Recent Posts
Here we go...
Character Creation Rules
Many have tried. Few succeed. You represent the very best that Golarion has to offer. You purchase your ability scores using 27 points.
Experience
Medium Rate of Advancement
Starting Traits
Three, at least one of which must be a regional trait.
Accumulated Wealth
6,000 gp unless you are of a race that has an ECL modifier.
Subtract 1000 gp for each ECL modifier. So for example a race that has an ECL modifier of +2 would lose 2,000 gp from their accumulated wealth.
We will be beginning play in the City of Absalom, unless there's a valid reason for some other scenario.
Please develop appearance, background, motivation, and tactics section for an online persona.
Working on a PC now. :)
From the other board it looks like we have
Radeval - Halfling Ranger/Barbarian
SameRandomHero - Wizard concept
Vagrant/Poet - Human? Cleric of Abadar
I'll fill the rogue spot then. Half-orc Rogue/Fighter Looks like a thug but has a heart of gold. Now if he could just figure a way to fence it...
Where would we fight Regional Traits to pick from? Should we just pillage the various Regional Feats (such as the ones in the Pathfinder Players Guide or the Curse of the Crimson Throne Players Guide) and cut them to half-strength?
Looking in the Pathfinder Campaign Setting, there's an Absalom 'affinity' Feat called Secret Signs that gives a +5 to bluff checks to pass information to allies in view via secret hand gestures, the ability to Aid Other to allies who are within view (but not necessarily within melee range) and the ability to grant a +4 (rather than +2) Aid Other bonus to skill checks.
A 'half-strength' Trait version could be;
Secret Signs
+2 to Bluff checks to convey secret messages to allies within view.
Aid Other to allies within view, but only giving a +1 bonus.
Aid Other allies skill checks at +3 instead of +2.
Does that sound about right, or is there a source of Regional Traits that I am missing somewhere?
The "Player's Guides" to the adventure paths have regional background traits, but I don't have access to all of those. I'm hoping that someone will put up a list or that a number of them will be publishes with the Pathfinder rules.
However, if you want to make up a regional background trait, please do so. It should fit in with the way your region deals with the campaign world and provide some bonus similar to the ones provided by other traits. If it fits with your character background and is not overly powerful, I will probably allow it. :P
There are a number of Absalom traits in an article in the 2009 Wayfinder, which is a free PDF download right now.
Traits that refer to skills that are no longer in the Pathfinder system can be modified so that they still work as the flavor text indicates.
Preliminary work up of my character, Iacobus Gildenpalm, 4th level Bard and raving lunatic.
I'll check out Wayfinder for appropriate Absalom Regional Traits. I'd planned on cheesing out that Rich Parents Trait for an extra 900 gp, but it turns out everything I really wanted fit into the 6000 gp nicely (or cost so much more that 900 gp wouldn't have mattered one way or the other). :)
Here we go...
Character Creation Rules
Many have tried. Few succeed. You represent the very best that Golarion has to offer. You purchase your ability scores using 27 points.Racial bonus hitpoints:
Racial: Maximum hit points for 1st level plus your
Constitution modifier and any other bonuses. In addition,
you get a number of bonus hit points based on your race. The
frail races (elf, gnome, and halfling) receive 4 hit points. The
standard races (half-elf and human) receive 6 hit points. The
hardy races (dwarf and half-orc) receive 8 hit points.Experience
Medium Rate of AdvancementStarting Traits
Three, at least one of which must be a regional trait.Accumulated Wealth
6,000 gp unless you are of a race that has an ECL modifier.
Subtract 1000 gp for each ECL modifier. So for example a race that has an ECL modifier of +2 would lose 2,000 gp from their accumulated wealth.We will be beginning play in the City of Absalom, unless there's a valid reason for some other scenario.
Please develop appearance, background, motivation, and tactics section for an online persona.
Added some information about racial bonus hitpoints.
Yeah, if you don't have access to ruled traits from your region, you can make up one. For example, I have a dwarf ranger from Alkenstar I've submitted for another pbp campaign.
Gunsmith of Alkenstar
You've toiled relentlessly day in and day out in Alkenstar's firearms factories.
You gain +1 trait bonus to Craft (gunsmithing) and a +1 trait bonus to firearm misfire checks. A roll of 1 is unmodified.
Engineering Savvy
Working with intricate machines for most of your life has built confidence and skill.
You gain +1 trait bonus to Knowledge (engineering) and Disable Device.
I won't say this is an absolute rule, but most traits offer a total of +2 to a roleplaying ability (skill checks) or a minor combat ability (like initiative), or +1 to an infrequently used combat ability.
That's fine, since it does the same thing as the Reactionary trait. :) As long as you don't take Reactionary as one of your other traits.
Rule on the Fly: Trait bonuses that provide the same bonus do not stack.
So for example, you could take Reactionary (+2 Initiative) and combine it with...
Itchy Trigger Finger
You've trained with crossbows for most of your life and have taken a liking to the feel of wood and steel in your hand.
While armed with a crossbow you have +1 trait bonus to Initiative and +1 trait bonus to damage on an unconfirmed critical hit. Confirmed critical hits deal normal critical damage.
You would gain both Initiative bonuses since they are unequal.
(Does that make sense, or am I being silly?)
That's fine, since it does the same thing as the Reactionary trait. :) As long as you don't take Reactionary as one of your other traits.
Rule on the Fly: Trait bonuses that provide the same bonus do not stack.
So for example, you could take Reactionary (+2 Initiative) and combine it with...
Itchy Trigger Finger
You've trained with crossbows for most of your life and have taken a liking to the feel of wood and steel in your hand.
While armed with a crossbow you have +1 trait bonus to Initiative and +1 trait bonus to damage on an unconfirmed critical hit. Confirmed critical hits deal normal critical damage.You would gain both Initiative bonuses since they are unequal.
(Does that make sense, or am I being silly?)
Perfect, I have Skeptic and Indominatable Faith aswell so thats fine.
Appearance
Komana is a slender woman of above average height. She has an athletic feminine figure, with neat features and pale skin. She has long auburn which she keeps tied away from her face. Her features are neat and pretty, though her strong personality shines through and she couldn't be described as girlish. Her eyes are an unflinching, icy grey.
Backstory
She was a gentle but nserious girl, doted on by her mother and ignored by her harmless but useless father. She grew to hate superstitions and unawnswered mysteries and opposed the local faiths. She found solved the mystery of a ghost in the local ruin at the age of 14, however this had unexpected circumatances. The kellid traders thought her cursed and would not spend coin whereever she dwelt, so she was soon pressured out of her home.
She travelled south until finding a temple of Abadar, here she was fascinated by the law and scripture, by the logic and magic, she enrolled in the church. Like her home, the church required everyone to pull there weight, so Komana begin to sell her services as an unveiler of cults and battler of the dark supernatural.
She has travelled far and wide across Avistan and now finds herself drawn to Absalom with a new and deadly mystery to unravel at the behest of the Pathfinder Society.
Preliminary work up of my character, Iacobus Gildenpalm, 4th level Bard and raving lunatic.
I'll check out Wayfinder for appropriate Absalom Regional Traits. I'd planned on cheesing out that Rich Parents Trait for an extra 900 gp, but it turns out everything I really wanted fit into the 6000 gp nicely (or cost so much more that 900 gp wouldn't have mattered one way or the other). :)
Iacobus, looking good. I'd like to run a one-on-one with you for a little bit. I think you'll need a little different motivation than the rest of the group.
Please modify your hp according to the racial rule given above. :)
Hit points updated. I just gotta live up to the backstory and try to come up with some of the 31 steps of Razmir, to quote. :)
Once this place had been named Beldrin’s Bluff, and Iacobus could still see suggestions that the homes and businesses here had once been of better quality. Now the aftereffects of some long-past earth tremor, and exposure to the sea air, had left the local buildings in shambles, from natural wear, and the vandalism of restless locals. Now known as ‘the Precipice Quarter,’ a grim reminder that even those buildings still safe to inhabit could perhaps tumble into the sea at any time, the area had become a haven for those who had little concern for the future, or, such as himself, those who lacked the resources to secure lodgings in safer districts…
A pack of Hotspur bullies swaggered past, as if somehow proud to be the big men in this small, decaying slice of insignificance, returning only a rude gesture in response as Iacobus raised a hand to bless their passing.
It was a gentle walk, indeed, one had to make an effort not to stumble down the steeper slopes, down winding streets to the Merchant’s Quarter, and, as always, Iacobus saw unfamiliar faces peering from familiar places, so quickly did people come and go here, in the center of the world. Passing as quickly as possible through the Merchant’s Quarter, already bustling with merchants and factors and teamsters, bringing goods out of storage or transporting them to the Docks or Coins districts for sale, Iacobus arrived in the Coins district, following a cart full of onions, pulled by a mismatched team consisting of a donkey and a camel, both of whom seemed displeased at their working arrangements.
Glad to be out from behind the reeking cart, Iacobus turned towards Ascendent Court, where lay the Cathedral of the Starstone. In the central court, he could spend his day preaching the good word, with minimal heckling from the locals, who had grown accustomed to his presence (assisted by strategic contributions of curative magics or other priestly services to those who seemed most pliable). He found selling his priestly arts to be somewhat mercenary, but while he had managed to avoid paying any sort of ‘rent’ to whomever owned the place he lay his head, the local Hotspur ruffians still demanded ‘protection’ money to dwell in their territory, and meals hardly came free.
And yet, over the months he had spent in this great whirling city, he had found more coin to be had in sharing information with various local factors. Anyone who came to Absalom paid a visit to Ascendent Court, to gaze at the great bridges leading to the Cathedral, or to toss messages over the edge to flutter into the dark unknowable depths of the great chasm. He found that visitors often enjoyed hearing some of the history of the area, and he could ply them subtly for information on their purpose in town, and then relay that information later to merchants who might be interested in their wares, or be able to provide for their needs. The ‘finder’s fee’ for such things was meager, but he enjoyed any opportunity to form connections to the local merchants, in the event that he himself desired information from them.
And once, he made good coin indeed, when a veiled maiden threw a note surreptitiously into the chasm, close enough that he could snatch at it with his feeble magic, and cause it to drift upwards into his hand. Yes indeed, her father paid well to keep the contents of that message from reaching her husband-to-be. A pity he spent the coin, and more besides, buying off the services of the men sent to guarantee his silence…
Underground Boxing Ring? There could be one in Absalom I suppose. Cheliax would more likely have public fighting pits. There's a picture of a fighting pit in the River Kingdoms section of Pathfinder Chronicles book.
Xabulba, if all of the players that joined remain active, and you would still like to participate, I could use an assistant DM :)
Hey, if you want some Absalom details, I have the book. There is a coliseum in Absalom, etc. And i think it mentions fighting rings near there or in the coins.
Ask away! Like the whole badgers and elephants thing!
Sweet! Yea if you could post about the coliseum that would help me out. Also, how do you post as an alias?
Okay, first of all check out the Pathfinder wiki and the Absalom stuff there.
Anyway, the Irorium is the largest arena in the Inner Sea region, originally founded by monks of Irori though it is now a secular arena, run by the Master of Blades, Ganfen of House Kethlin.
Warriors can earn themselves the distinction of sword pins, copper, silver and the rare gold.
Most betting is taken from the Crimson Coin, run by obese former fighter Torman Iates who owns his own stable of female warriors, many of the half-orcs.
Nope... as long as it's someone willing to work with the Pathfinder Society and with each other. So I would guess that chaotic evil would likely be out of the question, but if you can think of a way of playing a chaotic evil person that fits that reguirement, I guess you can be chaotic evil.
However, being of an evil alignment might make certain encounters more difficult, so it's up to you.
Actually, if you are of an alignment that makes it difficult for you to work with the Pathfinder Society or each other, some of the encounters are going to be impossible, so Chaotic Evil and Chaotic Neutral characters need not apply. (We can assume that they would have been weeded out by the selection process.)
Lawful characters, however, face some difficulties as well, especially if they are of one of the major empires. The papers spread about the city specifically request for those capable of handling with extreme caution matters of international diplomacy.
So, technically there is no alignment restriction, but certain alignments will find it difficult to meet the requirements of the Pathfinder Society. :P
Kaelor's Background
[Level 0]
Like all births in elven society, Kaelor’s birth was heralded with much fanfare, moreso, considering the hero status of his parents who were members of the standing elite force of the Kingdom of Kyonin. He given the name “Kaelor” in the hopes that like his parents he will follow in their footsteps.
Tragedy struck early in his life though when he parents died defending Kyonin from the forces of Treerazer, self-styled demon lord. Their bodies were never found to the extreme anguish of Kaelor.
Thereafter, he was adopted into the Queen’s household, where he was taught the rudiments of what it means to be of noble blood.
But Kaelor grew up to be a silent, introspective child. Often this lead to him being bullied and thought of as a little wrong in the head. (Trait: Reactionary +2 trait bonus to Initiative) Kaelor, however, like all his long lived people, did not see any practical value in wasting his time fighting when he did not possess the power to crush his enemies. He bided his time.
[Level 1]
Shortly thereafter, Kaelor was accepted into apprenticeship by Master Seraphiel, who noted Kaelor particular affinity for war magic (evocation). Master Seraphiel also the lust for power so ominously hanging over the soul of the young elf. In between direct magic application lessons, Seraphiel tried to instill a moral code in Kaelor that would hopefully temper the young elf’s urges. (Classically Schooled - +1 trait bonus to Spellcraft, which is always a class skill)
Kaelor started wearing a suit of mithral chain (Light Armor Proficiency) over his wizardly robes much to Master Seraphiel’s puzzlement. When asked, Kaelor simply replies: “I do this in remembrance of my parents.”
[Level 2]
One day, Kaelor asked of Seraphiel, “Master, this evil in our woods (referring to Treerazer) should have been vanquished a long time ago. Why does not the queen send her army to crush it?”
“No, Kaelor, truth be told, the price of destroying that evil is to high, one that we cannot afford to pay.”
“But that would mean my parents died for nothing.”
“No, not nothing. They bought us time so that you in your time can play your part.”
“But enough of this silly talk.”
The next day, Kaelor left his master and went out into the world.
[Level 3]
Years passed and Kaelor found himself on the Isle of Kortos, the domain of Absalom. [Forlorn - +1 trait bonus to Fortitude] There, he heard of Arcanamirium. Intrigued by the possibility of learning more magic , Kaelor applied for admission but was denied.
Embittered by the experience, Kaelor resolved to study on his own. During this time, Kaelor developed techniques that allowed him to ignore the inherent disadvantage of the armor he wears (Feat: Arcane Armor Training)
[Level 4]
Getting low on funds, Kaelor offered his linguistics skills to members of the Pathfinder Society who, in order to make a mutually profitable arrangement, offered Kaelor membership, which he promptly accepted.
That was twenty years ago.
Yep... thanks for the help with Absalom also. If I say something that's totally out of character with Absalom, just let me know and I'll try to correct it.
There is now a post in the PBP forum to start on. I'll go post a few rules up there too. :P
Edit: As a personal favor to me, could everyone change their character profiles to look like Komana's? Let me know if that's not good for you.
Yep... thanks for the help with Absalom also. If I say something that's totally out of character with Absalom, just let me know and I'll try to correct it.
There is now a post in the PBP forum to start on. I'll go post a few rules up there too. :P
Edit: As a personal favor to me, could everyone change their character profiles to look like Komana's? Let me know if that's not good for you.
Heh, Yea I copy/pasted hers to do mine anyway so that works for me :)
