning all that he could.
It didn't take long before Brutus was able to start successfully casting simple spells. However, his martial training from his father formed his application of these new spells. Soon, he was able to cast spells while wielding a shield, and often, even through the shield. As his power grew, his curiosity grew. He wanted to grow in his mastery of both his ability to defend those he cared about, as well as his desire to understand the universe and the world around him.
Brutus was rather average in his build. He was 5'7, 160 pounds, solid and well-built. His light-brown hair was chin-length, but rarely was it actually down, normally it was held back by a bandana. Over simple explorer's clothing, Brutus wore a chain shirt. His polished spiked steel shield was normally on his right arm, and his left hand was covered with a wicked spiked gauntlet.
Brutus was sociable enough when he had to be, but in general, he was preoccupied with his training. He had the ability to be tactful and diplomatic, but normally he just didn't have time for it. Most of the time, he was straight-forward and honest to a fault.
As to why he should be picked, he is a versatile, and rather skilled in all that he does. He is known in and around the city as a bright mind, and he is known to those in the military as a capable warrior and a great tactical mind. Not only that, but his pursuit of the mysteries of this region could prove quite valuable for Magnimar were something to be discovered.
Hmm. Noon Friday you say? Cool. I have just a couple of hours to see if I can make something tempting!
Name: Talea Neverwinter
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Class: Sorceress of the Shadow (Umbral) bloodline, primary focus on illusions, but first level may break that a teensy bit.
Traits:
Talented: Perform (Sing) is a skill, +1 trait bonus
Scholar of the Ancients - as per the listing!
(more mechanical details are not completed at the moment. However. I did have a very similar model sorcerer built for a game that never got off the ground recently, so half the work I would be doing is already done. Just a few quick change-abouts and I can have it quite ready! Wanted to make sure I got something in at least before deadline without worrying about falling asleep on details).)
Description: Talea Is a little off by Elven standards of traditional looks. Her long hair is of white and silver, and her skin is almost like fine pearl. Her pupils are so dark as to almost be called black, and her lips are a rich red as if dabbed by makeup. Sometimes, strands of her hair simply 'go black' day by day, and before the day is out, they will be gone, having 'fallen out' and blown away. Otherwise, she seems fairly normal. Pointed ears, a lithe body of decent height, moderate bosom, all ten fingers and toes. Her outfit for travel tends to be a mix of cloak and robe, while more civilized domains may have her set in a finer dress of black or blue.
Background: Talea is a child of Ashwood - literally, or at least, as literally as one can be the child of a forest. A place already feared for its strangeness, It was a rather shocking surprise for those that watched its borders to have a Elven child with no apparent knowledge of family or home wander out of it.
Talea was very fortunate that, apart from her origin, she lacked any particularly scary qualities, and that an Elven couple that was settled down in one of the nearby towns was willing to take her in as theirs. These Elves were entertainers, and with enough of a good reputation as to not be shunned (entirely). Eventually, however, they were ready to move on, and Talea went along with them on the life of travel and merriment (and dodging some things like those pesky bandits or crazy types).
As time moved on and Talea grew, some oddities arouse from around her. Sometimes she seemed to cough out dark wisps of cloud, she tended to favor being in the dark, odd noises sometimes came about, and, the part that scared others the most, was the one time she was found 'dead' after an accident at a river. By all accounts, her grief-stricken step-parents thought her drowned when she was pulled out. But no more than an hour later, she was up and awake - and a bit perplexed why people were calling miracles and other things. NO one really knew what had happened there, but afterwards, others decided she was 'a few shades shy of a ghost' and gave her a wider berth. Her parents at least weren't so cruel, but it made growing up that bit more harder.
Eventually, she received teachings in magic from the fortune teller of the group her family traveled with. she learned the ways of a sorceress (which didn't help much with the creepy status), and one day, parted ways with her family in Magnimar. She wanted to know more about her past, her life, and her powers (which had brought on more of those shadowy strange things, among other things). It was as good as any place to start...although she needed money, and more experience to give her a better idea of how to go about such a goal.
Reason for being selected!: This ties in partly with that last bit of history there. Talea, 'cheated' her way into acceptance, in part. By stroke of luck, she overheard someone else talking about what was going on, and Charmed a secretary or two (or similar type) into helping get her on a list of potential recruits. A little nudge here, a crossing of fingers or a letter there, and with a few good words and some friendliness, found herself on a crazy adventure that would surely give her someplace to earn some experience, and perhaps later, a good spot to go and discover more about herself.
Garidan Hawk Dancer
Male Human (Shoanti) Druid 1
NG Medium Humanoid (human)
Init +3; Senses Perception +3
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Defense
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AC 16, touch 11, flat-footed 15 (+4 armor, +1 shield, +1 Dex)
hp 10 (1d8+2)
Fort +5, Ref +1, Will +5
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Offense
--------------------
Speed 20 ft.
Melee Light Shield Bash -2 (1d3+2/x2) and
Scimitar +2 (1d6+2/18-20/x2)
Druid Spells Prepared (CL 1):
1 (2/day) Entangle (DC 14), Deadeye's Lore
0 (at will) Guidance, Purify Food and Drink (DC 13), Stabilize
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Statistics
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Str 14, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 15
Base Atk +0; CMB +2; CMD 13
Feats Green Faith Acolyte, Martial Weapon Proficiency (Klar), Totem Spirit - Shriikirri-Quah (Hawk Clan)
Traits Resilient
Skills Acrobatics -3 (-7 jump), Climb -2, Escape Artist -3, Fly -3, Handle Animal +6, Heal +7, Knowledge
(geography) +4, Knowledge (nature) +6, Ride +3, Stealth -3, Survival +9, Swim -2
Languages Common, Druidic, Varisian
SQ animal companion link, nature bond abilities (golden-wings, eagle), share spells with companion,
spontaneous casting, wild empathy
Combat Gear Sunrod (5); Other Gear Hide armor, Light wooden shield, Scimitar, Backpack, masterwork
(empty), Belt pouch (empty), Blanket, Flint and steel, Holly and mistletoe, Soap, Spell component pouch,
Trail rations (5), Waterskin, 45 GP, 9 SP, 9 CP
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Special Abilities
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Animal Companion Link (Ex) You have a link with your Animal Companion.
Green Faith Acolyte Your spells work more efficiently on plants
Share Spells with Companion (Ex) Can cast spells with a target of "you" on animal companion, as
touch spells.
Spontaneous Casting The Druid can convert stored spells into Summon Nature's Ally spells.
Wild Empathy +3 (Ex) Improve the attitude of an animal, as if using Diplomacy.
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Golden-Wings
Male Eagle
N Small Animal
Init +2; Senses low-light vision; Perception +2
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Defense
--------------------
AC 15, touch 14, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +1 size, +1 natural, +1 dodge)
hp 12 (+2)
Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +2
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Offense
--------------------
Speed 10 ft., flight (80 feet, average)
Melee Bite (Eagle) +2 (1d4/x2) and
Talon x2 (Eagle) +2 x2 (1d4/x2)
--------------------
Statistics
--------------------
Str 10, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 6
Base Atk +1; CMB +0; CMD 13
Feats Dodge
Tricks Attack [Trick], Defend [Trick], Down [Trick], Fetch [Trick], Fighting [Trick], Heel [Trick], Seek [Trick],
Stay [Trick]
Skills Acrobatics +2 (-6 jump), Fly +8, Stealth +10
Languages
SQ defend [trick], fetch [trick], fighting [trick], heel [trick], seek [trick]
Other Gear You have no money!
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Special Abilities
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Defend [Trick] The animal will defend you.
Fetch [Trick] The animal will get a specific object.
Fighting [Trick] The animal has been trained to fight.
Flight (80 feet, Average) You can fly!
Heel [Trick] The animal will follow you.
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in low light, distinguishing color and detail.
Seek [Trick] The animal moves into an area and looks around for anything that is obviously alive or
animate.
Backstory (will be fleshed out if selected)
Born into a small tribe of the Shiikirri-Quah, Garidan felt a connection with the land from his first days. He learned quickly how to fend for himself, raise animals, hunt, and make his way across the harsh plateau. After undertaking the Plunge, his rite of passage, he gained his first tattoo and bonded with a mighty eagle, who follows him to this day.
Garidan is a lean man, with his tribal tattoos crossing the back and sides of his skull. His body tattoos are relatively few, and mostly represent his accomplishments in animal training and surviving the harsh wilderness. He hasn't travelled much without his tribe, and as such is wary of strangers. He has a deep respect for all animals, and for the beauty and savagery of the natural world.
Why he'd be selected:
Garidan has travelled across Varisia with other select members of his tribe, trading the trained animals his Quah is famous for in exchange for supplies. On one such trip, he traded a particularly well-trained warhorse to a member of the Council of Ushers, and impressed the man with his knowledge of the geography of Varisia. He and Golden-Wings would make a worthwhile guide to any expedition.
As for what he brings to the party? Guidance. He has great knowledge of nature and geography, both immensely useful in wilderness expeditions. He can hold his own in battle, and Golden-Wings serves him well as a scout and companion.
(Maybe one day I'll actually get better at making characters...)
Here is D'endrrah, Idyllkin Aasimar Oracle of Life.
Submitting Arduinne for your consideration. Full character sheet is linked in the profile.
May I present Zindelo Ezek, Charming Varisian scout(A basic rogue)?
Just saw this thread late last night so this is a hurried presentation, I suspect a number of minor adjustments will need to be made but this should give all needed info. Everything is in the profile. For your ease in making the choice, I'll repeat the background here.
Zindelo, is the son of Zandru and Esmerelda, sometime Caravan workers, mostly they worked at the Varisian caravanserai at Magimar. Life was good until Zandru's untimely demise. Things were tough for Esmerlda until she caught the eye of a elderly, widowed Chelaxian factor that often came to the caravanserai. Roscoe Aurious married Esmerelda much to the shock of his children and family. Roscoe never adopted his stepson and his resentful children never let Zindelo forget it.
Rosco had an older brother, Gaius, that was far more successful so much so that he made a great marriage to a member of the minor noblity, Lady Jana. She is one of the best known and love socialites in the city. She knows everyone, merchant of noble that is of worth, and anyone else that is interesting or talented. After her husband's death, she filled her time with hosting many social events. Her children run the family businesses.
She took an interest in her step-nephew, after he served time in the Varisian Guard as a scout. She used him to run minor errands around the city, sometimes to others. She supported the exploration and colony effort with her influence, and used it to provide a position in it to her step-nephew.
The real story: Lady Jana is spymaster for a clique of nobles that includes the Lord Mayor. Zindelo is one of her many agents. His additional job on the mission is to make sure she knows everything she wants to about what the team is up to and anything else of interest to her they learn.
Reason to be in the group: He's a capable young man with many small but useful talents. He also has the support of a very influential minor noblewoman.
Okay I am done with the back-story and crunch.
Reason to be on this mission: Jayk while completely clueless when it comes to social interactions, speaks several languages and has a wealth of knowledge in subjects relating to dungeons and the arcane. He also has experience in dealing with the Shoanti, Cutthroats and wizards, he's also quite competent with both sword and spell, and have learned that fighting with honor is unimportant, that living to tell tale of the battle is what really matters. His true goal in joining this expedition is discovering as many ruins and treasures as he possibly could, another goal would be to avoid all the people that are out to end his life.
Looking forward to hearing the results. Best of luck.
Fixed some minor formatting and an unintentional omission from the background, and added a link to a picture of my character in the profile.
Good luck, the suspense begins!
I bet Indraea is sifting the characters having a hard time choosing.
This is quite the turnout. I'm sure the Lord-Mayor and Council of Ushers did not expect so many candidates.
Really wish I had came up with a submission before this deadline. I'll be keeping an eye on things here in case anyone wanders off!
I bet Indraea is sifting the characters having a hard time choosing.
This is quite the turnout. I'm sure the Lord-Mayor and Council of Ushers did not expect so many candidates.
Indeed. Looking through the pages, I've tallied these submissions (listed in order, preference given to aliases over earlier commentary):
Lord Charles Iridian Bloodgrave, Male Human Ranger
Xavian Graves, Male Human Wizard (diviner)
Derrick Tramsen, Male Aasimar Monk (drunken master, master of many styles, monk of the sacred mountain, qinggong monk)
Konic Torkrest, Male Dwarf Fighter (Two-Handed Fighter)
Leinard, Male Human Mage (Undecided)
Seth86's Female Changeling Monk
Jubal Bottlebreaker, Male Gnome Bard (archaeologist)
Tarbaht Steed Spirit, Male Human Barbarian (Mounted Fury)
Darius, Male Human Wizard (Illusionist, Shadow)
Cedric Stavian, Male Human Cavalier
Dove Starstrider, Female Human Druid (menhir servant)
Jayk, Male Human Magus
Brutus Tarsi, Male Human Magus (Skirnir)
Talea Neverwinter, Female Elf Sorcerer (Umbral)
Garidan Hawk Dancer, Male Human Druid
D'endrrah, Female Aasimar Oracle (Life)
Arduinne Winterbourne, Female Human Sorcerer (Arcane)
Zindelo Ezek, Male Human Rogue
Looks like we have 6 martial types, 2 skill monkeys, 7 arcane casters, and 3 divine casters. A very nice assortment!
Man, seeing the compilation of the characters, anyone else kicking themselves for not making a skill monkey? Ahh well, good luck everyone!
I don't normally categorize Magus as arcane casters. I put them more with the skill monkeys/rogue-types. The only difference being they use spells. They are more of a martial damage dealing class than a versatile arcane caster. Even without the Magus, there are five arcane casters. When I submitted my idea, I was the only one.
I don't regret it. That was the concept that came to mind. A scholarly wizard capable of providing informational support along with his arcane abilities. In a story he would be the professorial-type answering all the questions for the main action star.
I agree that a lot of classes can fall in two or more groups on the spectrum. Inquisitors in particular can be sticky, as they can be very combat-oriented, skill monkeys, or even focused on casting.
I just tallied numbers based on the conventional placement of such classes. I think that you'd actually need to look at individual submissions to really figure out what kind of balance you're getting.
As for skill monkeys, meh, monks have some useful skills. I had a concept and I went with that.
Huh. That's a lot of arcane casters! I usually see melee as the most common character type for the starting levels.
There were an awful lot of submissions, and I took the time to read through all of them in detail, and then again in many cases as I narrowed down the list trying to pick out the most compelling and interesting character concepts. Then I slept on it, and totally failed to wake up early enough to post before having to head out and run errands all day.
My final choices are as follows:
Arduinne Winterbourne the Chelaxian Sorcerer (Arcane Bloodline)
Cedric Stavian the Taldan Cavalier
Dove Starstrider the Shoanti Druid (Menhir Savant)
Jubal Breakbottle the Gnome Bard (Archaeologist)
Zindelo Ezek the Varisian Rogue
My thanks to everyone for applying, and my sincere apologies to everyone I didn't have room for. If I had the time and energy to run two instances of the campaign concurrently, I actually would, there were enough great applications to fill out two full parties. I will keep you in mind if, for some reason, a vacancy should end up occurring.
For those who were selected, I'm putting together the initial campaign post right now, and we can discuss getting started over in the discussion thread.
Damn. I really wanted to join this campaign. I enjoy both of those adventure paths.
Good choice with Zindelo. That is an interesting background for a DM to play with.
Thanks for choosing me, congratulations to all my fellows. Lots of great entries had to be hard to choose.
@Xavian Thanks for the kind words. Just came together, maybe it helped not to overthink it.
Good luck to *hic* all!
Glad I got it, but with all of these excellent entries, I bet it was a tough choice to make.