Why are you not considering the core template half-dragon? I'd prefer to keep 3pp out of the mix.
The attribute bonuses themselves would make it a +1 CR. SO why do you want it if two of the components are replaced by class abilities?
+1 natural armor? that's a feat or magic item.
Vision?
Based on your earlier comments, it sounds like you want dragon type, darkvision, extended low-light vision, boosts to your strength and charisma, for free.
Only thing I'm confused about in that run-down is the Norn. With 20 HD + 1 CR + 3 CR + 2 class levels, isn't that 26?
And you guys just let me know what we're running with. It seems pretty clear we're not going to come to a general concensus (though i think Skulda's 'only one template regardless of monster HD/class level' idea is good).
I feel like I've been more and more against templates as we've been going on. I just feel like they don't feel particularly compatible with PCs.
I'm fine if we ban them or limit everybody to 1.
I'm hoping GMV was joking when he said that he should be able to take on a bunch of templates to his CR 19 dragon because his CR and HD would still be = or under 25.
I do not intend on taking any templates. I like the dragon just as it is.
On a side note, what ideas can anyone come up with for the type of organization that a silver dragon would be likely to run?
I am looking through some possibilities currently but haven't settled on anything yet.
A lot of the Half-Dragon is rendered pointless via my class levels as well.
The major benefits would be the extra natural armor, the stat increases and the extra use of a my breath weapon.
The immunities, wings and melee attacks are all granted by my being a 15th level Sorc/10th level Dragon Disciple.
One thing that would be a minor issue would be that the breath weapon DC from the Half-Dragon is based on Con, while the one from Draconic Sorc is based on Cha.
Yar!
And for another point regarding the whole CR/HD/Levels thing, the CR = Class levels - 1 is for NPCs with levels in PC classes but with NPC wealth (which is a fraction of what standard PC wealth is). When a character has levels in a PC class and has standard PC wealth, his CR is equal to his level.
This is shown in the NPC codex when talking about the iconics:
You can use the iconics as NPCs for your player characters to fight, study under, or contact for jobs or useful information. However, because the iconics have PC-level gear and use the 20-point ability score buy instead of the heroic array, their CRs are 1 higher than those of NPCs of the same level (1st-level Amiri is CR 1, whereas a 1st-level barbarian NPC is CR 1/2, and so on). These are the CRs listed in the iconics' stat blocks, and the characters' XP value is based on this adjusted CR. Feel free to use the iconics as tough leaders of groups of standard NPCs for a little extra challenge.
So yeah, by them there rules, level 25 is the same thing as CR 25.
~P
Back, I completely forgot to mention on this thread that I was away at my girlfriend's graduation ball.
In short:
I think the majority speaks and that 1 template should be the maximum.
Were there any other major questions? I literally just back and may have missed something through the reading.
Yeah, Validk's right. Ignore my bit about 0 HD races and class levels. Also I didn't think about taking HD or CR whichever is higher, that's also a better way.
Templates are simple, not incompatible with PCs in any way. Even stacking templates is simple, it will just lead to everyone being an "Advanced" something or other. Since all that does is raise the floor on our power level by +2 to everything across the board, there is no point in doing it except to make more work for the GM in designing harder monsters for us to fight. I will rework Skulda without the advanced template and another class level in something after I get off work tonight.
Other than that I think we have a totally fair and workable system if we use the method of calculation Validk said, and a single template each. If Herald disagrees fine, it would be nice to stop discussing and just have a ruling anyway.
Hey Herald, do you think we can move this to an actual discussion thread?
Pretty sure Skulda, myself, GMV, Eben, Pirate and Ace are the main players here, but even if you still want to choose a different group, we should move away from recruitment, as I think we have enough players and we don't want anybody to stumble on this thread and be interested in playing.
The template verdict is good with me, although I'll probably need to rebuild Callant with just 1 template. I believe that we are good with 3pp templates, correct?
Hey Herald, do you think we can move this to an actual discussion thread?
Pretty sure Skulda, myself, GMV, Eben, Pirate and Ace are the main players here, but even if you still want to choose a different group, we should move away from recruitment, as I think we have enough players and we don't want anybody to stumble on this thread and be interested in playing.
I can make a discussion thread for this. Is there a way to make someone else the GM once I have done so? It would be easier that way if possible.
You can tranfer the GM of a thread, but you have to e-mail Paizo tech support. Pain in the rear.
Hey I am also one of the main players here! I have been from the beginning.
I do have a question for you Herald, are asterions allowed? I have both a human fighter and an advanced asterion alchemist in the works and I would like to know which one to focus on :)
Think i've been pretty active here as well.
Haha, sorry guys, I can't keep everybody + their aliases straight.
Regarding the dragon blood 3pp template:
Amulet of Natural Armor +1, 2000 gold. 3000 gold if you add it to another neck slot item or 4000 to make it slotless.
Your character profile is woefully under completed, but we have inherent and enhancement bonuses to abilities available.
As for the extra uses of the breath weapon, I don't see this as a feat, but equate it to a feat like many of the other 'extra XX' feats.
Dark Blue Rhomboid Ioun Stone = alertness as feat $10,000
Opalescent White Pyramid = proficiency with one weapon $10,000
Rod of metamagic XX = varies
Phylactery of positive channeling 11,000
Looks like for about 20k you could have what you want without adding 3pp template.
Crash and Validk were both here before me :P
I thought Crash and Validk were aliases of people I had mentioned above.
I'll take the Half-Dragon template, just was trying to go for a less powerful one, that still fit thematically.
I, too, am in favor of moving this into a discussion thread. Anyone who's following closely enough will know to transfer over, and I'm guessing that will be more than enough people to start a game.
If this doesn't get going soon, I am thinking of offering to run something myself with the caveat that I can run a DMPC (mainly to participate in any combats that occur). The problem is I don't have time to come up with something from scratch and the highest level adventure I have is level 17 (Witchwar Legacy). I could scale it up, but it would take me a while. I'd also probably like to aim for something more like level/CR 21. Any idea on when this might get started Herald?
If you were to run something, Skulda, why the decrease necessarily?
Why aim for 21 instead of 25? It'd be easier for me, plain and simple. 25 also somehow feels too powerful.
I was looking through stuff and came across an old Dungeon magazine epic level adventure. It's called Quicksilver Hourglass. If herald doesn't get something up and running (or at least moving that way) within a week or so, I'll probably start a recruitment thread for it. I'd be willing to run it with 25th level characters as it was written with such in mind.
Cool. I'll keep my eyes peeled for it. Hopefully this game can get off the ground, though. :)
CR 25 does feel powerful, in the face of relatively rare competition (mostly high ranking demons/devils and the occasional monster), but 21st level is not much different, really, especially if your a non-caster type. Caster types will get more spell slots/levels, but that just makes up for the fact that they will be even less inclined to get up close and personal. Non-caster types won't get anything that the caster types get.
And to be honest, in most (stereotypical) situations, most players are going to gravitate towards the caster. Personally, I think that, given how many PC's have popped up as a caster type on this thread, I think that my hypothesis kinda bears out. Given that case, I think we should leave things as they presently are, in terms of levels. Just my 2cp.
Who should I message to ask for this to be moved to a discussion thread?
Who should I message to ask for this to be moved to a discussion thread?
My suggestion is to make a campaign and set up a discussion thread. It would be the easiest without having to email the paizo staff.
Alternatively, if you don't mind me being the owner I can turn this thread into a recruitment and set up such a thread.
If you opened this thread, you can just create a new thread in the Discussion forum, and it should ask you if it's the discussion thread for this Recruitment thread. If you weren't the original poster for this thread, then it's easiest just to make a new one like GMV said above.
How goes the new thread? Is it: up yet?
Doesn't seem so yet. Will we link it here when it is?
Yar!
Doesn't seem so yet. Will we link it here when it is?
That is standard practice.
~P
Nah, he will leave us hanging and not link it. He will make 10 posts there and think that we don't want a game and have abandoned him.
:P
Sorry, like I said, I'm new to these boards. Just was wondering if we would deal with the large amount of players by essentially playing tag. Whoever finds the discussion thread first gets into the game! :P
so long as we don't have to fight for it.
I've begun some conversion work on the adventure I have. Still hoping to play rather than GM, but better safe than sorry. If this falls through I'd probably be ready to start running it in a week or two.
I'd be running an open recruitment, but likely only a week long. That would give you all a huge advantage when applying because you already all have characters made. I'd be looking for five players that would make a balanced party+my DMPC (some version of Skulda).
Who should I message to ask for this to be moved to a discussion thread?My suggestion is to make a campaign and set up a discussion thread. It would be the easiest without having to email the paizo staff.
Alternatively, if you don't mind me being the owner I can turn this thread into a recruitment and set up such a thread.
I do not mind you being the owner whatsoever.
So, what else do we need to sort out?
I think the only thing left that I have to do is buy mundane items. Which still aren't very many, so it shouldn't take too long.
Who should I message to ask for this to be moved to a discussion thread?My suggestion is to make a campaign and set up a discussion thread. It would be the easiest without having to email the paizo staff.
Alternatively, if you don't mind me being the owner I can turn this thread into a recruitment and set up such a thread.
I do not mind you being the owner whatsoever.
So, what else do we need to sort out?
Alright then. For the purposes of the game, what do I name the campaign?
Also, the thread is now up here.
Yar!
So, what else do we need to sort out?
Other than who (of the 10 hopefuls I last counted) will be in the game (and should thus finish all the minutia of their characters), the following questions from the FAQ still need an answer (whether it be a GM confirmation after some other discussion, or a question that simply got no real answer or group consensus):
"When you charge, you do double damage (triple with a lance)."
Is the bracketed text redundant (meaning an attack with a lance from the back of a mount and the character has both Spirited Charge and Supreme Charge does x2+x2+x2=x4 damage)? Or does the bracketed text actually indicate a higher multiplier for the lance (making it do x2+x3+x3=x6 damage)?
I may have missed something, and if so my preemptive apologies.
EDIT: Links:
For mobile devices: FAQ DOC MOBILE
For non-mobile: FAQ DOC DESKTOP
~P
Yar!
Also, the thread is now up here.
HUZZAH!
...do you need to make the first discussion post? I tried to post my happiness there, but it didn't go through. (all the PBP games I'm in here were late joins, so I have no idea what this step is actually like).
~P
Yar!
Also, the thread is now up here.HUZZAH!
...do you need to make the first discussion post? I tried to post my happiness there, but it didn't go through. (all the PBP games I'm in here were late joins, so I have no idea what this step is actually like).
~P
It should work. I just did up a post. I had to delete the thread and try again. This is my first time setting up such a thing. Took me a couple to finally get it down.
The tabs at the top of the page will work now. I will add more details and the gameplay thread as we need it.
Yar!
It should work. I just did up a post. I had to delete the thread and try again. This is my first time setting up such a thing. Took me a couple to finally get it down.
The tabs at the top of the page will work now. I will add more details and the gameplay thread as we need it.
Cool and excellent!
...and because it's more on the "recruitment" side of things (and the sometimes Stage Manager in me is a stickler for organization, which includes detailed information consolidated to be easy to reference), here is the list of hopefuls and their background posts in one location for ease of reference (in the order that they posted):
Race Human, possibly Advanced.
Classes Draconic Blooded Sorc 15/Dragon Disciple 10
Backstory
Not gonna post too much here, as I am on my cell phone but the main focus of the character is that he is a mortal champion of Io(or whoever takes his place), that places drgaons and dragonkind above all others.
Because he is actually a nomal human, as opposed to a shapeshifted dragon or something, he's able to accomplish a lot more.
Knows and works closely with GMV's character.
Type of game
I'd definitely would like this to include some planar intrigue/hopping, along with the whole quest for immortality.
Interacting with established, powerful beings, is a very cool draw for this type of game.
Level of gaming experience
Been gaming most of my life, started with Vampire the Masquerade, and other White-Wolf games, then moved on to 3.x
I'm an avid fan of Golarion and pre 4e Forgotten Realms and Eberron.
Play plenty of copmuter RPGs, mostly Warcraft(WoW included) and Might and Magic games(Heroes too)
Race/Class/Etc Half-Celestial ADoppelganger / Wizard
Flavor/Backstory Self appointed fix-it person. Righter of wrongs, etc. The back story kinda depends on the campaign, my current back story had him as an adviser to a ruler, sent on those missions where discretion and plausible deniability were needed. He moved on to be a personal hero in the shadows, rumors abound, stories are sung and told, but he or she? is a hero of many faces, combating evil where ever it may hide.
What kind of Campaign you want/where/focus I like the idea of a green lantern type of campaign that is plane/planet spanning. I think I'd like to start with our introduction or creation of such an organization. Since most of us are probably familiar with it, I'd like to start in Golarion.
Level of experience (years/games/etc) Oh dear. I started playing in junior high, and that ages me as I have played for something like 25 plus years. I have played Advanced D&D, 3.5, and Pathfinder. Not to mention my favorite game system GURPS. I have also extensively played Mage Ascension, Star Wars d6 and d20, Star Trek (the old take 3 hours to make your character version), Marvel, TSR Gamma World, Firefly, Shadowrun, MechWarrior, and Space Opera. I am also familiar with Hero, Palladium, Recon, Rifts, Twilight 2000, and various electronic RPG's. And in those games I have played children, aliens, twins, retired adults, mutants, monsters, some of them epic equivalent for their game systems too, especially 3.5, pathfinder, gamma world, and GURPS.
Race/Class/Etc: Advanced Halfling Cavalier 20, Ranger 3, Inquisitor 1
Flavor/Backstory: Noble, Chivalrous, Charismatic ladies man, Defender of the weak, Liberator of the enslaved. Inspired by Sir Orrin Neville-Smythe from the old cartoon movie "Flight of Dragons", except halfling instead of human, and riding a dinosaur instead of a horse. (also used a number of other characters from that classic). Initial backstory is summed up in the post previous this.
What kind of Campaign you want/where/focus: For me, part of the joy is seeing my character develop as a character, how he deals with different situations and other characters, and how those situations and characters change him in turn, all the while experiencing the unfolding of the current story/plot. In that light, I actually prefer a decent mix of styles, while avoiding extremes that exclude other possibilities. I prefer to stay away from "ALL RP NO COMBAT" just as much as I prefer to stay away from "ALL COMBAT NO RP" games. Some combat, some intrigue/politics, some mystery, some blatant/straightforward threats and counter-actions, with the caveat that we players are, at least most of the time, central to the action. On that note, I find that some great role-playing and character interactions can and do happen during combat, and I try to do this whenever I can. As for setting, at the moment I prefer the Inner Sea (Golarion), but I am also comfortable with Forgotten Realms (Toril), Dragonlance (Krynn), Ravenloft (Demiplane of Dread), Eberron, and Planescape (Sigil and Planes-hoping in general). I will also note that a pit of planes-hoping may be fun for this game as well. Greenlantern-esque inter-planar police force could be a good thing. Having Chaldira tell Sir Orrin that he should take the Test of the Starstone to become a god at her side could also be interesting (for me, at least. Would have to find a way to make it work for everybody though) ^_^
Level of experience (years/games/etc): I started playing in 1993 (so, 20+ years), doing a mix of 1e and 2e AD&D, sometimes mixed with Hero Quest, and sometimes playing the old board game (new that year) "DragonStrike" on the side (oh that VHS included with it was hilariously terrible). Been playing "D&D" regularly ever since as both a player and GM, sometimes in multiple games at once. Also dabbled in FATE, but it's mostly been 1e, 2eAD&D, 3.x, and Pathfinder. Was a part of the Alpha and Beta for Pathfinder, as well as it's later products. Most of my gaming is done IRL, but I also play in and run games at www.Rondaksportal.com (www.rondaksportal.ca for those who wish to support Canadian domains), and have been a regular member there since 2001. Only just starting to get into PBP's here. If you want to narrow in on the "role" part of RPG's, I also hold a Bachelors of Arts in Drama, and while studying drama (literature) and acting (performing), also played many RPG games with fellow actors and designer, mostly 3.x, plus the given improve sessions and such. However, I do not believe I fall into the "wannabe actor" stereotype than some gamers have. That is, I don't need to be in the spotlight the whole time, I understand and am a proponent of the concept of sharing the stage and letting others have their moments, and if anything do my best to facilitate shared moments with everyone involved. (I also actually focused on technical theatre and design, so maybe that's part of it?)
Race: Ancient Silver Dragon
Flavor/Backstory: Katja is a kind, giving dragon who has an insatiable curiosity to see more of the universe/planes. She is given to helping others and fights evil when she sees the right opportunity. She works closely with a human Zashier who she is quite close to.
She often travels to distant lands to explore and show kindness along the way.
What kind of Campaign you want.
Planes traveling filled with intrigue. A group of powerful individuals are gathered to form an elite group (similar to the Green Lantern core) that are sent out to thwart evil on a scale that could not otherwise be done.
Note: I am highly averse to more than 25% combat at this level. If it is kept at that stage I would be fine with it.
Level of experience (years/games/etc)
I have been gaming for 13 years. In that time I have played Palladium's Rifts & Heroes Unlimited, D&D 3.5, GURPS (which I love but am trying to learn more), Mutants & Masterminds 3e, Traveller, and of course Pathfinder.
I find that I like Pathfinder a lot as it makes 3.5 the way I wanted it to be from the beginning.
Race/Class/Etc Human Sorcerer 25, Void-Touched Bloodline
Flavor/Backstory
Like I said, I like the idea of owning a magic item shop franchise. Seems like the sort of pursuit for a magic lover who ends up accruing his wealth and resources for magical uses. Through his adventures with the group, he'd probably come across magic items he'd wish to replicate and sell. I keep seeing a mix of Saxton Hale and Tony Stark, if that makes any sense for comparison.
What kind of Campaign you want/where/focus
I'm fine with the plane hopping Green Lantern style idea that a few people brought up by now. Seems like quite a lot of fun could be had through that.
Level of experience (years/games/etc)
While I seem to be relatively new to roleplaying in comparison to those who've already posted, I have about two years of nearly constant DnD3.5/Pathfinder experience under my belt. To be frank, I throw myself into something and I do it hard. I've quickly made myself familiar with the rules as best I can interpret and I feel like I can share a lot with the group. I'm also thinking of starting a game myself soon, upon finding people interested.
I also have four years of general play by post roleplaying experience, albeit not DnD or Pathfinder. I feel like I can get into a character and play roles people enjoy.
Character Name: Crash
Character Title: The Hammer
Race: Pure Mundane Human
Flavor/Backstory: As a boy Crash dreamt of being unparalleled under the heavens, to be the master of combat and to be undefeatable. After many years perusing this lofty goal and focusing on it to the exclusion of almost anything else he has reached that goal. There has been no martial foe to date that could match him and he grew dissatisfied with it. He withdrew from the world and lived a hermit style life for the last few decades, living a quiet, hermitic life picking up a bit of alchemy and tending to his pickles. While he has been incapable of magic his whole life he has developed a sixth sense and awareness unparalleled by anyone. Nothing moves without him noticing it and he has claimed to be able to spot an invisible creature 500 feet away with no difficulty. Yet his experiments and travels have changed him physically. He now hides his eyes underneath a blindfold and the question remains. Whats under the mask?
He has heard of a legendary group assembling and he is wondering if he might have a chance to find a chalenge once again.
What kind of Campaign you want.
Planes traveling sounds good. I would be up for finding immortality/godhood. Despite the fact that my guy is a melee focused character I would be fine even if there was not much combat, if there is however, my guy would shine.
Level of experience (years/games/etc)
I have been doing pathfinder for about a year and a half? I was introduced to 3.5 for a year or so before that. I have been playing computer games ever since I was a kid (around 15-18 years ago) and have played plenty of other games, LOL, DOTA, Civ, Titan Quest, Red Alert, Empire, Warhammer/40k, cards of all sorts, pokemon (way to much pokemon...), ya. lots.
I do have a great system mastery of Pathfinder and am currently in a lvl 20 game right now. Of the other games I am in, I have 3 support characters and am loving them because there is always something you can do, and you can make others look better :) I understand that a great amount of teamwork is needed for this game, even more so with high levels otherwise everyone does their own thing and the game quickly looses steam :(
Race/Class/Etc: Female Samsaran Druid (Menhir Savant) 25
Flavor/Backstory: Perhaps the oldest Samsaran to walk existence, Nagato has lived hundreds of lives and has yet to find the perfect inner peace/doom (Nirvana) that eventually pulls her people out of their constant cycle of life and death. She (generally) enjoys every cycle of life, but after having gone through so many of them, she is rather more aware of her situation than others Samsarans. As such, Nagato eventually developed contingency plans that would make the most of her lives and deaths in her search for perfect peace.
Nagato began to form partnerships with other creatures of long-life to watch over her after she reincarnated and grew up again. She would leave herself highly detailed notes and journals that covered many lifetimes in depth. Much of the Samsaran's gear is holdovers from her past lives. Sadly, even this has begun to grow stale to her. After "outliving" many elves, a tribe of stone giants, and even a couple of dragons, Nagato has begun to look for a more permanent solution to her inability to find Nirvana. Perhaps if she can't permanently die, maybe she can permanently live?
Generally speaking, Nagato has always been some sort of magic user because of the highly magical nature of her life/death cycles. Most of the time it is a druid or cleric, but she has "some" (maybe like a "mere" 1,000 years collectively) arcane history somewhere. Given that her personality varies between every life cycle, her specific deity of choice tends to change occasionally, but she always focuses on a certain handful. Perhaps her lack of consistency stems from a well-hidden bitterness that none of ultimately helped her find Nirvana or an apt alternative.
What kind of Campaign you want/where/focus: I think the quest for immortality would be cool, though I am partial to the Green Lantern Corps and planes traveling filled with intrigue. Perhaps some combination of the three.
Level of experience (years/games/etc): Quite a bit, though perhaps not nearly as much as some of the others here. I have been playing since high school, so I would say around seven years now. I started with D&D 3.5, specifically Eberron, and loved it to death. I played in several campaigns after that and even DMed an epic level one for a bit. I did play a Paragon Tier 4E game for a while, and for what it is worth, I certainly enjoyed it. However, choice wasn't exactly a strong point of early 4E, and I eventually game back to a 3.5-like game via Pathfinder and have been playing that since.
Race/Class/Etc Advanced Half-Celestial Norn Monk 1 (Stats in the profile. Still needs lots of gear)
Flavor/Backstory
It's flexible, as I prefer to fit them to the campaign I'll be playing. The general idea is that father was a Draconal, mother was a Norn. Created after there was a prophecy that a powerful defender of time/fate would be needed. She focuses on threats to the time itself, and on things that try to cheat fate (liches for example). If we end up going Golarion, she could be a servant of Pharasma.
What kind of Campaign you want/where/focus
Well, I was the one who suggested the Green Lantern thing. I also suggested a multi-planar dungeon consisting of 5-10 rooms/areas/encounters. I think that's a reasonably ambitious chunk to bite off for a PBP game, much less an epic one. I'm fine with it starting in Golarion. I'd prefer our base to be a space station. I'm sure we have the expertise build such a thing between the party. If not, we can have a council of gods as patrons, who built it for us. I think proteans are a good monster to have as the big bads..with a few other chaotic beings thrown in there to surprise us and keep things interesting. Skulda is immortal, and most of her power comes from what she is, not what she's done. So I don't care how long the group has been together.
I think a good way to start would be an invitation from the council of gods (PBP games always work best with a patron providing clear goals), then we all go to the space station figure out what's going on and what kind of group we're going to be. Then go from there. "The Proteans have begun to dissolve the framework that keeps the multiverse in place. The source of the disturbance is the Warp Nexus/Eye of Chaos/Other clever and informative name, a rip through mutliple planes where chaos rules. The corp is assigning you to sally forth, and do whatever it takes to shut that mofo down!"
Level of experience (years/games/etc)
I started playing in 1999 with Alternity. Moved to DnD 3.0 when it came out, then 3.5, then pathfinder. I've also played in lots of other systems briefly. I'm familiar with Forgotten Realms, Eberron, and Golarion. I've dabbled in other settings but not nearly so deep.
I've been DMing more than playing for probably the last 4 years now. The only time I really get to play these days is PBP. I've run probably 10 games on these boards over the last two years. Currently only three, because of real life time constraints. I was in your undead game (Bernd Kopplebach), but had to drop because I got too busy. Things have relaxed a bit for me, and I dropped a few of the games I'm running so playing in another one now shouldn't be an issue. I also played in a failed epic game with Grand Moff Vixen and Validk. In fact Validk appears to be the same character as before, like me.
Character Title: Old Dude, the Walkin' Man, Keef
Race/Class/Etc: Aasimar (angel bloodkin)/23rd lvl Oracle (seeker)/NG
Flavor/Backstory: Callant has been around the block...many times. Although he's young (for an aasimar), he's been told on several occasions that he has an old soul. That, and his friends all call him Keef (they say that it's an inside joke, but he doesn't care, just so long as they don't call him Barney). Callant feels like he has seen everything and done even more, always appearing nearby when something bad is about to happen. He's also has done his fair share of 'recreational alchemical ingredients' a few decades back. He did his share, and your share and GMV's share...he did a lot. He stopped taking the hard stuff a couple of decades ago, but he does have this rather calm demeanor about him, even in the heart of battle.
He has been to many places over the past century. Golarion, some place called Midgard, dealing with a demon called Orcus. a place called Earth, filled with Rifts and where magic and science were indistinguishable We can say that GMV and I met here, since we have both played Rifts over the years. Another planet that called itself Earth, where dragons roamed, orcs had arms made of metal, and every carried something called a 'piece'; all in a undefinably large city called "Seattle." Welcome to Shadowrun, another place that GMV and I could have hung out.
What kind of campaign are you looking for/wanting to play? I'm pretty flexible when it comes to playstyle, having DM'd just about the entire spectrum of gamer types over the years. From what everyone has posted, I am in favor of planar travelling. There's a gold mine of materials out there from various gaming systems. In terms of combat vs. RP, I would lean personally towards RP'ing, with a good mix of combat. Given how powerful we are, I think that most combats will turn into tactical events, trying to figure out what works best against what we are thrown at.
Level of experience/gaming resume: I started playing with the Blue and Red boxes in 1983, not even 10 years old yet. We used an old Fisher Price castle set as mini's and props. Since then I've played just about every major gaming system over the past 30 years: GURPS, Palladium (TMNT, Robotech, PalFantasy, Rifts, etc.), White Wolf (Mage, Werewolf, Vampire), Battletech, Shadowrun (personal favorite, I love me some cyberpunk), Cyberpunk 2020, ICE, you name it, I've either ran it or at least heard of it. After getting out of the military, I came back to the DnD fold after many years away. Since '01, I've played 3.0, 3.5, and PFS almost exclusively (it's nearly impossible to find someone in this town that wants to play something besides a sword and board game). I have been a DM for most of that time, although I don't normally attend conventions. I currently run 2 RL campaigns, 1 PBP campaign here on Paizo, and run a character in a Mythic PBP here as well. Let me know if you want references. :P
TBD. I had a few ideas, but as my concept has come together, they didn't seem to fit anymore. I want it to be either a Vudrani or Keleshite-sounding name or word that has a heavy thematic meaning for the character… as he effectively would have named himself. Something that means "seeker" or "lost" or "redeemed" or something. I'll let you know as soon as I get this figured out.
Race/Class/Etc
Predominantly Monk (17-20 levels), then with a splash of fighter and possibly paladin. Vudrani human will be the base race, with either an Advanced or Half-celestial template tacked on. I want him to be more than human (he is, after all, a fallen Movanic Deva), but the story has him getting his wings clipped, so I'm actually currently leaning back to an Advanced Template. Which template I end up going with will likely help determine the exact class make-up.
He'll be primarily a melee combatant with (hopefully) great maneuverability and some unique abilities… no true spell-casting, though.
Flavor/Backstory
As a Movanic Deva, he was a celestial soldier, though he was a bit of a standout. Not so much in any exceptional fighting capacity (all of them are fairly bad-ass warriors, i'd assume), but in that he had a bit more arrogance and lack of discipline than most. Ultimately, this cost him his identity and position in the celestial host. A devil recognized his pride and played on it, tricking him into compromising his fellow soldiers on the field of battle. His superiors and brethren cursed him, shattered his greatsword, ripped away his identity, tore his wings from his back, and cast him down… leaving him a broken human with scars on his back, a broken sword, and recurring nightmares of terrible fights against hordes of terrifying creatures from the abyss as his only memories. He still remembered how to fight – and well – it's in his DNA, after all. As a human, his arrogance and recklessness continued, and would have been his downfall had it not been for an encounter with a monk of Irori. To shorten the story dramatically, he followed the monk, becoming a student of Irori himself. As he unlocked the powers of his body, mind, and spirit, he began reclaiming clues to what he was before. This became a search for more information, though – when he found it – he realized what a tragedy he was. Redemption and a search for home became his true passion… and his introduction to Sarenrae… the redeemer. He venerates Irori because the teachings can help a person transcend their baser selves, but he follows Sarenrae as a Paladin (whether or not I end up taking levels in Paladin) because he desperately seeks redemption and to be restored through the power of Good.
Desired Campaign Focus – what/where
I'm not really up on the details of the Green Lantern deal, but my assumption is that they are an order of crazy-high caliber heroes who share a common goal of protecting the world/galaxy/multiverse. This is great with me… seems very in-line with the type of organization that my fallen angel would be attracted to in his search.
Inter-planar tomb-raiding sounds fun, and could be easily tied to a focus on finding the key to eternal life. However, I will also say that eternal life isn't really my guy's motivation per se. He's motivated to reclaim his station as a celestial… given that I believe they are practically ever-living, I guess that's pretty much the same thing.
The inter-planar angle would also alleviate any real issues with what region the heroes are from. I've obviously tied this fallen angel to Golarion (Vudra and the areas around Osirion), but us being level 25-equivalents would likely give us the flexibility to have a reason to have transported to wherever we need to be to have this adventure.
As for combat/rp mix, I'm with Pirate. I want both. I can imagine combat at this high level would require a lot to resolve, so I don't necessarily want it to be the focus, but I want to be able to "stretch my wings" a fair amount.
Level of experience (years/games/etc)
As far as table-top rpg's, I've got a decent amount of book-learnin' but not a huge amount of practical experience. I've been in a handful of games here and there over ten years or so (none of them really consistent), but I've been in a number of pbp's over the last four years or so. Some of them have been short-run and some of them have run for a couple of years each.
I was introduced to D&D with 3.5 but never really got to play much. Pathfinder and a little 4E have been the bulk of my actual gaming experience, though I have a small mishmash of other game types tossed in there as well… Star Wars SAGA, a few D6 games, stuff like that.
*phew*
There we all are.
~P
Yar!
It should work. I just did up a post. I had to delete the thread and try again. This is my first time setting up such a thing. Took me a couple to finally get it down.
The tabs at the top of the page will work now. I will add more details and the gameplay thread as we need it.
Cool and excellent!
...and because it's more on the "recruitment" side of things (and the sometimes Stage Manager in me is a stickler for organization, which includes detailed information consolidated to be easy to reference), here is the list of hopefuls and their background posts in one location for ease of reference (in the order that they posted):
** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **...
You're a godsend mate.
I've got a live D&D game and then I'll be back to answer up the FAQ.
If we're going about this tournament style, I'd like to take the 10 hopefuls if I can.
Wait, do you mean that we'll be fighting each other in this tourney, or will there be space for each of us?
Wait, do you mean that we'll be fighting each other in this tourney, or will there be space for each of us?
I don't believe he means PVP. However, I might be wrong.
Yar!
Wait, do you mean that we'll be fighting each other in this tourney, or will there be space for each of us?I don't believe he means PVP. However, I might be wrong.
Well, some of us could be independents in the tournament, either for our own reasons, opposing reasons, or for the same reasons without knowing it right off the bat (intrigue amongst each other as well!?), or we could all be a part of the same organization going for the same thing, but due to the very nature of infiltrating a tournament, may end up having to fight each other on the rare occasion anyways, at the very least to keep up appearances (hopefully not to the death, with agreed upon rules of engagement before the match begins... or something).
Or the tournament itself could be part 1, the testing grounds, where the top 4 or 5 champions are permitted to move on to bigger, badder, more dangerous, plane-hopping, monster-bashing, multi-planar-spanning political intrigue, ideological idioms made tangible and putting entire planes of existence at risk, adventure... thing...
*shrugs*
Who knows?
^_^
~P
See, that idea is both interesting and terrifying. I'm not sure about how that could go down. Especially if people know instadeath spells.
Pirate's got the gist of it, but I was planning on have you enter as a team a la Champion's Belt.
Team works. I've got nothing against teams. Plus, if I can have Validk's character give mine a Permenant Arcane Sight, or something along those lines, I could figure out a great reason my character would be there.