Tweiford Shenk

Jericho Korben's page

171 posts. Alias of Ryuko.



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Male Human Super Cruel DM 10

Everyone knew the Jenivere was safe. It made this run twice a year without fail. Hells it was the only really safe way to get to Sargava. Captain Kovacks was clean, efficient and always avoided any trouble. You remembered that even when the ship changed course into more dangerous waters. A shortcut the Captain assured, and the crew backed him. Even when the crew seemed to whisper and argue, raised voices in the night about madness, even a few whispers of mutiny quickly silenced. Even as the strangely dressed gnome passenger checked his compass several times and mentioned something about kniferocks in the water. The Jenivere was safe. Everyone knew that.

Your eyes open to a bright clear blue sky. Your eyes are gritty and your tongue feels leaden and fuzzy. The sounds of the surf fading in along with feeling in your limbs. A cool wet feeling on your feet, a strange skittering noise...

As you look up you see three strange bright orange creatures like a cross between a crab and a scorpion, the size of a hunting dog in the surf toward the ocean. The chittering sound coming from them as they investigate the unmoving forms of the other passengers in the tide. The beach stretches out of sight to either side, white sand with heavy vegetation beyond. Past the vegetation rises a large smoking mountain. As you reach for your possesions you find yourself armored but unarmed, though you can see a carefully arranged pile of gear and weaponry about ten feet further up the beach.

One of the creatures, braver than his fellows, moves forward to one of the sleeping forms and takes a cautious nip of it's foot. The huge tanned man rolls over and moans in pain, but clearly has not shaken off whatever knocked him out. The creature trumpets strangely and leaps forward.

It looks like it's about to begin feeding.

What do you do?


Male Human Super Cruel DM 10

Here's our space for out of character comments, questions, notices or ideas. Everyone feel free to chip in on things not related to the main game, including setting up your bonds and character ideas as we hammer our group out.


After reading several wonderful Dungeon World PbPs on different forums I've decided I want to get in on the action, anyone else interested? I'd likely be adapting one of the Paizo APs just for a starting point but I'd be flexible on that idea.


Kingmaker is my favorite pathfinder AP, but I feel that the pathfinder rules actually bog down the sweeping exploration and travelogue.

So I started imagining it in fate core and... I think it'll work. Assuming I have a few players interested. Anyone in?


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So I'm starting to DM a game in the Giantslayer AP with a fairly new group in the next couple days. The one veteran in the group is playing a Cavalier since the Player's Guide suggests this might be a better AP for mounts than usual.

However, since I've never played or Dmed for a primarily mounted character and I'm wondering if anyone has any commonly overlooked/forgotten rules for mounted combat to help me out a bit. I'm reading up on it myself but I figured the forums are always a nice place to put out feelers for help.


Male Human Super Cruel DM 10

Play for full effect.

Fate of Nar Shaddaa

THE GALACTIC REPUBLIC is in a state of crisis. The public perception of JEDI ORDER is at an all time low even as they take more and more power in the Galactic Senate, while a shadow organization of NEW SITH has waged a hidden war against the Order.

NAR SHADDAA, smuggler moon over the Hutt homeworld of Nal Hutta, is the newest battleground in this undercover conflict. The new Jedi Temple to be erected would stand as a beacon of hope, but there are many who would see the Hutt's avoid any kind of collaboration with the Jedi, and some who would see the Sith come to power in Hutt Space.

Sent by the Jedi Masters and serving their interests, the crew of the PALLID SLOTH approaches the city moon after a journey of several weeks. A safe and boring journey so far, despite repeated warnings of pirates, slavers and possible enemy action. Soon their journey will be over, and the real struggle will begin...

Everyone describe their positions on the small ship and what you're doing as you head into your final day out from the moon.


I've been working on converting a pathfinder adventure path (specifically Jade Regent) to Fate Core and while having a blast writing up the enemies and such involved, one of my biggest issues has been simply "How strong are Fate Core characters at Pathfinder level X?" I'm really having trouble deciding when I should be giving out what milestones in order to keep the constantly upgrading power of pathfinder feel while trying to keep my PCs at around the right power level for the adventure. Any suggestions?


Male Human Super Cruel DM 10

Hey guys, good to see you here. Now we've got a couple things to get done before the game starts:

  • Get Characters fully done. Skills, stunts, phase aspects (make sure to do your crossover adventures)
  • Brainstorm campaign issues (need one current and two upcoming issues)
  • Every player will get to make 2 locations
  • Every player will get to make 2 NPCs (often a face for the previous locations, though not necessarily). Give me one aspect to work with for these, I'll get the rest.


I've had the lark in my head to run myself a Fate Core Star Wars game for a bit now and I've decided the forums would be a good place to do it. I'm looking at something with a "Jedi Academy" feel, though I haven't nailed down the time period. I'm looking for 3-5 interested parties to take it for a spin. I've got a fairly short arc planned, with more coming if everyone's still interested after we finish it.

Anyone in?


Male Human Super Cruel DM 10

The fourteenth day of October was dreary, overcast and foggy, with just a hint of previous rain promising buckets to come. A blackglass paddywaggon, pulled by two large dray horses, wound through the streets on the edge of the Merchant's Quarter.

On the seat of the waggon sits a driver, large, ruddy and smiling despite the dismal day. Around it when possible, and moving with curses and awkward maneuvers, particularly on the horsemen's part, walk six guards, two of their number a Corporal and Sergeant astride slightly less than inspiring nags. The prisoners inside the cart are dangerous, but the men worry little. Blackglass negates the powers of those touched by the Stranger, as being surrounded by water negates the Destroyers, or being suspended above the ground stops Builders. Perhaps they should be worried, but they have nearly handed off their charge to the slowly approaching Blackstone Penal Institution. Just a few more blocks of the straight Merchant's roads, through the Whore's Gate, and into the straightest and safest street in the Foreign Quarter before the men could take to their beds or their drinks.

But these Guards are not the heroes of this tale, if heroes is the right word for our focal characters. Those inside are the ones we follow now, between bars of blackglass to several prioners shackled to the walls of the waggon.

Describe your characters and their states, and start things up. You're allowed to know each other to any sense you feel appropriate, or perhaps you are all strangers to one another as well as the world.

Scene Aspects Include: Foggy, Blackglass Paddy Waggon, and Relaxed Guardsmen


Male Human Super Cruel DM 10

Alrighty guys, using this as an area to have out of character discussions.

To start, I want to mention the idea of the Origin Story, since I'm running one. In the Origin Story, none of your skills, aspects or stunts are set in stone, and you will begin with 6 fate points. The whole first session will be the Origin Story, which will account for 4-6 Scenes. During any of these scenes, you may declare what level your skill is in any skill as I call for the roll. Don't abuse it, the point is to let you figure out dynamically where your character belongs in the group. If a combat breaks out (likely) then Chance Dillinger might say that his Shoot is +4. This establishes that he is an excellent marksman, and also lets everyone in the group know that is something he wants to focus on, and something they can likely avoid having too highly on their own lists unless it is important to them. When breaking out, perhaps one of you will declare your Burglary at +3, letting everyone know that will be a specialty of your character's. Feel free to declare any and all skills, stunts or aspects during this first session. We will hammer out a full character sheet for everyone afterward, and after that you will only be able to change it at milestones.

Any questions I can answer before we really get rolling?

EDIT: Just recalled something. Since some of Fate is focused on Sessions (Refresh, Moderate Consequences) I intend to make every "Session" roughly 4-6 Scenes and when narratively appropriate. I will inform everyone when one is over and another begins.


Hey guys, title says it all really. Having moved from Texas I know damn near no one in the area, so drop me a line if you know anyone in the area.


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Since there seemed to be ample interest in this, I'll go ahead and post a full on recruitment. This will be a call for three to five individuals to enjoy an adventure on the island Nation State of Cemeas, a homebrew world where the players will have a lot more say than usual in the creation of. The game will be using a slightly modified version of the Fate Core rules.

World Stuff

Cemeas Geography:
Cemeas is divided into Five Quarters, with a bit of land around the city before you reach the sea. Most of this land is farmland, though there are a few small, usually unnamed villages on the north and east sides.

The Palatial Quarter situated in the west part of the city, is also called the Noble's Quarter, set up against the cliffs over the sea, and contains most nobles Palatial Mansions, including the Palace itself. Most noble families in Cemeas are fairly new, averaging one or two generations from wealth, though a few are long-time nobles from other nations, most prominently the Tremadogian Empire. Wide lawns, imported white marble and fine plazas are the norm here. Guards are very prominent but not very visible here.

The Merchant's Quarter in the northeast, is where most big business goes on, and while some people who are unable to afford these wares or unwilling to travel to the Quarter do their shopping elsewhere, most people know to shop around the Merchant's Quarter for all the best deals. There is always a lot of foot and wagon traffic between the Waterfront Quarter to the south and the Merchant's Quarter. The Merchant's Quarter features wide streets often filled with wagons (sometimes even horseless carriages), a strong presence of rifle carrying guards and flashy storefronts on every side.

The Waterfront Quarter in the south abutts the water. A badly planned pile of warehouses, docks, storage areas and trading houses, filled with sailors from every corner of the world. Always crowded, always busy, always half-flooded and never boring. The guards are here, with rifles and side swords. The streets are straight but the alleys are twisted and cramped.

The Channeler's Quarter in the northwest is an area of the city carefully split into six sections for each of the Houses of Titans. There is little traffic in this quarter of towers and fine lawns. There's little to see here unless you happen to be a channeler, and even then it's easy to get to the tower you wish to be in. There's not too much cross traffic between towers either. There are few guards here, as with battle Channelers nearby every day, it's hardly needed.

The Foreign Quarter in the southeast is a winding, twisty rats nest of alleys and sidestreets. Guard presence is near nil, and most of the buildings are held up by glues and hopes. The poor and disenfranchised live in this Quarter, as well as foreigners and many dockworkers from the Waterfront. The only exception is the Canak Enclave (considered a tiny piece of sovereign territory), which is ordered, efficient, well fortified and adequately guarded. The Canak run a tight ship and are brutal with lawbreakers.

Channeling (Magic System):
Channeling is based on seven incredibly powerful semi-divine entities known as The Titans. Each one controls a single element, in balance with the others, except The Stranger. These entities have been worshipped by many different cultures and places in many different forms. Those that use the powers of the Titans are called the Marked, Channelers, or after the Titan they follow (Builders, Hunters, Destroyers, etc.). The Houses of the Titans in Cereas embrace this diversity claiming that being beyond mortal ken, the Titans may be represented in whatever form chosen by the individual. The Seven Titans are as follows.

The Builder is the Titan of Earth. Builders tend to be calm, centered and considered. They rarely move to action without long planning and intense deliberation. Their channeling can be used to throw and move earth, to incite or calm lust in people, draw great strength from the earth and to move extremely quickly overland.

The Hunter is the Titan of Wood. Hunters tend to be solitary, humble and flexible, but personable. They often avoid recognition and fame, wishing instead to simply ensure that things are handled quickly, quietly and without fuss. Their channeling can be used to hide themselves in wooded environments or move and shape wood. Their wood senses tend to make them excellent archers.

The Destroyer is the Titan of Fire. Destroyers tend to be direct, stylish, angry and charismatic. They are often glory hounds, tend to have explosive tempers and often move ahead without a plan. Their channeling can be used to create and throw fire, inspire fear or pride in people, and keep things warm or cooled.

The Messenger is the Titan of Wind. Messengers tend to be flighty, impulsive, and a bit scattered. They find comfort in other people, be passionate in the extreme and find joy in simple things. Their channeling can be used to manipulate the wind, speed up their own perceptions, and in particularly powerful cases; fly.

The Smith is the Titan of Metal. Smiths tend to be cold, aloof and practical. They enjoy the intricacy of precise machines or cold steel armor and weaponry. They tend to make excellent swordsmen and engineers. Their channeling can be used to enhance the strength or sharpness of metal they touch, bend, shape or move metals, and to ignore pain or impediment.

The Mariner is the Titan of Water. Mariners tend to be thoughtful, introspective and empathetic. They tend to be excellent readers of people, avoid large crowds and enjoy sailing the rivers or sea. Their channeling can be used to read others emotions, move and shape water, and make sailing or swimming easier and smoother.

The Stranger is the newest Titan. Strangers seem to share no particular traits, though the wish to change things seems to be slightly more popular among them. Strangers are able to use their channeling for any of the purposes the others have, including almost anything their imaginations can come up with if they have power enough. The Stranger is the only Titan who sometimes steals Channelers from other Titans. Often ruining their lives in the process. Being marked by the Stranger is, in Cemeas, a sentence to either death or lifelong imprisonment.

The players in this game will all be Channelers of the Stranger (Strangers as they're commonly called). They will all have been caught by the authorities and en route to Blackstone Penal Institution. Channeling will be a required skill by all characters, though it may be at any level between Average (+1) to Great (+4).

A Brief History of The Island Nation-State of Cemeas:
The Nation State of Cemeas was originally founded slightly under 400 years ago by the Nementian Confederacy (The Founding Year is year -223C, where 0C is the year of independence.) A walled fortress of a city sitting firmly within far catapult (and later cannon) range of three very profitable trading channels, the city grew and became prosperous quite quickly, the influx of trading taxes causing Five major districts separated by their own interior walls to spring up within the first 100 years, even when military action in -134C caused the city to come under the thumb of the Tremadogian Empire, who heavily taxed the cities trade profits. Ruled originally by a council of natives, then a governor installed by the far off Empire, the city lived uncomfortably under the yoke of colonialism for 134 years until Maera Kilyn, an elven woman and consort of the governor, worked with a small group of local Channelers led a violent coup on the Tremadogians. Surprisingly, many of the Tremadogian and mercenary guards turned on their masters and employers. Historians blame this in part on the locals more common acceptance of other races than the mostly Elf- and Humano-centric Empire, as well as the locals tolerance and respect for technological advancement making the lives better for the working class, and not least on the fact that due to travel being too expensive for the common soldier, many of them had strong relationships to those in Cemeas itself.

After the coup, the royal line began with Queen Maera I of the Kilyn line. The City established the Houses of the Titans the following year, appointing the Heads of Houses to the newly created Council of Seven, consisting of the Queen and each Head of House. Those without the ability to Channel were given no representation within the Council, leading them to be disenfranchised and unhappy. Things progressed much as they had for the populace, as Noble Houses cropped up in the wake of political and merchant power gained in the absence of the Empire's taxes, more common merchants hawked their wares both near and far, dockworkers traded their backs for some coins and beggars who'd lost even their strong backs traded anything they had for another day.

In the year 38C came The Stranger, a new Titan, without a House and seemingly without a limit to his power. The Titan chose very few people compared to the other Titans, and there seemed to be no pattern to those chosen by The Stranger. Where many could tell by certain talents or temperaments if someone would be chosen by The Smith or The Hunter, The Stranger seemed to decide on his Channelers with an eye only toward those who would shake things up, making the underdog the only reasonable pattern. (Though not every underdog, The Stranger chose far less Channelers than most). In addition, those marked by The Stranger were initially imperceptible, unlike other Channelers. This led to a big shakeup in power structure, with many people who were completely powerless and quite resentful about it finding themselves with the amount of power normally reserved only for those who had trained for years or decades. Robbings, vigilantism, fires, murders and destruction came to the powerful with the merchants, soldiers and poor dying in the crossfire. It took 5 years before those marked by The Stranger were declared enemies of Cemeas. A new prison facility was built by Channelers of The Builder. An imposing monstrosity of a prison towering over the Foreign Quarter known as Blackstone Penal Institution. The walls of the institution are laced with blackglass (obsidian), the only known grounding agent to The Strangers. Soon being a Channeler for The Stranger was punished only by death or a one-way trip to Blackstone.

In the year 71C, the city was hit by a plague the city called The Spellblight. While a dark time for the general populace, who suffered around 25% losses (slightly higher among non-human races), it was absolutely devestating to the cities Channelers, who suffered an infection rate of almost 90%, with well over three fifths of cases being fatal. With the numbers of Channelers cut by almost half and trade with the world outside the island cut off entirely, more people starved and everyone suffered. The discovery that Strangers seemed to be immune to the Spellblight caused a mass panic, making massive witch hunts among the angry and scared populace for those they blamed for causing the plague. Dozens were killed in lynchings and kangaroo courts, finally ending with the accusation and execution of Queen Marae I by her half-elven son and heir King Lyrant I. Whether the accusations against the First Queen were true has never been chosen, but that doesn't stop rumors and King Lyrant I's popular nickname, The Traitorous Prince.

The reconstruction efforts after the plague and purges lasted almost 2 decades. One of the major changes was the reconstruction of the Council, since the Channeler's numbers were to a small percentage of what they had been, the angry populace promoted Guilds into the Council under threat of riots and rebellion. The Guilds consisting of Merchants, Sailors, Farmers, and Soldiers promoted their Heads to the Council, quickly followed by The Representatives for each quarter, making the final and current Council of Fifteen.

In the year 96C a warship full of Canak (A violent, tyranical, short-lived race of spiked, snowy white humanoids from the north) crashed on the rocks of the isle containing Cemeas. Declared heretical by their own people for pollution of outside ideas, the Canak survivors eventually found themselves moved into a ghetto within the Foreign Quarter and largely forgotten. Attempting to recreate their homeland they spread their strange religion in the ghetto and beyond, where it took root in much of the disenfranchised workers who lacked a guild or other representation, including those marked by the Stranger. The Canak philosophy preached a system of knowing your place and conforming to your role, and protected converts as though they were born to it, including those who were criminals or outcasts in their own lands. In the intervening hundred years the philosophy has gained strength in the poor districts, but found few converts in the nobles and tradesmen. One of these converts was quite important, that being Princess Atrius, heir to the throne, who cast away her title to join the Canak ghetto in 105C. When the King discovered that his daughter had defected from his court with the help of her mother, he divorced her, and scandalized the court by taking an Ork, Queen Nicoult as a second wife and having a new heir, the half-ork, quarter-human, quarter-elf Prince Nikolas and his younger brother by 15 years Prince Lyrant II.

After a series of short trade wars (consisting of little more than occasional naval skirmishes) with neighbors, assassins from the Nementian Confederacy, Strangers all, killed King Lyrant and his Queen in their bed in the year 131C, causing the coronation of King Nikolas I, the first Non-Channeling King of Cemeas. A small faction within The Houses of the Titans, including the head of The House of The Destroyer, worried about losing their power and favor in the City, conspired to kidnap Prince Lyrant II and placed him under guard. Many lies and half-truths were used to convince Lyrant that his brother was an ineffectual and foolish ruler, and that the young Lyrant would be a better fit for the throne. Eventually the conspiracy used Lyrant as a figurehead to launch a civil war against King Nikolas. The Brother's War was long and bloody, lasting for 12 years, but luckily for history, King Nikolas was gracious in victory. The conspiracy was rooted out (mostly) and it's leaders put to death. Prince Lyrant II remains at the Palace, a prisoner in name only who has accepted that his brother is a fine ruler and has avoided entangling himself in politics. The King's treatment of his brother and his traitorous supporters and soldiers has earned him the moniker "The King in Grace".

This will be very steampunky. Lots of swords and cutlasses, matchlock rifles common with flintlocks for the rich and maybe even a couple of wheellocks floating around, but most violence is still done the old fashioned way. Cannons are used in defense of the island and on a few advanced ironsides. Gentry but no feudalism.

This information will be up in the Campaign Info tab at all times. Lots of it is background, feel free to skim it, and consider very little set in stone.

I will be intending to run an origin story adventure, which means that all that is necessary for your character to get consideration is the following 4 things:

A High Concept
A Trouble
A short, simple history
A writing sample, in character, detailing how the character was captured by the Guard (at least a paragraph, doesn't have to be too ridiculous, just something to get me a feel for your writing)

The rest of your character may be filled in through the origin story, including aspects, skills and stunts (though if you'd prefer to do a full character before even starting feel free, I have no intentions of stopping you.)

These characters should have had some form of a life before being Marked (It never happens before about age 14) and depending on how street-smart, tough, resourceful or clever they are may have avoided capture for many years, but now they are captured and on their way to prison in one of the Guards' wagons.


Hey guys. I've been looking through Evil Hat's excellent Fate Core system and playing a little with some friends. I'm curious what kind of interest there would be in a game set up here using these rules and a homebrew setting cooked up by the group through the rules.


Hey guys, making a Pahmet Dwarf Shaman of Battle for a Mummy's Mask game a friend of mine is doing. I'm thinking of mostly focusing him on battlefield control, using spells and my wandering Hex to get Heaven's Leap (Best Hex Ever). Looking at using a Longspear two handed to keep enemies away from me, and a cestus for those that get in too close. Started with the following stat spread for 15 pt buy:

STR: 14
DEX: 12
CON: 10 (12)
INT: 8
WIS: 14 (16)
CHA: 14 (12)

Feats and Hexes:
1: Weaon Focus: Longspear,
2: Battle Master
3: Combat Expertise
4: Battle Ward, Waves
5: Power Attack
6: Switch To Heavens, Heaven's Leap

Any advice? Looking for Traits, Spells, anything that will gel well with what I'm wanting. Thanks for the extra eyes.


According to an old saw, rich men are not crazy, they are eccentric. This isn’t a function of their wealth as much as their power: the difference is that if the subject is ignored, they are crazy, and if they are indulged, they are eccentric. If so, reflected Captain Josiah Burges, mysterious millionaire Eichorn von Ryuko was the most eccentric man in all of Europa. His stunts and wagers defied reason, but as long as you played by his rules—and played them to the hilt—you could find yourself very seriously rich and only partially disfigured.

Case in point: von Ryuko had decided that he bored of his modest oilfields in the south. An ordinary man would have sold the land, or distributed it to an heir, or handed its administration to an associate; von Ryuko’s plans were more grandiose.

One week ago, he declared that he would carve up the land and distribute it, freely, to anyone that attended a masquerade ball in his Island Manor out in the middle of the Atlantic. The only conditions were that applicants had to be of good breeding, had to arrive via his airship The Queen Courier, and—most importantly–were not allowed to remove their half-face mask at any time during the two-week voyage or one-day party.

Of course, no respectable blueblood would be caught dead subjecting themselves von Ryuko’s mad charity. Consequentially, all of the respondees–Captain Burges’ current passengers–were a who’s-who peerage of disgraced, distressed, and disenfranchised gentry from all over Europe. Put together, they had enough money, land, and influence to open a takeout stand, but they were all nobles nonetheless. Burges planned to avoid them, he hated nobles, which he didn’t anticipate would be difficult as long as he kept away from the open bar and hung around in areas where actual work took place.

They were six hours into the voyage when the first mate approached him, nervously, and told him the onboard radio was ringing off the hook. Burges didn’t hurry to answer it; when he finally did, the voice on the other end sounded hoarse from shouting.

“Is this the captain of The Queen Courier?”

“Yessir,” said Captain Burges. “What can I do you for?”

“This is the Chief Inspector. Listen to me, because I have reason to suspect that the passengers on your ship are in grave danger!”

“Really?”

“Agents of the Black Rose assassin’s organization were apprehended in Kingston. As best as we can extrapolate from documents on their person, and what little our interrogators have gleaned, it sounds as if they were planning to infiltrate an airship of some kind. Captain, your vessel is a very likely target!”

“Really, now?”

“We’re going to have to choose a landing site somewhere in Wales or Ireland. We’ll have investigators on the scene immediately to…”

Captain Burges switched off the radio. The he leaned back in his chair and took a quiet puff at his pipe.

“Are you going to land, Captain?” asked the first mate.

“In fifteen days, yes. On von Ryuko’s manor.”

“But the Inspector said…”

“Yes, but the Inspector isn’t paying our wages, is he? And von Ryuko said we were to let nothing interrupt our flight. I believe he meant it.”

“But…”

“Besides, this don’t seem like that much of an emergency to me. Everyone knows it’s easy to spot a member of the Black Rose.”

“It is?”

“Sure thing. They’ve got tattoos all around their eyes, climbing vines like roses, don’t they? Black and green, leading up to a big black rosebud on the forehead. So tell you what: go out there and tell the passengers that as long as they agree to all take their masks off and forfeit their shot at the land, we can deal with the whole thing right now.”

“Um…”

“Don’t you worry,” said Captain Burges, lowering his cap over his eyes. “The nobles have good breeding. I’m sure they can figure out this assassin business in a nice, civilized fashion."

"After all," the Captain sighed, seeming almost in pain. "This ain't the first time it's happened."

--------------------------------------------------------

Rules

Each of you is a nobleman aboard the Queen Courier, Eichorn Von Ryuko's personal airship, bound for his private island. Scuttlebutt and personal radios have firmly confirmed that there are assassins aboard.

Most probably, your goals are to survive, get land, and die fat and wealthy surrounded by porcine grandchildren. If this is the case, then you are an Aristocrat.

Of course, if you’re not one of the Aristocrats, you’re an Assassin, and your objective is to kill as many nobles as possible. Ideally, to kill all of them—each and every one of them have prices on their heads, and if you actually manage to wipe out the whole ship, it’ll be like getting a year’s worth of paydays all at once.

Every Cycle, the Aristocrats vote to Lynch one of their own, hoping to catch an Assassin. Votes must be cast before the end of the Cycle, and may be changed due to impassioned pleas or convincing lies.

Every Cycle, the Assassins vote to Murder a player, hoping to finish all of the Aristocrats.

If the Assassins vote to Murder a fellow Assassin they instead learn each others identities. Assassins in contact with each other are far more dangerous than assassins alone.

There is 1 Assassin per 6 Players.

Assassins win if their numbers are greater than those of their targets, while Aristocrats win if the assassins are all found and killed.

Aristocrats have the following special roles:

The University Chums: Some of you attended the same university. It was a co-ed knockoff of a more popular university, and made up for its uninspiring curriculum with a shot of half-cocked school spirit and raging elitism. Point is, having witnessed firsthand how thick the others are, you are quite positive that they’re not the assassins.

University Chums start out knowing each others’ identities. There will be no University Chums in games of less than 10 people, with there being one University Chum per 5 people beyond 10. (2 for 10+, 3 for 15+, etc.)

The Investigators: Luckily, you boarded the airship intending to investigate The Silver Fox, who you had heard was a passenger. Your fake documents are airtight and your identity secure, which should help with all this assassin business.

Every Cycle, the Investigators can follow another player to determine their role. However, even the greatest Investigator knows that they can make mistakes and so Investigations can only be regarded with roughly 75% accuracy; the Investigators can follow a target multiple times over multiple nights.

There will be no Investigators for games of less than 10 people, two for games up to 20 and 1 per 10 people beyond that. (3 for 30+, 4 for 40+, etc.)

The Vigilante: Throughout history there are tales of nobles sweeping out into the night to defend their people, protect their lands, and incidentally wear very stylish and flattering black clothing that attracts the ladies/lads like nobody’s business. For whatever reason, you venture out every other night with a black cloak, a mask and a pair of fighting sticks to beat the piss out of common crooks and look good doing it. Unfortunately, your lands are beginning to suffer for it; hence your decision to embark on this trip in the first place. Once you learned that there were assassins aboard, you knew it was your moment to shine.

Every cycle, the Vigilante can pick one person to protect. No matter how many Assassins try to kill that target, they will be unsuccessful. Only the Vigilante and the Assassins will know that someone was successfully protected that night. The Vigilante may instead attempt to Investigate players, but due to being untrained in Investigation, The Fox's attempts take twice as long to be as accurate. The Vigilante takes two cycles to investigate a target.

If there are more than 15 players there shall be 2 Vigilantes, with another every 15 players.

Assassins possess three special roles:

The Trapper: A master of poisons, tripwires, beartraps, and other nastiness, the Trapper is skilled at laying snares for the unawares.

Every night, you can pick a certain player to “trap.” If someone attempts to investigate or protect the trapped player, they are killed. This supersedes the standard nightkill, so if the Assassins vote to murder Player A and then snare-kill Player B, Player A survives the night and Player B is eliminated instead.

However, if the player that falls into the trap is currently being protected, the trap fails. For example: Aristocrat A, the Silver Fox, protects Aristocrat B, the Investigator. Aristocrat B attempts to investigate Aristocrat C, who has been trapped. The trap fails, Aristocrat B is given their investigation results normally, and whoever the Assassins voted to kill is eliminated as per usual.

There is no Trapper unless there are 15 or more Players, in which case there is one Trapper per 15 players. (2 at 30+, etc)

The Head Assassin: The job of Head Assassin on this mission has accidentally fallen into your lap. You are no better and worse than any other assassin and if you die the next Assassin will take your place, but until then your vote will count twice in order to determine tiebreakers when Assassins vote to kill different people.

There is always a Head Assassin.

--------------------------

As I hope I got across here this will be a simple game of secrecy and treachery, using these boards and the new Personal Message feature to play a deadly game of murder. No player shall begin knowing another's role (except the University Chums). Cycles will be between Begin on Tuesdays and Fridays, ending on the day the next begins and those who do not make a vote in this time will count as Null votes. During the Cycle you may change your vote as often as you like, generally reacting to impassioned arguments or lies. If the Investigators or Vigilantes do not send a PM making their choices they will not be active that Cycle. Same for the other special roles. Each of you should make a character to urge roleplaying.

There is no official character system. All rules are detailed in this thread.

There is no official world. All worldbuilding is up to you and your characters, though this time around's theme is Victorian-esque.

Additionally, when I write up the Cycle reports, your characters will be represented within–especially if they die.

When creating your character, consider including the following details.

Name

Country

One or two lines about appearance.

Recent family history–why do they need to take handouts? Are they poor, or merely shameless?*

Why would an assassin want to kill them?*

*Obviously, if you are assigned certain roles, these will turn out to be fabrications.

-----------------

Recruitment opens now and closes in one week assuming we get enough people (roughly 15), otherwise will remain open two weeks.

If you would like to see an example of play, look into my former games of this nature: Ryuko's Original Murder Mystery Tour, Wolves of The Weirwood: A Werewolf version, and Mutants on the Cold Star: A sci-fi version.

Additionally: Dougfungus' Murder Mystery Tour where Dougfungus carried on when I dropped off the world.

Can you survive my Murder Mystery Tour?


I had a dream of living through the apocalypse. The sun became hotter than it ever was and we began to boil. Every method was ineffective. Every measure a meager stopgap. Our lives were over but we fought on as humanity tends to do. Even as hope died for many, we fought on. The rivers dried up and the oceans became too warm for comfort. The corpses dried up and blew away in the desert winds of the coasts. It was only after many had already died that the second and third sun appeared in the sky, occasionally blinking and shifting their white hot attentions to certain people. The bugs came after. Horrendous and cruel, they wanted our flesh, but more, they wanted our pain. They ignored the meat already dead and toyed with those they took. Not that they needed to. One bite was enough. Enough to inflict you with the spores to seek out more of them. Lost like insects infected with cordrecyps fungus, forced to lose yourself and do as hidden by the foreign biology now within you, believing always that you were in control. Those afflicted would find the bugs and willingly die as the two suns in their alien sky sometimes laughed. In the end humanity became shambling and worthless. Surviving for nothing more than survival, with each person worth no more than a diseased piece of meat once a bug had touched you. Something to be thrown away at the earliest opportunity. And in a dark building some of us found a staircase leading up forever into the light. We found hope. We climbed for so long that some died just from the climb. Our legs strengthened and our arms tired. The bugs were always below as we climbed miles up the infinite stair. And at the top was a golden door, ahining with the light of a thousand angels and humming with a power that might make everything right.

And the door would not open. The higher powers had abandoned us to save themselves. We were alone. In that moment the final shredsof humanity's hope died. As, shortly after, did we...

So... Probably done with sleep tonight.


Hey all, I'm starting a Reign of Winter game with a few friends of mine who are pretty new to Pathfinder. Game will be beginning tomorrow and I'd like some changes, tweaks or alterations that people have made to the first couple books. I find these forums to be excellent for this sort of thing and I love having a bit more to bring to the table to immerse my players.

A few things I'm already planning on implementing:

The opening to Stone Dogs Snows of Summer, wherein the fortune teller from Heldren collapses and begins babbling about the snows at the Highsummer Festival and the village gets a slight dusting of snow that night before having Uul Northman stagger in the next day.

Neil Spicer's suggestion of giving the arctic Tatzylwyrm a burrow speed in place of his poison breath (I so hope I get to pull the sorcerer beneath the snows).

The ideas from The Black Rider's Gear Thread, particularly having a massive battlefield on the other side of the Winter Portal, and a few interesting items for my characters there. Any suggestions of gear are welcome.

My own idea for the gear (moving away from Golarion Canon) is to have The Black Rider's Greatsword, which appears to be made out of ice. It will start as a simple +1 Greatsword and perhaps gain a few more powers as the characters grow more accustomed to the Black Rider's Mantle.

Speaking of the Mantle, I intend to have it be more of a boon than just a +2 to one Attribute, and have it simply make the characters more comfortable in the cold. Something along the lines of halving the penalties to movement, perception and ranged attacks from snow. Described as their bodies simply knowing how to move, shoot and even see properly in a snowstorm after they have taken the Mantle. It will still make snow an annoyance/occasional danger, but less so than normal.

And that's all I've got. Thoughts? Suggestions? Critiques? Have at it!


So I have a player who picked up the cursed pazuzu statue, since no one in my party has any religious knowledge and didn't recognize pazuzu. After realizing the bonus it gave he was psyched (he's a sorcerer so +4 cha is insane at lvl 4) even when the nightmares began.

Now I've made the curse on the statue a bit more subtle. I've removed the inability to memorize spells and the stone of weight restriction, but I'm hoping that I can expand the storyline with my LE player. Any diabolical ideas?


Who else is really excited about this? I played the first one till my eyes bled and its just under a month till release day for the second here in the states.

I am so prepared to die.


I'm looking into making a Dwarven Living Monolith from the Pahmet Dwarves for the upcoming Mummy's Mask AP that my friend is planning to run. I'd like to build from a martial class into the Living Monolith Prestige class, preferably getting there as soon as possible without having a gimpy character. I'd like to focus on a pretty simple character, focused mainly on survivability and toughness, while still being able to contribute to combat meaningfully and hopefully have a couple extra tricks beyond that. While I know that two handing a reach weapon might be the most optimal way to go when it comes to a class that can enlarge itself, some part of me would like to try a character who uses Two Weapon Fighting with a sword and shield, but I wonder if that's a bit too much to try and cram into the same character.

Anyhow, I've had a few ideas on builds, but I'd like to keep them to myself for the moment until I hear some other peoples first impressions. I'm looking for an optimized character (with cool options coming out ahead of being perfect as long as it's viable), must be dwarven, must be martial, must get into Living Monolith between levels 6 to 8. I'll accept anything from short suggestions to a full build. Anyhow, what do you think Paizoans?


Ok, so I tried this once before, but it didn't seem to shake out. Is anyone interested in playing Scion? I was thinking of running the Ragnarok campaign, which is restricted to the Aesir, if I can get enough interest (3-5 players).


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.......

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You awaken, head pounding and body aching and sore, in the dark, stone floor under you (possibly with some debris, wood or stone). As consciousness trickles back in you recall what landed you in this dark cavern.

The Tourney of the Third Day of Armasse officially began at noon, with the blessing of the festival by Lord Hui run himself, ruler of Kenabres. The crowd gathered in Clydwell Plaza quieted as the aged inquisitor took the stage, clad in shining, resplendent armor. He cleared his throat, but just as he was a bout to speak, a bright light shone from the west, as if the sun were rising from the wrong direction. Hulrun's shadow fell huge and distorted across the cathedral's facade. A moment later, the sound of a thunderous explosion ripped through the air and earth, along with a violent tremor.

To the west, the fortress known as the Kite, the location of Kenabres's wardstone, had vanished. In its place, a brilliant plume of red fire, lightning, and smoke erupted into the heavens. A moment later, a powerful roar accompanied a welcome sight rising from the crowd: Kenabres's greatest guardian, the ancient silver dragon Terendelev, who had until that moment been attending the opening ceremony disguised as a human. Above, another form appeared, as nightmarish as the dragon was breathtaking. A humanoid shape three times the size of any man, with skin coated in fire and lightning, gripped a flaming sword and whip. The creature's identity was immediately obvious: Khorramzadeh, the Storm King of the Worldwound, had come to Kenabres.

As the ground continued to shake and disgorge demons into the streets, the dragon and the balor lord clashed above. The fight was over in a few harrowing moments, as the balor cut deep into Terendelev's body, swooping down to strike the dragon and arresting her charge. A few more blows, and the titanic duo spiraled downward toward the crowd.

The sight of the dragon smashing into the facade of the Cathedral of St. Clydwell is one no witness would ever forget. At that moment, a titanic demon erupted at the far end of the plaza, reducing several buildings to ruins as it smashed into this world. The rift it created shot across the plaza, and this time there was no escape-it opened below your feet, angling away into darkness.

Even as you fell, the dragon noticed your plight. Though she saw death standing over her, she seized this final chance to save a few more souls. After she uttered a few arcane words and stretched out a bleeding talon, you felt her magic take hold of you, slowing your plummet into the darkness as if you were feathers falling into a pit. Yet the fall remained as inexorable, and as you drifted downward into the depths, the last thing you saw was the Storm King standing before the ancient silver dragon, his sword lashing out and cleaving full through her neck. As her severed head fell, the rift above you slammed shut, rubble streaming through the air around you, and the light of the world above was gone.

Now, through the darkness, you hear a small voice. "H-Hello... Anyone? Is anyone else here?"


All righty, good to see everyone, need a quick sound off to make sure we're all here and then I'll be doing a final check/rundown to make sure your characters are all sorted. One last thing, would everyone mind putting their saves, initiative, AC, and a current and total HP in their class and level section to make it easily accessible?


Hey all, I'm interested in running a Wrath of the Righteous game right here on the forums. Recruitment will be open between now and Friday evening. Anyone interested can submit to me one complete character and a small sample of roleplaying for me to peruse.

Characters will be built with:

20 point buy
All Paizo Material Allowed with Caveats (In other words, I'm the DM, I'm allowed to be picky.)
3rd Party Material Allowed on a Provisional Basis (In other words, if it becomes a problem, we'll talk.)
3 Traits, One of which must be a Campaign Trait from the Player's Guide. None of the Campaign Traits will be connected to a Mythic Path
Maximum starting gold for your class
A full backstory
A good physical description
A rough outline of future advancement, including Mythic Path (I don't need every feat you'll take, but knowing if you'll be taking your wizard into Eldritch Knight or if your Fighter will eventually be a psuedo-rogue through Shadowdancer is important.)

After these things are put together I would like a bit of roleplaying from all characters regarding their time festival-going on the third day of Armasse in Kenabres.

Information on Armasse and the Festival:
Originally a day of study for avoiding the mistakes of history, since Aroden's death Armasse has been a week of training for the commonfolk and tournaments for the more skilled. Anytime during the week of Armasse one can wander down to the Temple of the Inheritor near the Citadel and learn a few minor miracles, or into the track to learn the basics of combat riding. No Master, no matter how storied, turns away anyone attempting to learn on Armasse. The first day of Armasse is a massive day of revelry which trails a bit into the entire week, with the whole event having a raucous and fun atmosphere. The draw of midweek days lies mostly in the tournaments, including jousting, archery, duels, and magical contests both divine and arcane. These are always opened at noon with massive crowds. The day in question is the third, before the noon ceremony.

Let the games begin.


So this one is inspired by my SO, who decided to create a catfolk paladin of Shelyn for our upcoming Wrath of The Righteous game, and started looking into backstory to find... well... nothing. We could find nothing on where Catfolk come from or anything on their culture, beliefs or outlook. I originally thought they were from Tian Xia but after looking through Dragon Empires Gazetteer I could find no mention. Am I going crazy? Is there any info on this? Am I just looking in the wrong places?

So I went ahead and took it to the crowdsourcing that is the boards. Find me lore pieces my loyal minions... err... Good friends!


So I've been looking at Scion a lot lately and have decided I'd like to try it. Should I get a little interest I'd like to set up a game for 4-5 Scions of the Aesir gods, who will be playing through the published 'Ragnarok' campaign book. For the first adventure I will only be using Aesir gods. There are a few other houserules that I will be using as well but I'll hold off on those until I'm sure people are interested.


Male Human Super Cruel DM 10

Destan

The sudden light wakes you, stabbing at your eyes as the door to your cell opens. "Up." The compassionless, commanding voice is the same one that tells you simply "Food." once a day down here. You've heard the same one every day since the day you were arrested on trumped up charges and thrown into the lightless cell.

Two men wearing the red and grey livery of guards of the Ruby Palace step inside as you stand and take your arms, not roughly but effectively. The men begin to lead you through the grey halls of the dungeon until you reach a door, which they open and motion you through. "Clean yourself. You are to be a guest of the king."

Within the room is a small metal washtub and a set of grooming tools, as well as your clothes, taken from you when you were arrested and, it seems from the smell, freshly laundered.

Blake

The letter from the Palace was a shock, but a shock that held promise. Your simple room at the inn had been provided after your 'injuries' to an 'innocent man' in the Crown's raid. You were glad that they'd put you up since you had nowhere else to go.

The letter explained simply that you'd been chosen for His Majesty's Service. Expertly worded to make it seem like an honor, while somehow making it clear that a no was not an option. It asked that you report to the Ruby Palace before noon tomorrow to hold court with King Surtova.

Dmitri

Already knowing of the recruitment and his part in it, Dmitri had only slowed down long enough to help kill a man who had been robbing a good looking couple on the road and get directions from them. He finally arrived in the city of New Stetven on the appointed morning, with little enough time to spare. Upon recieving directions to the Ruby Palace, he was told by a beautiful woman in no uncertain terms "But you can't meet the King looking like that!"

Fyrek

It was perfect. You knew Ketephys must have led you to the young man being threatened by wolves. It was easy to frighten them away, and the Herald thanked you. He told you that he was a runner from the King to the far reaches of the kingdom, searching for those which had the guts and nerves to mount an expedition. You knew it was destiny. After all, your parents had been trying to marry you to the fourth son of a minor Garess and you needed a way out.

After telling your parents and preparing, you were on your way and had finally arrived in New Stetven.

Daen

You always knew when your father was nervous, as he spoke with a bit of a stutter. "D-Daen. There's been a missive from your uncle, the King. H-h-e has asked you to head an e-expedition." You knew that your father would never deny his cousin, the King, anything. Especially if he could get rid of an eyesore of a half-son about. "You must go. F-for the honor of our family."

And so you'd journeyed, after a short stop at your mother's grave to say goodbye, and now approached the Ruby Palace of your Uncle you'd met only once, years ago.


Male Human Super Cruel DM 10

Hey guys. Here's the spot to check in.


The spy approached with a grave face. "My liege, I regret to inform you that several Lodovka envoys have been sent to speak to Numerian enclaves. They have spoken directly to the Technic League. Furthermore, Lord Lodovka has begun a process of hiring mercenaries and training troops for war. From the reactions of others whom I believe to be agents to other noble families I believe that there is no doubt." The man took a deep breath. "The Lodovka's are preparing for war."

King Noleski Surtova, rubbed his thin beard and waved the spy away without a word. His claims followed what other agents had told him of other houses. "It would seem that my grip upon the throne is failing." He stated quietly to his empty War Room. He shrugged his voluminous garments and pulled a map close. If civil war was to be the order than the royal house of Surtova had best be ready. Restov would stand with him, but he could be sure of no other support.

The map told him little he wished to hear. The wild lands of Numeria still threatened in the West, raiding barbarians which would hurt morale, but which at least bordered several rival lords as well. More concerning was to the South. The Stolen Lands. A harsh, savage place which was claimed by his kingdom, the Numerians, the River Lords and Pitax. The resource heavy but dangerous strip of land was unsettled by any but bandits and savage humanoids. But perhaps it was time to change that.

The old man's robins-egg blue eyes scanned the map for a moment, mentally tallying troop positions and lines of supply. "Bah, Impossible." He snorted after a moment. The Stolen Lands were too far from anything important to waste troops on while the war was brewing. Perhaps another year.

He pulled another missive to himself across the desk, the map lying forgotten. He scanned the letter, a short argument for a man to be hanged. The man claimed to have much skill in adventuring, and claimed he would give anything to the Throne should they pardon him.

Noleski eyed the map once again, pulling his robe close in the cold stone room. "I can't spare my own men, but what about those of my enemies?" He considered it, then rejected the idea. None would allow their King to order regiments away when they prepared for war. Not a regiment then... but perhaps simply people. One here, two there. A group of thieves, nobles, outcasts, adventurers and farmers. Send someone from every region, and perhaps it would even help delay the war while securing the Southern Front. Two birds, one stone. A decree of exploration.

King Noleski Surtova, Regent of the Dragonscale Throne, pulled a fresh parchment towards himself and began to write. Now what was that prisoner's name?

------------------------------

Hey all, Ryuko here with a game announcement. Going to run a very rolelplaying heavy Kingmaker game. This thread is for recruitment purposes and will hopefully find me 4 to 6 people which I will enjoy building a story with over the coming months. Posts in the full game will be expected at least twice a week, and I appreciate quality over quantity. In keeping with this theme I ask that all character applications come complete with a story, in your own writing style, of how your character got roped into this likely doomed expedition. Stories may be of any length, though I suggest at least 3 paragraphs.

Character outline is as follows:

15 point buy (I prefer heroism through action and not through birth).
All races provisionally allowed, but I am a big fan of the core races and those will likely get a closer look than others. Essentially, if you're a Grippli, your writing had better impress me.
All classes except Summoner allowed.
All official Paizo sources allowed.
2 Traits, one of which must be a campaign trait. If no campaign traits fit your character, shoot me a PM, I'll come up with something..
Final decision on allowance of anything is dependent on me, the DM.

Notable Houserules:
Power Attack, Combat Expertise and Lunge are combat options. Anyone with STR 13 or higher may Power Attack. Anyone with DEX or INT 13 or higher may use CE. Anyone with a BAB of more than 6 may make Lunge attacks.

Combat Maneuvers provoke Attacks of Opportunity only with a failure, not with the attempt.

Vital Strike is a single feat that scales.

Weapon Finesse/Agile Manuevers are Options of Finessable Weapons and no longer feats.

Dervish Dance is replaced by Expert Strikes. Expert Strikes is a feat requiring a BAB of +4 which allows you to add your DEX bonus instead of STR bonus to damage for Finessable Weapons.

Weapon Proficiency is a trait. Using a Feat on Weapon Proficiency gains you Proficiency in 2 weapons.

Vital Strike is an attack action which can be combined with any other such action (i.e. Charging, Spring Attack, Cleave).

Lances Do not deal double damage on a charge, only +5 damage.

Characters gains 1 point buy every level, replacing the one attribute point every 4 levels. Point-buy Points may be banked for later spending. Atrributes beyond 18 cost an amount of points equal to the resulting modifier (19 = 4, 20-21=5, 22-23=6 etc.)

EDIT FOR ADDITIONAL HOUSERULE

Item Rules:
Items carried by a character are divided into three separate categories: Ready, Secured and Stowed. Readied Items are items such as Weapons in a scabbard, potions in a bandoleer, or alchemists fire clipped on a belt. Readied items are obvious, clear and can be drawn using a move action. Secured items are things such as a bear trap carried in a backpack, a hidden boot dagger, or a potion secreted inside a characters pants. They are a bit more difficult to reach and use a standard action to retrieve. Stowed items are things like an alchemists kit in its case, a tent in the bottom of the backpack, or a flask of oil in the pack-horses saddlebags. These are difficult to reach and bother with, particularly in combat, and cost a full-round action to reach which provokes an attack of opportunity. The only limit on what items one can carry in which way is how much sense it makes, and as with all things, it is subject to DMs Call.


Hey there guys. Hard to believe how long I've been gone. I've gone through a lot while gone, but that's not important. What is important is that I left this board with no notice and not a peep since. I apologize to those I left in the lurch and those stories I abandoned, both those I played and those I DMed. Just wanted to make that official.

I am planning on starting another game at some point soon. Going to constrain myself to one game and avoid a similar incident to the above. Or maybe I won't start one, but I won't start one without the intent to see it through. It's nice to be back in the community and I hope I don't get crucified for daring to show my face again.


Male Human Super Cruel DM 10

On the First day of Rova, the First day of Autumn, Sandpoint held the Swallowtail Festival. The town was packed to the bursting point by pilgrims, travellers, swindlers and those simply looking for a good time. Most of the town rose early, knowing that there would be speeches to watch, though as always some couldn't care less about the speeches and only awakened as the merchant's stalls and games opened their doors.

The welcoming speeches are kept fairly short. Mayor Deverin’s friendly attitude and excitement prove contagious as she welcomes visitors to town and jokes about how even Larz Rovanky, the local tanner (and notorious workaholic) managed to tear himself away from the tannery to attend, much to everyone’s but Larz’s amusement. Sheriff Hemlock brings the crowd down a bit with his dour mood, his reminder to be safe around the evening’s bonfire, and his request for a moment of silence to remember those who lost their lives in the fire that claimed the town’s previous church five years ago. Fortunately, Cyrdak Drokkus is more than up to the challenge of bringing the crowd’s mood back up with his rousing anecdotes as he delivers a not-completely-irreverent recap of the long process the town went through to finance and construct the new cathedral. He throws in a bit of self-promotion at the end, as is his wont, inviting everyone to stop by the Sandpoint Theater the following evening to check out his new production of “The Harpy’s Curse,” revealing that the lead role of Avisera the harpy queen will be played by none other than the famous Magnimarian diva Allishanda! Finally, Father Zantus steps up give a short speech thanking everyone for coming and reminds everyone to try the festival games listed in the town square before declaring the Swallowtail Festival underway.

The Sign listing the games in the Square is quite large and noticeable. It reads:

The Devil Hunt!
Do you have what it takes to bring down the Infamous Sandpoint Devil? Take a shot down at the beach and see!

The Goblin Toss!
The goblins have made it into the market and are tearing the place up! See if you can toss them into the fires and get rid of the pests once and for all!

The Lighthouse Smash!
Who needs a lighthouse without a light? Let's knock it down so we can have something new with that old stone! Catapults are on the Cliff overlooking the light.

Dragon Races!
There's been talk of raising dragons about, let's see which is the fastest and the best! Pick a dragon and race it against your friends and neighbors at the Market.

Catch The Goblin!
Another damned goblin's got into the kitchens at the Rusty Dragon! Help Ameiko get the little blighter after he's rubbed in her butter!

Ogre Stomp!
Are you as strong as an Ogre? Find out at the Ogre Stomp at the Red Dog Smithy!

In the interest of time, each of you can only get in two games before lunch and two after, just so we don't spend a month on this :)


Male Human Super Cruel DM 10

Here's a space to speak out of character about the game. I also noticed that I forgot a couple of houserules in the discussion thread. One is that I do not use XP, and levels will be awarded when appropriate for the adventure. The other is that Sneak Attacks will deal maximized damage when the target is entirely unaware of the threat. This can be when they have failed all Perception checks and have no clue the rogue is near, or when they simply do not see the rogue as any kind of threat. Sneak attacks operate normally in other conditions.

Anyhow, I'll be going over your characters tonight looking for mistakes and such and will have a gameplay thread up tomorrow. Until then feel free to check in and discuss how much of the recruitment thread you'd like to be considered canon.


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All right then folks. Here's one I've wanted to run for a long, long time. The one, the only, the first, Rise of The Runelords. And now that I hold the beautifully remastered version in my hands I'm opening recruitment to all those with sound bodies or minds and adventure in their souls to save the village of Sandpoint, and eventually, perhaps the world.

Houserules:
Banned List:(Note that this is not a comprehensive list, and some other things may be banned. I reserve my DM right to ban any item I choose at any time I choose.)
Wild Rager Archetype
Rage Cycling (Barbarians, even those immune to fatigue, must wait twice as long as they were in rage to enter it again)
Synthesist Archetype*
Master Summoner Archetype
Antagonize Feat
Clustered Shots Feat
Falcata

* This one is more (The cheese that usually goes with Synthesist. Show me one that isn't complete and utter powergaming (i.e. One that doesn't drop every physical stat to dirt, or jump towards pounce as fast as he can) and I'll probably quite like it.

Combat should be dynamic and flowing, thus you may move up to half your speed and still make a full attack.
Power Attack, Combat Expertise and Lunge are combat options. Anyone with STR 13 or higher may Power Attack. Anyone with DEX or INT 13 or higher may use CE. Anyone with a BAB of more than 6 may make Lunge attacks.
Combat Maneuvers provoke Attacks of Opportunity only with a failure, not with the attempt.
Vital Strike is a single feat that scales.
Weapon Finesse/Agile Manuevers are Options of Finessable Weapons and no longer feats.
Dervish Dance is replaced by Expert Strikes. Expert Strikes is a feat requiring a BAB of +4 which allows you to add your DEX bonus instead of STR bonus to damage for Finessable Weapons.
Weapon Proficiency is a trait. Using a Feat on Weapon Proficiency gains you Proficiency in 2 weapons.
Vital Strike is an attack action which can be combined with any other such action (i.e. Charging, Spring Attack, Cleave).
Lances Do not deal double damage on a charge, only +5 damage.
Characters gains 1 point buy every level, replacing the one attribute point every 4 levels. Points beyond 18 cost an amount of points equal to the resulting modifier (19 = 4, 20-21=5, 22-23=6 etc.)
Paladins not required to be Lawful, only Good. Still held to code though.

Character Requirements:
15 Point Buy
3 Traits (1 Campaign)
All Core Paizo Material Allowed (CRB, APG, UM, UC)
Most Paizo Splatbooks Allowed (___ of Golarion, Adventurer's Armory, Others with DM Approval)
Third Party Material subject to DM Approval. (Super Genius is generally balanced and creative.)
1 Backstory
1 Reason for being in Sandpoint during the Swallowtail Festival (Chance, Local, Religious Leanings, etc.)
1 Description of Your Character as seen by a stranger.
No Evil Alignments (I want Heroes. Even if they aren't the best of heroes.)

Recruitment will stay open for 2 weeks. 5 Characters will be chosen. Those who get a character approved may begin to roleplay the day of the Swallowtail Festival in Sandpoint. Roleplaying does not guarantee a spot by any means but it generally increases your chances as it will give me a better insight into your playstyle.

Notes on Style:
I don't particularly like characters with terrible drama ridden backstories. Bad things happen to people and it can be interesting to be a terror magnet but it's overplayed. Mix some happy in with your sad.

Don't be a lone wolf who's going to ask why he/she is with the party. If I can't see you getting along you won't be chosen. The party doesn't have to agree on everything but compromise is essential.

I prefer longer, more in-depth and descriptive or interesting posts less often than one tiny post every day, therefore my only posting limit will be at least twice a week. I'd like more posting than that but I will value quality way over quantity.

My campaigns tend to focus on character and party interactions. Conversations will happen and sometimes a bit of time may go by without combat or skills and just with roleplaying and conversations. If that doesn't sound like any fun to you then keep moving along.

I like cinematic combats and interesting descriptions. If you miss the goblin, don't just say you missed. Describe your arrow sailing near and thunking into the water barrel. Or your hammer arcing over your head but being off center because you were out of breath from the slash you took earlier. Just be a little interesting. It makes things better.

All right boys and girls, let the submissions roll in.


So a player in my Skull and Shackles game lost his arm in the grindylow fight that happened during the storm. I've flavored this as the grindylow spear piercing major arteries/muscles in the shoulder and thus making his arm useless. Now that he's gotten the Man's Promise free of it's former captains, Captain Franciose Genet wants to know how he can get his arm working again.

Now I've talked to him about the simple "Pay for a Regenerate" option, but we both feel that's kind of... lame. Who can come up with an excellent alternate way?

I've thought of a couple of them so far:

Find, Craft or Buy a Replacement: In which case, how to price it or flavor it? Give me some good ideas. Where to insert a find of it into the campaign? What additional enchantments/abilities should it have (or have the option to have)?

Make the Old Arm Move Magically: Not sure how I would do this... perhaps another magical item that allows him to move the arm? In which case, many of the previous questions issues come up again (how to price it/where to put it/how to flavor it). Have some form of spirit/devil/outer entity offer him his arm back (Perhaps with terrible caveat)?

Suggestions are welcome and appreciated!


Just borrowed a friend's copy of the ARG and upon reading the new Experimental Gunsmith archetype for Gnomes I fell completely in love. The same friend is starting a game soon and I decided I'd work in a gnome Experimenter.

So what approach would be best to work with this archetype? It will obviously never be a damage machine, though I'd prefer he be fairly respectable on the DPR front. All advice welcome, any thoughts on feats, traits, attributes, equipment, innovations or level dips is appreciated.

Current thoughts include:

Standard ranged combat feats (Rapid Reload, Precise Shot, PBS, Deadly Aim, etc.)
Either Musket or Single Pistol
1 or 2 levels in Fighter or other Full BAB class (Thinking Fighter now for feats, but a Divine Hunter Paladin might be interesting)
Possibly Gunslinger Favored Class bonus for Gnomes, to offset likely lots of misfires/broken weapons
Expanded Capacity and Vial Launcher Innovations


Male Human Super Cruel DM 10

Jake Westfield:
Jake receives a strange radiogram from a ship from Jackson Elias, whom he has been corresponding with about the possibility of making a movie from one of his most recent books, Sons of Death which was released 7 years ago and is an autobiographical tale of Jackson infiltrating the modern day cult of the Thuggees of India.

The message is short and to the point.

HAVE INFORMATION CONCERNING CARLISLE EXPEDITION STOP NEED RELIABLE INVESTIGATIVE TEAM STOP ARRIVE JANUARY 15 STOP MEET CHELSEA HOTEL 8PM STOP SIGNED JACKSON ELIAS

The date being January 10th, that leaves you five days to assemble whatever team you would wish and meet Jackson on the 15th.

Seymour Stodgell:
Since writing "The Book of The Fallen Star" you have occassionally corresponded with Jackson Elias, who has written several books on death cults and their modern counterparts. He has even asked to visit you on occasion, though he has not yet had time.

On the morning of January 10th 1925 Seymour receives a radiogram in his mail from Jackson Elias.

HAVE INFORMATION CONCERNING CARLISLE EXPEDITION STOP NEED RELIABLE INVESTIGATIVE TEAM STOP ARRIVE JANUARY 15 STOP MEET CHELSEA HOTEL 8PM STOP SIGNED JACKSON ELIAS


Male Human Super Cruel DM 10

Here is the discussion area, sound off with your characters and say hi. I'd like if some of you had connections, though how closely is up to you.


Hey guys! I've been looking into one of my favorite rpgs ever, which I've not gotten to run in a very, very long time: Call of Cthulhu! After deciding to buy Masks of Nyarlathotep, I can see why it's sometimes called the Greatest RPG Adventure ever written, and I'd like to run it.

Now as I hope is obvious, Call of Cthulhu is less about making up a really cool character and more about making an interesting character that can be described and talked about in interesting, detailed ways. Writing is important here, and I want to see my posters at their best (though of course I understand off days when one simply cannot summon up enough energy to make a really good post).

With that in mind here is what I need for a submission:

1 Fully Statted Call of Cthulhu character rolled randomly by the standard character creation guidelines of Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu 6th Edition
1 Background for said character, telling a short but interesting story of their lives.
3 Character Quirks (Chews gum, tears at hair when upset, talks quickly and rarely pauses for breath, always carries a silver knife just in case, etc.)
2-3 Paragraphs of writing sample, detailing your character investigating a haunted house. This is entirely within your control and may begin at the beginning, middle or end, just make it entertaining, this is about 70% of my choosing process.

I will be accepting 6-8 characters, with all extras placed as alternates (turnover rates on characters in CoC is pretty high, and Masks is a very, very long campaign). Those who are alternates will get a message from me if I ask them to step in.

Keep in Mind the 10 Commandments:
The Ten Commandments of Cthulhu Hunting

Cthulhu investigators typically have a lifespan only half the national average. Their working careers are even shorter, compared to laymen, because many investigators don’t begin exploring the Mythos until late in life. Such abbreviated careers are the result of psychological casualties and death by misadventure. Such deaths are largely preventable by following a few simple rules.

1. Keep it Secret

“Opinions were divided as to notifying the Massachusetts State Police, and the negative finally won”
- H.P. Lovecraft, The Dunwich Horror

The most deadly threat posed by the Cthulhu Mythos is knowledge of its arcane science, it creatures and its locales. Always remain closemouthed about your activities. It’s often better not to bother with a cover story; Professional seekers-after-truth make indifferent liars.

In general, authorities should not be notified of a Cthuloid menace’s presence unless catastrophe looms. Police, federal agents, or the National Guard are unprepared to deal with the preternatural, and their participation in a dangerous investigation is rarely helpful. Secretiveness is not for selfish purposes – it can save lives. The same applies to local help, who must often be hired to complete an investigation. Of course, secrecy can be carried too far – a man who has lost a family member to a Cthuloid monster has the right to know the truth.

Another reason for sealed lips is preventative. Widespread knowledge of paranormal techniques would change our world irrevocably. A crackpot with a grudge could whistle up Azathoth and wipe out a state. To obtain Glaaki’s hideous reward of near-immortality, hundreds of hopeless of terminally diseased folk might flock to join his service. A misguided government agency might attempt to utilize Ghatanothoa as a military asset. Worse scenarios are easy to imagine. Some scholars believe that many authorities may be pawns of the foul Cthuloid monsters such as the Mi-Go, etc. and are not trustworthy.

By confining knowledge of arcane horrors, a handful of dedicated scholars can work to avoid the worst horrors, advance the cause of science, and protect not only humanity but also the dreams of humanity.

2. Stay Together

“Even though you’re a vampire, you’re still my brother.” – from The Lost Boys

This particular tidbit of advice is two-part; first, never operate alone if you can possibly avoid it; second, stick with your partners.

While many great Mythos discoveries have been made by intrepid explorers working by them selves, it is equally true that most of these scholars came to bad ends subsequently. Emulate their skills and their values, not their solitude.

Peter Dannseys, the noted metaphysician, gives a cautionary account of the parapsychologist L. Svedin who, who several aides, ended his career while investigating cattle mutilations. Correctly suspecting a nearby mineshaft, Svedin sent a hired hand into the shaft while he and the others performed a bovine autopsy. When the hired man did not return, he sent two aides after him. They, in turn, vanished. Svedin sent a dozen men into the shaft in twos and threes before plunging in with the rest of his team, never to be seen again.

Some years later, Dr. Dannseys discovered that the mineshaft housed a rather nasty parasitic being. The shaft originally held only a single parasite, who captured the hired hand and transformed him into a being like itself.

When Svedin sent in his aides, they were transformed as well. When Svedin finally braved the shaft with his remaining investigators, nearly twenty parasites awaited him. If Svedin had initially penetrated the cave in force, he would have easily overpowered the parasite. By frittering away his strength, he became an accomplice to a great tragedy in parapsychological history.

3. Act in Haste, Repent at Leisure

“Then we’ll turn it up hotter and burn up the ashes.” – from Return of the Living Dead

Enormous grief stems from the crime of acting before thinking. In one case a team discovered that an enormous clay plaque was connected with a particularly obnoxious manifestation of Nyarlathotep. Suddenly confronted by a hissing swarm of supernatural locusts, they instinctively reacted by shattering the plaque. Alas, the plaque actually contained the chant for dismissing the aforementioned manifestation, and shattering it eliminated all hope. The entire team was killed of hospitalized, and the manifestation continues to this day.

Anyone knowing of a 12th Dynasty spell for the dismissal of The Bringer of Pests in invited to contact Dr. Ratsegg c/o the Department of Oriental Antiquities at Miskatonic University.

Such tales should give pause. Before doing something irrevocable, make sure you have no other choice.

4. Always Have a Plan

“…Lancelot, Galahad and I leap out of the Rabbit…” – from Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Even a bad plan is better than no plan at all. While a bad plan might get everybody killed or turned insane, the lack of a plan always will. In contrast, Cthulhu monsters usually operate with very clear goals.

In one sad case, a group of scholars accidentally created a dimensional gate to a hideous alien reality. One scholar entered the gate without any plan regarding how to return. Presumably, he’s there even now. His friends wish him luck, and periodically send sandwiches and beer through the gate, hoping that they reach him. Somehow.

When investigating a Cthuloid manifestation every member of the team should have a clear idea of what will be expected of him during the investigation. If possible, a backup plan should also be available. Have an idea what to do if the only members with the guns disappear. If one member of the team is especially important to the success of the investigation, make sure he is safe at all times, don’t leave him alone in the cellar, don’t take a nap while he reads some awful book, and don’t let him experiment with strange talismans all alone.

5. Scout It Out

“Does this house have a basement?” – from Reanimator

Before risking an encounter, make sure someone has scouted the area. This need not take the form of sending in commandos; doing a bit of research into local history can be quite effective. Careful survey of all evidence is vital.
Remember: Knowledge is Power.

One of the surest ways to be killed by monsters is to run into their lair with no information about possible escapes, numbers of monsters and other such vital information.

6. Guns are a Last Resort

”What are we supposed to use, harsh language?” – from Aliens

A firearm is a useful tool, handy for opening jammed locks, an excellent way to signal a comrade, or useful for attracting the attention of local authorities. When confronted by unruly locals, a nonchalant display of a forearm can often effect quick cooperation. A gun has a wide assortment of uses; no team of investigators should be without one.

Many investigators mistakenly assume that guns can defend against preternatural enemies. This is a serious error.
Firearms are designed to kill or wound humans and other native earth life. No reasonable person would expect much effect against entities from other worlds, other realities, or other geologic time periods.

Undisciplined use of firearms as weapons leads to unfortunate accidents, an unscientific regard for violence as the answer to problems, and even possible jail terms. A gun should be the last resort of the successful investigator.

7. Know Your Enemy

“I want to measure the bite marks. Maybe we can find out what we’re dealing with here.” – from Creepshow

Use all forms of media as research tools. Books, movies, the television news can all give clues and information about the weaknesses, powers and whereabouts of the enemy. Know the sign of the vampire, the werewolf, the Deep One hybrid, and others.

But do not expect that something that worked on the late show will work against Cthuloid monsters. Always keep an open mind with regard to the Mythos.

8. Things Are Not Always as They Seem

“I never drink… wine.” – from Dracula

Some entities are indistinguishable as powerful monsters, or even as monsters at all. Is that three-foot tall insectoid really an avatar of Nyarlathotep? Is your next door neighbor who spends so much time in his swimming pool actually a Deep One? When dealing with the Mythos, assume that what you encounter is powerful: that’s just playing it safe and smart.

Keep eyes and ears open. Ronno Meeb relates a time when a friend he thought dead came knocking at his door.
Some of his companions were overjoyed at seeing the friend again and invited him inside. When he claimed he was thirsty, Professor Meeb responded slyly “How about your favorite, an ice-cold glass of turpentine?” When the friend responded that turpentine would be delicious, the rest of the group all pulled out guns and blew him to pieces. The fluid flowing from his veins was, luckily, fluorescent yellow, not red.

Many monsters are expert at fitting into human society. Beware especially the effect that Mythos monsters can have on their weak-willed human servants. Almost anyone could be a worshipper of the Great Old Ones.

9. Never Give Up

“Sometimes on the very brink of certainty, I failed; yet still I clung to hope which the next day or the next hour might realize.”
– Mary Shelly, Frankenstein

Inexperienced investigators commonly give up when it appears that victory is impossible. Dedicated scholars never cease action, no matter how hopeless matters seem.

Never overlook the obvious; recheck your data; do more research. If things look bleak, try random approaches to defeating the menace. No matter how bad it seems, it can get much worse if you give up. Don’t go pushing sticks into wasp’s nests unless you are prepared to finish the job.

Our brothers and sisters in arms are all that stand between earth and the sinister designs of the Cthulhu Mythos. Take heart in the fact that the perils and sacrifices of today may make a better world for future generations of the human race!

10. Be Prepared

“Normal folks don’t spit up bullets when you shoot ‘em!” – from Near Dark

This goes much further than just bringing along extra rope when spelunking. Before starting an expedition, do research on the subject, find out any legends about the area which may give helpful clues; with access to ancient tomes of magical spells, a particular cantrip may be useful on your investigation. When ready to confront the beasty, consider the hardware needed. Take anything which sounds even remotely useful, but does not burden or impede movement.

In most cases, assume that you can never have enough stuff. Who knows what might come in handy when facing the Mythos?

Let's see how scary you can be Paizoans!


Male Human Super Cruel DM 10

The Keep on The Borderlands is an inspiring sight in the summer. Away from the indigo skies of Aviona and just far enough from the forests to avoid any tree cover, the courtyards of Fenrift Keep were filled with men, halflings, elves and half-men training in the broiling heat. Those in heavy armor cursed their choice of heavy hot armor and those in light cursed their own clothing's inability to block the sun. The water barrels were refilled every hour and often needed it by the half hour.

Nevertheless, the people of the Avionan military were generally in good spirits at the keep. Their wars were simple, with tribes of creatures whose morals were unquestionably bad, and (other than the occasional wood elf raid) generally were outmatched by the military far more than would be seemly in a proper war. The recruits at Fenrift were mostly young and inexperienced, filled with vigor and readiness to show the enemy their mettle. There were veterans, but they were vastly outnumbered and their wisdom often ignored by the young recruits eager to live out the fantasies of the stories told by their fathers and grandfathers of the glorious wars of old.

The Keep sits atop a hill, overlooking the farmlands below and sheltering the humans and elves living average lives in their cottages from the threats of the world. Made of dark blackened stone and constructed in the Hill Dwarf style (Nothing taller than two stories will stand in a real siege) the Keep squatted like a miser above his coins.

Each of you has been summoned from your duties or leisure time by Podrick, an aide, to the office of Major Vedil, one of the higher ranking people in the fort. You've been told only that you will be assigned to a new unit, under the Major. As each of you arrived you have been asked to wait in the spartan waiting room, surprisingly cool and a pleasant respite from the heat outside.

Please give me a description of what your character was doing when he got the message, and a description of your character as they arrive, as well as your characters thoughts on the others.


Male Human Super Cruel DM 10

And here's the Discussion Thread. Everyone go ahead and check in, and if anyone notices a rule mistake (I'm sure there will be plenty of them) bring it up here. This is also the area to discuss the game and report absences or issues.


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After finding the Kirthfinder ruleset, I've been intrigued. I really like the added emphasis on versatility and the fresh new ideas within the rules, but have been having difficulty getting my head around it without bringing in too many preconceptions of Pathfinder.

Well I've always found that simply playing a ruleset gets you much more into the system much faster and helps you learn at a prodigious pace, I've decided to start a PbP game set in the world of Aviona, using the Kirthfinder rulesets. I believe that PbP is the optimal area for this as when rules come up I am unsure of I will be able to check them out without slowing the game to a crawl in the process. I would prefer other people without too much experience at Kirthfinder, though not necessarily all newbies.

-----------------------

So for character submissions I would like:

Level 1 Characters, made using the races and classes of the Kirthfinder rules.
Attributes are either 4d6 drop the lowest, or Heroic Array. Include Comeliness and Social Class, which are rolled even if the character is using the Heroic Array.
Background of the character (Feel free to do a little character building here, as I'm not incredibly familiar with Aviona as written and we will very likely be going far, far off the beaten path into homebrew world territory.) Your character has joined or been drafted into a military expeditionary force and send to Fenrift Keep (Chap. 1 Pg. 14) for service.
A paragraph of physical description, as written from someone seeing them for the first time.
A short outline of where you plan to take the character.

------------------------

All right, let's see what interest we can drum up here.


Male Human Super Cruel DM 10

The announcement fades away and each of the people and things in Safe Zone Theta 23 looks warily at each other, each worried about whether or not someone else may be mutated. The worry is palpable, and just as the tension seems to be reaching the boiling point, a loud POP! is heard and a large tray slides from the main area wall. "Food Dispensory Activated. Please step forward for scanning of species to retrieve appropriate food."


Male Human Super Cruel DM 10

Hey guys, here's a space to discuss the Mutant infestation. Go ahead and say whatever you need to OOC here.


Red Alert! Red Alert! The Munchausen-Pharaun Reactor has been compromised!

The blare of a klaxon sounded along with the calm, male voice over the loudspeakers of the station as men, women and hermaphroditic organisms of every shape and size rush to the safe zones.

The Reactor's radiation may cause mutation. Avoid radioactive mutants at any cost. Go to your designated safe zone. The safe zones contain food and water for all species aboard the station for one galactic standard month. Ships will evacuate survivors soon. Red Alert!...

The message repeated as it had three times already as each person or thing living on the station containing 40,000 organisms rushed to their safe zones. 90 seconds after the first reactor breach, the doors sealed. Not every organism made it inside, but many thousands were saved.

Then the red lights came on inside the safe zone.

Safe Zone Designation Theta 24 has detected mutations within it's confines. Survivors will not be evacuated as long as mutants are present within the Safe Zone. Please clear all mutants in preparation for evacuation. Remember that Munchausen Mutants are dangerous and near feral, as well as difficult to discern from the standards of their species. Remember that Pharaun Mutants are impossible to discern fromt he standards of their species, and can detect and react violently to scanners and attempts to stop mutated. Please have a pleasant wait for evacuation.

Each of you looks at the others in the safe zone. Some of you are mutants... but who?

---------------------------------------------

Rules: You are one of the hundreds of species aboard the Cold Star, a space station hundreds of thousands of light-years from Earth, built through co-operation of all species involved and a monument to galactic peace.

And now it has malfunctioned, spreading dangerous radiation that causes sentient beings to become homicidal and deadly beyond their normal capacity. The only way anyone within this safe zone is going to get out alive is to remove the difficult-to-detect mutants from your midst.

Odds are, you simply fled into the safe zone without any special training or preparation from your daily life. In this case you are a [b]Citizen[/i] and your goal is to find the mutants, kill them, and get rescued. You find the Mutants by voting each Cycle on a player to Lynch. The player with the most votes in the Cycle is killed, and their role revealed. Citizens win if all Mutants are killed.

Citizens have the following special roles:

The Scanner: You knew this day was coming. You knew the mutants were going to come after you all eventually, so you were prepared, carrying a personal mutant scanner everywhere you went. You are able to, once per cycle, scan anyone with your scanner. But the damn thing must have taken a hit during the evacuation, and you can't be sure that what it gives you is true.

Every Cycle, the Scanner may Scan one Citizen, determining his role with 75% accuracy. Scanners may Scan the same target over multiple Cycles.

Should the game have more than 10 players but less than 20 players, there will be 2 Scanners. Should the game have more than 20 players, there will be 3 Scanners.

The Militant: Trained and ready for combat, you're a member of the Station's secret Militants, ready for trouble at the slightest provocation. You've gone through training and simulations of this scenario, and you know how to take on a mutant, but they're far too tough to try to keep everyone safe.

The Militant may Protect one Citizen from the Mutants every Cycle. That Citizen will not be killed and the Mutants will gain no kill for the Cycle. Only the Militant and the Mutants will know this happened. The Militant may also Scan a player, though their methods are inefficient and they require 2 Cycles to gain a 75% accuracy check.

If there are more than 15 players, there will be 2 Militants.

The Agents: The spies and servants of the Galactic Council, you have been sent to watch over this experiment and ensure that the Cold Star was successful. You know the identities and nueral habits of the other Agents and can be sure none are mutated after a cursory check, thus ensuring you have trustworthy allies.

There will be no Agents if the game has less than 10 people. If the game has more than 10 people there will be 2 Agents. If the game has 15 or more there will be 3 Agents. If the game has 20 or more there will be 4 Agents.

Of course if you have been exposed to too much radiation your role is that of a Mutant and your goal is to kill, since the radiation changes the brainwaves or equivalent of all sentient creatures into having only that impulse and the need to keep secret. Each Mutant does not know the identity of the others. The Mutants may vote every cycle to kill a certain other player. Should the Mutants vote to kill each other they instead learn the fact that the other is a Mutant. Mutants together are more dangerous than Mutants alone. There is 1 Mutant per 5 players. Mutants win if the number of Mutants equals or Exceeds the number of Citizens and all Mutants are aware of one another.

The Mutants have the following special roles:

If there are more than 3 Mutants: The Brain: As the Mutant infected with the worst radiation, you get your kill first. This means that if the Mutants tie on their kill votes you are the tiebreaker.

The Pharaun Mutant: One in a very large number of creatures is affected by the radiation in an odd way and gains the Pharaun Mutation, allowing them to sense Hostile Intent and Scanner waves and home in on them back to their source, and then proceed to slaughter said source.

Every night, the Pharaun can pick a certain player to Watch. If someone attempts to Scan or Protect the Watched player, they are killed. This supersedes the standard Mutant kill of the cycle, so if the Mutants vote to kill Player A and then Watch-kill Player B, Player A survives the night and Player B is eliminated instead.

However, if the player that should be killed by the Pharaun is currently being Protected, the Watch fails. For example: Player A, the Militant, protects Player B, the Scanner. Player B attempts to Scan Player C, who has been Watched. The Watch fails, Player B is given their investigation results normally, and whoever the Mutants voted to kill is eliminated as per usual.

There is no Pharaun unless there are 3 or more Mutants.

-------------------------------------------------

As I hope I got across here this will be a simple diceless game of paranoia and maneuvering, using these boards and the PM feature. No player shall begin knowing another's role (except the Agents). Cycles will start and end on Mondays and Fridays (Cycle 1 from Monday to Friday and Cycle 2 From Friday to Monday) and those who do not make a vote in this time will count as Null votes. During the Cycle you may change your vote as often as you like, generally reacting to impassioned arguments or lies. If the Scanner or Militant do not send a PM making their choices they will not be active that night. Same for the other special roles. Each of you should make a character to urge roleplaying. There is no official character system.

This game has no official setting and any world-building done by the characters is encouraged and accepted. Feel free to make up an alien race, or steal one from elsewhere (preferably by a different name). Make aliens or colonial humans interesting, with odd quirks of the races or planets of origin.

Additionally: when I write up the Cycle reports, your characters will be represented within–especially if they die.

When creating your character, consider including the following details.

Name

Planet of Origin

Species

One or two lines about appearance

One or two lines about personality

Occupation

What your character was doing when the Alert went off

Recruitment opens now and closes in one week assuming we get enough people (roughly 15), otherwise will remain open two weeks.


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Male Human Super Cruel DM 10

"Aye! Wake up ye damn rats and on yer feet!" The voice is followed by the crack of a whip and the harsh light of a lantern on your sore eyes. "Still abed with the sun over the yardarm, boys? Get up ya filthy swabs! Get up on the deck and report for duty before Cap'n Harrigan flays your flesh to sausage-skins and has Fishguts fry ye up for breakfast!"

You all remember the night before--the ringing laughter of the bar, the heady joy of excess, the scents of rich stewed meat and perfume that lingered in the nostrils. Your current surroundings are not near as nice, the sickly taste of cheap wine, the hard floor you lie upon, the feeling of the room swaying as if you had too much. And above it all... a pounding, painful headache. The room you're in holds several hammocks stretched between the inner rails of what must be a ship.

The man before you holds an expression that could be mistaken for pain but after a moment you realize is an attempt at a smile. The man's beard is braided and his mouth is full of golden teeth. He's tall and thin, and even the long coat and heavy boots he wears fail to give him any impression of strength or bulk. Six rough looking fellows stand behind him with saps in their hands, obviously ready for violence from the new priso--crew.

Taking quick stock you find yourself stripped of valuables. The pirates were surprisingly thorough, and you lack even any nicer clothes, though they've not left you naked.

The man's whip cracks again and he shouts, "Move now, bilge rats or I'll start with the beatings before the captains even seen his new swabbies."


Male Human Super Cruel DM 10

Hey there Scurvy Dogs! Good to see you up and about. I'll be checking your character sheets over the next couple days for any weirdness and commenting on any recommended changes. In the meantime feel free to use this as your discussion space!


Hello all. I've been incredibly excited for the Skull and Shackles path ever since I heard of it, and after putting in my order for it and reading over the players guide I think it's time I started up recruitment for it. So I'll be looking for 5 interesting and fun pirate characters.

Houserules:
Banned List:(Note that this is not a comprehensive list, and some other things may be banned. I reserve my DM right to ban any item I choose at any time I choose.)
Wild Rager Archetype
Rage Cycling (Barbarians, even those immune to fatigue, must wait twice as long as they were in rage to enter it again)
Synthesist Archetype
Master Summoner Archetype
Antagonize Feat
Clustered Shots
Falcata

Power Attack, Combat Expertise and Lunge are combat options. Anyone with STR 13 or higher may Power Attack. Anyone with DEX or INT 13 or higher may use CE. Anyone with a BAB of more than 6 may make Lunge attacks.
Combat Maneuvers provoke Attacks of Opportunity only with a failure, not with the attempt.
Vital Strike is a single feat that scales.
Weapon Finesse/Agile Manuevers are Options of Finessable Weapons and no longer feats.
Dervish Dance is replaced by Expert Strikes. Expert Strikes is a feat requiring a BAB of +4 which allows you to add your DEX bonus instead of STR bonus to damage for Finessable Weapons.
Weapon Proficiency is a trait. Using a Feat on Weapon Proficiency gains you Proficiency in 2 weapons.
Vital Strike is an attack action which can be combined with any other such action (i.e. Charging, Spring Attack, Cleave).
Lances Do not deal double damage on a charge, only +5 damage.
Characters gains 1 point buy every level, replacing the one attribute point every 4 levels. Points beyond 18 cost an amount of points equal to the resulting modifier (19 = 4, 20-21=5, 22-23=6 etc.)

Character Creation:
All Core Paizo Material Allowed (CRB, APG, UM, UC)
Most Paizo Splatbooks Allowed (___ of Golarion, Adventurer's Armory, Others with DM Approval)
Third Party Material subject to DM Approval. (Super Genius is pretty good if you wanna check them out.)
15 Point Buy
5 Characters
2 Traits (1 Campaign)
1 Backstory
1 Motivation for being a Pirate (fame, Glory, Money, Following in a Parents Footsteps, etc.)
1 Extra Noncombat Feat (Any +2 to two skills feats, Endurance, DMs call on Noncombat Feats)

Recruitment will close 3 days after I receive the first volume of the new Adventure Path by mail or the PDF (So I can have a bit of time to read it and decide which characters I'll want most.) Those chosen will be expected to post at least once every 2 days. Those people who would like to may begin RPing their characters final night in the Pirate Saloon The Formidably Maid before being press-ganged into piratery. Those that RP will not be garanteed a spot but are more likely to get one if I enjoy your writing.

Happy Gaming to All!


Male Human Super Cruel DM 10

The whispers have been going on for the whole month since the mayor died. Everyone knows that some of the populace are Werewolves, and they will turn on the full moon, and every night after. A few dozen people fled, with each of them terrified. Finally, only the most stubborn, foolish or willing to fight are left. Each of the remaining looks at the others with fear and distrust. The people will start dying soon. Starting tonight. The people will soon choose their first lynching.

I know you have little to go on, but try anyway, think of it as a deposit on later paranoia.

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