Died twice in thirty minutes. Wanting to vent and get advice maybe

[Abbadons_Rage]

So I am sorry ahead of time as I know this post is going to be on the longer side. We are all level 2 when this happened. So we were all pretty low level.

So a bit of back story on my character. I am playing a halfling Inquisitor that is stuck inside the body of an orc. He has no idea he is in the body of an orc and only sees things from a halfling perspective. So despite being like 6 feet tall he always sees things from half that height. So if we came across something like tall grass I would ask for a lift up to see past it. My gm and I were having a lot of fun with that. Especially because the party was so confused. No one really attempted to make heads or tales it. They just figured I was an insane orc or something.

My orc was previously a slaver. Quite notorious actually. Especially for taking and forcing halflings into his servitutde as slave labor or just to sell. So a group of halflings got a message from their god (Chaldira Zuzaristan) to capture my orc ( Blackfist the subjugator). So they capture him and Chaldira puts one of his most devout followers inside of the orcs mind. Letting the orc be completely aware of what was going on but rendering him unable to act. I know it's out there but I had a lot of fun rping that and my gm and party for the most part had fun with it too. I was NG on my halfling and he was the party face and to be honest the only one keeping them from being too evil or stupid.
But now that you have been filled in on my back story...

SO my group is playing souls for smugglers shiv. There will be minor spoilers for the first AP in this because...well hard to explain without it. But I shall do my best to keep things vague.

So we finished everyone's quest aside from isharus. I think that was his name at least. So we take him along with us to do his quest. We finally come to the right area and start digging. We decide instead of breaking into this cave shaft we would dig around the giant cork and lower the small halfling in to see if I could find what was down there.

I shall take this time to fill everyone in on the party composition. I, the halfling (orc) Inquisitor. A hobgoblin rogue, a human fighter/wizard and a human rogue. And everyone is pretty evil aside from me and possibly the wizard but that is up for debate.

So when I with my "small" demeanour volunteer to go down the deep dark shaft alone....no one stopped or offered to go with me. So they lower me with a rope....and I engage with the monsters below. Seeing there is only two of them I figured I can take them. And asking for help would be a waste as by the time anyone else got here i or the enemies would be dead. And my character was all about rushing into battle with no hesitation. So my first attack takes off ones head. My dm sweating bricks till this point finally seems to see I should be fine...

Then the non-decapitated enemy attacks me. I become paralyzed after doing and failing a few saves. And fall over helpless. Needless to say....I got a severe case of the deads. Out of character I was a bit sad, but such is the life of adventuring. You take risks and you either live or you die.

So the party finally realizes this and comes down and finishes the fight. Isheru dies sadly. Well, my party looks for the loot and finds a scroll of raise dead. So after much discussion the wizard brings me back instead of isheru or just saving the scroll to sell.

I become reborn as purely my orc. Completely swelled up with rage and not taking anyone's shit. I make a glorious entrance and I demand the human rogue give back my axe or die (as he took it off my corpse) , and he complies. I tell the group I am now the chieftan of the group. And they submit to my rule or die. No one questions me. No one dares to oppose me. Life is good.

I am feeling pretty good. I typically hate playing good characters and this gave me a reason to be evil. Granted a unsophisticated kind of evil, but hey beggars can't be choosers.

So we make our way back to camp and rest. The next morning we go explore. (10 minutes earlier I had died and been brought back. Just pointing out the time frame.) We go into the jungle and come across a yellow mist. With no way through save a fifty foot climb down a ledge.

I tell the party I am not going to die today. I have done my bidding and my time is now. If anyone is gonna die its going to be one of you weaklings. So you pick how you die. Yellow mist or fall down a cliff? Our hobgoblin in an odd moment of clarity says "I can't fight gravity so let's go with the mist" the party agrees.

So we go in...
And fight something called a moss something creeper. After a long and hard battle we are losing. A few of us are entranced and useless myself included. I shove my face in the creeper, loving every second of its seductive display....and it drains me of all my intelligence (not like there was much to begin with) and kills me. I get raised and another party member goes down. The human rogue. I died after being brought back less than a half an hour before.

Something i never mentioned because the irony did not come to me until this moment. See our hobgoblin is likely to make some really poor choices and die. Or at least almost dies and I have to save him. And we had this ominous feeling he was going to die. And being the noble protector I am, agreed to make sure he did not die this session. This was a ooc mind you. And one more thing I should add....I tend to roll very poorly. I only rolled above a 12 twice last night. Once to behead the first enemy, and another....well....

So as my raised zombie self my dm let's me rp as my zombie self. So i go for the hobgoblin as it's the only viable target as the wizard had run away and the human rogue was dying. The hobgoblin has 11 hp. I roll.....and...

Natural f@~!ing twenty. With my stats, it literally would have been impossible not to down him if the crit confirms. With all my crappy rolls and my vow to protect him. I roll to confirm. 1. I rolled a natural one. Which means little other than the fact I did not critically hit, but still. He managed to get away with one or two hp.

So now the shiv has a moss creeper roaming around with a super powerful undead orc following it around protecting it. A grim and haunting reminder of those we had lost and the battle those of us alive had to run from.

I died. Twice. The first time...ok. yeah, it happens. Fine whatever. 2nd time..I died when I was really getting to rp and have fun with my character. Which I understand and am not angry about in the slightest. Just disappointed. And partly amused.

This post had two meanings. One I needed to vent. And two I need help. Or rather perhaps inspiration. After such an awesome character concept I need something just as creative and awesome. I don't want something super op for the sake of being op. I want something fun and flavorful.

TL;DR
I DED. TWICE DED.
Inspiration for a new character?
How many times have you died in a campaign? Bonus points if it was the same session and even more points if it happened within twenty minutes of one another.

[DrDeth]

Rule 1: Dont split the party.

Rule 2. No evils.

Others have had similar problems with that encounter.

[Isonaroc]

DrDeth wrote:

Rule 1: Dont split the party.

Rule 2. No evils.

Others have had similar problems with that encounter.

You can have evil PCs, so long as you're not disruptive. The biggest problem with people who often play evil (or CN, or Paladins, or Kender) is that they do it specifically to be a pain. I had an evil character I played that no one even knew they were evil because she never gave them reason to think otherwise. Also had a party with an evil character who was under a geas to serve a righteous cause, that worked out pretty well.

[Bloodrealm]

DrDeth wrote:

Rule 1: Dont split the party.

Rule 2. No evils.

Others have had similar problems with that encounter.

If the party is all Evil, it changes to no Goods. I'm not sure how you'd run a Paizo AP with an Evil party, though.

[TriOmegaZero]

Bloodrealm wrote:

I'm not sure how you'd run a Paizo AP with an Evil party, though.

Run Hell's Vengeance.

[Serisan]

Can't help you on the concept part, but rest assured that levels 1-2 are the most fragile you'll ever be as a character. I nearly killed my players for Hell's Rebels with the Grimples...and again with the Toothfairies...

They've gotten significantly more capable since then.

[LeesusFreak]

Maybe indicate that you're crossposting both here and on reddit, next time? That way you don't get the same answers, and maybe better ones... Just a thought.

[Serisan]

TriOmegaZero wrote:

Bloodrealm wrote:

I'm not sure how you'd run a Paizo AP with an Evil party, though.

Run Hell's Vengeance.

You could re-tune Hell's Rebels by simply deciding that the bad guy of the story is worthless and that you want what he's got (namely, a small duchy), combined with a favorable bluff mod for the NPC interactions.

[Philo Pharynx]

Bloodrealm wrote:

DrDeth wrote:

Rule 1: Dont split the party.

Rule 2. No evils.

Others have had similar problems with that encounter.

If the party is all Evil, it changes to no Goods. I'm not sure how you'd run a Paizo AP with an Evil party, though.

It depends on the AP and what the goals of the party are.

Back in 3.5, we ran Red Hand of Doom with an evil party that was scouting the area for a criminal syndicate. When the place was attacked, we stepped forward just like a heroic party would do. By defending it, we kept it as a productive area and made useful contacts. We so owned that valley by the end of the campaign.

Skull and Shackles can work with an evil or neutral party. In many ways it's better than having a good party. After all, pirates steal people's stuff by force, or threat of force.

I'm only partway through Iron Gods, and so far that would work with an evil party, so long as they had reason to not like the technic league. If you're in it for greed, it would work well. It definitely changes how you do Scrapwall.

[nosig]

just a side note... but INT drain to zero wouldn't kill you would it? Not that you would be good for much later...just not dead.

[Sundakan]

TriOmegaZero wrote:

Bloodrealm wrote:

I'm not sure how you'd run a Paizo AP with an Evil party, though.

Run Hell's Vengeance.

He's doing Serpent's Skull which isn't bad for it. We joined with the Aspis Consortium later on.

[Tacticslion]

Character Concepts!

So, I know SfSS pretty well, having run it and all, and th rest of the thing besides, sooooo... my best attempt at solid suggestions with a spoiler-free manner.

1) My very first, largest, and most sincere suggestion is a reincarnated druid of the race of your choice (though I'd go with an aasimar or samsaran, personally - explicitly, an elfin-looking aasimar if you go with it (for no reason other than I like half-elves), and either way nab a deity compatible with your alignment - I'd recommend Calistria, if you'd enjoy playing not-exactly-evils-but-tricky-and-commanding (CN), Gozreh, if you'd enjoy playing balance-seekers (N), Erastil if you enjoy laying down the law or community or hunt (LN), or one of Benorus, Chavod (an aquatic connection will be useful exactly* 1/10 of the time), Halcamora, Kelumarion (kind of okay), Mazludeh (if your character originates in Holomog), Shei (for that immortality connection you're seeking), Shelyn (useful for motivating in books three and four), Sixlife (at least you can make something up interesting for his worship... but it's weak), Solaryon (actually really useful in books 3-6 for motivation), Uskyeria,

(Rowdrosh, Sarenrae, Walks with Golden Stars, Ylimancha (very useful for creating a believable backstory for ending up here, notsomuch for most of the game, though about as useful as Chavod*), Yuelral (elf-based aasimar only).

You could, alternately, look at some of the chaotic good deities. There is a lot of reason to work with other people in this game, so being good at that is a good thing.

Regardless, this archetype means you don't have to worry about dying to anything other than a death effect or becoming an undead.

Now that your first character is dead, originating from Garund is ideal, though not necessary.

Being a druid is phenomenally useful throughout the game, especially if you're a crafting druid with an interest in history, ancient lore, and any ties to <SPOILER'D> - basically ancient stuff. Old Man Jtambe is actually a really cool historical character, and tying your druid to his legacy (especially the city) could be great.

* I'm just making this number up. It's often not all that useful, but there are several times when it can defintivly be.

2) Brawler, Gunslinger, Hunter, Inquisitor, Ninja, Ranger, Rogue, Shaman, Slayer, Swashbuckler, or Vigilante*: each of these have excellent methods of becoming either an overland nature specialist, or a pirate. Both make excellent backstories and can help in the midst of the game. Race doesn't matter.
* ... sort of.

3) Human Barbarian (or Skald) from the island you inhabit: ask your GM, because this will require some work, but could tie you deeply to the mystery.
2-alternate) something like a witch or oracle (especially a haunted Ancestor oracle) could be interesting... but ask your GM about what your "rival" might be like (that you've presumably escaped); do note that this may require work on the part of your GM.

4) Imperious Bloodline Sorcerer or Arcansist or an Occultist, with a Medium or Summoner as secondary suggestions; back-ups would be Wizard or Magus. Basically, psychic aside, something tied with ancient history and ancient magic. Mmmmmmmmmmmmaybe bloodrager? I don't actually know enough to be clear. At this point, though, drop the elf aspects and go for human-based heritages.
- 4-alternate) of equal weight, but very different take is an alchemist or investigator obsessed with history.

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

Though the above are numbered, only #1 is a "strong" position - the rest are just ranked more or less randomly.

- 2) chosen because it permits an "easy in" backstory (you were also shipwrecked!) with maximum ability to customize what your character is like

- 3) chosen because it ties you so strongly to the plot of the first adventure (and thus possibly into the adventure in general) - but don't worry, you'll likely have nothing to go back to once the first adventure finishes, and have every reason to stick with these guys

- 4) chosen because it also ties you strongly to the themes of the AP, but not to any specific adventure

Hope that helps!

EDIT: Wow, I was forgetful!

5) A fighter with ties to historical anything, and a penchant for ancient glory!

That's a pretty solid thing for the end of the game, too. Peace out!

[Isonaroc]

nosig wrote:

just a side note... but INT drain to zero wouldn't kill you would it? Not that you would be good for much later...just not dead.

The ability of the yellow musk creeper specifies that you die and rise as a yellow musk zombie an hour later. (I assume that's the creature they encountered)

[pH unbalanced]

Philo Pharynx wrote:

Bloodrealm wrote:

DrDeth wrote:

Rule 1: Dont split the party.

Rule 2. No evils.

Others have had similar problems with that encounter.

If the party is all Evil, it changes to no Goods. I'm not sure how you'd run a Paizo AP with an Evil party, though.

It depends on the AP and what the goals of the party are.

Back in 3.5, we ran Red Hand of Doom with an evil party that was scouting the area for a criminal syndicate. When the place was attacked, we stepped forward just like a heroic party would do. By defending it, we kept it as a productive area and made useful contacts. We so owned that valley by the end of the campaign.

Skull and Shackles can work with an evil or neutral party. In many ways it's better than having a good party. After all, pirates steal people's stuff by force, or threat of force.

I'm only partway through Iron Gods, and so far that would work with an evil party, so long as they had reason to not like the technic league. If you're in it for greed, it would work well. It definitely changes how you do Scrapwall.

Reign of Winter would be very easy to run for an evil party. You are geased, and directly helping a LE entity.

Similarly with Jade Regent, you're either doing it for the next monarch, or you could very easily set up one of the party as the next monarch.

[Bloodrealm]

Isonaroc wrote:

nosig wrote:

just a side note... but INT drain to zero wouldn't kill you would it? Not that you would be good for much later...just not dead.

The ability of the yellow musk creeper specifies that you die and rise as a yellow musk zombie an hour later. (I assume that's the creature they encountered)

I thought the same as what nosig said at first, then I realized that the enemy could have just drained all his Int (knocking him unconcious) and then killed him. A specific monster ability also makes sense, though!

[nosig]

Isonaroc wrote:

nosig wrote:

just a side note... but INT drain to zero wouldn't kill you would it? Not that you would be good for much later...just not dead.

The ability of the yellow musk creeper specifies that you die and rise as a yellow musk zombie an hour later. (I assume that's the creature they encountered)

thanks!

[Claxon]

TriOmegaZero wrote:

Bloodrealm wrote:

I'm not sure how you'd run a Paizo AP with an Evil party, though.

Run Hell's Vengeance.

Playing it now. It's so good.

Our party has actually killed less things in this campaign then we did in most of our others, which has been weird. I think we made it through the first book only actually killing like 2 people in combat. Although several others were lawfully executed after the fact.

[Cevah]

DrDeth wrote:

Rule 1: Dont split the party.

Rule 2. No evils.

Others have had similar problems with that encounter.

@Abbadons_Rage:

Sounds like the game is in hard mode, and your RP is not.
Low level tends to be much deadlier than higher level since you can survive longer at high level and thus run away. [Sometimes.]

The ability to raise dead at 2nd level means someone is expected to die. It should not really be available until 7th-9th except as a very special thing. Yet you have hit its availability multiple times at 2nd.

I don't really invest story wise all at once at character creation, but rather over the course of several levels. Thus I avoid spending a lot of time on a character that died.

/cevah

[Nathan Monson]

You should make a spiritualist, and have your phantom be the spirit of the orc who just died. this way you can keep RPing the orc, and your way into the story is that this orc spirit is demanding that you help him achieve glory. alternatively you could be a death druid or other archetype that gets a phantom for the same effect.