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Guys, I just got done with my first week of college and I'm starting work alongside it next week. Between that stuff and homework I really don't think I'm going to have much time to myself, and what time I do have, I'd rather spend offline getting to know people. So unfortunately, I'm going to have to withdraw from this game. (It's not you guys, I'm doing it for every game). I apologize and I wish you all the best.
Emil shakes his head. "Father Zantus, please, do what you can to get everyone into the church. I'll stay here and guard it with my life. That way we can protect as many innocent people as possible. You guys!" he calls to the mysterious strangers who helped him. "Do you think you can go and put an end to the chaos in the streets? I'll keep everyone safe, along with Ratatosk." The snake stops eating when it hears its name and slithers over to Emil, coiling around his ankles in a defensive position. The half-orc positions himself directly in front of the church with his eyes peeled, watching from all sides.
Emil you should have let your snake see the last goblin's toes to help on the intimidate check. I wasn't really expecting much. I'm quite happy with a +6 bonus to a skill that I have no ranks in and no ability modifier from. The dice weren't so agreeable, though.
Emil stands there looking menacing at the goblin. "Do as the woman says." he orders coldly.
Emil frowns and walks over to the goblin with the sack, taking it from the corpse and placing the food back on the table carefully. His serpent finishes its meal and slithers forward, wrapping itself around its master's neck. Emil looks up at the crowd. "Jiessi, are you alright?" he calls, glancing around for any injured people.
RD 4: Emil will attack the goblin again, trying to finish it off.
Ratatosk continues to nom as we wait for an update.
Ratatosk will start to eat the dead goblin's corpse. He spends a full-round action devouring every bit of the helpless creature's body that he can. Meanwhile, Emil will move to G33 and crush the goblin standing there with his longsword.
Ratatosk will move to K24 as its RD2 move action. Then in RD3, Ratatosk will move to J28 and bite the goblin there.
Emil will take a double move over to M33.
I'm just waiting for Emil and the goblins to go in RD2 before my action. I already went. I've taken two different actions, and since I didn't get to act in the surprise round, that's all I've got.
Emil grins and takes a step forward, bringing his sword down to bear on the creature. Ratatosk also leans forward to take a bite and wrap the goblin up in its grip.
Edit: Whoops. Should have checked the map first. Okay, Emil moves up to N21 then, instead, and loses his +2 flanking bonus.
James should arrive at this point, I'm just waiting for him to post where he is on the map before I take my action.
Emil don't forget to add in your +1 to attack from the bless spell. At this point we wer friendly and having a conversation, you would be considered an ally. Alright. What about Ratatosk? Though I don't think even that +1 will mean that roll hit, unfortunately.
Emil looks at the creature to see if he can recognize it.
For the life of me I can not find the post that mentions it's a goblin. I saw a reference to small green creature but nothing stating that it was goblin. Did I miss something? Ah...one of the IC posts from one of the others (I think it was Vito's) mentions "goblin", that's where I got it from, since I didn't make my Perception check... I'll go ahead and make an IC Know (Nature) check, though, see if I can identify it.
Okay then, terrible round for my snake, but decent for me, if the goblin runs past me.
The great snake spots its prey and hisses, lunging forward.
Emil follows his snake and will hold his sword at the ready, holding his action.
The Prophet's initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8Looks like the next feat for my build oughta be Improved Initiative. This coming from the guy who gets to add his casting modifier to his initiative checks at level 2!
Emil looks up as he hears the sound echoing through the wind and grits his teeth, drawing his sword and looking around in worry. "Jiessi! Can you see what's making that noise? Damnit. Ratatosk!" The snake looks at him in confusion. Emil smirks with a toothy grin. "Whatever just attacked that dog is your prey. Don't you dare let it get away." The snake hisses, a similarly primal expression in its eyes, as if the pair shared a sudden bloodthirst. Emil grips his sword in both hands and glances back at the woman. "Jiessi, can you fight?"
"A traveler, huh? I've always wondered what life might be like outside the city, but I don't think I'm ready to leave just yet. Still, I always feel at home in the wilderness. Sometimes it's kind of like the trees are speaking to me. I bet you've seen a lot of amazing things on your journey. What kinds of interesting sights and people have you met?"
"She seems very nice. So, if you don't mind me asking, where are you visiting from? You said you came to Sandpoint to see your aunt, but...you don't really sound like you're from around here." Emil comments. The snake slithers down the tree trunk and wraps itself around Emil's neck. "Oh, hey Ratatosk. Welcome back. Heh. No matter what nice branch or juicy mouse may cross his path, the guy always seems to think my neck is his personal tanning spot." Emil strokes the snake's head affectionately.
Emil glances at the white-haired woman. "Huh? Yes. I've lived in Sandpoint for most of my life. Here with my mother...and...well, my dad tries to visit at least once a week. He can't always get away." Emil frowns and unconsciously scratches the back of his right ear. "Huh? Your aunt? Oh well, do you want me to leave? I don't mind. I don't want to intrude on your family visit."
Emil blinks up at the woman and glances over at Ratatosk, who slips his tongue out and sniffs the air around her. The snake returns to its perch without a second thought and Emil looks back at the woman and smiles. "Go right ahead. My name is Emil. The quiet guy in the tree is my friend Ratatosk. Don't mind him. He's always pretty lazy this time of day." Emil gives a short push back and forces himself up into a sitting position, extending his hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Jiessi."
Emil finds a nice spot in the grass where the sun is bearing down, next to a tree. He lets Ratatosk climb into the tree and takes a load off, laying on his back in the grass with the sun warming him up, and sighs in contentment. Emil watches the clouds go by and waits for lunch.
We rule Perception checks. Thankfully, I get to make two per check, since Ratatosk is also trained in Perception...
I thought I was going to miss it by a hair, assuming that the game was rigged and the DC to beat it was going to be 20. I'm pleasantly surprised that my 18 was high enough. And James was close too, so Emil decided to cheer his kid up anyway.
Emil blinks in surprise and draws back from the human, his eyes scanning the human's face. "You know my name? ...Have we met?" he asks, unsure of whether he recognizes the human or not. Looking at the child as he approaches, Emil smiles and shakes his head. "Nope! Ratatosk is well-trained to not hurt anyone unless they hurt him. Here, go ahead." Emil gets down on one knee so that he's eye level with the child, and Ratatosk is within the child's reach. The snake looks at the child with his black eyes, his tongue flicking out to catch the child's scent curiously. After Michael pets the snake, Emil stands up and walks over to the man who is running the Ogre Stomp. He picks the fire-pelt leopard and brings it back over, handing it to the kid. "Here you go. Your dad was pretty close to ringing the bell anyway, and he was trying to win you a prize, so you can have mine." He ruffles the kid's hair and smiles at the father before turning and starting to walk away.
As Emil walks through the crowds, he overhears a voice ringing out. "Step right up, step right up, folks and try your best! Do you have the strength to ring the bell? Only a man as powerful as an ogre could possibly succeed! Is anyone here as mighty as an ogre?!" Emil stops in his tracks and an excited grin breaks out across his face. "Yo, old man!" he yells, running to the sound of the voice and breaking through to the front of the line. "Give me a shot. I'll wreck this thing." Emil walks up and picks up the hammer, raising it up above his head as high as he can in both hands, before slamming it down onto the button with his full strength.
Emil listens patiently throughout the entire speech, then sits up and stretches when it's over. "Man, those people love the sound of their own voices, don't they? Huh. So there are some games open, huh? Wonder if there's any of those ring toss games, you know? I could win a goldfish! What do you say, Ratatosk? Feel like some seafood for lunch?" Emil reaches back and pets his snake lovingly as he stands up and starts to walk around, immediately heading to a booth with food first and getting a nice hot meal. After he eats, Emil walks around looking for something interesting to do. "Hey, maybe there's a 'test your strength' game around here, or an arm-wrestling match or something. I bet I'd be pretty good at that!" Cracking his knuckles and grinning eagerly, Emil rushes through the streets, seeking some kind of strength-based challenge or game.
I intend to spellcast as the cleric. I built her lucky, so that should benefit the party. She can amply heal and she will be summoning creatures to do a lot of the fighting for her. Oooh, right. I can summon. Totally forgot about that. I guess I could potentially grab NS, SF: Conjuration and Augment Summons just so I could swarm the field with snakes. Then again, if Jiessi's going to be doing it already I would probably just bog down combat. Still, a party with like...seven constrictors. Sounds pretty epic. Edit: Nooooo, summon nature's ally! Why is there no option for a dire constrictor?
Hm. Interesting take on the druid. Of course, I'm not planning to focus on spellcasting with my character either (oddly enough, considering how spiritual he is). If there was a Shapeshifter variant druid like there is in 3.5, I'd take that. I enjoy lycanthropic characters, that's all. I could care less about the druid's spell list. I know people claim the druid is one of the best casters in the game, but his spell list bores me. The only full caster I ever play seriously is sorcerer, other than that I tend to just focus on melee or skills. I kind of wish there was a spell-less druid archetype, to be honest. It would save me a lot of bookwork, as well as remove any expectations you guys had of me to contribute in that way.
Good thing you're so strong, then. Indeed. I'm not really playing druid for the spellcasting, I'll probably never use it. Going to spend most of my time Wildshaped past level 5, and not planning on wasting a feat on Natural Spell, so it's really just not a part of my character or build at all.
Emil doesn't generally bother preparing spells unless he knows he'll need them, so for today he will be unable to cast.
It should be an interesting party dynamic, a thiefling, an aasimar, a death worshiper, and half-orc with snake wrapped around his neck. Sadly, Ratatosk won't be able to ride on Emil's shoulders for very long. As soon as we hit 4th level, Ratatosk becomes Large, and for a snake I'd imagine that's around 10-12 feet long.
Checking in. I'm keeping an eye on that snake. Death may be natural, but Lady Pharasma has gifted me with my abilities for a reason. No worries. Ratatosk isn't interested in chewing on someone whose flesh tastes like corpse.
I'm really excited about this. Already. Me too. Such an exotic party! Two opposing outsiders, a half-orc, a human, a dhampir and a snake.
Emil yawns and sits up in bed, rubbing his eyes and looking out the window. "Today is the Equinox! Alright! Best day of the year!" He quickly hops out of bed and pulls his clothes on, fumbling in his cage for a live mouse and then slamming the cage shut, setting the mouse gently on the floor. Across the room, the massive slumbering serpent's tongue flicks out of its mouth lazily, catching the scent of prey. The snake's eyes snap open and it starts to slither towards the mouse. The creature runs futilely away and Emil stops watching, turning to adjust his wrinkled clothes in the mirror and humming happily to himself while the sound of pained squeaking and powerful jaws echo through his bedroom. Pulling a single lock of his hair into a curl that hangs over his face, Emil sighs contentedly and looks over his shoulder as the great snake climbs its way up his back. "Enjoy your breakfast?" he asks cheerfully, stroking the snake's head. "Well, now it's time to get mine." Emil heads downstairs and starts to walk out the door. "Mom, I'm going out!" he calls. His aging mother smiles and waves. "Enjoy the festival dear, but try not to cause any trouble." "Yes ma'am." Emil closes the door behind him and quickly heads towards the town, eager to see all the shops that have been set up. Walking with the air of someone who didn't have a deadly constrictor wrapped around his neck, Emil cheerfully stops by a few of the merchants setting up shop, hoping to get an early taste of their wares, but he was turned away at each stand. The merchants were not mean about it, rather they just laughed and told Emil to wait his turn like everyone else. Emil pouts a bit but gives up and decides to head over to the church and wait for the start of the ceremony. "You've got it easy," he says to Ratatosk. "If only you kept a cage of fresh hamburgers and fed me every morning instead of the other way around..."
Emil Snakecharmer is also here. And so is Ratatosk! Say hello, Ratatosk. No, no, Ratatosk, the little angel girl isn't food! Haha, silly snake.
Hey, way to go Baldwin, we made it! Thanks Bpa144. Congratulations to everyone who made it, and best of luck finding another game to everyone who didn't. Looking forward to playing.
Just checking in, letting everyone know I'm still alive and interested.
Backstory:
Spoiler: Emil was born in an orc tribe to a young orc woman who had been recently entreating with the neighboring town of Sandpoint. Unfortunately, he did not stay with his people very long. Tensions with the local goblins tribes were high for Emil's clan, and rather than risk trifling with the goblins and their powerful worgs and maniacal alchemists, Emil's chieftain decreed that the tribe needed to move away, towards the Western Shores of Golarion. Emil's mother, smitten with the human she had met in Sandpoint, refused to leave, however, she knew she would not be accepted in the town proper. However, a group of Sczarni living in a camp near town were more than willing to take her in, and so Emil's mother raised her son happily in a balanced state between the wild and the city. When Emil was six years old, he was out playing in the forest, where he came into contact with a strange creature he had never seen before. The creature was long and slender. It looked almost like a root growing from the ground, but it was clearly alive. The creature turned to him, its eyes focusing in on him, and then it seemed to draw into itself, almost like a rope being coiled up. Emil deduced the creature was an animal, and reached forward to pet it gently, but the creature lashed out at him! Sharp teeth gripped Emil's hand as he cried out in pain. The strange animal held him tightly and began to wrap its body around him, squeezing. But this wasn't a hug like his mother gave him. Emil found it hard to draw in breaths. He was scared. The pain in his hand was only getting worse, too. Emil started to cry, begging the creature to let him go, but that was a mistake. With each attempted cry, the child wasted more and more of what was left of his breath. Finally, something inside him snapped. Emil was no longer concerned for his safety. He was in a fight for his life. And if that creature wanted to bite, well, it should be prepared to be bitten back. The instincts possessing Emil forced his mouth open, and for the first time in his life, Emil used his unnaturally large canines to violently chomp down on a living creature. The snake immediately released his hand, but kept its grip on him. The two looked each other in the eye, before the snake hissed once, seeming to notice for the first time what a large and powerful creature it was attempting to swallow. The snake slowly uncoiled itself and slithered away. Emil dropped to his knees, choking and gasping for air. He went home and told his mother everything that happened. His mother was worried at first, but when he described the fatal embrace he received, she sighed in relief. "That was just a constrictor, honey. They're not venomous. As long as you got away, you'll be just fine." But Emil wasn't fine. He had been really hurt by that creature, and for no reason! So the next day, Emil ventured into the forest to seek the creature. He found the snake in a tree. The wound on its back had not fully healed yet. Emil couldn't understand why, but when he looked at the snake, and the snake looked back at him, he felt some kind of connection. Rather than attack the snake, Emil got down on his hands and knees, gently reaching out to the snake as he had done before. He wasn't a violent child, he had just been curious the whole time. And now he wanted to see if the animal was still angry, or if it had just overreacted out of curiosity too. The snake seemed to calm itself as it watched the child's beckoning, as it heard his gentle words. The snake slithered closer to him, and Emil gently stroked it. He brought the snake back to the encampment, and asked his mother to help him treat the wounds. The Sczani, who had been Emil's teachers and helped him interact with the humans in the city better, were angry and offended that the child brought a predator into their camp, but Emil's mother would have none of it. To her, the union was perfect. She could see from the way the snake allowed her son to hold it that it would not hurt anyone unless provoked, and to her, that was the same as her son. A dangerous monster on the outside, but a gentle and kind creature in reality. So rather than argue the point, she simply left the encampment, and sought to stay in Sandpoint. She purchased a very small house on the outskirts of town under the table, where Emil's father came to bring food and supplies and visit his wife and son every week. Emil grew up with the snake, who he named Ratatosk, and continued to play in the forest. Though he made friends with a lot of animals, none was ever closer to him than his beloved companion. Emil learned the language of the trees, a secret that nature taught him with whispers in the wind and echoes in the leaves. And Emil knew that nature had truly given him a gift. He discovered his magic when he was around fourteen, and able to freely walk around the city, returning any cold or distasteful looks he received. Ratatosk often draped himself around his master's neck, and the snake enjoyed hissing at cats and dogs they passed. Emil playfully scolded his pet whenever Ratatosk upset a neighbor, but otherwise he let the snake do as it pleased. Emil is older now, and his magic has matured to the point where he is able to control it to some degree. He is waiting for his chance to make his mark on the world, and to discover what kind of man he will be.
Begging your pardon, but you might be remembering 3.5 there. The Pathfinder Weapon Finesse feat has no prerequisites, so any class can take it at level 1. Am typing up my backstory as we speak. Expect an update within half an hour.
It's getting late. Here's my (NeoSeraphi's) submission, just the barebones specs for now, will update with awesome backstory tomorrow. A few questions for the DM:
Spoiler: 1. The Serpent Shaman archetype has some unclear wording so I would like to request some clarification- Does Emil get Wild Shape at level 6 instead of level 4, or does he get normal Wild Shape at level 4, and then when he reaches level 6 it starts augmenting itself based on the creature he shapes into? 2. The animal companion page lists a group of feats for animals to take, and neither Improved Unarmed Strike nor Improved Grapple is on that list. I can understand Improved Unarmed Strike not being allowed, but as Ratatosk is a constrictor, would it be possible for him to take some sort of feat that improves his grapple ability? Maybe something like this: Improved Grab (Monster):
Greater Grab (Monster):
Just some ideas. 3. I gave Emil the Toothy racial trait without thinking about it, which gives Emil a natural bite attack (1d4 piercing, primary natural). It replaces Orc Ferocity, and it's from Orcs of Golarion. I wasn't sure if that got reprinted in the ARG, so I'm asking you if it's okay straight out. Additionally, I took the City-Raised alternate trait, because the PFSRD doesn't state its sources for the alternate traits, so I don't know which ones are in the ARG and which ones are in OoG (I only know that Toothy is from OoG because I found out at a PFS game). If you have problems with either of these traits, I will of course replace them with the standard half-orc racial traits. Thanks for your help. Will see you tomorrow.
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