My group will be like this - we start STAP in Ebberon on Tuesday
Illumian Warmage (will multi into Favored Soul)
Shifter Swashbuckler
Elven Ninja (will multi into Swordsage)
Half Elf Psion, scion of House Lyrandar
Vanara Shaman (from Oriental adventures)
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We're still actually pretty early in the AoWAP (battling wave after wave of crazed cultists in "Three Faces of Evil"), but it seemed like the DM's interest was waning, so I offered to run STAP on alternating weeks with him so he'd get a chance to play, too (and hopefully bolster his spirits enough that he keeps running his game!). The confirmed party roster for this one includes:
Drake "Moonsilver", CG half-elven aristocrat (yes, as per the NPC class - he plans to multiclass into bard, but really wanted to play up the "spoiled rich kid"), the result of one of the infamous Meravanchi dalliances. Lover of wine, women, song, and lookin' good, Drake is actually a generous, chivalrous person, once you get past his foppery and disdain of "icky things." Eager to learn the art of magical disguise, that he might woo Lady Aribani in the guise of the drow she so desires.
Icarus Nellins, NE human rogue. Born to a middle-class family in the Merchant district, his parents sent him to the Academy so that he might gain the social graces and valuable connections that would propel him and his kin into a higher social strata. Learning a bit of a knack for magic, but mostly lying, cheating, and forging his way through school, Icarus parted with his parents on unfriendly terms. Has recently been hanging out in Shadowshore at St. Worgul's. Icarus and Drake were roommates at the Academy, and frequently meet for drinks and carousing. Unfortunately, they despise each other utterly, and Icarus would likely kill the rich, popular half-elf if he thought he could get away with it.
Asmodai Aron, N drow urban ranger. Escaped a torturous life of near-slavery in the Underdark, only to face the same fate under the iron-fisted rule of the Sea Princes. When the Scarlet Brotherhood began their assasinations, Asmodai joined in the uprising and fought valiantly, thereby winning his freedom in the new Sasserine. He hires out as a bodyguard as a member of the Black Shield Company, and has been known to take on PI work on the side. The drow is extremely paranoid about being somehow discovered by the priestesses of Lolth, and tries to maintain a low profile. Due to his exotic appearance, the locals' wary acceptance of his status as a hero of the rebellion, constant pressure from other mercs and fighters to try his skill in the arena, and numerous amorous advances from one Lady Annwyn Arabani, this has not been the easiest task.
There will also be another character joining the game, a LG cleric, monk, or monk/cleric going for the Sacred Fist prestige class. He will either be playing a human, half-orc, or aquatic elf. He is trying to lay down just the right array of skills, feats, etc., and calls me at least daily to ask more questions and confirm thathe still has not made up his mind. I am interested to see what comes of this, as he typically plays characters that lean toward NE, or at best LN.
I was reluctant to allow a level adjust race like a drow, but the player had an elaborate backstory, knew litttle of the drow's powers, and was clearly interested in it for roleplaying reasons rather than those of twinkery.
There seems to be a lot of combat in this adventure, and I realize I've never run a game where a character has out-and-out died. I've got lots of interesting plot hooks and twists for the group, so I'm hoping they perservere, at least for a little while.
We have quite the monstrous crew with plenty of weakness to bright light:
Kobold Bard (using 25 point buy)
Whisper Gnome Rogue (using 25 point buy)
Psiforged Shaper (using 25 point buy)
'Khyberfolk' Ranger (variant of underfolk from races of destiny using 25 point buy)
Grey Orc Druid (using elite stat array)
Feral Dwarf Cleric of Balinor (using elite stat array)
Sahuagin Fighter (with access to core only material and standard stat array 11/11/11/10/10/10)
I offered to run STAP, so that our usual DM could take a break from running two campaigns on back-to-back nights and have a little fun being a player again.
So far, we have a(n):
Human Monk from the Champion's District
Aventi Cleric from the Merchant's District
Dwarven Wizard from the Noble District (aiming to become a Stormcaster)
Two more members of the group will be joining us Monday night to create their characters. One will most likely be a Rogue/Swashbuckler mix, or that's the impression we got. The other is a complete unknown.
After the first adventure, we're now:
BEL AMI: Male darfellan Bbn 2/Ftr 1, junior Zelkarune's Horn;
KELLDARK of the Green Cloak: Male half-elf Rogue 2/Bard 1;
EMMELAINE: Female human Cleric 3 (Ehlonna); and
SILAQUI: Female elf Wizard (transmuter) 3, High Citizen of Sasserine and secretly an ardent acolyte of the Church of the Whirling Fury as well.
The group is a bit elf-heavy, as we're coming out of a long-term campaign set in elven lands (under invasion by the forces of Graz'zt-- hope nobody tires of demon lords too easily!), and it's hard for everyone to get their heads around the fact that it's OK to be other races, especially in Greyhawk. The darfellan has on several occasions been a god-send for the group, and Kelldark's Knowledge (local) and Gather Info skills have been quite indispensible ("Hey--I know that guy!").
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Our group added a 5th player prior to their second delve into the Lotus Dragon Guildhouse in There is No Honor. My party composition now after finishing up the battle with Rowyn and Gut Tugger is as follows.
Joss Male Human Warblade 4 - Wow the Book of Nine Swords is one cool supplement. I give it hands down the best new "mechanic" WotC has introduced since 3.5 edition came out. Joss is going to be taking a level or two of Swordsage in the near future.
Plethora Knowlern Female Half Elf Archivist 4 - She has now decided she will be gunning for the Loremaster Prestige Class. She also has the Non Combatant flaw and has as of yet to really "fight" anything.
Deuroo Male Human Druid 4 - Headed for the Master of Many forms Prestige class I think. He has replaced his lost Viper animal companion with a Hyena.
Lia Female Halfling Spellthief 4 - She is looking at multiclassing into Bard after seeing how effective Rowyn was. She also saved the parties baken by Stealing Color Spray from teh Sorcerer a few times in the guildhouse and taking out a couple of Rhagodessan and a group of thugs with it.
Mialee Female Half Elf Sorcerer 4 - She focuses a lot on enchantments and illusions and is a bit of a more subtle spellcaster. At present has no multiclass or prestige class plans.
Thats it for awhile I think. I would be suprised if we add any more players.
Ummmm ... wow. There's a lot of really, really strange race/class combinations going into another adventure path meat grinder.
So many level-adjustment characters ... so many self-propelled field rations for monsters to chow on ... ah, I think I scent large piles of character sheets detailing the formerly deceased as the Savage Tide washes thier mangled carcasses ashore over and over ...
I've called dibs on running this adventure path for our humble RFGS group. Granted, given our less-than-illustrious debut (when I wasn't present to loot thier corpses) into the Age of Worms, I rather suspect that they might not ever learn the necessary lessons of character survival ...
Here is my party makeup we start or adventure on tues 10/10
Human - warblade
Aquatic Elf - Wizard
Human - tyranny Paladin
The aquatic human race from stormrack - Barb/fighter
half-elf druidic avenger or blighter has not decided yet
elf - beguiler
Aquatic half elf - Favored soul
i will have more when i get there info on tues but i think its a good mix i will be scalling the adventure due to party size so i hope it wont be to hard. These a re seasoned DND vets so they should be fine.
in the game I run (dd3.5) all converted from 1st ed.
Dwarf cleric
human mage
half orc cleric/assassin
altered/tainted human monk/mage
human barbarian
human paladin
dwarf cleric/warrior
in the games I play in I am not sure what the other players classes and some not sure of races as we are all a bit secretive hehe. Most of them sneak around rogue or ranger like and I am a knight so me and the cleric kinda stand out; yep, I am the target. In another game; I am a goliath druid using the UA alternate druidic avenger. There is a gnoll warrior, halfling rouge; halfling sorcerer, dwarven barbarian lol and the halflings are more or less the leaders :)
Our party is starting with a bit of backstory. They are crew members of "The Misfits Berth", a merchant/profiteer vessel sailing out of Sasserine. The crew as a whole is quite unique, made up of misfits and cast offs from everyday society, almost all obscure races and or monster classes with the exception of Captain Isaiah Blermgut (human). For reference, I allowed the PC's to start as ECL 3 characters and they were asked to pick their own "pirate names" for flavor. So far we have...
Suli - aka Arrrr! (I swear there is no better way to keep your PC's talking like characters than to make them say Arrr!) - Female Pixie(2) Beguiler(1) - duties: ship's mascot/spirit, she's always boosting morale with her jokes and pranks
T'Klq - aka Hopper - Male Dromite(2) Druid(1) - duties: deckhand and apprentice windsinger
Azzarelle - aka Stinky (until she gives me her preference of pirate name, this is what her fellow crewmates decided on) - Female Half-Fey Human Evoker - duties: pilot/shipsmage
Sseriaz - aka Grommet (traditional name for a ship's boy) - 10yr old Male Reptillian Aventi Sailor (the reptillian template is due to a curse bestowed on him in retaliation to his fathers actions, the sailor class is just a sea faring ranger variant) - duties: ship's boy/reef scout
So far I am loving this group... I can't seem to stop saying Arrrr!
So the I finnally got my three player gestalt campaign to give me their character. No names but races and classes.
Human rogue/warlock (parents made a pact with a being from Risia so his blast looks all frosty and cold)
Dwarf (Amphibious) Barbarian/Cleric of the SH
Human Bugiler/Conjurer
So now I pray for good tactics and not a first session TPK :)
The fourth and fifth finished creating their characters.
So now the party consists of:
Aventi cleric
Human monk
Dwarven wizard
Halfling rogue
Gnome Bard
Here is the new party after a TPK on the Blue Nixie:
One has yet to decide but he won't be playing till Christmas. I hope they will do better, but so far they saw few troubles with an already wounded rhagodessa and the iron cobra.
Gar'Shek (NG male half-orc druid 1; using a variant from PHBII)
Lucil (LG female Rhenee cleric 1 of Wee Jas; domains: Magic, Spell) [BTW: player doesn't know of Tyralandi Scrimm :)]
Orba (CG female Suloise barbarian 1; flaw: gullible)
Piet Flickbert (NG male Oeridian rogue 1)
I'll be running this with an existing party.
Human Necromancer
Changeling Rogue
Dwarven Cleric
Kalashtar Monk
Gnome Artificer
Joining the existing party will be a Duskblade of interterminate race.
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My own group will be very conventionnal compared to other :
- human cleric of Farlanghn (NG), from Keoland,
- human mage (?) from Sasserine,
- human fighter (TN or CG, not sure yet) from Principality of Ulek,
- human dragon shaman (CG) from Sasserine,
- ?? roguish type (?) from Sasserine,
- bugbear (aiming duskblade) (CG) [DMPC], former slave of the Sea Princes.
No aventi PC !!!!!
;-))
I love the party I have forming for my game. Keep in mind that this is based in Eberron.
1. Halfling Sorcerer/Fatespinner/Luckstealer
2. Human Knight/Heir of Syberis(Deneith)
3. Half-Elf Rogue/Swashbuckler/Dread Pirate
4. Dwarven Cleric/Exorcist of the Silver Flame
Hmm...Im not sure if we belong in this post as we are all fairly "normal"
Steve Greer is the DM and we all have character write ups on our campaign journal, found here: http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/dnd/campaignJournals/fromSasserineToTh eAbyssTheSavageTide
Thread title: From Sasserine to the Abyss, The Savage Tide
Vastiago Calibre, better known as Id (Me), male human wizard
Zannry, male human bard (may be an elf, though)
Athearis, female half-elf druid
Joe, male human paladin
Serena, female halfling rogue
Sakeema, male elf ranger
Kinda mundane compared with the rest :p
We had our first session last weekend in which the PC's blew through The Blue Nixie (That poor Rhagodessa, sniffle). Anywho here’s what I'm working with:
Marin Black, Monk 2: Severe alcoholic, comic relief, plans on becoming a drunken master. Has drastic mood swings at the wrong moments.
Scylix, Dread Necromancer 2: A local mystery man whom arrived on a large galley that drifted into the port. He was found clutching his scythe in the brig, half-dead.
Odeon, Druid (Aquatic) 2: One of last remaining sea wardens. Lives in a run down shack on the beach. Has several "deformities" from spending too much time in the water. Cool animal companion backstory, he wrestled his shark into submission and tore out its largest tooth and made it into a dagger. The shark, Hendrix, has served him ever since.
Abel Ichabod, Aristocrat (with a few added class features) 2: A young page of house Lidu. Born an orphan on the streets he has developed into a very Great Expectations-esque character taken in by the wealthy.
Don Julio Rodrigo, Fighter 2: Ex-mercenary taking on more "noble” freelance work. A clever warrior relying more on wit then strength. Very conquistador apperance with a dash of classic swashbuckler.
Our party sorta 'fell' into Savage Tide when our DM happened to pick up the first issue off the rack. We're in the Forgotten Realms and our party went from being in the wilds around Zhentil Keep to Sasserine in one rough carriage ride. Our party consists of:
Akila N'syr (me) A human Female Fighter from Calimshan. She commonly curses beneath her breath in her native language which thankfully no one else can speak. Daughter of an ousted Noble house she's of the mind to make her fame and fortune in the world and return to her homeland to return her family to its rightful place in the world. 'Working' for a living is a new thing for her.
Alec (yes just Alec) A human Male Fighter from parts unknown. He spends most of his time being mauled by whatever we happen to be fighting.
Gabe Autumnwind A half-elf female Ranger again from parts unknown (no one tells me anything about character history). She's getting better with the crossbow but we've come to suspect she's both blind and deaf considering she's not succeeded in a single listen or Spot check.
Dugan A dwarven male cleric without whom we would have LONG been dead.
As you can all see with NO rogue or arcane spell support in sight we are SOOOOOOOO doomed. I'm thinking of jumping to Wizard as soon as I get to 4th level fighter, that might allow us to survive past the first adventure or two. *shakes head and chuckles*
Just started last night.
Denia Arabani, Female Human Swashbuckler 1
Shookt!alui, Male Darfellan Barbarian 1 (harpoon specialist)
Sandra Absalee, Female Human Wizard 1 (aristocrat from a long line of Witchwardens)
Arrosselon Uwelmani, Male Elf Swashbuckler 1
Turl Howerbass, Male Dwarf Cleric 1 of Xerbo
Indy Tamberlane, Male Halfling Rogue 1 (archeologist and wannabe seeker, in case you didn't get the reference).
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Just started last night.
Is your son playing ?
I just started it today, with a new intro (before Lavinia's message). We stopped toward the end of the Blue Nixie, with Soller Vark sinking in the deep waters of the bay (with his equipment) and the rhagodessa on the loose in the hold.
Method of creation :
- 78 points to put on their caracteristics (i.e. average of 13),
- bonus feat either from Sasserine, or proposed by the DM according to the BG,
- 8 bonus skill points at 1st level (2/level thereafter),
- either starting gold above average or the average if lower
- starting the STAP with around 200-250 XP each with an intro before Lavinia's message (to "cement" the group, and it worked quite well !).
My group (a few changes fixed between my 1st post and this one) :
- Juan Negro, keolandish human male cleric of Fharlanghn NG,
- Vif Dun Valor, Sasserinite halfling male rogue CN,
- Veterini Vad Saen, sasserinite human male gold dragon shaman NG,
- Vergale Dragorne, Ulekite (princip.) human male fighter CG (worshipping Norebo),
- Vulen de Tristemyrte, Sasserinite human male wizard LN,
- Krug, Sea Princers (former slave) bugbear (wishing to become a duskblade) CG (worshipping Corellon Larethian) (DMPC)
They did it very very well in gathering info, roleplaying with Lavinia and the harbormaster's representative (the cleric has a side quest), and collecting info about Vanthus, the death of the parents, the lotus dragonthe (with the rogue), and even "isle of dread" (before Lavinia discovers its existence)...
I was quite amazed !!
I have never played with such a mature group : even my old RP-buddies amazed me.
That is what happens when all the players are 32-38 years old, and half of them father or would-de father...
The "fight" at the Blue Nixie took more than one hour before really starting : a ruffian was charmed..., and lasted more than 2 hours from start to (almost) conclusion, since the rhagodessa is still down there !!
Well, I have been scanning the boards reading various topics for a while now...and thought I'd finally jump in on the action
So we started our STAP with my buddy taking up the DMing spot and allowing me (usual DM) a chance to play for once! We are about 4 sessions in, usuing FR setting, and have just finished the first adventure.
Our party has already taken two casualities, due to foolish PC and a desire to get one's character killed...
Anyways, we are currently looking at these following 4, and waiting for the 5th guys creation to come in next week.
LiktikToolik - Male Darfellen Binder 3
Valu - Male Water Orc Monk 3
Valanith- Male Human Swordsage 3
Boots- Male Darfellen Psychic Warrior 3
Well, so far we have nearly lost all of our lives on two seperate occasions, one being on the Blue Nixie! Darn pirates!
We have all held our own so far, and (my character) Liktik, pretty much gave his life in the last fight against Rowyn, as her lil pet grabbed me after pulling out Valanith...got her Cure wand away from her though in time! But luckily our DM was gracious enough to bring me back, because, being a DM I rarely get to play a PC and have fallen in love with my guy, Binders are ridiculous! Anyways, hope to hear some good feedback and might I say...very diverse parties thus far!
Yes, I can finally post my group for the savage tide, I been waiting for the players to finish the characters. Now my group has a harder time and seams to die really easily so I have given some homebrew rules to help them. First of all I am using the reserve points and the Defense bounces from the UA, Also If got a rule I found online called “fate points” which allows PC to spend points to re-role or to avoid meaningless death and or to by extra feats, skills, gold. So they may have a few things one should not at this Lv.
So on with the group
Edimer Leftblade: LV.1 knight (PHB2) Human. An old friend of the Vanderborn who has come back from knight training to comfort Lavinia.
He spent his points to get a keen long sword which is a gift form his father.
He also took the Honor Bound feat from Dragonlance.
Johnson: LV.1 Jester (DC) Human: Living with his “Aunt” a small time alchemist, Johnson has dreams of becoming a great fighter after reading stories of the battles. His aunt and her friend Kora Whistlegap have decided to have him help lavinia in hopes that it will give him the taste of adventure that he craves, Also he dream that Johnson and lavinia may fall in love.
Johnson has the Merchant Tong feat and also uses a fate point to get some more gold. Which he has spent on Alchemy items which are his main way of fighting.
Alabas the second: Lv1 cleric of Pelor. This character was made more off the cuff and will be working on a story.
Lumanes: LV 1 monk. A poor farmer boy with a bloodline worth gold, the great soel empire lives in his veins. A young mind just deciding if the pat of light or darkness is right for him. (The group munchkin so I will not list all the feats and such)
In the next few games we will have a Goliath Warblade joining the group.
Edit to party: We saw the temporary use of an Elven wizard who left to study at the local school of magic. Also there was a short lived human fighter that left to take up another merc gig (the party "hired" him to take on the Thieve's guild). He introduced the party to another mercenary, a shifter barbarian/sorceress.
• Female human Ftr/Rog
• Male human Cleric/Warlock - prestige goal is an Eldritch Disciple
• Male halfling Sorcerer
• Female Gnome Bard
Just finished party selection for my online STAP game, adapted to Eberron. We're still doing character generation.
* Corven Kesslar, male human ex-monk 1 / barbarian 1
Corven was a monk until he gained an aberrant dragonmark that altered his disposition. Now whenever he's seriously injured, the mark sends him into a fearsome rage (Berserker Strength variant barbarian).
* Anchor, warforged rogue 2
Anchor was taken as booty during a pirate raid on the ship that was carrying him from factory to deployment. He's become an avid swimmer and pearl diver, and earned his name when he took a line down to the seabed and supplemented the ship's anchor in holding it in place during a storm, saving it from being smashed on a reef.
* Erp, male goblin wizard (evoker) 2
Apprenticed to an old gnome in Zilargo, Erp fled some personal problems when the gnome passed away. He owns a dire bat as a riding mount, and is currently employed as a night-watch guard on one of the Sunrise district plantations.
* Hakturuk Lyrandar, male human cleric 2 (Sovereign Host)
Offspring of a Lyrandar ship's captain and the pirate she fell in love with, Hakturuk was orphaned when his parents were lost on a sea voyage. Convinced that they were killed in a raid by the Ship of Bones, he intends to one day take his revenge upon Prince Moren.
* Elora "the Blackrose", female elf duskblade 2
Daughter of a proud line of Valenar warriors, Elora's family name was disgraced when her pacifist father was exiled from Valenar and settled in Sasserine. Abandoning her own name for the gladiatorial title "the Blackrose", Elora fights in the arena to redeem her honour, and craves more noble challenges to her talents.
Well, my players have a fair mix of different characters.
(1) Dick "Fish" (last name censored), a retired pirate trying to reform despite having spent his years as one of the most savage and cruel pirates to sail the oceans. He has been drunk for the last two years (after having killed his wife, who cursed him with her dying breath, and his son ran away, taking up a life of piracy to step out of his father's shadow). The player intends to take every abberation feat from the Lords of Madness book to reflect the curse. Plus, a dog addicted to alcohol follows him everywhere he goes, prompting Fish to name the dog "Boozehound."
(2) Ariel. Aventi female druid. She was captured by pirates one day and was not spared the attentions of the dirty crew and was daily visited while locked away in the ship. One day the druid managed to escape and set the ship on fire. The crew followed her on rowboats to take their revenge on her only to find that she had lured them to the hiding place of a kraken. Crew dies horribly. Ariel later teams up with a more respectable human captain as ship-mage as she desires to see the human world (and kill as many pirates as she can). The captain of the pirate ship that captured her? None other than Dick "Fish" (last name censored). Fortunately for her, Fish thinks she was one of many women he has met in his life of piracy and not the woman who set his ship on fire. Plus, he has been drunk for the last two years.
(3) Big Bertha. A female gnome swashbuckler. Kora was sent by Lavinia to find the woman known as Big Bertha and make her the offer. What Kora nor Lavina knows is that the very night that Kora made her offer, Big Bertha had lost her knives and clothes to a female gnome due to a poker game. Since Kora had no idea what Big Bertha looks like, she offered the job to the only person in the gambling hall who had the name Big Bertha sewn on her clothes. No one is the wiser. Big Bertha is also a compulsive liar.
(4) Black Bart. There are legends and then there LEGENDS. Such is the case of the pirate known as Black Bart. They say he is over 7 feet tall. He has singlehandly defeated the Kraken. He spits fire and he is the greatest swordsman alive. He is the ultimate ladies' man and a gourmet when it comes to fine wine. Many are the rumours and stories about him and that man is never without his trademarked hat and black gun with the skull and crossbones on it. When Lavinia hears that the Legendary Black Bart is in town, she sends Kora to try to plead with the man to help Lavinia out (Black Bart was never one to turn down a damsel in distress, or so the stories go). However, when Kora encounters Black Bart, she is shocked...to see that he was not that much taller than her. A male halfling with the unmistakeable hat and gun. What most people don't know is that Black Bart has been many men, each inheriting the legacy, and this halfling just inherited it...last week. Still, it beats being a farmer or a peg boy, and he has no intention of letting anyone know the truth.
That's the group.
Interesting, eh?
(edited)
After many, many characters being made as part of 'character trees' the players have decided the starting line up of the group is:
1. An old moonelf dragonborn dragonshaman (gold) of bahamut with a lawful good alignment and very similar in persona to Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Looks like he will be the group leader, moral compass, buffer and all-round fatherly knowledge guy. Works as a professor at the house of the dragon. (Aptly named!)
2. A twenty year old chaotic neutral wild card from shadow shore who found he had a close affinity with fire as a child and likes to burn things, doesn’t fully understand his powers or heritage (knows he is a genasi and has taken Kossuth as his patron) and he is a rather ‘street punk’ type. Actually a fire genasi with the psionic wilder class from XPHB going into the pyro prestige class later and taking all the feats he can to enhance his fiery nature. Red hair cut in a Mohawk and a Sid Vicious sneer make this character a potential trouble causer. The lawful good gold dragon shaman mentioned above intends to take him under his wing and mentor him into becoming an upstanding member of Sasserine society; looks like fun.
3. A young (18) and sometimes headstrong human healer of Ilmater, born an orphan and raised by the clerics of the crying god. She cares for others deeply (is true good) but is very often quite naïve. She’s setting foot outside the temple and its way of life for the first time on her own. Looks wise, this character is inspired by the players love of Aeris (spl?) from Final Fantasy 7 and spends a great deal of time in the Sasserine gardens collecting herbs. I might gently play up the ‘innocent girl falling for the bad boy’ angle with the fire genasi and her if the players allow it; I like a bit of romance. This character has also befriended a draconic creature (from the book: Dragon Magic) called a phynxkin and has taken the animal cohort feat.
4. A chaotic good half vampire human duskblade. Prepare for a summary of his freaky back story:
This character is a 'once noble' character from an upper class family called the 'Evening Stars' with a very juicy secret!
The Evening Star family patriarch is actually a neutral (with lawful tendencies) aligned vampire ex-cleric of Lathander (Lathander having long since stopped giving him spells of course) over a century old whose faith helped him overcome the cravings for humanoid blood and who survives on animal blood or blood donated from his family or taken from ‘the guilty’ today.
People in Sasserine often remark on how well the family age, the Evening Stars are quick to mention that elven blood runs in their family history and their patron deity is one of ‘youth and renewal’ and the constant practice of their strange trademark martial and spiritual techniques (duskblades) help them stay fit and healthy. ;)
The vampire patriarch has secretly guided the family to a position of mercantile power over the decades and looks over his human and half vampire offspring with great love and devotion. No one outside the family suspects the truth of things.
The vampire patriarch found out some decades ago that he could change unborn children into half vampires inside the womb by feeding off their mothers and exchanging blood with them, he calls this a gift although some mothers have died while receiving ‘the gift’ in the past.
In the last few days (before the campaign starts) the vampire patriarch revealed that he has started to receive spells from ‘Lathander’ once again after all these decades of unanswered prayers! A massive celebration swiftly followed of course. Shortly after this surprisingly great news he shocked the family yet again by leaving on a ‘spiritual sojourn’ into the jungle, who knows where or why… All for the good of the family. ;)
The player character is one of a pair of non-identical twins, his twin sister was strangely born completely human, seemingly untainted by the vampire blood and carries a star or sun shaped birthmark upon the arch of her left foot. Her birth and then the return of Lathander’s blessing has made the family extremely proud, any doubts they once had about their way of life have now been put to death...
The PC has caused a big scandal by becoming a gladiator at the arena in the last year and most of his family has turned away from him over it; his twin sister brought him the news of the vampiric family patriarchs renewed faith/leaving of Sasserine and the PC is now wondering what to do about this.
So that’s the party or ‘The Scales of Justice’ as the dragonborn player secretly wishes to 'spontaneously' name the group at some point.
At least they mostly look human (if a little exotic) and only the dragonborn is actually going to cause NPCs to flip out.
If our other two players can make it they intent to play a jungle tribe human ranger (but I’m allowing the animal companion from 1st level and he gets no spells ever, like the UA variant ranger) and the last player wants to be a shifter barbarian also from the jungle or a sailor from Sasserine whose ship sailed through a patch of magical ocean that led to him waking up looking like Ben Grim from Fantastic Four but ‘more amethysty less house brick’.
ok so my group isn't as odd as some of the other cool parties, but should prove quite interesting indeed:
1. a male human warblade
2. a female elven fighter/scout
3. a female human rogue/fighter (knifefighter)
4. a male human cleric of selune
If the party has a weakness it is the lack of a spell slinger of sorts, and my PC's have historically had a rough time without one, they never learn....
This is the first time I've had a group come together with three clerics and a paladin. Should be interesting:
1. Male dwarven cleric (Moradin) from the Flint Hills
2. Male human cleric (Pelor) from the Marches
These two are best of friends. The human acts like a dwarf, the dwarf like a human. It's been great fun, so far.
3. Male human rogue from Shadowshore
4. Male human paladin (St. Cuthbert) from Shadowshore
5. Male Half-elf cleric (CL) allied with the Church of the Whirling Fury
6. Male human sorcerer member of the Witchwardens
These last two should make for an interesting dynamic. CotWF vs. Witchwardens. Also, the CL vs. Moradin dynamic should be fun, as well.
I have a group that TPKed in AOWAP and now we are playing STAP. They were a little light on fighter types in the AOWAP, so I think they have overcompensated ...
Storm - Male Human Paladin of Hieronious
Mickelbee - Male Gnome Bard
Grog - Male Dwarf Barbarian
Theron - Male Human Cleric of Hieronious
Lenthanis - Male Elf Ranger
Cowlen - Male Human Fighter
Kawato - human favored soul from the Amedio Jungle with a connection to the sea.
Mr. Paere - human scout from Sasserine... former whaler with a bad cough.
Samuel - human swashbuckler, lost son of the Sea Princes, returned to Sasserine to find his past.
Aramil - Elven wizard, bespectacled troublemaker and egomaniac.
The party has just survived the smuggler's tunnels under Parrot Island, with no casualties. That is quite a surprise to me. :)
My party is proving to be entertaining. It consists of...
Captain Arr--Male Dwarf Fighter CG. He can't swim and every major event in history involved his twelfth uncle. He doesn't like doors and regularly chops them down with his waraxe. He has also been known to translate the occasional letter into pirate speak so the rest of the crew can understand it.
Ahondra--N female human fighter. She is a ditz. The crew has made her the navigator, but she will regularly look at the map upside down. No one seems to question her inability to read a map. She also bought a puppy because she thought it was cute.
Bloody Sera--female halfling rogue. She is the brains behind the group, though she obeys the captain. She has a copy of the History of Pirates, a book they found while searching an abandoned seaside shack. (I told her it gives +1 to pirate lore, a very limited and mostly useless skill).
"No Eyes" Macguire--Male Grimlock. No Eyes (the pirate name the party gave him after purchasing him from a slaver) fancies himself a bard. He has no bard levels however. He was taught to play the accordian by his drow mistress, until she got bored with him and sold him to another slaver. Eventually he found himself at the forced entertainment at a seaside inn the party was staying at on their way to Sasserine.
There is also a secret party member that I included as a DM balancer if I have need of it. There is a rather large, one eyed cat who hangs around with them who is actually and shape changed bronze dragon who wishes to protect Sasserine. I don't know if I will use this plot device. Ideally, I see him as a bit of a guardian angel which I can pull out if for story reasons I think the party deserves a second chance.
They have told me that they would also like a crew of Kobolds when they "get their pirate ship". (They are right now planning on getting Lavinnia to give them the Blue Nixie.
1. Warforged Monk (from Alhaster)
2. Elf Scout (from Alhaster)
3. Human Cleric <me> (domains Strength/Destruction to contact temple of Cuthbert upon entry to Sasserine.)
4. Human Sorcerer (Native of Sasserine, met others as they got off the boat on behalf of Mrs. Vanderboren).
Sorry, no pirates in our group. Or ninjas, for that matter.
My group opted for:
Akbar, Male Human Duskblade (a staunch company man with a meticulous appearance and methodical personality, yet ferocious with his glaive)
Sven, Male Dwarf Cleric of Dimajo (god of technology in my homebrew setting) with Travel and Metal domains. Gunslinging dwarf in armor ought to be entertaining.
Dhalkor, Male Halfling Scout from a tribe of nomadic, jungle dwelling halflings that live near Sasserine.
Two other players may be joining in the near future, but I am not holding my breath. One has expressed a desire to be a Barbarian, the other, a Cleric.
We just finished the Blue Nixie encounter, which went fairly well for them, with only one character (the Dwarf) coming close to getting killed.
1- human cleric/warblade (kord)
2- human warblade/wizard
3- human druid going to Master of many forms
4- human favord soul/Sorcerer going mystic theurge
5- human the class that isn't warblade or crusader in book of 9 swoards
6- elf fighter/rogue
It'll be interesting to see how the party fares multiclassing this much
We have just worked our way through the first month of the AP. After dealing with the LD, we have
Halfling Rogue 3 from the Merchant District
Halfling Bard 3 from the Cudgel District
Human Monk 3 from the Champion District
Elven Wizard 2 from the Noble District
Half Orc Barbarian 1 from the Champion District
Human Swashbuckler 2 (backup "thump") from the Noble District
Due to a prolonged absence by the barbarian (who is using the Berzerker Strength replacement), we had to introduce the Swashbuckler who is kind of a communal character played by whomever shows to back them up. I am hoping he will be taken on soon by a regular player, or that he will get replaced by a more "thump-worthy" version of a "thump".
Oh, and the lack of priestly magic is dealt with using the Merchant's purchasing skills to get deals on healing potions.
Our group just started on Saturday. I don't recall all the names after one session, but we have:
Human Favored Soul of Osprem from Azure District
Darfellan Barbarian from Azure District
Human Rogue from Merchant's District
Human Monk from Champion's District
Halfling Sorcerer from Noble's District
Martin Cortez Rook-male Human Fighter N 3rd
Lucien The Malevolent-male Gray Elf Wizard N 3rd
-Loctavious-bloodhawk familiar
Zane Lou Chi-male High Elf Monk LN 3rd
Relwyn Daskeral-male Aasimar{amphibious} Cleric NG 2nd
Korg-male Half Orc Barbarian CN 3rd
Victor Gosalar-male Human Cleric NG 1st
So far no character deaths.The wizard and monk went to negatives
a couple of times but were saved.
We are now in a leaky boat rowing to someplace called Krakens Cove.
Great AP!{Aaaarr!!}
1) Eyvindr (Male Dwarf) 3 Crusader/2 Fighter
2) Josephine (Female Human) 5 Cleric (of Kossuth)
3) Tauriana (Female Elf) 3 Scout/2 Swordsage
4) Anorillion (Male Human) 3 Human Paragon/1 Sorcerer/1 Rogue
Now that my group is finally playing the STAP (they're trapped under Parrot Island right now), I thought I'd resurrect this thread to tell y'all a little about the characters in my game (seeing what types of characters are being used in other campaigns is really interesting to me. I hope other people will post their parties' makeups, retroactively if need be).
Arbok, erbust spirit shaman. Erbusts, a race of elephant-headed humanoids, generally live in tribal societies and only rarely interact with the rest of the intelligent races. Arbok has long worked with Lavinia's family however, and Lavinia felt that his wisdom would be very handy when she was looking to hire adventurers. So far Arbok has been the calming voice of the group. Although physically intimidating, he's a gentle giant who would rather subdue foes than kill them outright. His long ears are pierced multiple times, and he decorates his body with bird feathers and fish scales.
Echo Stormbreaker, dwarf cleric. Echo served on a ship with Lavinia's parents, and Lavinia has fond memories of the dwarven "pirate." Echo comes from a clan of dwarves who cover their bodies in tattoos and shave their hair and beards everyday for penance of some long ago misdeed. Echo has saved the group a couple of times from the hungry dead, but he's a bit upset that he hasn't had a chance to swing his oversized greatsword yet.
Amaleth, elf enchanter. Amaleth has had business dealings with Lavinias family in the past and lost quite a bit of money on some of their more risky ventures. Although he presumably joined up with the rest of the adventurers to help out Lavinia in her time of need, just about everyone assumes he's just out to recoup some of his losses. He did surprise everyone when he turned over Lavinia's payment to the harbormaster: he was alone abovedecks when he found it on the Blue Nixie, and seeing the elven miser handing over money was quite shocking.
Eris, tibbit rogue. Eris, who Lavinia's family have called on from time to time to investigate some delicate problems, carries a great bow that is as large as he is. No one quite knows why he sometimes disapears, why a small housecat seems to sometimes follow them around, and why his favorite drink is milk and rum. Eris' underworld connections (especially with the halfling benevolent society) have come in handy, but the party is starting to wonder when Eris will sell them out.
Honey Bee, dwarf barbarian. Honey Bee served as a game warden on one of the plantations outside of Sasserine, and grew quite fond of Lavinia during Lavinia's sometime excursions outside of the city. No one is certain whether Honey Bee's feelings are romantic or plutonic in nature. Honey Bee can be crass at times, and she has quite a temper, but she is very protective of the rest of the group, and obviously wants to do well by Lavinia. Several Ravenous zombies have already lost their heads thanks to Honey Bee's axe.
El Skootro
I suppose I can round this out since we are starting to settle into the full group. We just completed the Bullywug Gambit and we will be starting "Month Three" this week. Our party is as follows:
Student Shin; Human Monk 5 (with a ring of jumping and slippers of spider climb, we will be calling him Spider Man soon enough...)
Quentin Peck; Human Ranger 5 (favored enemy human... he was a privateer hunting pirates; and is a replacement for the bard as we needed more THUMP to the party)
Kerel Kraag Soong; Elf Wizard 5 (working towards that missile specialist PrC)
Cora Underhill; Halfling Rogue 5 (our ADD burglar)
Kara Theel; Human Cleric 4 (new player that wanted to play the healer for whatever reason)
Dungar Longshanks; Dwarf Fighter 4 (apparently he is the party xenophobe)
I fear what happens once we get that dwarf and the cleric out to sea. One trip overboard and we are rolling up new characters... ;)
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By the end of the 1st installment, end of the lotus dragon (and since they'll level up pretty soon) :
- human cleric 3rd lvl of Farlanghn (NG), from Keoland,
- human mage 3rd lvl (LN) from Sasserine (Noble District),
- human fighter 3rd lvl CG from Principality of Ulek,
- human (gold) dragon shaman 2nd / fighter 1st lvl (NG) from Sasserine (Azure district),
- halfling rogue 3rd lvl (CG) from Sasserine (Shadowshore),
- bugbear 2-HD (closing 3-HD, aiming duskblade) (CG) [DMPC], former slave of the Sea Princes.
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The party I am DMing is pretty standard and have found that it works very well for STAP.
Dorhanna Trannyth - Human Favored Soul
Ghim - Dwarven Figher
Slayn - Human Wizard
Lucian - High Elf Bard
Dolph - Hadozee Rogue
Kahl - Human Monk
Could use a ranger and some undead turning, but otherwise the party works very well together.
The group in my game consists of:
1. Kyrie - female Neutral Good half-elf duskblade. She comes from a well off merchant family. The Sea Princes killed her parents and she longs for excitement rather than a safe life.
2. Casimiro - male Chaotic Neutral human evoker heading towards Fire Elemental Savant. He is a low grade pyro with a good charisma and some social skills thanks to Academy Graduate. He is essentially agnostic revering elemental fire rather than a god.
3. Aeramos - male Chaotic Good feytouched corsair (a fighter varient I created). Son of a wealthy ship captain, he is trying to make his own way in the world. Academy Graduate granted him the desired social skills.
4. Sin - male Neutral tiefling rogue. With a charisma of 6, he doesn't do the talking. :) From Shadowshore.
5. Foster - an NPC to round things out, male Neutral Good halfling cloistered cleric of Fharlanghn.
Characters were made using 35 point buy and the player's could earn up to +6 points from character details. Rather than use the normal EL rules, I gave the feytouched and tiefling a 30 point base for the point buy.
The last campaign I ran I had 10 (TEN!) players. It really took forever to run even the simplest of skirmishes. And shopping? Ai-ya! I find it almost relaxing to be managing a group of 5, now.
We have a pretty standard set of characters: A Male Human Swordsage (N) (our weirdo- the only non-PHB guy in the lot), a Male Human Wizard (NG), a Male Dwarven Cleric of Wee Jas (LN), a Male Halfling Druid (NG), and a Male Human Rogue (CG).
I gave them all notebooks loaded with the Player's Guide to Sasserine and a few modifications and told them to build up characters that they would really like to play (in the hope that they'd be taking them from 1st to 20th), and they actually came up with some pretty compelling backstories. They all chose to be Sasserine natives (pro'ly a'cause of the bonus Sasserine Feat I offered to native characters), and tied themselves into the city very well.
Our Swordsage was orphaned in the cullings when the Sea Princes were overthrown (in our Sasserine, that happened a good two decades ago), and raised in the gladiator pits. One of the few people in Sasserine actually upset about the removal of the Sea Princes from power- he's angry as all get-out about life in general. Seeing this boy as much a danger to himself as to others around him, a wandering Master of the Nine saw his potential (and fury) and took him under his wing, hoping to calm his spirit and teach him something of discipline and self-mastery.
The Wizard is actually the younger brother of the Swordsage (unbeknownst to the both of them), who was taken out of the orphange to which they had both been sent to become a ward of the Witchwarden Tower (their mother was a high-ranking official in the Sea Princes' government, a Wizard who used her abilities to ferret out spies and dissenters. One of her colleagues promised to care for her children if anything should happen to her- he only managed to get a hold of the youngest boy.)
The Halfling Druid simply "turned up" as a child in Standing Stone Park, and after several attempts by the Knowlern family to "domesticate" the little guy (they'd put him to sleep in a nice warm bed, and the next morning would find him dozing under a bush back in the park), they finally set him up a temporary shelter in the park and allowed him to stay there so long as he continued his education and cared for his surroundings. He rescued a mangy old dog from the kennels near the arena, and having nursed him back to health, has trained him as a riding dog and companion. It was during his rescue of the dog he met our Swordsage.
The Dwarf Cleric was raised in the same orphanage as the Wizard. While his human friend was drawn into the world of the arcane, the dwarf instead felt the pull of the divine. Curious about the rumors of "evil" among the devout of Wee Jas, he decided to get to the truth of the matter. Instead of a den of sin and depravity, the Dwarf found a refuge of order and calm in the midst of the tumultous life of Sasserine. When he was old enough, he joined the faith. He and the wizard have always remained close.
The Rogue... well, the same old story. Ran away from home in the slums of Shadowshore straight into the arms of one of the local gangs of thieves. Found he was pretty good as a pickpocket (too good in fact) and got a little big for his britches. He stole a ring of Spider Climb from the big boss- Spider Hoen- and is now on the run from his former employer, working as a barmaid in a tavern (Rumbleguts) frequented by the Sworsage. Yes, a barmaid. It's amazing what taking a 20 on a disguise check, coupled with being an already somewhat androgynous 16 year old can do. None of the other characters know his true gender yet. 0_0
Anyway- the mage in charge of our wizard died, and our wizard went through some of his old journals, finding out he had a brother who was sent to the gladiator arena and has over the years become something of a warrior. He seeks out our swordsage and the two finally meet up at Rumbleguts, their friends in tow. They notice the "cute" new barmaid being perhaps a little too friendly with a drunken and belligerant young noble and realize that she may have just stolen something from the guy. Just then a cryer comes running past the bar, yelling that Haden Lacroix had just been killed in the arena during a supposed "safe match."
Begin the adventure. :P
The guys did such a wonderful job of roleplaying, their "standard" characters were anything BUT boring!
Longstrider Shifter - Scout with 8 str
Dreamseer Shifter - Druid with 9int
both have poor charisma too.
Warforged Fighter - the proverbial mongo
Dwarf Artificer
Half Elf Swashbuckler bearing the least mark of storms
Half Orc Fighter bearing the least mark of finding
an eclectic mix indeed!