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4702, the darkest year in Sandpoint’s short history. Over the course of a single agonizingly long month, the serial killer known as Chopper claimed the lives of twenty-five victims, before finally ending the spree by taking his own. Just a month later, Sandpoint’s chapel perished in a mysterious blaze that killed the town’s beloved priest, as well as his daughter. Together, these events came to be known as the Late Unpleasantness. For five years the horrid memories of these events have plagued the people of Sandpoint, darkening moods and stifling progress. With this year’s Swallowtail Festival, and with the completion of the town’s new cathedral, the people hope to finally put those dark times behind them. Little do they know however, that there is more unpleasantness yet to come…
Not that I think this adventure really needed introduction. ;P
I'll try to have the specifics for character creation up shortly.
Boo!
Hello.
Discussing!
So half-brothers attending their human parent's funeral? Father would probably be the obvious choice, although mother would certainly make for an interesting twist :p
Perhaps the mother was... a secret worshiper of Lamashtu, if-you-know-what-I-mean-GM?
It would certainly motivate her to get out and create as many progeny as possible, although the daring of a mostly-regular human woman probably wouldn't extend that to half-fiends and gnolls and ogres and stuff.
I have never played it... But have wanted to ever since I started looking into themes and such of the various adventure paths. While my current go-to character is a master-of-transmutation in the making, I have tons of concepts, so don't feel shoehorned away from arcane. Check, as I read more about the setting, I may be more inspired by something else.
For now, my main ideas are:
Frontline and Nuke Kineticist
Skilled Summoner (could be extremely fun)
Tanky Buffy Transmuter
I think I'm shifting my character away from magus and to skald, instead. The inferior spell-list will make up for the much better class flavor.
Also, I definitely would want to see a Summoner in the party.
A funeral would work! It would have to take place either before or after the festival, though. Before would probably be a little easier to work in, since you guys might be a bit busy, and since it would establish you in the town more.
As far as being the progeny of a Lamashtan... well, unless your mother wasn't a favored minion, you'd probably have come out looking a little fiendish. ;P
I'm more than open to summoner, especially since you're a four man group at the moment. Technically the adventure is designed for that, but sometimes I have my doubts.
I could work in some fiendish traits but I want to play a half-orc. The orcish heritage is pretty important to me. Besides, to be fiendish the mother would have had to have this feat
I'd say that the mother was at least partially adventurous (as in an adventurer) and that she visited the Hold of Belzken, where my character was born. Then she left and my character was raised by orcs.
He left the Hold when he got too tired of being mistreated for his half-human heritage, probably.
I'm thinking that the mother is from Sandpoint and died very recently because of...mysterious reasons. Conflict between her desire to have a safe home-town and her faith in Lamashtu, if-you-know-what-I-mean-GM.
That sounds like a great plan, especially since I have no clue what the *wink wink nudge nudge* stuff is about :p
If she was that 'wide ranging' though, it's pretty likely she'd have had a child in Sandpoint too :)
Hmmm, right now the battlefield control/mind f!%#ery sorcerer seems like a good idea. Probably with some evocation to back it up and throw around some damage.
Ability Scores 20 point buy.
Race Core, anything else on a case-by-case basis. Something that wouldn't be outright reviled in Sandpoint would be easiest to work with, but goblins and the like aren't deal breakers.
Class All Paizo classes and archetypes are allowed. Main things I'm a stickler over is adhering to the Golarion fluff for gunslingers and Eastern classes.
Traits Two traits, three if you take a drawback. I'm not gonna require campaign traits, but feel free to use the ones from both the player's guide and the APG.
Starting Wealth Average gold for your class. In addition to your free starting outfit, you are entitled to a free kit that corresponds to your class.
* 3rd party stuff will be allowed on a case-by-case basis as well.
I've had positive experiences with them so far in Kiora's game, so we'll be using the following:
- Automatic Bonus Progression
- Background Skills
- Variant Multiclassing
- Wound Thresholds
One thing that will help me a lot is knowing what each person is playing, alignment-wise. Also, how do you intend to work ABP for an eidolon?
Considering going Summoner then?
It's definitely an option. :)
Good of some form. Haven't decided quite what kind of good. I'm thinking a 'fiery redhead' type personality, so maybe Chaotic Good or Neutral Good.
Trying to pick an eidolon? What are you thinking?
As you can see below, my character is True Neutral, motivated by little other than pride in his own strength, the thrill of battle and the desire to boast of Gorum's power.
Baalrak
Male half-orc barbarian (unchained) 1
N Medium humanoid (human, orc)
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STATISTICS
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Str 16, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 7, Cha 16
Base Atk +1; CMB +4; CMD 15
Feats Power Attack
Traits Fates' Favored, Outlander (missionary), [To Be Determined]
Drawbacks Pride
Skills Artistry (epics)* +5, Climb +7, Intimidate +9, Knowledge (religion) +6, Perception +2, Perform (oratory)* +7, Survival +2, Swim +7
* = background skills
Alternate racial traits! Sacred Tattoo (Replaces orc ferocity), Chain Fighter (replaces weapon familiarity), Skilled (replaces darkvision)
Drallidur, how do you feel about the rivalry family trait? Otherwise I'm doing Brave
Well, the obvious choice is to go with something specializing in Sin... which would be a far cry from anything I've normally played. The issue being, if I actually choose a devil, it's an alignment I'm not really into... but the eidolon would be fun, as would the concept be.
But, kinda like kineticist... I'm not super picky about what kind, as each has its own really strong benefits and drawbacks.
Ooooor... I could totally go Azata. I love chaotic good, and there's really no other eidolon anything like an Azata. Maybe the other half of an ancient and mostly forgotten diety..? :)
@Leinathan: Is it safe to assume you've moved from Skald to Barbarian, at least for level one? :)
Lawful Neutral is pretty much a given for mine, since I'll be picking up monk levels.
Rivalry sounds cool! Getting a Baldur's Gate vibe from this setup... Just don't try to kill me to gain our dead mother's divine power or something ;)
Careful, you're starting to sound a bit mythic. And we can't be having that here. ;P
As for eidolons and ABP... I'm a bit torn. Since you're a four-man group, I don't think it'd break anything to give the eidolon the full bonuses (according to your character level and not to its Hit Die). In a normal game, that'd basically be doubling your wealth.
Yeah, I'm grabbing barbarian for a single level because I can use Inspired Rage to grab my own rage bonuses.
It makes me way stronger in melee combat while I'm performing for the price of only a single level :D My character was always going to be our primary frontliner.
I'm also perfectly happy with splitting my ABP with it, if that's more agreeable. It's how it would normally work for a summoner, I think. :)
Alright, I think I have my character down. See what you think everyone.
Oh, question. Would I be able to take Weapon Focus (Ranseur) since I'm proficient in my family weapon?
Female Human Sorcerer 1
NG Humanoid (Human)
Init: +1 Senses: Perception +0
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AC: 11, touch 11, flat-footed 10 (+1 Dex)
HP: 8
Fort: +1 Reflex: +1 Will: +2
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Speed: 30 feet
Melee: Ransuer +0 (2d4/x3)
Sorcerer Spells Known (CL 1st)
1st-level (4/day, DC 15) - Ear-Piercing Scream, Sleep
0-level (At-will, DC 14) - Dancing Lights, Daze, Detect Magic, Ray of Frost
Bloodline: Imperious
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Str: 10 +0
Dex: 13 +1
Con: 12 +1
Int: 14 +2
Wis: 10 +0
Cha: 18 +4
BAB: +0 CMB: +0 CMD: 11
Feats: Spell Focus (Enchantment), Spell Focus (Evocation)
Skills: Diplomacy +8 , Intimidate +8 , Knowledge (Arcana) +7 , Knowledge (Local) +6 , Spellcraft +6
Background Skills: Knowledge (History) +7 , Perform (Oratory) +8
Traits: Heirloom Weapon, Scholar of the Ancients
Languages: Common, Draconic, Thessalonian, Varisian
Special: Bloodline Arcana (Imperious), Skilled (Human), Student of Humanity
Combat Gear: Scroll of Mage Armor
Other Gear: Heirloom Ranseur, Ink, Inkpen, Journal, Scroll Case, Sorcerer’s Kit (Backpack, Bedroll, Belt Pouch, Flint and Steel, Mess Kit, Pot, Soap, Trail Rations x5, Waterskin), Traveler’s Outfit, 5gp
Question: Can I use the combat stamina system, and is it automagically granted to fighters, or does it need to be picked up with a feat?
Well, the character is a sorcerer. I dunno how down I am with the sleep spell, but otherwise it looks pretty good.
I wouldn't recommend Weapon Focus, though.
Sleep is pretty good at low levels, just needs to get swapped out later on for something not hard-capped in HD.
There aren't a lot of great enchantment spells at 1st level for a wizard/sorcerer. Sleep is one of the better ones for early gameplay.
Weapon Focus is a prerequisite of Dazzling Display. And my bloodline arcana is that when I get a bonus to all intimidate checks equal to the level of a damaging spell on all opponents effected by the spell. Imagine fireball followed by a demoralize check against everyone hit by it. And if I can use skill unlocks, I can make people cower and flee with this at higher levels.
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@Hotaru: If you're all right with splitting progression, we can go ahead and do it that way. Might need a cheat sheet to see which bonuses are going where, though.
@leinathan: Just out of curiosity, are you going with the Belkzen War Drummer? As far as the rage combo goes, I think the benefits of your own song would eventually outweigh the rage you get at level 1, but I don't see why the trick wouldn't work later on.
@kamenhero: Huh, ABP makes that trait kind of decent. I'm not sure if it works with the RAW, but I'd rule that the feat would work for that specific weapon. Same for any further feats down the chain.
@Isilme: Combat Stamina is allowed; we'll work with the assumption that fighters get it for free.
Let's see...equipment...
105gp to spend!
A free fighter's kit (a backpack, a bedroll, a belt pouch, a flint and steel, an iron pot, a mess kit, rope, soap, torches (10), trail rations (5 days), and a waterskin)!
A free explorer's outfit!
50gp on a greatsword!
15gp on some hide armor!
5gp for an iron holy symbol of Gorum!
10gp for a journal!
8gp for some ink!
1sp for an inkpen!
1sp for a hammock!
5sp for a blanket!
16gp and 3sp on a tattoo!
No money remaining!
No, I'm not going with the War Drummer. I want to be using Oratory and then Sing. Also, I don't want to use greatclubs. I want to use greatswords, the favored weapon of Gorum!
I was expecting that and am completely okay with it. I might grab a crafting feat and self enchant it to add other powers to it too, if you're okay with crafting.
Wait... kits are free? :o
Starting Wealth Average gold for your class. In addition to your free starting outfit, you are entitled to a free kit that corresponds to your class.
Yeah, there'll be some downtime for crafting. I think you can work on it as you adventure as well, but I might be wrong.
It feels more natural to space everything out than to have all these horrible things happening one right after the other.
Yeah, I caught that a bit late. :P I thought that it was an 'all the time' thing and was like 'no way...'
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The Baalrackstory:
When Baalrak was only a few months old, his mother had already abandoned him to the orcs of the Murdered Child tribe he had been born to.
Living in Wyvernsting as an infant half-orc was nearly fatal to Baalrak many dozens of times over, as his orcish father was hardly paternal to him. He did not have a wet nurse and so was very poorly-nourished in his younger years. He made it through by an early-learned desire for victory (victory over hunger, victory over despair, etc) and a scrappy cunning that many of the orcs native to the city didn't possess. He stole, he kissed asses and he hid from those he couldn't fight himself.
Life amongst the orcs was hard - staggeringly hard. Many of his peers didn't make it, but Baalrak was possessed not only of uncommon strength for a half-orc but also of significant charm and toughness, and a nearly supernatural luck. He learned how to fight, how to boast, and what it takes to make a human quake in its boots. And when his father died (during a raid, killed by knights riding from Lastwall), Baalrak became the man of his house, which came with certain perks. Like having a bedroom to sleep in all the time! Baalrak didn't even have to sleep on the ground anymore.
But there is a ceiling for where a half-orc can get to in Wyvernsting. Chief Hundux does not tolerate competition, and though he's headstrong and prideful, Baalrak is not foolish enough to believe that he can take on the chieftain and win.
The excuse to leave didn't come for a few years, after Baalrak had been blooded in a raid for the first time, and after he had been with a woman for the first time, and when he finally had thought he might be able to tolerate life in Wyvernsting. Delivered to his house was a notice of his mother's death, and a date for her funeral.
He hadn't thought about his mother in many years, of course, but he had been looking to leave the Hold of Belzken for a long time, now... and he had always been curious about her.
He packed everything he needed and left Wyvernsting the next day, bound for the mysterious destination of "Sandpoint".
Here's what I've got so far:
Wyrd Grimward a.k.a. One-eyed Grim
Male Half-Elf Monk (Unchained, Master of Many Styles) 1
LN Medium Humanoid (Human, Elf)
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STATISTICS
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Str 15, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 7
Base Atk +1; CMB +3; CMD 17
Feats Combat Reflexes, Kirin Style
Racial Traits Ancestral Arms (Elven Branched Spear), Multi-talented (Fighter/Monk)
Traits Rivalry, Bruising Intellect, Reactionary
Drawbacks Family Ties
Skills (4 class, 3 int, 2 bkg-*) Acrobatics +6, Intimidate +7, *Know(History) +7, Know(Local) +4, Know(Nature) +4, Know(Religion) +4, Perception +6, *Profession(Mercenary) +4, Sense Motive +6
The Baalrackstory:
Ooh, sounds good.
Baalrak's story addresses just about all of this already, but here's a few questions for everyone to consider. Just the usual stuff.
1.Where did your character come from? Do they live in Sandpoint? If not, why are they in the area?
2. What does your character do for a living? Are they new to adventuring?
3. What inspired your character to take on their starting class? Were they tutored or schooled, or were their skills self-taught?
4. How does your character get along with Sandpoint’s locals? Are there any locals in particular that your character is closely acquainted with?
5. Why might your character be compelled to stay in Sandpoint?
2. Baalrak tells bawdy tales and fights in a brawling ring for money. At least, he did in the Hold. He's been away for a number of weeks, surviving on an ever-diminishing small pouch of savings. He's been planning on a mixture of hunting and stealing to feed himself in Sandpoint.
3. Baalrak's abilities as a barbarian were borne from necessity - it was either adopt the most powerful, vicious fighting style possible or die.
4. Sandpoint's locals look askew at Baalrak, viewing him with a mixture of fear and respect. He is completely fine with this. He hasn't met many of them, but of those he has met by far his favorites are Daviren Hosk, for his hatred of goblins and skill at killing them, Belor Hemlock, for his dedication to his violent line of work, and Shayliss Vinder, for her... very well-endowed body.
5. Baalrak would be compelled to stay nearly entirely because of how dangerous the town becomes, and his desire to field increasingly difficult challenges.
Still a bit rough, and could use some serious backfilling of details, but should serve as a good start.
Wyrd was born in a small, secluded monastery of Iroran monks up in the Calphiak Mountains west of Riddleport. His mother had arrived seeking shelter from something or someone--Wyrd had never gotten a straight answer. His father, Alinel, an elf, had been studying the martial arts in the monastery for several decades at that point, and somehow fell for her early in her stay. She remained through the winter, and by spring she was heavy with child. She stayed for several months after Wyrd's birth, then vanished into the night. The monastery being no place to raise a toddler, Wyrd was given to a small family in the village at the foot of the mountain to raise until he was old enough to return to the temple.
Wyrd remembers little of his adoptive family at the time, the only thing he really remembers was when bandits raided the village, burning down the buildings and killing many of its inhabitants. His adoptive parents were among those slain, and Wyrd himself, only six at the time, was attacked and left for dead next to them. He would have died there if his father and the monks hadn't travelled down from the mountain at the first signs of trouble to rout the bandits. In the aftermath, Wyrd's father sought him out and managed to find him in time to staunch his wounds. He carried Wyrd back up to the temple where he recouperated for several months under the care of the monks. Thouigh he had lived, the bandits had left their mark on him permanently. The monks were unable to save his right eye, which now was just a clouded white orb in its socket, and the scars left from the cuts on his face were quite horrendous. Feeling guilty for his son's wounding, his father asked the grandmaster of the temple to admit his son early to training. The grandmaster assented eventually, and accepted Wyrd, though his first few years of training were mainly physical chores and little else. Still, during this time Wyrd watched the monks go about their training in his free time and recieved some basic instruction from his father as well. Years passed and Wyrd took up his father's fighting style, a mixture of the martial arts practiced in the temple combined with the use of an elven longspear. The monks of the temple cared little about his appearance, and he excelled under their tutelage, becoming a fearsome fighter in his own right.
When he came of age, he began to become curious about the outside world. Packing his things, he left with his father's permission to travel and see what lay beyond the monastery gates. After all, the path to enlightenment was different for each person, and if he never made an effort to learn more, he'd be unable to be certain that he'd found his path. The world outside came as somewhat of a shock to Wyrd. While within the temple he had been just another monk, outside it his facial scars and clouded eye made him unpopular, if not outright detested by people. He travelled and begged for food as necessary, trying his best to make his way until he managed to finally find work as a mercenary. The other mercenaries cared little for his appearance once he'd proven his fighting ability, and he quickly earned the nickname One-eyed Grim--chosen for both his fearsome appearance and his stoic nature--from his companions. He continued on doing mercenary work for a few years before deciding to head back to the monastery to visit his father.
Shortly after his return, the temple recieved notice from a messenger that his mother had passed away, and that all of her family was invited to the funeral. His father, while unwilling to make the trip himself, encouraged Wyrd to attend the funeral. His father had always stressed that family, be they the members of the temple, or blood relatives, were important beyond anything he or Wyrd might want themselves. Needless to say, when Wyrd prepared to set off, his father reminded him that any of his mother's family must thus be treated with the utmost deference and respect. With his father's advice taken to heart, he packed his things and set off for Sandpoint to hopefully learn something of his mother's life.
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1.Where did your character come from? Do they live in Sandpoint? If not, why are they in the area?
A monastery of Irori in the Calphiak mountains in Varisia.
2. What does your character do for a living? Are they new to adventuring?
Wyrd, (or Grim, or One-eye, or One-eyed Grim) has served as a mercenary for a few years, taking odd jobs like caravan escorts or supplemental guard in patrols against bandits. He's lawful, so his work is always above board in nature.
3. What inspired your character to take on their starting class? Were they tutored or schooled, or were their skills self-taught?
In the monastery, he's trained in the skills his father had mastered as well.
4. How does your character get along with Sandpoint’s locals? Are there any locals in particular that your character is closely acquainted with?
Sabyl Sorn, who runs the House of Blue Stones, the temple to Irori in Sandpoint is someone Wyrd has become acquainted with quickly upon arrival. He stays there with her permission, helping maintain it for his room and board while he is in town for the funeral.
5. Why might your character be compelled to stay in Sandpoint?
The House of Blue Stones is a place where he could begin to take students of his own if he decided to settle in Sandpoint. He has learned almost everything he can from his father at this point, so he had intended to find a new place to continue his study of the martial arts sooner rather than later.
Needless to say, when Wyrd prepared to set off, his father reminded him that any of his mother's family must thus be treated with the utmost deference and respect.
HAH!
This dynamic is exciting to me.
Yeah, I figured it'd add something to the rivalry. The drawback Family Ties pretty much means Grim's gotta honor Baalrak's requests, even if he's a complete ass :p
I was actually planning on playing Baalrak off as pretty nice. Charming, at the very least, for sure. You don't get through life surrounded by bigger and stronger things by being abrasive and mean.
Probably the most annoying thing about him will be the boasting. He's gonna be that archetypal ally-in-arms, and with the rest of the PCs as arcanists you'll be the only one he can commiserate about the pain of getting stabbed with!
Okay, I think I have a backstory down.
Sandra was perturbed by the strange fortune and the fortune teller reluctantly went on his way. Sandra saw him again and again through his journey in the region and she began to consult him several more times, trying to uncover what his first cryptic fortune meant. Sandra never told her daughter the full story, but the fortune teller was indeed her father. He left the region entirely a few months before her birth and never saw Sandra again. Shara has always been a little resentful of him for this, but she grew up happily with her mother in Sandpoint.
Shara was a precocious child to say the least. She was brash, rebellious, quick to anger, and a little bratty. It didn’t help that she awakened to the arcane power in her blood when she was only nine. While her control was tenuous at best and her power was very limited while she was growing, she drove her mother near madness more than once causing trouble with some of the other village children. Unfortunately, her life couldn’t remain easy. Entering her teenage years, her temper became outright explosive and was playfully nicknamed the Bonfire, for her furious tirades and scathing tongue. Fortunately, she proved to be much calmer when she began to indulge her intelligence. Brodert Quink quickly found himself the only person in town able to calm Shara’s temper and in return he received a brilliant pupil who was more than willing to absorb his lessons and whatever knowledge he could give her. Eventually, he informed her mother that an education in Magnimar could do Shara more good than what lessons he could give her on his own.
Scraping together enough money for tuition, Sandra sent her daughter off to the Stone of the Seers. Though Shara found her arcane talents more effective in matters of mental domination and conjuring of pure power, her studies theory of magic and the lessons in history and philosophy helped her advance her talents and fully manifest her arcane talents. Two months ago, she finally returned to Sandpoint with her full accreditation from the school, ready to take on the world. In particular, her old mentor’s fascination with Thassilon has returned with a vengeance and she’s begun investigating rumors of more ruins near Sandpoint, hoping to make one good discovery of her own to jump start her career as a scholar and arcanist. She hopes to uncover some secret of magic power or lost lore that can help her truly advance her own powers. However, her mother’s old stories of danger in her bloodline have never quite left her and she also seeks to uncover exactly where her arcane powers originate from so that she might learn what fate has in store for her.
2) Shara wants to make her living as a scholar, archaeologist, and traveling mage, but she's just out of school and hasn't made a start of it yet.
3) She was born with mysterious arcane power in her blood. If anything, her class chose her. Her odd choice of weapon for a sorceress is her mother's most valuable possession, a ranseur that's been in their family for longer than they have recorded history of their family.
4) Shara's got a temper and a bit of a reputation as a troublemaker, but she gets along well with most people. She still close to her mother Sandra Azalna who is still a serving maid at the Hagfish and still holds great respect for her former mentor, Brogert Quink. Additionally, Jargie Quinn, the owner of the Hagfish is like an uncle and she often refers to him as such, though she knows better than to dare get near the Hagfish challenge.
5) Shara fully intends to use Sandpoint as a base of operations for her travels and research, so nothing is really needed to convince her to stay.
Sorry, busy til this afternoon. I'm still mentally working, but today will be somewhere between extremely slow, and extremely hectic.
Also, Baalrak: YOu're going to love my Eidolon soooo much. Maybe.
I've opted not to really directly emulate anything with my eidolon and instead go with echoing another concept listed here... and expanding on it a bit. :)
I was actually planning on playing Baalrak off as pretty nice. Charming, at the very least, for sure. You don't get through life surrounded by bigger and stronger things by being abrasive and mean.
Probably the most annoying thing about him will be the boasting. He's gonna be that archetypal ally-in-arms, and with the rest of the PCs as arcanists you'll be the only one he can commiserate about the pain of getting stabbed with!
I like that the half-orc is the handsome one. And not just 'cause of Grim's horrible scarring, but legitimately so :p
One thing I'm still deciding on is whether to focus fighter afterwards or try to stick with monk. At this point I need at least a two level dip in Fighter(Lore Warden) to get all the knowledge skills as class skills and pick up combat expertise for free, but after that it's not really a sure thing. Fighter would mean I could get trip up and running pretty quickly, would gain weapon training, and probably afford more styles in the long run, while monk would give more utility and flexibility in styles with the way the style bonus feats work. It also depends on whether style strikes function for a MOMS in a style doing a full attack, instead of being dependent on flurry of blows.
Is the elven branched spear a monk weapon?
Nope. But master of many styles gives up flurry of blows. By RAW, style strikes wouldn't work at all. And now that I think of it, I believe that the archetypes are explicitly incompatible with the unchained monk.
Didn't Kiora mention a 3pp that revised all of the archetypes to be compatible? I think it was used for Hinagiku's character.
Max Hitpoints or half rounded up for Eidolon?
Go ahead and max them at first level. Everyone's hit points will be average after that.