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”Ladies and gentlemen, please, take your seats, the play is about to begin.” The incessant chatter of the crowd echoes from the main auditorium into the recesses behind the stage. The bard enters, drawing the curtain back and entering the player’s parlor. He is a gristled, harried man. A black eye patch covers his left eye--the result of a pesh-den ruckus, or a mere prop?
His good eye falls upon you and he approaches, languishing into the last remaining chair. ”Ah, the life of the playhouse. Tending to the stilted demands of the masses--their petulant and capricious moods ever changing. ‘Give us a love story,’ they cry. ‘No, no enough of that. Let's have something heroic, or vengeful! And give it a bit of teeth this time, eh?’” He sighs heavily. ”And so it goes, day and day out, we petty players, singing our songs, rhyming our rhymes, and acting out this facade we call ‘drama.’”
”But it is a farce,” he hisses, leaning forward. ”All of it. An absurd parody--mere affectation of true tragedy, despair, love.” He spits the word. ”Our audience sees in our performance that which they wish to feel for themselves, but despair in the notion that they are incapable of feeling. For the world has sucked them dry. It is a merciless place, you know, treacherous. And each of them” he points toward the audience, ”stands alone up on a high wire, as rest of the world watches, waiting for them to fall. And to make things worse, they pit themselves against each other in desperate attempts at power and control. One wrong step, and all would be lost. So jaded are they by the awful realities of their existence that they have become numb--barren shells adopting human guise, donning smiles and laughter, but all the while resigned to the notion that they cannot feel.
“And so they turn to us, here in our modest theater. To remember again what it means to be good. Or wicked. And as we take the stage in our costumes and our finery, do we not see them as well? Their hopeful faces upturned expectantly, only their eyes betraying the lifeless desperation that lurks below the surface, the need to feel something.” His eyes drift, lost in thought. ”Do they not perform for us?”
He glances up as a stagehand enters from the rear, silently motioning that the performance is due to start. ”Ah, but yes, it is time to begin!” he says, rising to his feet. He bows, then jumps upright, flourishing his hands in dramatic presentation.
”The stage is set. A hush falls upon the crowd as the already meager light fades and the crimson curtain rises, revealing the decadent but aged bastion of Korvosa, “Jewel of Varisia.” Steeped in its traditions, stifled by its degradation, and choking on its own excess, the city wallows in exploitation and social stratification. Cast into the midst of such decadence and dark dealings, you, only you can hope to save the city from its own sinful tendencies. Will you prevail as the shining heroes of this tale? Will the audience grow to love and to adore you? Or, will you fall, as the fickle crowd gleefully jeers for your defeat, mere players on a stage?”
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Hello and welcome to Recruitment for Curse of the Crimson Throne by The Wicked GM! I, being truly wicked, endeavor to run six brave souls through this amazing adventure path. It’s two heaping scoops of political back-stabbing and urban decay, topped with an impossibly rich and creamy layer of moral degradation. The classic, high-fantasy adventuring and dungeoneering are merely the cherry on top. Think you can stomach it?
- No Guns. Sorry, but I don’t like the flavor of guns in my fantasy settings. The Bolt Ace Gunslinger archetype is allowed, however.
- No Third Party Materials.
- Races: Core only. Again, I am a purist :).
- Classes: Summoners must select the Unchained version. No Occult classes.
- Build Rules: 25 point buy. Your lowest stat, after racial modifiers, cannot be below 8. You will be powerful, as will your enemies.
- HP: Max at first level, ½ + 1 thereafter.
- Starting Wealth: Maximum gold for your class.
- Alignments: Any non-evil.
- Feats: No Leadership
- Traits: First, choose a trait from the Player’s Guide that is appropriate for your backstory. You do not gain the benefit from this trait. Instead, choose two additional traits.
- Hero Points: in use
- Unchained Rules: Background Skills
- Posting Requirements: I expect at least one post each day, for a minimum of seven posts per week. Of course, the flow of the campaign will ebb and flow according to the real-life needs of you and I, let us establish this rate as the “norm.”
In addition to your PC, please submit a sample post containing a preview of your character in a roleplay situation. You may insert this post as a spoiler in your alias.
Now, having hoped to capture your attention, here is the hook: I am a novice PbP GM. While I have been playing Pathfinder (and GMing a fair amount) for about 2.5 years, I only began playing in PbP last December. However, in that brief time I have been fortunate to play under some talented and truly amazing GMs, and I hope they don’t mind that I’ve been taking notes. Yes, I have been doing my homework, and I realize that far too many novice GMs, starting with the best of intentions, fail to realize the grandeur of their visions as their campaigns wither into dust. Without even a scenario or module under my belt, how do I deign to think I can accomplish an entire adventure path? This is a very good question, and one I have asked myself many times since I decided to run a campaign over two months ago. And here is my solution: Taking Painlord’s advice to Finish What You Start to heart, I am committing only to run Book 1, Edge of Anarchy. Now, I see your face falling as you read this, but cheer up! I fully intend to pick up with Book 2 and on, but in order to help prevent “new GM burnout” syndrome, the decision to carry on will only occur toward the end of this adventure. I understand that this may turn some people off from this campaign but I see this as a fair way to measure the expected livelihood of the adventure. There is nothing worse than a GM organizing a recruitment only to abandon his players who have put their heart and souls into their characters. So, I do hope you’ll give me a chance.
Maps will be handled using Roll20 (I just love that live chat feature). I have a Plus membership, meaning you’ll have mobile access.
In addition to the above information, see my profile page for additional information (including some hints on how to get selected). Recruitment will close Sat. March 5, 10:30 p.m. EST . I will make my selections that evening.
Good luck! Long Live the King!
Ahh, hooray! :D I'll go ahead and apply with this character, a half-elf brawler built for a past campaign that died. She's a half-elf brawler specializing mostly in unarmed/shield combat. (I will need to rework her crunch, as she's currently built at level 2.)
Having ended up in Korvosa after an accident she has little to no recollection of, she was found and taken in by Gaedren, and worked for years as an enforcer for him, giving her some familiarity with hand-to-hand combat. After getting the task that finally pushed her too far, however, she made a run for it, barely escaping her former lover sent to kill her in the process. Now she's a bit aimless, bouncing from tenement to tenement and working odd jobs to make ends meet, though she finds it much preferable to beating people up for a living. But the question is, where does she go from here?
If we're severely lacking in a role, I may throw together a second character to fill it, but we'll go with physical damage for the first shot. Good luck to everyone - Wicked will do great. :)
This is by far one of the most amusing recruitment threads I've read to date. I have a character that I made for curse of the crimson throne but I will need to work on him for a little bit so he'll fit the requirements you gave us.
Here is that Human Evangelist Cleric of Calistria seeking revenge for the death of her husband. Will need to fix trait on her.
Going to apply with a human arcanist. Thinking of taking the Framed (Dropout) trait for her background. :)
This is intriguing...I am thinking a paladin reach fighter type
Great to see that recruitment is open! I'm throwing around ideas for either a human urban ranger or a rogue.
I'm leaning towards a human rogue with the unhappy childhood (tortured) trait...
Not done with the adjustments to the character or the roleplay preview just yet, but thought I'd let you know I'll be going for a Swashbuckler with the Inspired Blade archetype. I'll also be taking the Framed(Family Honor) campaign trait for his background story.
@Wicked: Would you consider the unchained rogue class as well? You mentioned unchained only with regards to the summoner class so I thought I'd check.
I am enjoying the ideas presented so far!
Looks awesome! Mouse is exactly the type of character I'm looking for.
Your character's connection to Korvosa is a little vague. Can you articulate her relationship with the city a little more? Also, her connection to Calistria. Murder of a loved one is a strong way to start a character bent on revenge, but does she seek revenge because her goddess commands it, or does her devotion to Calistria deepen as a result of her desire for it?
@Shari (and everyone else) - Nice, dark and brooding works really well in this campaign. Unchained Rogue (or Barbarian) is A-Okay! They are optional, while Summoners must choose the unchained version.
More questions?
I shall toss my hat into the ring. Can I use the unchained rogue? I am thinking full rogue or rogue/wizard for arcane trickster.
I absolutely love the hook for this campaign. However I'm not sure what kind of character I want to make.
One thing I'm considering is a character somewhat focused on the summon monster line of spells (though certainly not exclusively). It's quite fitting given the location of the Acadamae in the city and it's conjuration focus. While tabletop could potentially be bogged down by a character summoning monsters, having to look up their stats and rolling for them all, pbp does not suffer the same problems. No one else have to wait while the summoner figures out what to do. I could see building this character in a couple different directions. Either as a wizard with the Acadamae Graduate feat or as a master summoner (I believe that archtype is compatible with unchained). Is this a character you would want in your game and if so which of the directions do you prefer?
Can we take a drawback for an extra trait? I would love to take the lovesick drawback. It would fit so nicely with your intro too ;).
Given the dark and broody theme, what do you think of taking Pact Wizard? A wizard making a pact with darker powers to get back at the man who wronged him. I'm considering making a pact with a devil, though this line worries me somewhat:
A pact wizard ... who grossly abuses ... any outsider of the chosen subtype
If we end up opposed to devils that could pose a problem. I'm thinking the character itself would probably be true neutral. Of course I could just make a pact with a good outsider, but then it wouldn't be as dark and broody, you know? Would this work?
Alright. Mourge40k, and I'm working on Ameriel here. Still plenty to do with her, but she's shaping up to be fun so far.
I had a character concept made for this, but alas, no guns. So I made this one.
Yazi is a Shoanti shaman with a... somewhat lively past who is now working to reconcile traditionalist tribal elements with the cosmopolitan city life. Her campaign tie-in is her niece, who went missing recently, just as a few other Shoanti children have. It's still a work in progress, so I appreciate any feedback.
Also, this is my first time with this class, so the crunch isn't finished either. Her possible roles are debuffer and buffer/healer (anvil/arm), but I can also take her into a more combat-heavy direction if desired.
Dotting for interest. Always wanted to see what this AP is about, even if it does only end up being the first book. Would help me decide if I want to run it myself.
Should I dare try for the fourth time?
Hmmm....
*Waves at Mouse*
Calcedon has been three failed CoCT games, one of them failed twice. He never made it past level 2. He's a Chelish Deva Bard with a terribly high perform score and a fairly extensive backstory. I really enjoy him and one of these days I'd like to get somewhere with a story he's in. I can easily rebuild him to your specifications, if you're willing to start with sort of a cursed character like mine.
This is Shari's submission...
Her backstory and appearance/personality is in the profile along with her 'crunch'.
I'm going to go with this character, Nicolai Fortescu, Human (Varisian) Wizard (Foresight subschool) eventually working his way toward the Harrower PrC.
Nicolai sits down at a nearby table and pulls a well worn deck of cards from his satchel. After shuffling the deck he begins to lay them out on the table in three rows of three. "Care to know your future? For the low cost of three coppers, I will tell you...for a silver I'll even tell you the truth."
Okay I just got home. I need to cook and eat, then I'll sit down and look over question and submissions from this afternoon. It's only day one and this is turning out to be a very exciting game!
I have an idea for a character concept that I have always wanted to play in an urban campaign: A courier/messenger who delivers messages throughout the city, while he does it as a legit business he may have had some underground dealings. He knows a lot of the nooks and crannies of Korvosa and likely has spent most of his life there unless delivering a message to the outside world. Gameplay wise I'd like him to be quick and nimble, able to run fast and across the rooftops or through the alleyways to get himself places he needs to be. I was thinking he would take the lost love trait and will forever feel guilt for not making it to his wife in time, he knows the city like no one else and he should have been there.
So what I am thinking:
-Movement speed boosts would be nice
-Knowledge (local), Climb, Profession(Courier) and Acrobatics are musts, and generally should be a pretty skilled character
-Good Dex, Int and Cha or Wis seem like good scores for a messenger.
With all of this mind I am thinking I should probably be looking at classes like Rogue, Ranger, Slayer, and Investigator, though perhaps other classes have suitable archetypes or options I haven't considered. If anyone has any suggestions I'd be happy to hear them!
@The Pale King - I think you hit on a lot of the big points - I'd probably lean toward Investigator on my part, as they really are the kings of skills and function well off a Dex/Int base. The lamplighter investigator has some neat urban flavor that could work fairly well, though I don't know that it specifically dovetails with the messenger angle. Another interesting angle could be the Slums spirit for the shaman; the Doors to Everywhere ability especially seems suitable. Oracles have a similar flavor with the Streets mystery.
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@Calcedon - Ohai. :D
I don't mind the summons as long as you recognize the increased amount of "homework" it's going to place on you as the master of these minions.
As to choice of classes, i'll leave that to you. I agree that master summoner is consistent with the unchained version. Depending on the group makeup, summoned minions might be very useful or not very. Wizard is generally a good fit for any group. I'm really more concerned with the character, as it sounds like you have a grasp on the basic mechanics.
See below re the additional trait.
Re pact wizard, without giving much away, let's just say that line might pose a serious problem for you.
Looking forward to see what you come up with!
Good start on the crunch. Looking forward to your story!
Excellent! I love the inherent conflict in this character. She is drawn quite clearly. I have no critique at this time.
Bravo! You're familiarity with Korvosa is evident in your alias. I really enjoy the little details you've included. Great submission!
Wow, you've brought Gaedren Lamm to life, and he's more sinister than I could have hoped! Your character is very sympathetic and I'm rooting for her already :).
Very flavorful character concept for this AP.
This idea seems like a lot of fun! Also consider the Roof Runner feat ("Shingles Runner" in the player's guide)
@Everyone - Currently I will not allow drawbacks and additional traits (to keep everyone on the same page and consistent with posted requirements). After recruitment is closed, I will offer that option to the selected team. I suggest merely keeping that option in mind for now.
More Questions?
I fixed up the background and the traits, anything that needs work?
Dotting for interest.
Dotting. I plan on submitting a human diviner (scyer) wizard.
Hi Wicked, I had a question about the character submission.
With the sample post, is it okay for it to include dialogue or NPC actions? Normally I wouldn't control anyone other than my player character, but it might be helpful for establishing context for the post.
I'm new to using Paizo's forum for PbP if that matters, but I do have experience doing PbP's on other sites. So if I am selected, you may need to be patient with me figuring out the dice roller :)
Will you allow the instructor archetype for wizards
That's perfectly okay! And don't worry, we all start somewhere.
As Leadership is disallowed, i will not allow the instructor archetype, sorry.
Any other fixes?
This is Wolfgang Rolf's character. Fair warning the backstory is long, here is a brief summary:
Lazlo is a former noble who was motivated by a childhood tragedy to try and make Korvosa a better and safer place, however he found no support among the nobility and could not make these ideals a reality. Due to another tragedy and terrible relations with some of his family he thought it best to disappear from his past life. Lazlo is currently living in the Shingles District, he does what he could to drive away criminals, and small gangs but is under no illusion that the actions of a single individual could achieve his original goal, still doing what little he can achieve with his strength is better to him than sitting idly by. The framing of his sister(the only living member of his family he still cares about) for murder is what connects him to the plot and what allows him to first hear of Gaedren Lamm. Lazlo is currently after the crimelord to find evidence that his sister was not in anyway involved in the crime and remove any doubt about her honor and standing among the nobility.
I will include a roleplay preview later on.
@All, another late day for me. I'll sit down tonight and review questions and applicants that are posted in the meantime.
RP/writing sample added to Yazi's profile.
I would like to tweak her background a bit, but I would need some information on the legal system in Korvosa. Namely, how they would deal with homicide and if the punishment for multiple homicides/manslaughter would be death (or not).
I can answer that, Yazi: According to the Guide to Korvosa, the general punishment for murder is torture & death with no chance of appeal. I'm assuming the 'torture' part of things is for first-time offenders.
Manslaughter, on the other hand, would result in either having to pay restitution or being tortured for the first offence, and a prison sentence of 5-8 years for a repeat offence.
...geez, Korvosa seems to have a thing for torture.
Dragoncat is correct. Korvosa is a fun place!
Order of the Nail Hellknights are some of the main enforcers in town, and paid allies of the Korvosan government - of course torture's high up on the list of punishments. :)
I'm kinda surprised a flayed man wasn't on Korvosa's flag at some point...
On a happier note, would you allow us to start with purchased properties, GM? I'm thinking of my character starting with an apartment somewhere in the city.
Thank you, Dragoncat.
I believe Yazi is complete now.
Change log:
- finished the crunch (although I feel my feat/trait selection could be better)
- altered her background to include more death and more guilt; expanded the prison section
- fleshed out her description a bit more
- added her personality and a brief note on her religious beliefs
I'm writing up my character's backstory, and I just realized none of the campaign traits really match the background I had in mind. I still think it would work though: the basic idea is that the character's sister got involved in one of Lamm's schemes, and it resulted in her dying. Would that be all right?
Dotting :)
Here is what I have so far. Definitely going arcane trickster. Norelia "Li" produced too fine a rogue for me to challenge. Hopefully picking up a little wizard will give us both a shot.
”He’s not coming back lad,” came a voice from behind. The voice was trying to sound comforting but came across as mildly amused. The boy hated it already. He shivered as a cool breeze stung the water in his eyes. He crouched down to let the scarf cover more of his body. It was strangely warm still. ”He’s gone. I’m your new family now,” the voice continued. The planks of wood next to the boy creaked as the figure walked up and stood next to him. A gnarled and callused hand came down and ruffled his hair none too gently. The hand stayed for a moment before moving to the scarf. ”He did his best to provide for you but in the end, he couldn’t cut here in Korvosa. Tough city it is.” The figure’s hand gently lifted the edge of the scarf a little, rubbing the soft fabric between his fingers. ”Emilio eh? You know, I was generous to take you but you’re going to have to work for your food and bed. No slackers. This scarf would be a nice down payment. Might get you a few weeks.”
Like a crocodile, the boy leaped up and clamped his teeth down on the man’s hand. He cried out in pain and withdrew the wounded appendage quickly. ”Ah. Heeheehee.” The cry of pain turned to a strange, mirthless laugh as he shook his hand. ”Spunk. Good. I love seeing how long that lasts.” Not long it appeared. The man, who he now knew as Gaedren Lamm, paid the boy in full for the bite. But no matter how badly he was beaten, he never let go of the scarf. He eventually hid it to prevent theft. It shouldn’t have mattered to him. It belonged to his father, the man that sold him to this awful place to buy a ticket anywhere else. But for some reason the boy could not find the courage to throw it away. Instead, it stayed hidden until Gaedren’s fit of greed wore off.
Turns out, that didn’t take long either. After one particularly brutal beating over the stupid rag, Gaedren turned to grab something off the wall, something likely sharp and painful. When he turned, Emilio caught sight of a knife in a sheath along the old man’s belt. Panic and adrenaline seemed to make time slow down as he tried to think of a way out of this. He was chained to the floor so he couldn’t sneak over. He had no rope or hook or anything with reach. His mind worked furiously to find a way to get the knife. With a sudden clarity and burst of will, a method came to him, another gift from his father. The man dabbled in the arcane, enough to entertain, and enough to steal. The spell sprang to the boy’s lips as if waiting for his tongue to get out of the way. A hand of pure force reached up and grabbed the knife. Then, with a flick of his head, the hand flicked the blade over to him. It landed with a clatter next to the boy, who was too stunned to even pick it up.
At the noise, Gaedren turned around. His face quickly mirroring Emilio’s as he patted the spot his knife used to be. ”How did you do that? You can’t move. I’m sure.” Gaedren thought about for a moment. But when he couldn’t come up with an answer, he just got angry. He turned on Emilio, ”How did you do that?” he roared. Panic fueled his will again. The boy thrust his hand forward, and the knife responded, though not much. It hopped and skittered a short way closer to the old kidnapper before stopping. Gaedren looked at the blade for a long time. ”Magic,” he said with awe and excitement. He smiled…a wicked and terrifying smile. One that showed his many missing teeth and yellowed teeth. One that promised much pain if Emilio couldn’t live up to whatever burden was about to be placed on him. ”Kid. Welcome to the Little Lamm’s.”
Character is done, background complete, if short and example post follows:
I present to you
Rodrigo De Montego y Ortiz
Male human (Taldan) swashbuckler (rondelero swashbuckler) 1 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Class Guide 56, Weapon Master's Handbook 6)
NG Medium humanoid (human)
Hero Points 1
Init +7; Senses Perception +4
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Defense
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AC 17, touch 13, flat-footed 14 (+3 armor, +3 Dex, +1 shield)
hp 10 (1d10)
Fort +0, Ref +5, Will +0
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee mwk living steel falcata +6 (1d8+1/19-20/×3)
Special Attacks deeds (dodging panache, opportune parry and riposte), panache (3)
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Statistics
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Str 13, Dex 17, Con 10, Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 16
Base Atk +1; CMB +2; CMD 15
Feats Exotic Weapon Proficiency (falcata), Improved Initiative, Weapon Focus (falcata)
Traits dockside avenger, signature moves, soaring sprinter
Skills Acrobatics +5 (+7 to keep balance or jump), Bluff +7 (+8 while wielding Falcata), Climb +3, Escape Artist +5, Intimidate +7 (+8 while wielding Falcata), Knowledge (local) +6, Perception +4, Perform (dance) +7, Sense Motive +4, Sleight of Hand +5
Languages Common, Halfling, Varisian
SQ falcata emphasis, hero points, living steel, swashbuckler finesse
Other Gear studded leather, buckler, mwk living steel falcata[APG], bedroll, belt pouch, blanket[APG], flint and steel, jewelry[UE], masterwork backpack[APG], monster mask[UE], reversible cloak[UE], soap, trail rations (5), waterskin, 59 gp, 3 sp, 10 cp
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Special Abilities
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Deeds
Falcata Emphasis (Ex) Gain proficiency with falcatas and may deal piercing damage using falcatas.
Hero Points Hero Points can be spent at any time to grant a variety of bonuses.
Living Steel Some trees suck up potent minerals through their roots the same way others draw water from the ground. Though these trees blunt saws and axes used to hew them and shrug off fire, they eventually succumb to time or the elements. When properly harveste
Panache (Ex) Gain a pool of points that are spent to fuel deeds, regained on light/piercing crit/killing blow.
Swashbuckler Finesse At 1st level, a swashbuckler gains the benefits of the Weapon Finesse feat with light or one-handed piercing melee weapons, and she can use her Charisma score in place of Intelligence as a prerequisite for combat feats. This ability counts as having
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The son of a disgraced Taldan noble (minor) and widower. Who fled to Korvosa to raise his son in peace. Far from the memories of his disgrace and his beloved wife. He was able to get a job with a minor merchant consortium as a guard captain. He was an honest man and well respected by his coworkers and neighbors. He would often stand up to local bullies and thugs. One night the house was barricaded and set a fire. As a lesson to anyone else who tried to stand up to the local crime boss. I was able to escape through a small hole in the roof. My father died in the street cut down by Lamm's thugs. As he tried to recover from smoke inhalation. The next night i snuck back into the wreckage of the house. Looking for my father or his body, I found only his sword which was badly warped by the fire. My father's body still propped up on display with a warning sign to any other vigilantes. A kindly neighbor found me and took me in. Giving me a home. After several days I noticed my father's sword had returned to normal. Taking this as a sign I soon took a job at the Orisini school cleaning and repairing equipment. Watching Orisini teach his students. Practicing every chance i got. Using what my father taught me and combining it with what i saw at the school. Hoping one day to avenge my father.
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I see him as a little bit "Princess bride" and a little bit "Batman"
The masked man holds the pimp on the ground. His sword point at the pimp's throat. You tell Lamm, I've come back from the dead. To finish him once and for all. His tyranny over these streets is over. And if I ever catch you out here again. I will finish you! The masked man flicks his sword. Cutting the man's face from chin to temple. Now go and never return
The pimp hastily scrambles out of the ally in his soiled pants and ripped shirt. Looking back only once.
The masked man turns to the battered prostitute he tosses her the pimps purse. With a flourish of his hat. I bid you adieu. Take your money back use it to get far away from here. Away from Lamm and his Goons. With that he dashes down the ally into the darkness. Before a goon squad or guards show up.
That should put some fear into Lamm. Let him know his day's are numbered. My father will be avenged!
I will create the alias once/if I'm selected.