Nameless's page

Great! Once we get there things can speed up!

Alright, off to work now, will post the next part when I get back home.

Just making the post show up. Also fixed the link.

Thanks.

Alright, I've posted up all the starters, but that's all I'll be doing for tonight. I'll give everyone a chance to make their first response, and afterwards, I'll just be updating the thread regularly. My aim is to do so at least twice daily, in the mornings and in the evenings.

As for rules:

• Feel free to look at spoilers, even if they're not intended for you. But remember that anything in a spoiler is something your character would not know (unless it's directed to him, of course). Please strive to keep player knowledge and character knowledge separate.
  
• All die rolls will be made with Invisible Castle.
  
• I'll try to roll as little as possible for your characters, but sometimes, for the sake of speed of play, I'll roll skill checks for you, such as Perception and Sense Motive. You always have the option to actively use these skills, of course.
  
• I'll try to keep as close to the rules as possible in a PbP for now, but we can adapt as we go. If you have any suggestions on ways to speed up play or to make the game more interesting in any way, please feel free to post them! Constructive criticism is welcome.

Alright, I'll reply to everyone's response tomorrow morning. Glad to be started guys, this is going to be fun!

Woohoo!

Nameless wrote:

I will post everyone's first post tonight, but I'll be going in alphabetical order to start.

Oh. I assume you're not using the "Last Name, First Name" method of name alphabetization?

Alright everyone, it's time! The Play-by-Post thread has been officially opened!

I ask that you all wait for your individual posts before you post any in-character replies. You'll all be starting off individually until the group convenes.

From now on, this thread will be the Out of Character Thread, meaning if there's ever anything long you'd like to say OoC, post it here. If it's just a simple thing such as 'Do I get an AoO?', it's probably best to post it in the game thread with OoC coloured tags.

I will post everyone's first post tonight, but I'll be going in alphabetical order to start.

Good gaming!

And are there any questions before we begin in earnest?

seekerofshadowlight wrote:

I thought he was gonna start a new thread? If I recall he seemed like he was just gonna do most ooc stuff in the new thread?

Hmmm... Looking back over the posts... His last post was Thursday at 11:46 PM. I'm starting to become concerned. I do hope he's all right.

Hey, are we going to have an out of character thread and in an in character thread?

I'm so excited. I've been tweaking my character all day. I even created a rumor chart for him. You know... A diplomacy (gather information) check of this DC will tell people this and a note for the DM whether if it's True or False. Lols, it'll probably never be used... but it really helped understand who he is.

Um, so how do we meet? (My favorite part of the story is how the heroes, especially misfit rag tag heroes, meet.)

I'm willing to take a look at that rumour chart! Who knows, it may even come in handy! Feel free to post it here under a spoiler, I'll take a look at it!

As for how we meet, I'm thinking that I'm going to introduce you all separately. Of course, this means I'll need to write out about seven introduction posts, so I might only get to starting it this weekend.

I've been looking over characters and everything is looking good so far. What I'd like from you all now is to know which of the characters might currently know each other, or perhaps even have some sort of history together. At the same time, I'd like you guys to post a 'hangout' for your character. Somewhere that your character spends a lot of time. Since Westcrown is such a huge metropolis, feel free to invent pubs, inns, etc. as you need!

Hey Nameless... I'm almost completely finished... Just have one trait left and items...

Um, I had this idea for my character... ** spoiler omitted **

Seeing the addition of the halfling paladin to the group containing the tengu cleric and the goblin ranger, I have a feeling this is going to be one of the most rag-tag groups of adventurers ever. Thankfully, that actually fits really well with the AP. So... awesome! :)

Still working but almost done. One question, can we take both traits from the standard traits or must we split them up? and can her short swords do slashing damage instead? ok that was 2

Also ya might want to make AoO's yourself as waiting for use to make them can bog combat down a bit

Also, I think I'd rather stick with the short sword doing only piercing damage. I'd like to avoid making those little tiny changes that add up over time. If I change it for you, I have to remember that it's different for all NPCs I run, and odds are three months from now I'll get confused and forget why.

You're right about AoOs, though. There are a few changes I want to make to streamline play as well, like rolling some checks (like Perception, for example). I'll try to come up with a comprehensive list of the changes I'll make to keep play moving. I'll post it here before the game starts.

"Oh, it's fine to be boring--you'll live longer! Don't they have a curse in Qadira about living in interesting times?"

As for this game, I apologize I haven't been posting so much today, but it was the release of The Beatles: Rock Band, so I've been singing my guts out all day. :)

The characters look good so far, hopefully I'll be able to take a closer look at them tomorrow and we might be ready to go on Friday, or sometime during the weekend at the latest. Great stuff so far, everyone! This is going to be great!

And the game hasn't even started yet! This is amazing, everyone!

Who has completed statblocks thus far?

well the bow does not count as a monk weapon. just trained in it. The only ones that count as monk weapons I wrote are the ones they can FOB with. But I don't care if the bow goes or not really. Could I replace it with a whip maybe?

He is now Benicio Del Espada. Couldn't edit it, so I started a new avatar. Now to figure out how to play.

To post with your newly created avatar, next time you write a post, just underneath the area where you write your post is a small drop-down box with 'Post As' written next to it. Click on the drop-down box and choose Benicio Del Espada to post as that avatar.

As for your characters further statistics, posting a full statblock would be nice, and you can edit Benicio's profile to add it in. For an example, you can check out one of my aliases. Kelborn was more recently constructed with Pathfinder RPG Beta rules, so he should provide a decent example.

On the subject of how to play, I imagine you'll catch on to the flow of the game fairly quickly, the only distinction is that when you write about something out of character, you should surround your Out-of-character text with OOC tags. To do this, you would surround your text with [ ooc ] and [ /ooc ] (but remember to remove the spaces when you actually post it.

All the other tags can be found under "BBCode tags you can use:" that you'll see whenever you post a message.

If you need anything else, just ask! :)

Nameless
** spoiler omitted **

I'm now done with everything but equipment, statting out the various critters I'm going to be summoning and a background. First two shouldn't be that hard, but the player's guide has an unfortunate case of not-saying-that-much-about-the-actual-city. Would you be kind enough to post a bit of information about Westcrown itself?

Westcrown is a city in many ways like real-world Venice, Italy. Geographically, the city is rife with canals, particularly on the main island in the centre of the city. Historically, Westcrown was the capital of Cheliax, it was once the City of Nine Stars and the seat of the great god Aroden's faith. When he died around one hundred years before the beginning of this adventure, the nation of Cheliax fell into disarray and adopted devil-worship. Eventually, the country's capital was moved inland to Egorian, where the Thrice-Damned House of Thrune controls the power of the nation.

After losing its God and its seat of power, Westcrown lost much of its former glory. It became known as the City of Twilight, and the occurrence of social problems began to grow. Violence and crime increased, and while the city remains an economic force to be reckoned with, the days where Westcrown competed with Absalom as one of the world's premiere economic centres are clearly gone.

Startlingly, a few years back, people began disappearing off the streets at night, and it was soon discovered that beasts from the realms of shadow would prowl the streets at night, killing those who stumbled into the darkness. Today, the dottari (the city's equivalent to a police force) maintain the peace and keep the main streets lit at night to avoid the worst of these creatures, but a curfew is still in place forbidding citizens from staying outside their homes after darkness falls.

Another problem are the hellknights, who follow the laws of the land to the letter and have no room for any interpretation. The fact that they represent the nation's power means that they are able to go over the dottari's heads, which the local constabulatory is not particularly fond of.

Finally, while the city has many problems, it still remains one of the world's leading cultural centres. Plays, operas, concerts, and other artistic events occur regularly, and even though an entire section of town has fallen into ruin and disarray, there is still much beauty to be seen in the once great City of Nine Stars.

When I get home tonight, I'll check out the player's guide to make sure playing a paladin won't derail things. If a paladin won't work, then I will play a bard.

Hmm...I may need to change my armor. What you're wearing counts toward your encumbrance, right?

EDIT: Switched to lighter armor. I really need to watch this sort of thing...a lot of players in my group must have gotten away with carrying more than their limit, never realized how little you could carry at basic strength.

Everything's done except spell list and some equipment. Would it be okay to scribe some scrolls with what's left of my gold? I can afford the cost of some more items, just not the encumbrance, so scribing some extra cure and utility seems a better way to spend my money.

If you have extra gold, you're definitely welcome to scribe some scrolls, and if you can't carry them with you, you can keep them stashed wherever it is you're staying (inn/apartment or what have you).

If you refer to what I think you refer to (though you may not), then it's 'jerk' not 'buffoon'. If you have not watch UR, though, then nevermind.
I'd like to be a goblin barbarian, if that's alright. Though he keeps his race hidden, and speaks well enough to pass for a slightly feral gnome.

I like the idea, I'm interested to see where this goes... :)

EDIT: I see you've changed to ranger... That's all well and good.

Biff the human fighter's all done. A couple questions. I got a new alias (Biff Swordnboard), but I don't know how to use it as my name in the game, if that's possible.

Should that space be used for all the other info, too, like feats, equipment, etc?

You've got until you make 10 posts to change your alias name, so you should be able to do so now. Thanks! :)

Alright, it looks like character creation is going swimmingly so far! I should point out, in case it comes up, that everyone gets maximum starting gold at 1st level (assuming that starting gold is still random in the Pathfinder RPG; I've yet to take a good, long look at the rulebook).

So, now, we need to work on background! I'm not asking for a novel, here, but I'd like to know a bit about your character's history. Where were you born? Were you educated? Who was your family? Any significant events occur to make you who you are? What made you decide to become an adventurer? Lastly, how did you get to the city of Westcrown?

You can put all this info in your avatar's profile so that I can access it more easily! If all goes well, I should be auditing characters tomorrow and we might even get started before the weekend rolls around!

And here I was hoping the party of seven bards would happen... ;)

humm so what do we have so far?

Truly, with a seven-person group, you'll be helping no matter which class you play, so I suggest you follow your heart.

When we complete our characters and their backgrounds, should we post them here or email them to you?

Anyway, I'm off to bed now, but I'll check up on this thread when I wake up tomorrow. I'm getting excited about this, folks! :)

Here we go, got it!

Discussion thread HERE!

Alright, well the recruitment went by quickly, so let's head right into the discussion thread! This thread will be used for primarily out-of-game discussion as well as character creation.

Speaking of character creation, here are the guidelines:

• Characters will begin at 1st level with 0 XP.
  
• Ability scores will be generated by a 20 point buy (as detailed here)
  
• All classes and races in the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook as written are fine.
  
• In addition, races detailed in the Pathfinder Preview Bestiary are available. These include the Goblin, Tengu, and Tiefling races.
  
• Furthermore, Tieflings could qualify for alternate traits and potentially some feats according to the Tiefling article in PF#25.
  
• Characters get to choose one trait from the Character Traits Web Enhancement as well as one Campaign Trait from the Council of Thieves Player's Guide.
  
• Please indicate in this thread which traits you choose for my records.

As soon as all characters are created and audited by me, we'll get to start gaming! If you have any other questions, feel free to ask! :)

Rules of the game:

• As mentioned in the connection thread, players are expected to post at least once per day in order to keep a quick pace to the game. If you don't post for a day at a crucial time, you will be NPC'd.
  
• Please post all rolls you make. Invisible Castle is ideal for this.
  
• There may be some changes to the rules or adventure for the sake of game speed.
  
• Above all else, have fun!

Uh, what sort of point buy are we using again?

YAY!!! Did I miss the number of points for the point buy?

It will be 20 point buy, though, using the Pathfinder point buy system.

Most of what I've found is based on Japanese mythology and Wikipedia has the highlights. There was an incredibly old Dragon article about them(issue 13), but nothing more recent. I did notice they're mentioned in the Guild Wars games, so there may be some more information there that can be adapted.

If the Tengu are too obscure, I could always play one of the more vanilla races. Their bestiary entry makes me think they're perfect for the crumbling city of Westcrown, though. As always, I defer to the wisdom of the GM.

If you think 7 is to many I can bow out

Also, as I've said, PbP attrition is quite common, so having a large group just means we can go longer without having to do a second recruitment.

If you are considering non-standard races that are Pathfinder friendly, I'd enjoy giving the Tengu a try. I've always wanted to play a Goblin, but I doubt very much one would be accepted on the streets of Westcrown. A Tengu, well, at least they're not known for eating people's pets.

So, to clarify my previous statement, I'll allow any race that includes an entry on how to use it as a PC race, thus, this includes Tieflings, Goblins, and Tengu. I think that's it. I wish I knew a bit more baout the Tengu, though. Do you know if there's any information available elsewhere?

still got room?

I'd like to give it a try too. It would be my first PbP in several years. I've played all the classes in 3.5, and I prefer to play a caster of some sort... Or maybe a rogue.

THIS MEANS THAT THE PBP IS CLOSED FOR RECRUITING FOR THE TIME BEING!

If you're still interested in joining though, post here and I'll add you to a list of reserves due to bow-outs and other unforeseen happenings.

I'm dying to get in on this action. I'll happily play a cleric for your daring party of wounds-waiting-to-happen. : )

IMPORTANT NOTE

I have changed my mind about the selection process for this PbP. I'd like to get started sooner rather than later, and so I think I'll pick posters on a first-come, first-serve basis. Thus, there are two slots remaining for this PbP.

But, if you're interested after we've filled up, please, post anyway so that we have some reserves available. PbPs being what they are, it's quite common for a poster to have to give up the game when schedules change, or, in some cases, simply disappear.

As it stands, the current roster is as follows:

• Dave Young 992 - Mage/Rogue multiclass
  
• Kobold Cleaver - Non-human Monk or Barbarian?
  
• taig - Paladin?
  
• Davi The Eccentric - Human Wizard

Sounds like fun! I'm up for it. I like to play wiz/sor/rogue characters, but I'd be interested in trying out any class, really. Whatever would make for a solid group.

I would also be interested. I enjoy playing non-humans, and I have a major penchant for non PHB races (kobolds, goblins, ethereal dragons, and kender--in Eberron). However, I am generally fine with any race, although I dislike humans. As for classes, I can do anything, but preferably not druid, since I have played a lot of druids lately.
Perhaps a monk or barbarian? I hardly ever play those two classes. The race all depends on what level we're starting at, of course.

The only concern I have is that I also am trying to test out the Pathfinder RPG rules, so I'm trying to stick as close to core as possible. So all the races in the core rulebook are fair game, but I'd rather not go with some strange non-specified races yet (at least until I get my hands on the Bestiary). The exception, of course, would be Tieflings, who are very prominent in Cheliax.

Of course, if you feel VERY strongly about playing another race, let me know, and we can work something out!

I'd like to give it a try. This would be my first PbP.

If I end up playing, I'd like to try out a paladin, assuming a paladin will work OK in this adventure.

A paladin should be fine in this adventure, there are some tips and guidelines to playing one in the Player's Guide, but the important thing to remember is that that the paladin's code of conduct requires the paladin to respect legitimate authority, and the devil-worshipers of Cheliax may not seem so legitimate for a lawful good paladin. :)

You know what, I'm interested too. A human wizard, probably.

It's about time I make my transition over to GMing, and I've decided that there's no better way to do so than with the launch of the Pathfinder RPG and a brand-new Adventure Path!

So, here's the deal: I'm looking for 4-6 players to join me in creating a story around the first chapter of the Council of Thieves Adventure Path: Bastards of Erebus. I am only committing to the first chapter; this is a test for myself as well. If there is still interest after the first chapter, I'd be willing to move on to the next, but I'm perfectly happy with running this as a one-shot as well, if that's how it goes.

So, about the game:

• It'll be run using the PFRPG rules straight-up; no house rules or modifications. It's my first time running the PFRPG, so I want to see how the rules stand up by themselves.
  
• I expect each player to post at least once per weekday, and ideally once once on the weekend. Of course, absences are going to happen, and that's entirely fine; if you can warn the group in advance, however, it will be greatly appreciated.
  
• I will follow the above posting pattern as well.
  
• If you're interested, please, post in this thread, and I will determine randomly (except for one slot that I might have reserved) who will be included in the game (unless there's only 4-6 folks interested, in which case, everyone can play!)
  
• I'm hoping to get the discussion thread started on Wednesday (the 9th of September) and the actual game started by next Monday (the 14th of September).
  
• The game will be set in the city of Westcrown, located in the nation of Cheliax. If you'd like some background info, you can check out the Council of Thieves Player's Guide, though, you probably already know that. :)

If you have any other questions, feel free to post them. I'm hoping we can start up an awesome PbP! :)

David Fryer wrote:

Vous êtes le plus grand gaspillage de chair, que je ai jamais vu et la même vue de vous me rendre malade.

And everything in French sounds so nice and polite?

? Without looking up the words that I don't know ... I understood "You are the biggest ??? that I have ever seen and at the same time, you make me sick?"

Was I close?

I believe it says: "You are the biggest waste of flesh that I have ever seen and just looking at you makes me sick." A couple of the verb tense are off so it's hard to be 100% sure.

'gaspillage' (from the verb gaspiller) means 'waste'; 'chair' (noun) means 'flesh.'

Ahh, Shackled City. That was my Paizo gateway drug, too. :)

It's true, this is a pretty awesome community; whether you post a lot or just lurk, there's a lot of entertainment to be had, and the information available from the community and the creators is second-to-none (exemplified by the GM Reference threads, in my opinion).

Any math teachers in this community?

I do love them integers, though.

Jal Dorak wrote:

What if you think football sucks in general?

Then you're with me, watching the hockey game instead...

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

*cough*

So if an illegal immigrant showed up in a Canadian ER, they would be asked to pay, and if they couldn't, you'd just let them die? Because that is what it looks like you are saying.

To return the question to you, what does the American system do if someone doesn't have insurance? Are they just left to die?

No. You treat them, and then you give them the bill. Why would it be any different here?

Last time I checked Britain or Canada didn't have 45 MILLION illegals in their countries draining their resources to the limit.

So illegal immigrants probably wouldn't qualify for the free health care, and wouldn't be a burden on this new system.

I'm just conjecturing here, but couldn't this actually help the U.S. Immigration situation? I feel like this would encourage illegal immigrants to become citizens or 'legal' immigrants so that they can benefit from the health care.

My younger brother has a good friend who is originally from Canada and still has family there. He's always telling horror stories about the system there. Are they true?

Like every health-care system in the world, Canada's has problems. We have difficulty holding onto our doctors since even though their salaries are considerable (and their tuition fees less than elsewhere), we still can't offer them the kind of money that is paid out in the private-sector system in the States. Thus, we have a doctor shortage. Most cities are fine, but when you go out into the rural communities (like where I'm from), it gets harder and harder to find good service.

The hospital that serves my hometown has two doctors working there. Admittedly, they serve a population of only about 3,000, but it's still a severe problem. If there's ever an emergency and the two doctors are both on-call (which is quite often), it could be more dangerous than necessary. In the same vein, the hospitals don't have the required resources available, you're going to get shipped off via helicopter to the next closest hospital, which can often be a 1-2 hour flight via helicopter.

That said, when you get service, it's often quite good. I've only had two surgeries in my life, but both went well and the process didn't seem to be particularly onerous (though I have no way to compare, really). The amazing thing about our system is that (almost) everyone qualifies. If you've been unemployed for a while and are having trouble paying the bills and you break your leg, or you need surgery for some reason, you don't have to worry about a big hospital bill. It's taken care of, as long as you have a health card.

Personally, I think universal health care is a good idea; everyone should have access to health-care, regardless of socio-economic status, and I'm glad that there are movements to socialize health care in America, if only so that it reduces cries to privatize health care over here.

There is my rant. Take it as you will. :)

I'd hate to see a certain staff member, wading through this thread like Conan, bashing skulls left and right...

Personally, I hope America switches to socialized health care soon so that we Canadians will be able to hold onto our own doctors.

If you are asking can you turn the item into a magic item, then the answer is yes.

I admit, after all the hubbub about it, I'm interested too. :)

That and the constantly buffed and preped enemies is getting annoying.

I've never read a published module that didn't have an NPC or monster buffing when it logically would, it would make no sense.

In another thread titled CoT Players Guide, this was asked. This was James' response:

James Jacobs wrote:

Shisumo wrote:

There's also mention in Bastards of Erebus of a CoT Gamemaster's Guide? Is that still planned?

The content of the Gamemaster's Guide (which is going to be information about the area surrounding Westcrown) is looking like it's gonna get rolled into the Player's Guide, since there's nothing in there that PCs shouldn't know, and, indeed, it's stuff that can help players immerse themselves in the setting more.

Sorry to repeat myself, but I haven't seen an answer yet, and hopefully it's not just me being blind, but the adventure mentions a Council of Thieves Gamemaster's Guide PDF as well as the Player's Guide, so when should we expect the arrival of said PDF? Same time as the Player's Guide?

Thanks!

... Yawn to say the least, though I admit this is not really the DM's fault if that is how the module is written...

Remember that the writers of the module only have about 40 or so pages to work with and D&D being what it is, they can't throw in every single eventuality that could possibly occur; this is why we have living, breathing DMs to adjudicate our games, after all.

I wish you the speediest of recoveries, Sean!

No; that's going to be part of the Player's Guide, which will be available (hopefully) in exactly 1 week when Gen Con starts. This was always the intent, to have the Player's Guide out on the official release date... it does mean that subscribers who get earlier access to PDFs get to test their patience a little though, alas. :-(

Also, I should mention that I am really loving this adventure so far. I really, really enjoy the free-flowing nature of the encounters, and the whole sewer maze section was brilliant. It looks like another AP kickoff knocked out of the park by Paizo. :)

Friends,

I am writing this to announce my giving up PbPs. I've just been re-evaluating my hobbies lately, and the amount of time I spend online is, frankly, obscene. So I'm going to be reducing my forum presence, and that includes PbPs.

At this point, feel free to do what you will with Mayvar's character. Perhaps he just disappeared? Or his "old friends" caught up with him? I leave it up to you all. :)

I thank you for all the good times. :)
Nameless