As myself and another in my group do not have the opportunity to attend regularly to our IRL weekly group, I am planning to set-up a PBP game. Things are still in the works as I plan them out. I am looking to get things off the ground in 1-2 weeks.
Things than I am uncertain about:
- Where to host the PBP (either here, or on my groups private forums)?
- Will an adventure path (or pre-made modules/adventures) be incorporated?
- Additional materials allowed?
- Golarion or homebrew world (have 3 different ones I've used in the past)?
What I am certain about:
- This will be a (mostly) sandbox style campaign.
- Lower-powered(than my group is used). Thinking 15-20 Point buy, Heroic NPC array (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, and 8), 4d6 (no reroll ones). Will decide (and possibly change plans) depending the group and what we play.
- Will be a very character driven vs plot driven story-line (hence the mostly sandbox item above).
- All Paizo material that I have or can access (such as on PRD). Granted, I only have a couple of books outside of the PRD personally on pdfs/print.
- Will be using Ultimate Campaign downtime rules and some other optional rules listed within (more on this as things are decided).
For all the stuff up in the air, it is going to depend on the group. I plan to make this campaign fairly catered to the PCs and really focus on character backgrounds and story. The amount of role vs. roll will depend again on the group.
Post here or pm me if interested/want more info.
Hmm... realized I forgot a couple of things.
Will be running 4-6 players (tentatively, as I may accept more for multiple concurrent groups). As I have currently 1 PC, will be looking for 3-5 more before I get things started. You may also propose character concepts or what style of a campaign you would be looking forward to playing. Also, post any adventure paths you haven't played or run, but would be interested in playing. If enough prefer a mix of an AP with homebrew (or just straight up AP), then I might look into picking one up to run.
As I have stated before, this will be fairly character driven. What we wind up playing will largely depend on the group(s) formed.
Color me interested! If you can have it at 20 point buy, I'm sold. I love character/plot driven RP, and I've already got a few ideas for characters...what exactly are you looking for in characters?
Are you looking for an interesting summation of the character, but then learn more details through RP? Or would you want very detailed descriptions of the characters personality and history?
I would love some more information regarding the campaign! I have a few characters in mind that I would love to play, but they're generic in background right now while I wait on details! A homebrewed setting would be awesome, but if not, there's a few campaign settings that I like.
My initial thoughts are starting off very early in each character's story. I am contemplating running young characters, but in a low-powered campaign I think the +2 Dex, -2 Str, Con, and Wis would be a big turn off. I also considered a NPC>PC class progression. This means every would be an NPC class at first, and then switch to PC classes, but that might be more trouble than it is worth.
The main point being, that there would be little in the actual character's adventuring background (as should be appropriate for a level 1 character). A very detailed family history would be perfectly fine. How interesting the characters are will be up to the players. If you want someone that does a little adventuring, but is aspiring to become a famous blacksmith, then go for it. If you want to build your own city/forge a kingdom, then I am sure we can work something out (Yay, Ultimate Campaign).
As far as personalities, you can be as descriptive as you wish. The more I and others have to go off of, the easier things will run I think. I am not at all against a "grooming character progression". So if you have an idea of a character's beginnings and what you would like to see (especially personal character goals), then I'd love to hear (read) it. :)
Since, I haven't posted a lot just yet as far as character creation, crunches are not needed just yet (though I won't turn any down either). I think my RL that is in it would prefer a 20+ point buy as well. so I am sure 20 PB will work well for initial set-ups.
EDIT: I guess what I am meaning to say with the above is I am looking for realistic PCs in a fantasy setting. Some may wish to be adventurers or just thrust into it. Some might be champions for a cause, but they still have to have started somewhere. As there will be some downtime due to the sandbox nature of the campaign, then characters strictly optimized for combat might get bored if they don't have things for their character to do outside of full-time adventuring. Though, if the entire group moves away from downtime, then I will oblige.
Any idea on the setting itself? Basic info like what sort of region (Desert, forest, plains, marsh/swamp, tundra, arctic, mountains, temperate islands, space, fantastic landscapes, ect.,) would help me pick what sort of character I want to play.
I'm interested. But, it would help if we had more background info. I can make a character with a generic background, though.
I was thinking of a rustic plains region starting out. Perhaps a village or small town. Everything is still up in the air (will flesh it out as I know my group(s) better). So if you want a character very specific to a region, let me know and I can work it into everything. If you want to have a couple of character concepts planned while we form the group, then that will work as well.
I am interested as I very fond of sandbox games. Homebrew or Golarion is fine with me. I will begin looking at classes and see what appeals to me. I love using the Ultimate Campaign for creating the the basics on how they grew up and making a backstory from there.
Hey, sounds very interesting and i love homebrew and sandboxy :)
Very first question (that i always ask) is a goblin ok? Second question, are psionics ok?
With that out of the way, i like the idea of creating a more relistic, more grounded character rather than an Uber god in the making and is here just because.
*I personally would preferr it posted here.
*low power is fine.
*I have my learners in plot-driving and a Crash Course in character interactions XD
Everything else is fine or i dont mind either way, also, i usually create my characters around what crunch concept i can create, so ill have to look around before i have any concrete character ideas :)
Hey Gobo, a pleasure to see you again!
Hey there people I know! ;)
I would prefer Paizo messageboards PBP posting as the venue where we play our characters.
I'm fine with low or high powered PCs.
Once everyone decides a bit about the setting, I will decide on a character concept.
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As myself and another in my group do not have the opportunity to attend regularly to our IRL weekly group, I am planning to set-up a PBP game. Things are still in the works as I plan them out. I am looking to get things off the ground in 1-2 weeks.
Things than I am uncertain about:
- Where to host the PBP (either here, or on my groups private forums)?
- Will an adventure path (or pre-made modules/adventures) be incorporated?
- Additional materials allowed?
- Golarion or homebrew world (have 3 different ones I've used in the past)?
Post here or pm me if interested/want more info.
I will list the things I would like to see in this game. In no particular order:
- Hosting the game here is preferable for me. This will get the most visibility for you to get quality players.
- I am fine with 3rd party material being allowed. That said, I have an passionate dislike for players who create builds with the intent to dominate and/or cause party strife because they are on a power trip.
- For the story, I am not averse to you running an adventure path. As for level, though, I would like to begin play at around 6th level. I like the idea of playing a somewhat seasoned adventurer. However, I am not firm on level 6. Plus or minus two levels is cool too.
- For the setting, Golarion has been fun. Other settings are fun too. If you have a homebrew world to use, I would like to see more info on it before committing to playing in it. I just want things to be fleshed out is all.
And those are my thoughts on what I would like to see for the game.
I'm fine with Golarion, an established DnD setting, or even a homebrew setting.
I definitely am fine with third-party material being allowed. I would like to try playing a psiwarrior again :P
Story... Adventure path could work, but if we're starting at higher level than 1 those will require a lot of adaptation. So, I would suggest deciding the start level first, then working on the story after.
Oh and I love 3PP material, so yes I would love for you to allow extra material!
@Gobo- Hello again! Sorry about that other campaign I ran that fell apart. RL demanded my presence. Goblins can be allowed; however, it will all depend on the group playing.
@all- I am shying away from 3rd party stuff because it can often be hard to control. Some if it plays nicely, but often times certain abilities are underestimated. For now, I will leave the 3rd party door open, but will make no promises as for what will be allowed. Warning, if I do let you use 3rd party, I will have to disallow multi-classing to prevent cherry-picking. I only say this as the spirit of the campaign is to be centered around an unlikely group of heroes (or at least not paragon heroes). I will give compensation along the way to make sure the group is
still in line power-wise for the challenges.
Also, because of the character development I am looking at, staring at the beginning (level 1 or earlier) is a definite for this campaign. I will post information about one of the homebrew worlds tomorrow. I haven't fully decided which one would work the best with my current plans. I will make sure there is plenty of info and maps available to you. Alternatively, we can also roll up random backgrounds. I can do this across the board, or for just a few to get concepts developing.
Again as for starting out, it will all really depend on the characters and concepts presented. As for forums location, it will be highly dependent on the 1-2 RL friends that will join up (or more, which then I'll run 2 groups that can interact). Most of them are not paizo members and I would need to convince them to join here first.
Interested on the "sandbox" type game.
I suggest starting at level 1 too, max lvl 2. Low levels are the best for fun and party interaction, on my experience.
Intended post schedule?
Character preferences are martials or 6/9 casters, usually straight classes.
Paizo forums are nice and easy to access and, to date, they haven't send any spam or unwanted commercial
Intended posting schedule is to update at least once a day Mon-Fri. Posting may go faster at times, but I will try to keep to that schedule so as to keep things steady, but not overwhelming for anyone.
I know virtually everyone here is preferring Paizo forums; however, I can give a few highlights as to the private forums.
- No spam. I made the forums to be for my private IRL group. We rarely use them atm due to being allowed to just have info posted on Facebook. As I control all messages you will receive from the forums, you should never get spam.
- Multiple threads/topics. We are not bound to simply: Campaign info, Gameplay, Discussion, Recruitment. This allows each character to have their own thread for tracking their character's progress, items, and notes. We can also divide topics up such as having one thread that keeps track of all experience, one that keeps track of all treasure, etc. This keeps things very organized and easy to find without flipping through pages to find one specific thing.
- Custom Avatars. You can upload your own avatar. That is kinda exciting. :)
- File Hosting. All files can/will be hosted on the site. This makes it easier for players to access. I can make all files desktop/mobile friendly.
- Can mod the forums to suite the group's needs. Should we want to try to implement something into the forums for gameplay, I can add it in.
- Normally, does not come tagged for blocked sites by work networks. This would be the biggie for one of the guys in my group that can't play (reliably) if hosted on Paizo forums.
Need to do some work in the lab and then will post the information about the homebrew world I decided to use (Oneíros). I will post a map, notable regions/towns/places, 'Gods' list. If there is any specific info, please ask as I tend to forget what might be important to different characters/players.
Oneiros? It has to deal with sleep or dreams? :P
@Silver Prince- You would be correct. The initial/main campaign I ran from that world dealt with uncovering that secret. A bit of weird theology/religion went into its making.
Mwahaha, my vast base of largely useless knowledge comes in handy!!! >:D
Yeah, it has a decent dice rolling system (was a pain in the butt to work out the bugs). It can handle any die type with positives and negatives. Except when a result would equal zero or negative... but that can still be handled easy enough. Also, less typing for dice. You just do: "[dice=1d20+5]" or w/e you are wanting to roll. It also crashes if you do say "[dice=1d6+1d6]". In which case, you either make it 2d6 or separate and then add together.
Sounds good to me. The Paizo forums are blocked here at work. I like unblocked better.
The main Gods/Demons of the world are centered (and taken) from the Ancient Sumerian/Akkadian/Mesopotamian deities. Most people in the world are not religious or have little to do with the gods. The gods and demons almost never mettle with mortals anymore.
- Adad or Ishkur - god of storms
- Alû, demon of night
- Anu or An - god of heaven and the sky, lord of constellations, and father of the gods
- Asag - monstrous demon whose presence makes fish boil alive in the rivers
- Enki or Ea - god of crafts, water, intelligence, mischief and creation
- Enlil or Anshur - god of the wind and divine ruler human
- Ereshkigal - goddess of the Underworld
- Gallû, underworld demon
- Hanbi or Hanpa - father of Pazuzu
- Humbaba – Forest Guardian
- Inanna or Ishtar - goddess of fertility, love, and war
- Lamashtu - a malevolent being who menaced women during childbirth
- Lilû, wandering demon
- Marduk - patron deity of Babylon who eventually became regarded as the head of the Babylonian pantheon
- Mukīl rēš lemutti demon of headaches
- Nabu - god of wisdom and writing
- Nanshe - goddess of social justice, prophecy, fertility and fishing
- Nergal - god of plague, war, and the sun in its destructive capacity
- Ninhursag or Mami, Belet-Ili, Ki, Ninmah, Nintu, or Aruru - earth and mother goddess
- Ninlil - goddess of the air; consort of Enlil
- Ninurta - champion of the gods, the epitome of youthful vigour, and god of agriculture
- Pazuzu - king of the demons of the wind; he also represented the southwestern wind, the bearer of storms and drought
- Rabisu - an evil vampiric spirit
- Shamash or Utu - god of the sun, arbiter of justice and patron of travellers
- Sin or Nanna - god of the moon
- Tammuz or Dumuzi - god of food and vegetation
- The edimmu - ghosts of those who were not buried properly
- Zu - divine storm-bird and the personification of the southern wind and the thunder clouds
Trying to find where I stored my world info stuff online... found a blank map. -.-' Give me a little bit on that.
As for the blank map, here is a preview: Oneíros Blank Map
Edit: As we are currently at 8 ppl interested, I may just expand the group max to 8. I am not closing recruitment just yet as I will wait until we have the party committed and fleshed out. I think now would be a great time to start bouncing around ideas of initial direction of the campaign.
Ideas: Are you all from the same town/village/city? Come from various walks of life? Group filled with tragic pasts? Randomized backgrounds? Privileged or destitute? Want a specific starting terrain (tundra, forest, plains, swamps, mountains, coastal)? We will work with character concepts and backgrounds for right now. From there I'll let you know (from PMs) what will be available outside of the normal rules. If we stick with just Paizo, I'll introduce you guys to some of the "special" things about this world. Since those specials already skew the balance, I don't want to mix them with 3rd party products. We will see what is more interesting for everyone first.
EDIT #2: If you want to see the forums go to: Private Forums Link You do have to register to see more than just the general section. That just involves making a username and then having me accept your registration.
I am waiting to see what everyone else picks before I decide on a character. I don't want to steal someone's character idea and I have a few dozen character ideas of my own, so no chance of ALL of my concepts being already used!
I sugest a town that is placed on a crossroad, near a lake, with a mountain range near, aswell large plains with farms around. Why? for variety and options, you can be a farmer, fisher, town-guard, a total foreign traveling across the road, from a wild tribe near-by or an elf from the woods 2days to the south...
I say a town and not a city because is easy to new-born-wannabe-heros to realize they are the ones to save the day.
I would like to play a human fighter specialized in archery, a rookie town guard.
Has it been decided if we will start off in a NPC class?
How are the individual races going to be handled? If we're not going third-party, I'm considering a goblin alchemist for this. But, I want to know if the races will be different or not.
@Juan- That is certainly doable.
@Vixen- Not yet. It will largely depend on the starting concepts of everyone. If we have alot of people wanting to do young characters or common type folk (blacksmith, baker, apothecary, etc.), then we will do NPC classes initally. Otherwise, we will just stick to PC classes.
@Magus- Good question. The majority of the world is human (Like 95%). All other paizo humanoid races are available (I will give some leeway if multiple people wish to be the same race). There is little in the way of great mythical beasts, dragons, and such. Because of this, very rare or extremely fantasicial races (beyond standard fantasy staples) may not be allowed. Depending on how you all wish to go about the campaign, I'd suggest using fairly common races with the normal pathfinder interactions to be your guide. Though races such as goblins can be played, they are very unlikely to work with others as the "hero" type. Not disallowing them, just saying that you will have to understand how they fit into the grand scheme of the group.
@Rysky- Thanks for the heads-up! Take care! :)
I forgot to ask in the earlier post:
Most people in the world are not religious or have little to do with the gods. The gods and demons almost never mettle with mortals anymore
That means no divine casters, or limited in any way?
Still into the young warrior/fighter :D
Divine casters are present. Some still worship gods, others just ideals. The list above is also the main pantheon. There are minor gods i can add and also golarian deities are acceptable ( but much rarer).
@Juan- Realized I didn't fully answer your question (directly anyways). Yes, there are divine casters. No, there are no limitations. It is all really just story style fluff. I try to avoid hindering any of the core/base classes (3rd party classes I tend to tweak to make more balanced, if/when I see the need).
@James- Sent you a message on FB, but wanted to post it here as well to sort of give everyone an idea of what I am looking for rather than, "I want to play a x race/ x class". Here is the quote from FB:
There aren't hell knights, but there are other knightly orders. We can find one similar depending on the region we start from. But I was thinking, if it is a really small town setting and we do younger characters, what if your character wasn't in a position to join any knights because of status (not noble, poorer family, small village). As it being a smaller village, the really isn't any town guard per se and your character is really too young to start one. However, there is a ex-knight that lives in this village. He is a bit of a drunk or something, but he did agree to take you on as his squire (which is where your equipment will come from). Thoughts? I was also thinking maybe single mother for him/her
@everyone- I will be posing two choices:
1) We can go with 20 point buy for your crunches, but with young characters (+2 dex, -2 Str, Con, Wis) and be near adulthood (when young stat changes will go away)
or
2)Going with 15 point-buy and using beta rules for ability score increases (like my RL group does most of the time).
With option 2, instead of getting a +1 inherent to a single ability score every 4 levels, you instead pick 2 different scores that each get a +1. In most cases, by level 8, the extra 2 points will bring you to 21 point buy or higher (and continues to increase).
Example: You have 2 scores at 15 as your two highest stats. At level 4 you, you raise both to 16. That second score going from 15 to 16 would be worth 3 points on point buy, so your character would now equate to an 18 point buy. Level 8 comes, you raise both scores again to 17, now you are getting another 3 points raising you to a 21 point buy.
Both options will add to the, "characters more like normal people and not originally set out to be adventurers". Option 2 will let the characters grow more powerful over time, while Option 1 will let characters get to a more "normal" adventurer ability scores listing sooner.
I'd just like to clarify: this game is definitely going to be on your private forum?
IT is not a definite. However, we have many more options available to us for organizing the campaign. I know most people will be turned off by the notion of using forums other than Paizo.
I suggested the private forums for the mains reasons of: 1. Limitless organizational options and file hosting, 2. Can add optional features by suggestions, and 3. The forums are mostly untagged and thus not blocked by most company filtering services (and thus more freedom to check in no matter where you are).
IT is not a definite. However, we have many more options available to us for organizing the campaign. I know most people will be turned off by the notion of using forums other than Paizo.
I suggested the private forums for the mains reasons of: 1. Limitless organizational options and file hosting, 2. Can add optional features by suggestions, and 3. The forums are mostly untagged and thus not blocked by most company filtering services (and thus more freedom to check in no matter where you are).
That last one doesn't bother me but I can see how it could hurt others.
Grand Moff Vixen already said that Paizo is blocked for (I assuming) her. I wouldn't begrudge you for hosting this game somewhere else but I don't know if I could be a part of that. This is the only site I've ever seen that seems to handle PbP well enough for me. Not that your site isn't good. I just don't know how comfortable I'd be.If it does stay on here, how comfortable would you be with a Changeling witch? Backstory is in my alias (the Irissen part can be taken out) and Deception Patron could be remodeled into "Enki or Ea - god of crafts, water, intelligence, mischief and creation."
I also don't know if Hags are really a "staple" of fantasy but they're not really esoteric either.
@Valeriya- Well, hags would be a little out; however, I have a little bit of "flavoring" magic that will you to still play a Changeling.
A couple things about your backstory: You have given Valeriya less than a year to learn being a witch. This isn't a problem, but will be expecting to see some green poking around the edges if you know what I mean.
Also, most of her backstory leads me to not see the CN nature. The description at the end under alignment mostly works for CN; however, ideologically, Revenge is generally an evil concept for good vs. evil and a lawful concept on law vs chaos. Reason being: Revenge inherently is a wish to do harm to someone while also taking it upon oneself to bring justice for a wrong doing (even if the subject of the revenge never committed the unjustice). This is something that has always confused me as the pantheon in Golarion has all but one of the higher powers with revenge as their portfolio be either chaotic or neutral (maybe it is because one is working outside the normal law to bring forth the justice they seek). As such, I'd see this character leaning more true neutral (as the Hag in her would keep pulling her away from being full lawful).
This is more of a conceptual thing and everything is just story-line. I won't be particular about having you make changes. These were just a couple of things I noticed from your story. There is plenty there to work with for a character-driven story, which I do like. :) The location ties to Golarion would be the only changes needed. You could still worship Calistria over one of the over gods. Just remember, as stated above, the gods tend to almost never mettle with mortals, especially the ones from outside this world's sphere of influence.
Dotting, if you're still looking for people - love the idea of playing on another forum site - and the world looks cool. :)
Still accepting applicants. Mostly waiting until after everyone has posted concepts. I was planning 4-6 players; however, as it will be a lower-power scaled party (compared to what I am used to playing in/running), I may take a couple more (I am actually used to DMing for 6-9 players for IRL sessions). Feel free to look around at the site, there isn't alot to see until you sign up. But you can play with the dice and such in the general thread without having to sign up.
Do you have a list of the concepts you have? :) Always like to fit in and such.
TN? Huh. I always shy away form that alignment unless total mercenary or Druid. The character arc I had in mind (can obviously be changed based on the campaign) would be from CN to CG. She's naturally chaotic in that she has little time for the law and isn't very disciplined. She loves pranks and jokes. She tries to keep them lighthearted but the evil influences subtly push her into darker territory.
Personal revenge can be chaotic in my opinion. It's forgoing the system of justice and taking that power into your own hands. This is one of the reasons why real life governments frown on vigilante justice. Personal revenge is itself a minor act of rebellion.
One of Valeriya's flaws is that she's petty and takes things too personally. For example, if you clip her heel, she'll glue your shoe to the ground. I liked the synergy between the curse/hex mechanic of the witch and the concept of petty revenge.
I don't necessarily see it as evil though otherwise Batman is evil. Revenge can be just such as avenging your parents' murder. It really depends on how you go about it and what the root cause is.
Avenging your parent's murder by nuking a city is evil. Avenging them by assisting the local law enforcement in building a case against them so they can be properly sentenced is not evil.
Avenging someone accidentally bumping into you is not so just. Doing by calling them a jerk and walking away isn't so bad. Murdering him and everyone he loves is.
"You have given Valeriya less than a year to learn being a witch. This isn't a problem, but will be expecting to see some green poking around the edges if you know what I mean."
I think you mean that she'll be inexperienced. This is by design. I generally keep her young because it's what fits her character type. She won't be a tactical master or anything but she knows some basics about travelling.
As for Calistria, I thought your Pantheon was replacing the Golarion Pantheon. Otherwise Lamashtu, Apsu, Pazuzu, and Nergal are gonna get confusing.
I'm still poking around at what concept sticks out to me. I haven't decided yet on what I want to make.
@Lexi- So far the possible concepts (of varying details) I have seen are (please correct me if I am wrong or missed you):
- Aspiring knight from humble beginnings
- Fleeing, vengeful (and practical joker) Changeling Witch with little knowledge of her origins
- Goblin alchemist (?possible)
- Rookie/young Town Guard/warrior specializing in archery
- Goblin (?possibly psionics, but need to look deeper into the PF 3rd version of it).
@Valeriya- For the Pantheon, I actually chose the pantheon because of the origins of those such listed (among others). I know it may seem confusing, but perhaps (depending on the character paths) things will seem more clear as to why this is. Sort of a grand design in place, and I don't want to ruin possible surprises.
I can see your points on views of revenge. Speaking of Batman, in various renditions of the comics, Batman can be quite evil and more anti-hero. But yes, how you seek the revenge does show the degree of evilness. As for your character, how you wish her to progress and begin is completely up to you. I will work with what you give me and do my best to oblige.
As always, we need a healery type :) Lesse...