My brother and I, along with one of our other RL friends, are going to be playing in a IRL game using the above rules, along with things like Downtime, Kingdom Building, and some of the other variant rules to tell an awesome, badass story.
This game will be set in Golarion, and while that setting's history will remain in tact, we will be weaving ourselves into various important events as befitting our characters. Not as the main power or iconic figure, but at least as an second in command, right hand man, advisor, etc.
There's a ton of really awesome storytelling potential here, and I wanted to extend an invite to some players here on the boards to join us in creating something truly amazing.
Thus, I will be looking for several players ((3-4)), who want to take part in this crazy experiment.
. While I am positing this, I am not solely running the game. My brother is actually planning on running our first in person story arc.
This is basically going to be a round robin sort of GMing, where those who want to run an arc can, but it can also be a game that is more of a personal narrative, until such a time as the group decides to get together and tells a bigger story or fights some ridiculous threat.
When possible, I will be posting recaps of what takes place during our RL games, and also filling in the other two players as to what stories are being told here on the boards. I'll also likely jump in for some of my stuff as well, either personal or group.
I've never tried or even really heard of something like this before, but I am excited by the possibilities and really hope to make this work!!
Count me very very interested.
Alright, well, you have my interest, but not really my attention. This is about as vague as you can be while still presenting something beyond "I wanna play a game of pathfinder".
If I have correctly divined your intent, this can be summarized as, "We want to do high power level shenanigans, where powerful characters weave their own stories from their own drive."
To put it in terms of this Avatar..
This is not the story of a shy playful Erinyes learning to become a confident military commander under the wing of a reborn god.
This is the story of a confident military commander Erinyes deciding to conquer the puny mortal nations.
~~
However, I'm not sure that's your intent. I'm also seeing a "We're a rotating GM starting right at the kingdom building point of a Kingmaker, with high power characters, and we haven't decided what country we wanna be yet. And none of us is the Ruler.
~~
TLDR - It's vague enough in description that I'm not even sure where to start on assisting to brainstorm what we're doing in general, much less what my character might be or a plotline I might GM.
The original inspiration came from Masters of Golarion. My brother, So_AMaven, really, really, loved his character, and decided literally the other night(Sun) to run a game with myself and our friend.
I then got the idea to extend this to the boards, because I feel like there's so much going on, but so very few players, that why not try and get some online players as well.
This does not need to be a round robin style GMing game, or rather not just that.
Ambitious Hearts was another game I was involved in, along with TCG, that helped me formulate ideas for my character for this game, as well as inspiring me in general for the game. Players are free to write personal narratives such as those found within AH, and then as seen there, come together for a larger story.
It sounds like it has possibilities.
(Hi MG!)
I'm curious how you see the interaction working between RL and the Boards. It sounds like some of the RL players won't be on the boards, and (obviously) some of the board players won't be in the RL. So is it more like a shared world where multiple things are happening at once? Eg: Things that happen to "The Town" on the boards affect the RL game and vice versa?
I notice an abundance of Monsters as PCs. How do you intend to make that work with Gestalt?
Also, a reference of what the existing characters are, if any have been made already/are getting carried over from said previous roleplays, might be helpful as to knowing more precisely scale we're aiming for, and how to weave relationships between characters. Aka, if your brother is directly carrying over a character.. which one was he?
I'm interested, but it's also triggering my warning signs. Games this vague usually don't last long. What do you mean by everybody being the GM? I can interpret it many ways, some good, some bad. I want to know how you expect it to work.
This is my character, though he was built for the Masters of Golarion, which was non gestalt. My brother(Maven), did not actually start playing in that game.
As for monsters, we've decided it would be best if(should you choose to play one) your CR takes up both halves of your gestalt.
I think this works out, since many of the more powerful monsters tend to sort of be gestalt anyways, as they have their monster HD and abilities, and spellcasting. So, if you wanted to be a Draconal, for example, it's CR 20 would leave you with five levels, since we're 25th level characters. However, you're casting as a 17th level cleric, regardless of what your class levels are.
Additionally, this is a good game. While I don't mind if a PC is evil, Chaotic Evil is right out, and probably NE and CN as well. We're heroes, more or less, and thus this also limits your 'monster' choices. Sure, you can be redeemed(which could tie you to Davin) but ya can't be undead, or other creatures that are generally unable to be good.
@Yoriks, I'm not 100% sure how this is going to work. As I said above, I've never tried this sort of combination game, and I personally have never heard of anybody trying such either.
That said, yea, its going to be as shared as possible.
I got the idea last night when I was thinking about how Davin's established a refugee camp in Geb, and how one of his followers would be in charge of the Wagons of Light from Black Markets.
Then I was like "Well, who frakin cares? Sure its cool, but there's only three players, and its unlikely we'll do something with that." And that's how I got the idea of wanting to bring in more players, who might want to actually use that refugee camp, or anything we've created, for their own storytelling purposes.
Alright, that's something I've been thinking about. The whole, "Well who frakin cares" and "might want to actually use that" issues.
These characters are staggering powerful.. And playing in the sandbox said powerful characters create might be more entertaining than playing those characters themselves sometimes. Or, if we do play at such a high level all the time, the details of a refugee camp will be absolutely meaningless.
So, I had the concept of "Campaigns inside campaigns" where, let's say one of the level 25 characters says, "Alright, my actions have had this impact, does anyone want to do a one shot where a group of characters try to survive the fallout of the level 25 character's actions?"
For example, a character gets involved in a big level 25 hissy fit, and raises a ton of undead to fight. By the end of it, due to the vagaries of battle, a lot of them are uncontrolled and on the rampage.
Cue a survival game where a couple of relatively normal characters are attempting to survive until one of the God-Kings can show up and save the day. Might even be the same guy who summoned the undead, who must face the consequences of his use of the undead in battle.
I've done something similar to this in a home brew setting, weaving a number of games together in a "shared universe"
It can be incredibly fun. The depth of each story and character piles on top of each other game to create interesting histories. It is fun to cameo characters from other games or reference other stories.
I would be concerned about trying it via PbP format. Part of what makes this work is the layers, which already take time to establish. Because of how slow PbP games move, it could be a very long time before the various stories really start to feel integrated.
That being said, I'm interested in giving it a shot.
Personally, I'd prefer to start with a low/mid powered game to establish some things, round-robining some scenarios to try out the format.
I think I might echo Doomed Hero here. That sounds like a really good idea to help us establish things, or, possible if we play in the "past", establish relations between our characters before they were mythic god challenging demi-gods.
I must wonder what kind of Golarion we're thinking about if a level 25 Gestalt with a mythic rank isn't considered strong enough to be the main power or iconic figure. Give me normal level 15 and one mythic rank, and I'll go one shot the Tarrasque or duel Cthulu on even ground. A level 25 gestalt with a mythic rank can go say, "I feel like resolving this whole Worldwound issue. Move my afternoon appointments to the evening, please."
Both of those ideas sound interesting. I'm glad Doomed has tried something like this, and I'm happy you posted over here, as I was hoping you would be interested.
We don't plan on starting our RL game for at least a week or so, possibly longer. As I said, Maven just suggested this Sun night, and there's a lot we have to work on.
That said, one of the most important aspects of Masters of Golarion as well as our own game, is a very detailed, comprehensive, back story for your characters.
As an example, this is some of what I had written up for Davin:
Few threats to the Inner Sea have been as dangerous and dire as that of Tar-Baphon known more infamously as the Whispering Tyrant. Originally a mortal wizard-king, he was slain by Aroden several thousand years ago. However, thanks to his sheer malevolent will and dark powers, he eventually returned to the realm of the living, as an incredibly powerful lich.
Taking control of the orcs of Belkzen, he consolidated his power in his fortress Gallowspire, ruling over the surrounding lands for five centuries before the then mighty empire Taldor rallied their forces and launched the Shining Crusade in an effort to defeat this vile threat. The armies of Taldor, and their allies overtook the town of Vellumis, on the same day that a local couple gave birth to a newborn baby boy. They named him Shinari, for his skin had soft golden hue to it.
Growing up Shinari, who was clearly blessed by the divine, heard tales daily of the ongoing crusade battling the forces of the Whispering Tyrant, and on his sixteenth birthday, he entered the church of Aroden. He hoped to join the war effort as a solider, but the god had different plans for him. That very night, The Last Azlanti visited the young man, and told him that his path would not be that of a mindless warrior, throwing themselves repeatedly at the inexorable tide of Tar-Baphon's endless hordes. Rather, Shinari would be tasked with specifically hunting down and slaying the enemies of the Church, empowered by the god to deliver his judgement upon them.
So it was that the young Aasimar, for that is what Aroden revealed him to be, joined the Shining Crusade. For ten long, grueling years, he hunted, tracked, cornered, and ultimately destroyed the enemies of Aroden. Sometimes alone, but more often than not, as a part of the main army. Which is how he found himself fighting alongside a young and still very mortal, Iomedae, a heroine even then. The two became fast friends, and soon, staunch allies, usually fighting together, being sent on the same missions, and so forth. Thus it was he was beside her as she battled the Lord of Mohrgs, Erum-Hel and again when the Whispering Tyrant shattered her favored blade with his foul magicks, only for the warrior maiden to reforge it on the strength of her faith alone.
Sadly, it was shortly after this miracle, that disaster befell the young Aasimar. During the hieght of the final battle with Tar-Baphon, he was the victim of vile spell, that captured his body and soul inside a gem. One of the lich's lieutenants had committed the horrid act, and he carried around the trophy proudly.
This half-orc Sorecerer, known only as Rakzzit, wore the gem around his neck on mitrhal chain as his prized possession. As the Whispering Tyrant was bound within Gallowspire, Rakzzit abandoned his liege, teleporting away from the battle that was lost. However, life was not easy for the craven mage, as he was a well known figure in Tar-Baphon's army. A small band of Taldan troops hunted him for the next two decades, but the wily spellcaster always managed to evade capture. Eventually his luck ran, and in a climatic fight, ended up trapped within mausoleum deep within Ustalav.
Yet, thanks to a minor magic ring, he survived, despite being practically buried alive. Then in 4606, Aroden died, and the resulting backlash somehow manages to unseal Rakzzit's living tomb. The half orc, who was rather unhinged due to centuries spent locked underground, broke free and started to terrorize the surrounding populace. Within a year he had taken over a small, partially ruined fort, and waged war, mostly against peasants he believed were Taldan soldiers. His freedom, and life was cut short not too long after, as Iomedae, now a goddess, divined his presence. She sent word to an Archon, newly arrived on Golarion thanks to the opening of the Worldwound, to go and defeat the mad sorcerer and free her imprisoned friend.
Areniel, as the Archon was called, teleported straight to Rakzzit's stronghold, and challenged the crazed mage to a public duel. For while he sought the foul villain's end, he also wanted to inspire the people of the village that had endured the half orc's depredations. The fight, if it could truly be called that, was rather short lived. Rakzzit, driven mostly insane, lost what little of his mind he had left at being called out by some 'feathery freak'. Paying little heed to the potent magicks at his disposal, he opted to engage Areniel in physical combat. Had he relied on his spellcasting, he might have won, but deciding to try and out melee his foe proved to be his undoing, and not long before the battle began, Rakzzit was slain.
This isn't even close to all of his history. I might change the whole 'trapped in a soul gem' aspect, because this is now my game, but maybe not. Haven't really decided yet.
@Philo, sorry I didn't get to you yet. You posted just as I did, and I intended to come back n reply, but by the time I did, Illia and Doomed Hero had as well.
What I am thinking by 'all of us our GMs' is that each of us can, if we so desire, have the opportunity to run a particular story or adventure.
My brother, for example, is going to run our first game for us IRL, which is going to involve going to another planet.
Meanwhile, I have an idea in mind myself, that I got from Mythic Realms.
Curious what came to mind when you read that line?
I think I might echo Doomed Hero here. That sounds like a really good idea to help us establish things, or, possible if we play in the "past", establish relations between our characters before they were mythic god challenging demi-gods.
I must wonder what kind of Golarion we're thinking about if a level 25 Gestalt with a mythic rank isn't considered strong enough to be the main power or iconic figure. Give me normal level 15 and one mythic rank, and I'll go one shot the Tarrasque or duel Cthulu on even ground. A level 25 gestalt with a mythic rank can go say, "I feel like resolving this whole Worldwound issue. Move my afternoon appointments to the evening, please."
Oh my dear, sweet Illia, you're so cute! lol
One, you can't kill the Tarrasque, period:
Regeneration (Ex) No form of attack can suppress the tarrasque's regeneration—it regenerates even if disintegrated or slain by a death effect. If the tarrasque fails a save against an effect that would kill it instantly, it rises from death 3 rounds later with 1 hit point if no further damage is inflicted upon its remains. It can be banished or otherwise transported as a means to save a region, but the method to truly kill it has yet to be discovered.
But, that's just a normal Tarrasque, imagine what a Mythic Tarrasque is like?!?
Well, no need, I have its stats, courtesy of the Mythic Monster Manual by Legendary games! :)
Also, in this game Cthulhu would totally have mythic ranks as well, and be way more badass than currently stated :)
Trust me, I have access to things that will challenge level 25 gestalt, mythic characters, when necessary.
That said, I still do like the ideas put forth by both you and Doomed Hero about playing PCs in the setting our higher level characters have created.
Hmm... Good point.. Is a lifting capacity of 358,400 lbs enough to pick it up and fly with it into orbit? Or will I need to cast Ant Haul?
Don't need to kill the Terrasque. Just cast Trap the Soul on it and put it into a diamond.
Then turn that diamond into your lich phylactery.
Dare anyone to break it.
Other Terrasque idea-
Capture it. Hardened Adamantine Chains big enough that not even Big T can bust them.
Then build a giant meat processing plant around him.
Solve world hunger.
Character Teasers-
What mysteries happened in the Age before Ages (A rather poorly moniker, in my fair estimation, given that it is comprised of the Age of Creation, Age of Serpents, and Age of Legends)? Only the broadest strokes can be painted. What benefit to the study of history it would be if a living, talking chronicle could provide an account!
Sadly, my search for answers seems to be stymied by the fact that she spent the majority of her time finding the biggest monsters she could and then attempting to "wrastle" them into submission. She tells me with the eagerness of a boastful boy-child attempting to impress his naive friends with tall tales of what lies across the creek none of them dare cross for its knee high depth, of the time she "almost nearly kinda glanced Rovagug" and shows proudly the scar she got on her left arm when "a god with a pretty nifty helmet and fiery hooves got kersploded near me".
That said, I believe she tells the truth in this tale, for no one would doubt on the sight of her that she is a creature that sits only one step below the gods, a Titan, and I have no doubt after hearing tales such as "The second worst headache I ever got was when I tried to kill the Tarrasque by headbutting it. Because, hey! We dunno. It's weakness might have been headbutts from a Elysian Titan! It wasn't though.", she would certainly leap at a chance to join in battle with a god no matter how dim the prospect of victory might be.
Her favorite title given to her by the many peoples she has saved throughout the her feats of beast slaying, translated means "Glacier Humbles Mountains", pronounced Tiffany, which is inexplicably hilarious to her. She says it is funny due to another world she has explored. Which brings me to the second reason her tales are useless to my historical search. More than half of her stories involve other planes and worlds, as the Elysian Titan's were granted lease by the gods to travel to any location in the Great Beyond. And of course, these stories only involve finding the biggest baddest creature on the world and trying to hit it really hard and dodge being hit in return. Such as travelling to the Abyss to pick a fight with her kin "for funzies".
And so, another dead end in my search for the comprehensive history of Golarion. At least Tiffany was able to point me in the direction of other immortal beings who might know. Tragically, however, there seems to be an inverse relationship between how helpful an immortal being is and how much they know.
~~
This is actually my second concept, but the first one I thought of a fun teaser for.
I'm dotting to keep tabs on this, but likely too busy to pick up another game soon what with all my recent proposals getting picked up for new games (and, like, work and blood stuff). Will probably check back in to see where the thread goes, though.
* * *
Don't need to kill the Terrasque. Just cast Trap the Soul on it and put it into a diamond.
Then turn that diamond into your lich phylactery.
Dare anyone to break it.
Other Terrasque idea-
Capture it. Hardened Adamantine Chains big enough that not even Big T can bust them.
Then build a giant meat processing plant around him.
Solve world hunger.
...as your GM in a certain game, pardon me while I go modify some of my plans... o.O
The Tarrasque is terrible monster design.
Possibly interested, though i'd need to find time to make a character.
Reserved as i am by having participated in ventures such as this, i am not rushing to stat anything up anytime soon. The only reason i would entertain an idea such as this is due to the names attached to it and their longevity on the boards.
I am tentatively interested in this. I obviously would need more info on the build stuff. But the potential is too great to pass up.
Don't need to kill the Terrasque. Just cast Trap the Soul on it and put it into a diamond.
Then turn that diamond into your lich phylactery.
Dare anyone to break it.
That's amazing.
Other Terrasque idea-
Capture it. Hardened Adamantine Chains big enough that not even Big T can bust them.
Then build a giant meat processing plant around him.
Solve world hunger.
O Monkey very interested [always respected ya for you great ideas]
as the player of Rosa Luminass in Ambitious Hearts Tales From The Forgotten Realms I can say with the right player hot switching GMing is great fun and cool.
Been there, Done That ,')Other Terrasque idea-
Capture it. Hardened Adamantine Chains big enough that not even Big T can bust them.
Then build a giant meat processing plant around him.
Solve world hunger.
There was a Torch wood episode about this.
And Illia-, ever heard of the Mythic Tarrasque?
I have not, but I do know the base Tarrasque is roughly equivalent to Illia pre-initiator levels with no flight/teleport for its CR.
Sure, it's got a halfway decent full attack, and it's hard to put down, but it's got nothing that can threaten a party of its CR.
~~
Also, what exactly is the starting gold for a level 25 character?
Also, what exactly is the starting gold for a level 25 character?
Same as for a level 20 character, plus approximately 600 BP.
Why 25, though? That's practically deity tier. Usually the "big movers and shakers" campaigns I've been in have started at level 12-17.
That said, I do have a level 15 character from a faded game who would be perfect as a kingdom-builder.
" since we're 25th level characters"
That's the GM stated starting point.
I've never gotten the chance to stat out a mythic PC gear 3 level gestalt Elysian Titan Prophet before, and that alone is worth the price of admission. :P
My other current character concept is a wayward clone of Son Wukong. Funzies!
~~
On a smaller note, I've got an idea for a bit of set up/get used to the style roleplay.
Level five band of thief extraordinaires heists a manor for a treasure map, and said treasure map leads them to an ancient macguffin location. They then proceed to die horribly in the ancient macguffin chamber, maybe one left alive to tell the tale, setting up the spooky scary skeleton stories for the higher level characters to possibly involve themselves in.
Design constraints would be relatively low power, make em fast as you can. These are "normal" thief extraordinaires. Backgrounds would be quick and dirty, relying more on thematic archetype (not class archetype), because we know these characters are destined to die. Say, lvl 5, no gestalt, Elite NPC wealth, 15 BP, core races only, no traits.
The idea is to do the manor heist in super fast GM rotation. Each time your character opens the door to the next level/room of the heist, you're the GM of that room. Or say, you think the party is taking too long to search this room, so you put up a perception spoiler of hearing approaching footsteps. Or maybe you have an inside man come and help when the GM made this room a bit too hard. See if that works or doesn't. See if we can build off each other without stepping on toes in a relatively constrained setting.
And then the ending tomb will be me normal GMing just to make the tie in, with death negotiable if we came to really love our thieves.
~~
Meanwhile, I'll be drooling over the prospect of finishing this character whether or not we ever play this.
Female Elysian Titan Prophet Gestalt Paladin 2/Monk 1|Fighter (Two-Handed Fighter) 3
CG/LG Colossal outsider (Chaotic, extraplanar, good); Perception +?
XP: ???
--------------------
DEFENSE
--------------------
AC 48, touch 25, flat-footed 39. . (+14 Wis, +9 Dex, +23 natural, -8 size)
hp 617 (24d10+480)
Fort +49, Ref +40 (- size), Will +49; +3 resistance vs mind-affecting
DR 15/evil; Immune aging, death effects, disease; SR 35
--------------------
OFFENSE
--------------------
Spd 60 ft.
Melee +5 Weapon +52 - size
Ranged +5 Weapon +38 - size
Space 30 ft.; Reach 30 ft.
Special Attacks Smite Evil, Trample (2d8+??, DC ??)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 20th; concentration +32)
Constant— air walk, mind blank, true seeing
At will—bestow curse (DC 26), break enchantment, divination, greater dispel magic, sending
3/day—greater scrying (DC 29), heal, mass suggestion (DC 28)
1/day—freedom, greater planar ally, meteor swarm (DC 31)
Spellcasting as Level 20 Cleric.
Notes to Self- Nine Lives
--------------------
STATISTICS
--------------------
Str 56, Dex 28, Con 50, Int 21, Wis 38, Cha 34
Base Atk +24; CMB +47 +Size; CMD 78 + Size
Feats Craft Wondrous Item, Vital Strike Chain (all 3) and Mythic Vital Strike, Power Attack, Furious Focus, Improved Unarmed Strike (12 + 1 Mythic + 2 Fighter Bonus +2 Monk Bonus|1 Mythic, 5 combat, 1 General)
Skills
Languages Common, Abyssal, Celesital, 2 others; telepathy 300 ft.
SQ change shape (any humanoid; alter self)
Combat Gear Belt of Physical Perfection +6, Headband of Mental Prowess (Cha/Wis) +6, Cloak of Resistance +5
Other Gear Has used Manual of Bodily Heath/Gainful Exercise/Quickeness of Action +5, Tome of Understand/Leadership and Influence +4.
Encumbrance
Coin: 891400 / 2 Spent on Wondrous Items so far.
--------------------
SPECIAL ABILITIES
--------------------
Shattering Strike (Ex)- +1 CMB and CMD on sunder and damage vs objects.
Overhand Chop (Ex)- Double strength bonus instead of x1.5 on single attacks with two handed weapon.
Two Bonus Fighter Feats
Smite
Detect Evil
Aura of Good
Divine Grace (Su)- (Paladin 2) Add Charisma bonus to all saving throws.
Lay on Hands (Su)- (Paladin 2) 1d6 positive energy, standard touch on others, swift on self. 1/2 Paladin + Charisma modifer times per day.
Monk
Stuff. Mostly here for feats and wis to ac/cmd.
25th level was the starting level of the Masters of Golarion game's starting level, which is the game my brother made up his PC that he's kinda fallen in love with. Thus, when he suggested to us to run/play our own game, he kept that in tact.
Illia, I'm not going to get into a debate about it, but if you've fought a Tarrasque and not been sufficiently challenged by it, that's probably on the GM.
Also, with my plot, you guys will absolutely need to be this powerful. In fact, this powerful is probably way too weak for my end game.
Oh, and I have no problem saying a particular foe is immune to weapons or spells. Like, flat out, infinite un-breachable DR/SR, period.
Well, if it's immune to weapons and spells, we might have to get creative. :P
I actually was one of the players in that. Depending on how it comes together I might be interested in bringing Areniel back. I will say though that allowing someone to use a CR 22 creature as their base race is going to cause some balance issues. (And why put pally levels on a CG creature? Just ask about using the pre-errata Divine Protection feat). And I'm saying that as the player whose character was/is a trumpet archon... I advocated in that game for switching to gestalt in order to bring the humans more up to my power level. An Elysian Titan will be far harder to balance...
Just read the mythic Tarrasque...
Its scary...
Awesome!!
I will post up official character creation rules later on today/night, once I confirm them with my bro.
I actually was one of the players in that. Depending on how it comes together I might be interested in bringing Areniel back. I will say though that allowing someone to use a CR 22 creature as their base race is going to cause some balance issues. (And why put pally levels on a CG creature? Just ask about using the pre-errata Divine Protection feat). And I'm saying that as the player whose character was/is a trumpet archon... I advocated in that game for switching to gestalt in order to bring the humans more up to my power level. An Elysian Titan will be far harder to balance...
Nate, first off, WELCOME! It would be AWESOME if you brought Areniel back, since I'm playing my PC from Masters.
Second, not sure if you saw, but IF we allow monster races, their CR takes up **both** sides of the gestalt.
Now then, as I just above, I am going to chat with my bro later on about creation rules, and we might negate crazy monsters after all. Cuz I understand the need for balance and what not.
Meredian would be fun as a gestalt mythic character. She shall thoroughly attend to SHENNANIGANS.
I had suggested a system back in that game that would account for both CR and HD (which really should both be considered). I'll PM the suggestion to you for consideration. Even within that framework though there probably should be some kind of cut-off... It may be hard for even a really awesome gestalt human to feel really useful if his/her always-colossal teammate is hitting things for thousands of damage from 50'...
Well I do have an old idea of mine that would be neat to turn up to 11. Then 22. Then beyond...
He is actually a character of mine that has grown to be thee favorite of mine. I just really like the way he plays out and his general personality, I think I have managed to make him into the quintessential free spirit that I had always wished I could be IRL.
Even if I dont turn him into a complete, solid crunch, just having him as a quasi-real, partially stated out character would be enough.
Heres a thought.
One of the aims of this game when you build up a character is to challenge them, to create enemies that are just that much more powerful then your character and so when you defeat them you feel a sense of satisfaction and achievement. That is definitely one way you can play, but there are others.
Hows this for a style of game. We ARE the top contenders in this world. There are no other entities that are near our power level. When we set out to achieve something, all bets are on us succeeding.
It then requires a very distinct mindset when we play the game.
1 The thought of achieving something, or overcoming a problem and succeeding as its own reward would have to go. The chances of our victory are basically a given so success cant be a driving point.
2 The risk of dying would not be there. I dont know how many mythic levels you anticipate us having, but Immortality is literally one of the abilities you get. Without the risk of death the game can lose its thrill of danger very easily and even outright failure would be hard to come by. Instead the chance of complications or unintended consequences would be the games risk (and they would have to be very speedy and immediate, for this kind of game).
Ex: You want to conquer the neighboring state to provide peace for your troops and citizens? Well you marched right in there and took over without a sweat. Now the entire rest of the world is on high alert and made you public enemy #1.
3 With the game aimed at a different target we now have these basically legendary entities being thrust into "normal" society where they then have to decide what their goals will be. (and they dont have to be as grand as the characters themselves)
Ex 2: Brian the Brave is a warrior for his kingdom, unmatched in combat and single handedly winning wars for his kingdom. He has never really been challenged in his fights. He decides that he wants to create a kingdom of his own, one where his people can know peace and prosperity. So he starts to create it but soon runs into political problems as he has to deal with the neighboring kings who dont look to kindly on the usurper. While he could just utterly demolish one or two of them, that will not create peace for his people, which is his ultimate goal.
Ex 3: Smartypants the Archmage sits at the pinnacle of magic. He can do anything, create worlds, raise armies from the dead and rewrite the laws of physics at a whim. However he has come to an epiphany. Magic has caused much suffering and inequality in the world, and the world would do better if it was gone. Smartypants then starts devising a spell that would suck out ALL the magic in the entire planet and render it mundane. First arc, he succeeds, but only temporarily. Next the world adapts to the very radical changes. Next step, make it permanent, maybe at the cost of his life or something. Que pathetic mortals who have come to stop you :)
Ex 4: You are Thee blacksmith. Your minor creations are everyone elses major artifacts. Your castoffs are legends in their own rights. While you care for creating the perfect weapon, as a Thunderbolt is to Zeus, in the meantime you have these other creations that you have gifted to promising individuals, each with a small piece of your soul. Que in all the different adventurers that each piece of gear goes on, as each item you build creates its own history and legend.
I am taking the ideas from some literature that I have really enjoyed. Many of the good books starts out with a massively powerful individual in an otherwise mundane world and how he interacts with it, often hiding or limiting his powers as he does so.
The New Gate is one where thousands of characters get stuck in a video game. The main character beats the game (becoming uberpowerful in the process) and everyone gets to go home, except for the main character. Instead he is transported 400 years into the "future" and the game has grown into true life. Next he interacts with society while trying to keep a low profile.
Noblesse The Vampire Lord comes back after sleeping for hundreds of years, life has changed, he starts to adapt. He goes to school, some fights with minor punks. That escalates to fights with a secret agent with modified humans, then up to werewolves. None of these are an actal challenge for the Lord but each is full of pride and thinks themselves to be. Main problem. The Lord fights by burning up his own soul and it is running out.
Overlord. He is a 9th level caster and the master of his guild, that guild suddenly changes places and is now in a new world. Everyone in this new world considers 3rd and 4th lvl spells as top tier. The Overlord decides to make his realm known throughout the land.
Plunderer The Red Baron is a hero from legend, hundreds of years old. His story is now considered history, legend or just myth. He is searching the world for a new life away from his past sins, but the law and trouble always follow and find him.
Dark Air In this series the main bad guy is basically Mage #1. He was a mage so powerful that he actually syphoned off all of the magic from the rest of the world (blue air) and consolidated it into one place. Before he was a top tier mage, now he is the only mage in the known community. He seeks to make his work permenant and destroy/eliminate/something? all the blue air in the world.
As for the character that I would like to go (or at least my first idea) would be as Midioto the Traveler (and Teleporter).
He is an Elan Psion (Nomad).
I have played him at low levels, at lvl 2-3 he starts being able to teleport places instead of walking/running there. At lvl 3 he begins to be able to psudo-fly via Defy Gravity. By lvl 5 he can start teleporting into the future (Time Hop).
Later on he can even travel faster into the future with mass time hop, or backwards with Time regression.
Where I would take it with this game is a very fast elan who is literally racing through time at a speed significantly faster then the rest of the world.
If I could take a template, I would give him the Quickling Template (+3) and now he is a super speedy creature who is literally traveling though time about 4x faster then everybody else and even teleporting further into time, just to get there quicker.
And as it is, with age comes power, and he is getting very old, very fast!
Except that the build completely breaks the action economy wide open, and if he isnt teleporting here and there like mad, he gets 2 extra move actions a round (+ a standard with amazing initiative) and can cast all spells as quickened spells. Even if each individual spell isnt strong, he can cast a barrage of them :/
**Broken down into spoilers so as to destroy the wall :)**
Would love to see someone take all the leadership (and Mythic Leadership) feats and see just how large of an army you had ^-^
**Also**
Would you be up to using some of the Epic rules from the 3.5 SRD?
"(And why put pally levels on a CG creature? Just ask about using the pre-errata Divine Protection feat)"
Well, as noted, the build isn't finished yet. Nothing is set in stone. I wasn't sure if I wanted to be CG or LG. I'm not sure whether she usually hangs around in Colossal size or in Medium size. I'm not sure what spells or feats she uses, or what mythic type she is. If you're saying Elysian Titans can only be CG, allow me to gnaw your hands off, er, I mean, have a civil discussion with you.
As far as balance goes, I'm a bit surprised that you guys are the least bit intimidated by that half-finished character. My Son Wukong Clone, built mechanically as a normal human PC (with Gestalt/Mythic and a ridiculous number of levels), could thrash that build of Tiffany literally without taking a hit. Tiffany is the weaker of my two builds currently.
Ah! Missed the GM post. I tend to not see things without avatars.
How would templates work? The character I'd consider scaling up is an Iroran Mummy (+1 template).
Also, leadership/cohorts? Distractions not worth putting in the game, or useful resources for the player who wants to lead a team? (a cohort typically maxes out at Level 17/MR 5 no matter how high you go)
Oh, and I have no problem saying a particular foe is immune to weapons or spells. Like, flat out, infinite un-breachable DR/SR, period.
Pretty sure there are creatures that do this RAW
* * *
My other current character concept is a wayward clone of Son Wukong. Funzies!
So... I may not have the time for this for a few more years, but the next campaign I run will be Journey to the West as a mythic beat-em-up. I'll let you know if that ever happens.
Woooh!
Ah! Missed the GM post. I tend to not see things without avatars.
How would templates work? The character I'd consider scaling up is an Iroran Mummy (+1 template).
Also, leadership/cohorts? Distractions not worth putting in the game, or useful resources for the player who wants to lead a team? (a cohort typically maxes out at Level 17/MR 5 no matter how high you go)
While we will mostly not be using 3.5 Epic, one thing we will absolutely be using is the Epic Leadership chart. However, you will NOT be required to take the feat, you just automatically gain the benefits.
As far as templates, unsure atm.
Hmm. And now I've got ideas for a character who lives almost entirely outside the material plane, or a legendary pirate with a fleet of ships, or something for the Vaults of Orv. Ugh.
Oooh.
I'd be down for making a first mate or a rival admiral.
Basically, Pathfinder piracy doesn't become really cool until level 13, when you can create entire animated ships.
25th level. Gestalt. One tier of Mythic.
30 point buy, 1 to 1. No stat higher than 20 before racial modifiers.
Templates are half of your gestalt.
Races: ARG, OR 40 RP to customize a race, that still needs to be humanoid, and should basically be a greater/pure/noble version of a basic race. Noble Drow is a good measuring stick. Psionic races too.
3pp: Just psionics. Bloodlines, Mysteries, etc from Rogue Genius, Rite Publishing, etc are allowed, but need to be approved. Mythic stuff from Legendary Games also allowed. Finally, templates from the Advanced Bestiary also allowed, again with approval.
Sorry, no monster craziness. We're already going to be really powerful.
Wealth: We're going to use Automatic Bonus Progression to handle basic stat increases.
You'll also get 1.2 million.
Finally, we each get a signature item that will basically function as a minor artifact. This should be totally custom and unique, and will need approval.
REMINDER We're all the GMs as it were, so we police ourselves basically. If one of you sees a creation or something that is over the top or broken, please speak up, either here or via PM.
Can classes be taken beyond 20, or does 25 require multiclassing? (which is how I've usually seen epic-tier go in PF and is RAW, and could be an interesting way to encourage PrCs)
Yes, multiclassing is required to go past 20. For example, I'm a 17 level Inquisitor/Paladin 8/Warpriest 15/Mystery Cultist(reflavored slightly) 10.
30 point buy, 1 to 1. No stat higher than 20 before racial modifiers.
Templates are half of your gestalt.
Races: ARG, OR 40 RP to customize a race, that still needs to be humanoid, and should basically be a greater/pure/noble version of a basic race. Noble Drow is a good measuring stick. Psionic races too.
So...
Stats can go up to 20.A class can be 25 X/22 Y with 3 levels of template, as an example.
And then we get 40 RP to build our characters?
Is this right?
And are you sure about 40 points? That is One. Crap. Ton. Of. Points. I don't even know if I could spend that much on everything relevant for a singular idea :/
And since I'm thinking about it, are we just going to ban the Mighty and Advanced as a form of self policing, as they are just raw stat boosts. Either we all take them or none of us take them :/
Yea, Mighty and Advanced are right out. Well aware of how strong they are.