"The town of Sandpoint needs you!"
In the sleepy coastal town of Sandpoint, evil is brewing. An attack by crazed goblins reveals the shadows of a forgotten past returning to threaten the town—and perhaps all of Varisia.
Welcome to the Rise of the Runelords - Anniversary edition. As said in the prior thread: I will be running the adventure path straight out of the book. In my eyes it was built for the core of the game.
I've been playing pen and paper games for almost 19 years now. I learned on AD&D when I was 13. Made my shift to 3/3.5 shortly there after. Bounced around multiple game systems: Mutants and Masterminds, Spycraft, GURPS, Champions V4.0 and V5.0, Vanguard, DC Heroes, and the list goes on.
What really stuck with me though was the Pathfinder system. As many do, I think of it as D&D 3.75 with many of the revisions that just never happened to the 3rd edition. Now granted I know it's a matter of opinion and Pathfinder is it's own system in it's own right.
The type of game I run is a character driven focus. The mechanics are there to facilitate the story and facilitate the interaction between characters. We're all writing a narrative and the GM's job is make sure everyone is having fun contributing.
With that said, this will be my first play by post game, I will always welcome opinion, advice, thoughts, and points of view. This is meant to be a fun game and a fun thing to participate in, if you're not having fun that's something we need to talk about.
I'm sure there will be some of the 'getting to know you phase', and there will definitely be some of the 'getting to know the system' for me. So all patience and help is appreciated.
Originally I had intended for 4-6 players, but given interest I'm leaning to take the 6. It's important to note as well that GM - DM DoctorEvil, has expressed interest in using this forum as well to recruit for his own version of the game which will be run under the exact same stipulations. More on that to follow.
I'm looking for players who enjoy contributing to a global narrative that actively drives the game. Players who like the story beyond the stat blocks. Players who see the rule set as the ability to expand upon what's going on not limit it. Players who want to be part of something.
I want this to be played as intended so I'm looking to bring it back to basics, after some contemplation on how I want to run it, I've come to the decision that the only source material that will be allowed is the Core Rulebook.
Classes: Core Rulebook only
Races: Core Rulebook Only
Skills: Core Rulebook Skills
Feats: All Core Rulebook as written
Character Stats: The good ol' heroic 20-point buy
Alignment: Any non-evil
Starting Wealth: Class Maximum
Starting Level: First
Character Requirement: Reason for being in Sandpoint or Sandpoint Native. Day job a suitable backstory or reasonable way to support and generate income (i.e. part of Jubrayl Vhiski's gang and you steal your way through life or survivalist Ranger like Shalelu
Andosana, coming into down every so often)
Background: A reasonable background with accomplishments that show the transition from an NPC type class to a PC type class. Your character will have slain/adventured/disabled/overcome the equivalent of 4 CR 2 encounters through their lifetime and will be starting with that experience.
Experience Start: 600/2000 (I will be using a medium experience tracker for monitoring progression - which will allow me to include appropriate RolePlay experience, Exploration Experience and Player Character driven experience.)
Rule Set: Core Rulebook - No 3pp material
Submissions will run for 7 days ending on December 6th 2017, after which I will take 24 hours to decide on the final party.
Please include with your final submission a short background on yourself just so we can know a little bit of who's playing the game with us!
I'm sure I've forgotten something so please ask for clarification on any point.
Good luck, and happy gaming.
Hello, and thanks to Levanthus for setting this up. Since I was close to finishing a few games, I was considering running a Runelords campaign with nearly the same stipulations as proposed here. Since it appears we will be inundated with applicants, I thought I could just fish from the same pool for my game.
I will be selecting from those not chosen by Levanthus. I am interested in 4 (not more than 5) PC's to run the game, and will be looking at both character build and posting history to determine who is selected for the second game.
For simplicity's sake, will follow the same build criteria as Levanthus lays out above, though we may make a few tweaks after he has chosen his lot on or around 12/6. I will make my selections immediately after his party is set.
I prefer a narrative style and will look for players who will add flavor in-character and have unique or interesting features about them rather than being super-optimized.
Feel free to ask any questions, and I am sure the pair of us can come to an answer, it appears usually the same one...
Good luck!
No traits?
How are you running HP? Also, dotting for a Varisian Arcane bloodline sorcerer who has ties to ancient powers.
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the only source material that will be allowed is the Core Rulebook
I'm hoping (presuming?) that this does NOT apply to "fluff" from Golarion. Eg, I can be a Varisian or a Shoanti, speak Varisian, worship Torag, follow Torags Code, etc etc etc.
Not asking for any traits or any game mechanical benefits beyond speaking my ethnic language as well as common :-).
Great questions so far.
No traits?
No, no traits.
How are you running HP? Also, dotting for a Varisian Arcane bloodline sorcerer who has ties to ancient powers
Great question, should definitely have had to include HP. It'll be max at first level. Subsequent levels will be roll for HP (minimum of half the dice) which ever of the two is greater.
I'm hoping (presuming?) that this does NOT apply to "fluff" from Golarion.
Definitely an oversight on my part. The Core rulebook requirement was primarily for classes, races, and general mechanic builds. A language that exists in the world would be just fine. I think Torag is in the Core book isn't he? In the Cleric Domain section? I'm not at my book right now so I can't verify.
Doting for a casting focus varisian cleric of desna. Travel and liberation domains. I'm currently in a RotL campaign as a replacement character at the end of the 3rd book (I think). I've never actually played any part of it before that.
Danielle Howlett, half-Mwangi barwench who likes fine foods, fine dress, and fine weapons. Pa came over from Mwangi to ply his blacksmith trade but met a barmaid instead. She's hungry to see more of the world. A ranger with social skills! Will stat her up tomorrow.
I don't know the modules but I'd guess that ethic languages will be relevant, but not important. Most people will probably speak common.
There could conceivably be Shoanti that don't speak common. And I remember an NPC speaking Tian pretty early the time I played the beginning of this story.
Dot.
I'm actually thinking of a wizard who focuses on Abjuration magic who uses a battle axe. And is actually a member of the Pathfinders, because for a game called "Pathfinder", I have seen remarkably few characters who are actually part of the Society.
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Definitely an oversight on my part. The Core rulebook requirement was primarily for classes, races, and general mechanic builds. A language that exists in the world would be just fine. I think Torag is in the Core book isn't he? In the Cleric Domain section? I'm not at my book right now so I can't verify.
Various non Core books greatly expand the fluff for various religions and ethnic groups. Together, of course, with adding mechanics.
I was one of the people responsible for getting Paizo to add ethnic languages to the PFS Core Campaign so its fairly important that my Varisian character can actually speak Varisian and wear Varisian scarves :-).
Excited to be dotting in. I usually use the PFSRD to create my characters but I think I'll do this the old fashioned way and use the book. Thinking a cleric... or a ranger. We'll see after I reread the players guide.
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I am assuming that spells selection is limited to Core as well?
Rast here will be my submission.
I started playing a long long time ago, over 30 years, but I took a good chunk of time off while I lived in NYC. I live in the middle of New York State and run a company, have a 1.5 year old daughter and wife. My posting takes place mostly during the day and sometimes just before bed. I am GMing two AP's on here and love the narrative creating ability of PbP. Life and being in my mid-forties has removed my ability for in person gaming until my daughter is old enough for me to drag her into the hobby.
Rast was my first PbP character and the one I really want to run RotRL with. He had a false start when the GM disappeared shortly into book 1.
Character modified to event rules.
I made one assumption I will need to have confirmed/denied/or an alternative provided. I purchased MW Artisan's Tools to substitute in as a set of juggling clubs, because the Artisan's Tools seem the closest thing in the core book equipment to juggling tools.
I am happy to base the purchase off something else, or even drop the MW aspect, but him juggling to gather coin, and distract rubes for other pick pockets, is a pretty solid part of his background. Just looking for a way to both maintain that and stick to the core book.
I started playing RPGs in 1979, soloing a wizard built using the AD&D Player's Handbook through a quick little dungeon created using the Red Box. I've played a lot through the years, GMed a bit along the way, founded and ran an RPGA club (for about a decade) that out-lived the RPGA club program, served as a WotC Representative, served as a Paradigm Concepts, inc. Representative, served as a Living Greyhawk Triad member (for only about a year - was far too expensive, honestly), worked both Gen Con and Origins as both an organized play GM and a Booth Demo Monkey for WotC.
Since I accepted a Civil Servant position in my current location, I have had no FtF gaming time. I recently returned to this site trying to recapture the fun interaction of people working together to have fun and also cooperatively tell a story. 'Dada here was recently selected for another Runelord's game, but there was an almost immediate incident where my attempt to have some fun out of character with a poor word choice was immediately responded to as an attempt to bully and belittle instead of as recognizing a common failing and trying to enjoy it. I have not done anything with the posts, they are in the character's history if you wish to see the event to consider the situation. All cards on the table. No attempt to misdirect or confuse.
Here for your consideration is Zomeraand, a classic universalist wizard.
He's a stuffy know-it-all. It helps that he can back up his attitude with actual knowledge.
I originally designed him for application to an Age of Worms PbP, but alas, he was not chosen.
There are local ruins and legends in the vicinity of Sandpoint that would be of interest to Zomeraand, that's one of the reasons he's here. His ability to answer questions and scribe a scroll or two might also earn him some money at the Swallowtail Festival.
He's all statted out, but I need to come up with a more thorough back story. I'll hopefully have it in his profile in a couple days.
CG Human (Varisian) Sorcerer 1
Str 10
Dex 14
Con 14
Int 10
Wis 10
Cha 18
HP 9
AC 16 (+4 armor, +2 dex) Touch 12 Flat-Footed 14
BAB 0 CMB +0 CMD 13
Init +6
Fort +2
Ref +2
Will +2
Skills: Spellcraft r1 +4, UMD r1 +5, Profession (Cook) r1 +4
Feats: Improved Initiative, Eschew Materials, Defensive Combat Mastery
Class Features: Bloodline (Arcane; Bloodline Arcana: Increase spell DC by 1 when casting with metamagic; Arcane Bond (Quarterstaff))
Spells: -/4
0: Detect Magic, Read Magic, Prestidigitation, Acid Splash
1: Mage Armor, Magic Missle
Equipment: Quarterstaff (Arcane Bond), Traveller's Clothes
Claudia works as a Cook at the Rusty Dragon, although she would probably make more money if she waited tables, as there is an almost unsettling attractiveness about her. She doesn't remember much about her parents, who apparently knew Amieko, but she does remember that day when her parents left her with Amieko and left, never to return again.
Before she left, her mother put a charm necklace around her neck which was designed to be split into two pieces. She told Claudia that it would keep her safe, and that she should behave for Amieko while they were gone. That was more than 10 years ago, and Claudia longs to find her parents, but Amieko advises caution, convincing her to work on her powers and getting them under her control before she goes "galavanting across the countryside."
Amieko put her to work in the kitchen so that she would not attract too much attention, and it seems that she has a knack for cooking. She also advised Claudia to wear baggy clothes and hide her face when possible, as she looks a great deal like her mother.
Definitely an oversight on my part. The Core rulebook requirement was primarily for classes, races, and general mechanic builds. A language that exists in the world would be just fine. I think Torag is in the Core book isn't he? In the Cleric Domain section? I'm not at my book right now so I can't verify.Various non Core books greatly expand the fluff for various religions and ethnic groups. Together, of course, with adding mechanics.
I was one of the people responsible for getting Paizo to add ethnic languages to the PFS Core Campaign so its fairly important that my Varisian character can actually speak Varisian and wear Varisian scarves :-).
I don't think there will be issues with non-mechanical fluff that you describe. It's the complex mechanics added in the splat books and more recent rules compendia that will be the problem.
I am assuming that spells selection is limited to Core as well?
That's my understanding as well.
Although wearied by even the thought of such a journey, Ellizza has been convinced by her scatter-brained gnome comrades to make the long trek to Sandpoint to join in their festival. She knows there will be vendors with books, arcane knowledge, and perhaps magical trinkets to enhance her burgeoning magic skills. Along the way, they unexpectedly encounter a band of goblin bandits, and then a swarm of semi-sentient sharks during their sea voyage, both of which were quickly dispatched by her group and their traveling companions.
He wanted to bring honor to not only his father's name, but to his Ulfen ancestors as well. Hearty people who prized skill at arms and bravery, he wanted to prove himself worthy of them both. When he was old enough he began training with the royal arms-man in sword combat, training day and night to learn how to fight with his childhood playmates. He was determined to be a soldier like his father and his mother's people.
Originally he wanted to be a member of the famed sword lords and had trained with anyone who visited the keep to test his skills. Nothing mattered more to him than being worthy of his father's pride, and his greatest commitment as a simple man was to serve his country as a soldier. He even began to travel towards Brevoy to attempt to find a master who would take him on. He joined a caravan with his father's blessing and set off. However on the road south his small caravan was attacked by brigands and if not for the intervention of a small group of clerics they may well have been overrun. The traveling clerics and monks were traveling south on an important mission and agreed to travel with the small band of arms-men and merchants.
Along the way Alden was introduced to the teachings of Sarenrae, a Goddess of redemption and loving. From a harsh north land he'd been raised to worship Abadar and had always wondered why the God seemed more concerned with order than prosperity. In Sarenrae he found a calling he had never expected. When they reached a fork in the southern road he chose to break from the original plan and followed the clerics to the temple of Sarenrae instead of heading for Brevoy.
Once there he spent weeks learning about the order of Sarenrae and was fascinated by their gentle and simple ways. When he pledged himself to the church he expected to be trained as a Cleric of the Goddess. Instead his skills seemed better served elsewhere and began training with their arms-men. For a full year he squired with a kindly older knight of the order who trained him extensively not only in sword combat the likes of which he'd never seen, but in the holy texts of the Dawnflower.
His graduation to the rank of Paladin was a great day for him. His mother, father and his Ulfen grandfather attened the ceremony and bestowed on him a sword forged by his Ulfen family to commemorate the event. From there he took his assignment and struck south-west to Sandpoint to act as a guard at the newly repaired temple. Since then he has worked in Sandpoint, often working as an honor guard for visiting Clerics of Sarenrae and is known to share his meals with the beggar children at the steps.
Twice he's helped the guard when they were overwhelmed, earning himself at least some friends among the local guard in the process. Once a gang pair of local gangs began a fight that spilled into the streets one night and threatened to overwhelm the night shift of the guard. Along with a Monk of Shelyn he charged into the melee to help save two wounded guards. Some months later he was at a local in when a pair of guards came to arrest a criminal having drinks in the common room. However he and his men decided to assault the guards instead. As the only other armed man in the room he threw in with the guards and they ended up killing all but one of the men.
Now he sometimes works with the city guard when asked, but mostly works as one of the many guards for the temple in town. Oddly things have been rather calm of late.
I will seek out and destroy the spawn of the Rough Beast. If I cannot defeat them, I will give my life trying. If my life would be wasted in the attempt, I will find allies. If any fall because of my inaction, their deaths lie upon my soul, and I will atone for each.
I am fair to others. I expect nothing for myself but that which I need to survive.
I will uphold the law that serves the people. I will speak for the voiceless when the law fails them. If I must, I will throw down the law that chains them to evil designs.
The best battle is a battle I win. If I die, I can no longer fight. I will fight fairly when the fight is fair, and I will strike quickly and without mercy when it is not.
I will redeem the ignorant with my words and my actions. If they will not turn toward the light, I will redeem them by the sword.
I will not abide wanton evil, and will combat it with steel when words are not enough. I do not flinch from my faith, and do not fear embarrassment. My soul cannot be bought for all the stars in the sky.
I will provide aid to those who are lost on their path. I will abide imperfection of those who are learning, but not at the cost of the innocent.
My blade is my justice and my judgment. If I must I will grant a swift and peaceful passing into the next life to those who cannot be redeemed, and comfort to the sincerely repentant.
I will show the less fortunate the light of the Dawnflower. I will live my life as her mortal blade, shining with the light of truth.
Each day is another step toward perfection. I will not turn back into the dark.
Male Human Paladin 1
LG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +2; Senses: Perception +1
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Defense
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AC 18 (20 w/shield), Touch 14, Flat-footed 16 (18 w/shield)
hp 12 (1d10+2)
Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +2
Defensive Abilities:
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft. (20 ft in armor)
Melee Attack Block:
Longsword (One-Handed) +4 (1d8+3/19-20x2)
w/Power Attack +3 (1d8+4/19-20x2)
Longsword (Two-Handed) +4 (1d8+4/19-20x2)
w/Power Attack +3 (1d8+7/19-20x2)
Special Attacks:
Smite Evil 1/Day: +Level to Damage, +Cha to Attack and Damage agains evil targets.
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Statistics
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Str 16, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 14
Base Atk +1; CMB +4; CMD 16
Feats:[b]
Power Attack (1st), Cleave (Human)
[b]Skills:
Craft (Weapons): 4, Diplomacy: 6, Handle Animal: , Heal (Wis), Knowledge (nobility): 4, Knowledge (religion): 4, Perception: 1, Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive 4, and Spellcraft (Int)
Languages: Common, Skald
Gear:
Longsword (One Handed Sword) 1d8 19-20x2, 4lbs (15 gp)
Breastplate +6 AC, +3 Max Dex Bonus, -4 ACP, 30 lbs (50 gp)
Heavy Steel Shield +2 AC, -2ACP, 15 lbs (20 gp)
Full Essentials Kit
Backpack 2 gp 2 lbs, Bedroll 1 sp 5 lbs, 1-pint flask 3 cp 1.5 lbs, 7 days’ trail rations 3.5 gp 7 lbs
Total Cost: 5.63 gp
Weight: 15.5 lbs
Silver Holy Symbol (25 gp)
Remaining Gold: 34.37
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Special Abilities
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Aura of Good
Detect Evil (At Will)
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Spells Prepared
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Favored Class Bonus: +1 Hitpoint
I actually prefer RP over crunch to begin with and any game with some RP depth, to me, is cause to rejoice. I actually disliked DnD 4th ed for it being little better than a table top war game. So having a campaign with some room to breathe outside of rolling dice is ideal for me. I've never played an AP for Pathfinder and always wanted to try this one out, so I'm grateful for the consideration.
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GM: I have been thinking about the requirement for a trade that can earn a living. First I love it and always want my players to do the same. My concern is that, with only 2 skill points, dropping one in a profession will create a situation where that skill never gets more then one point so is only a cursory nod to the past.
I love the idea of core but I would suggest one alteration to make things more realistic. Background skills. It makes more robust characters in my opinion as you are not taxed for making depth.
Digger Chandler's submission here!
She has inherited her father’s former wanderlust, but as of yet has made no great journey to speak of. She spends her days serving ales at her mother’s pub, taking special interest in any particularly well-equipped guests who often find themselves surprised by her knowledge of weaponry and armor.
She’s meant for something bigger, she knows deep inside, but she just doesn’t have any idea what.
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A simpler option than background skills is to just offer one free rank for a profession or craft skill. But I don't think that's even necessary. I think it is meant to be kind of a nod to the past. We're adventurers now!
We don't need no stinkin' day job!
Nathan is the son of Amelia Laramy and ... someone. Over the course of his childhood, his mother indicated no less than eight men who might have been his father. Having spent the majority of her life working taverns in Magnimar, the potential paternal pool was probably much higher.
He felt an early calling to assist in the local orphanage run by followers of Cayden Cailean. Their zest for life also greatly appealed to him. They didn't carry the air of self-importance held by other priests he'd encountered. It wasn't long before he had dedicated himself to the values extolled by the Lucky Drunk.
Spending so much time with children, Nathan takes it as a point of pride to deal personally with those who would take advantage of them. More than once he has dealt with bullies and exploiters via the point of his rapier - some to a final resolution, others not as much.
Two weeks ago, Nathan's mother passed away. As he was sorting her final possessions, he came upon an unsent letter. The contents of which hinted at who his father was. The letter was addressed to Titus Scarnetti, Sandpoint.
I've been playing RPGs for about 40 years now. This would be my first forum game. However, I have played in a few PBeM games back in the late 90s/early 00s. (Bohavia FTW!).
As for me, I've been role playing since the mid nineties. I'm a public teacher in Brooklyn, and thus have a schedule where I can post daily or more. I'm in two online campaigns at this site, both since 2013. I participated in other campaigns here of various lengths that have since ended. At a friend's private board I've been in two campaigns for at least a decade. I enjoy the storytelling elements and the freedom to develop characters synthetically with other players and the GM, and finding how they surprise you.
I've written Zomeraand's back story. He moved to Sandpoint five years ago, just after the Recent Unpleasantness with the Chopper and the Sandpoint Fire.
Zomeraand came to Sandpoint five years ago, after completing his apprenticeship in the Kyver’s Islet disctrict of Magnimar. His magical education was a largely self-directed one. His Mistress, Altha Tyne, was a retired officer of the Varisian Navy who had taken to the heavy consumption of exotic plant extracts ever since she gave up her life on the high seas. She was often too engrossed in whatever daydreams and hallucinations she was experiencing to offer any proper instruction on the art of magic. As a result, Zomeraand often took it upon himself to access her small library of tomes and scrolls. Through a decade of trial and error, supported by occasional moments of lucidity from Tyne, he was able to grasp the fundamentals of magic sufficient to pursue the art without any further handholding.
Zomeraand never liked Kyver’s Islet. The whole district was loud, dirty, and crowded. Silence never fell, even in the darkest part of the night, and walking its streets was an open invitation to be manhandled and pickpocketed. Once he was ready to strike out on his own, Zomeraand wasted little time leaving Kyver’s Islet and the rest of Magnimar behind. He boarded the first merchant ship for which he could afford passage, and headed up the coast to some place quieter, cleaner, and less crowded. That place ended up being the coastal town of Sandpoint.
When Zomeraand arrived, the town was recovering from a terrifying time where a deranged individual known to the locals as “The Chopper” had killed several of the town’s citizens. Furthermore, the town Cathedral, as well as several of the central beings were destroyed in a great fire. The people of Sandpoint were emotionally scarred, but doing their best to put their lives back together. Zomeraand decided that by staying and helping with the recovery, he could make Sandpoint the quiet, clean, and friendly community he was certain it was before the Recent Unpleasantness (as it was now being called).
As life in Sandpoint started to return to normal, Zomeraand found his niche in the community, a group of bibliophiles that regularly congregated at the Curious Goblin book shop. The store’s owner Chask Haladan, despite claiming to sell books, seemed to collect far more books than he sold. Haladan apparently had no problems with people congregating in his shop, so long as they were either reading and discussing the contents of a book. Zomeraand can often be found in one of Goblin’s overstuffed armchairs, discussing (sometimes arguing) topics ranging from philosophy to history to politics with the likes of Brodert Quink, Sabyl Sorn, and Ilsoari Gandethus. Apart from Haladan and this little book club, Zomeraand finds most of the other residence of Sandpoint fall into the categories of either tolerable or insufferable.
Over the last five years, Zomeraand has earned a modest living as a sage and spell-caster for hire. In his spare time, he has read and re-read most of the books in Haladan’s store, and discussed them at length with his small circle of friends. He has a particular interest in the local legends and lore of Sandpoint and the surrounding area.
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A simpler option than background skills is to just offer one free rank for a profession or craft skill. But I don't think that's even necessary. I think it is meant to be kind of a nod to the past. We're adventurers now!
We don't need no stinkin' day job!
An excellent counter point. A cursory nod can clearly work as well as the ability to take pride in your craft as you grow. :)
An excellent counter point. A cursory nod can clearly work as well as the ability to take pride in your craft as you grow. :)A simpler option than background skills is to just offer one free rank for a profession or craft skill. But I don't think that's even necessary. I think it is meant to be kind of a nod to the past. We're adventurers now!
We don't need no stinkin' day job!
The angle I'm taking is that my character has already had a totally successful career in smithing and now he wants to see the world before he gets too old to do so anymore.
Most experts don't really have a need to be above level 1. They get +2 int mod, +3 class skill and +3 skill focus and they can make consistently good quality products. It's a good living, even! Even if you just craft DC 15 stuff and sell it at half price, you can make over 6 silver a day, which is double your typical trained hireling. Get masterwork tools and you you have a +10 mod. Now you can craft masterwork items by taking 10. Over time, that averages out to almost 10 silver/day(at half price). Not too bad!
Very likely, you can get a lot more than half price for your products if you're a professional craftsman.
Loving to see all the submissions, as well as the back and forth already!
This will turn out to be an exciting game!
Regarding the skills - I think Mr Lazyclownfish has put it quite well. Unfortunately I won't be using the variant rules for Background skills. I'll be keeping it to core.
Do remember however you backstory can include what you did for a day job, it doesn't necessarily have to be a skill point choice.
[spolier=About me] I'm 27, working in the US army, with 3 kids. As for Rp experience, I started with D&D 3rd edition in ‘07 and I've played Pathfinder regularly since 2014 mostly GMing. I am currently a 2 Star PFS GM . I have a few years of PBP experience on these forums and have had several long-term campaigns you are welcome to check out.
I’ve always wanted to do this adventure but have never found a GM willing to run it or a group ready and able to play it. I am somewhat familiar with the first part of this as I have listened to the Pathfinder legends, but I do know how to separate player and character knowledge. [/spoiler]
Loving that characters people are posting. It's really great to see such beautiful concepts using just the core rules. It was rather refreshing going back to basics with this character.
Eliza is built to hopefully develop into an Arcane Archer.
This will be my submission for this game! I'm still working on the backstory proper, but the short version is that he's a Taldan noble who joined the Pathfinder Society in Absalom. He's in Sandpoint partly to explore the ruins of Thassilon, but also to try and strike up some kind of business deal with the Glassworks.
He acts like a rich noble playboy, but mostly as a smokescreen to throw his enemies off; it's easier to run a sword through someone if they don't expect the noble dandy boy to be very good with a sword. Odds are, I'll grab two levels in Rogue, transition to Fighter, and finally prestige into being a Duelist. Always did like light mobile fighters!
I'm an older gamer (44), who has been playing RPGs since I was eight years old. I've played D&D, AD&D, 3rd Edition, 3.5 Edition, and Pathfinder.
As far as Pathfinder goes, I have been posting on the Paizo Boards since they were publishing 3rd and 3.5 edition adventures and rules in Dragon and Dungeon magazines for WotC.
I am the DM/GM for my current face to face gaming group. We have met and played roughly once a week for the past 17 years (excluding holidays, vacations and sick children).
I have participated in several PbPs, including some that ran for multiple years. My character concepts run the gamut on class, alignment, race and gender. I have never dropped out, disappeared, or stopped posting on a game I was participating in before the DM/GM did. I am currently participating in 4 active pbp campaigns on the Paizo Boards.
Feel free to look at the aliases under my default alias (Cuchulainn) for samples of my playing style.
I hope this helps with your decision-making process. Let me know if I can offer any other information to you.
Dotting for interest. I've got a solid idea for a gnome ranger or a dwarven druid, I just need to take the time to figure out what I want to do.
I'd like to dot... I'm super inexperienced at pbp but I've been playing DnD since 3.0 and pathfinder since 2010. Do you have an issue with a relative newbie trying his luck? I was accepted into a pbp game for this AP but we only made it into the first round of combat before the GM had to pull out.
I'd like to dot... I'm super inexperienced at pbp but I've been playing DnD since 3.0 and pathfinder since 2010. Do you have an issue with a relative newbie trying his luck? I was accepted into a pbp game for this AP but we only made it into the first round of combat before the GM had to pull out.
As this is Core-only game(s), then it is ideal for a newbie to try out. As long as you are committed to a long, long time to spend with a PbP AP, then you are welcome to throw your hat in the ring. It appears we have some other new PbP'ers who have already applied. Speaking for me, I would gladly help someone new to the game or just the format along, and i think you'll find that same sentiment across the boards here.
Best of luck, let us know if you have questions.
Had a moment or two this evening to review those who have submitted characters so far. All look very interesting and i can see any of them in slots in a game. Here is a summary of the submissions as of this moment (please forgive me if I forget someone or get some facts wrong).
Rast Cobble - half-orc cleric of Desna
Guadad Purrun - Varisian opportunist (rogue)
Zomerannd - universalist wizard
Claudia Iancu - Varisian arcane-blooded sorceress
Ellizza - gnome transmuter
Alden Vas Hutt - paladin of Sarenrae
Danielle Howlett - half-Mwangi ranger
Nathan Laramy - cleric of Cayden
Eliza Soren - human fighter
Ford Bennett - Taldan nobleman/rogue
That looks like 10 submission so far (unless I missed one). If Levanthus wants 6 in his game, and I'm taking 4 (or 5) then, all these people have slots so far. Recruitment is still open for a while however, so we'll see if anymore get on the list before we're done. It appears there are a still a few who have dotted in or mentioned concepts that don't have a submission yet. Encourage you all to apply! I promise my group will get out of the first combat, no question!
Thanks for the all the work so far, feel free to ask questions as needed.
Firstly, thank you so much for the prompt reply! I'm very committed, I've only recently discovered the PBP method of gaming and it suits my lifestyle so much more than a face to face game (I move around a lot for my job). I've been trying to crack the forum games for the last month or so with pretty limited luck, but I feel like persistence will pay off!
I offer up Duncan for consideration.
Duncan is a gentle boy, but he has a well of anger in him that goes untapped on most days. Normally his rage only comes when he is mad at a stump that he is trying to pull out of the ground, or when he has to kill a weasel that has gotten in to a chicken coup. This past year Duncan came upon a dire wolf, weakened by a lean winter and starving for meat, eating a mother cat and her litter out near a one of the farms he was staying at. The boy took one look at the beast and split its head from its shoulders with his woodsman's axe, anger at the killing of such pretty kittens welling up in his chest. As he sat and cried over the poor cats, he heard the little mewling of one of the litter. The runt had survived by being too small and being farther back in the little shed where his mother had given birth to him. Ducan took in the poor kitten and called him Mopsy, and the two have been inseparable since.
I went through a major rough patch in my posting a few years back with the divorce and all, ended up giving up the forums till I got my real life together, and now I am back with a vengeance. I prefer characters with character, and even if stats wise I am going to be a bog standard fighter, I will find a way to make him or her a unique and engaging player to be around.
Feel free took look at the whole of my gaming history, and if you have any questions I am an open book.
I'm really sold on the idea of my character's pre-adventuring life involving him being something of a survivalist. Would it be reasonable to assume he'd have met/spent time with Shalelu, and possibly have encountered some goblins? I'm leaning toward ranger with goblins as his first favoured enemy, and I just wanted to see what the limitations are on backgrounds before I commit to writing him up in full.
Lazyclownfish here with my submission: Rogar Ulthain, The Doleful Mage-Smith. (Middle-Aged Dwarven Transmuter Wizard)
Stories sometimes take on a life of their own and this one ended up a lot sadder than I expected. I tried to keep it brief. Hopefully Rogar finds a happier future with caring companions.
In my early days, I didn't really understand the game, tending to focus on mechanical builds much more than the characters themselves. Over the years, I've really developed into a storyteller which I think has really reflected in my ability to keep players coming back week after week for years. I still make mechanically sound characters, but the story absolutely comes first.
As a player, I have two goals. First and foremost, work with the GM to tell our cooperative story. I actively look for ways for my character to follow plot hooks and engage with NPCs, even if it means the character evolves somewhat in a way that I don't expect. Second, tell the story of my character by connecting with the other player characters. This isn't always in a friendly manner. Characters don't have to like each-other to develop a connection. That said, Rogar will be the epitome of cooperative and he will be friendly, if somewhat reserved.
Thank you for your consideration.
I'm really sold on the idea of my character's pre-adventuring life involving him being something of a survivalist. Would it be reasonable to assume he'd have met/spent time with Shalelu, and possibly have encountered some goblins? I'm leaning toward ranger with goblins as his first favoured enemy, and I just wanted to see what the limitations are on backgrounds before I commit to writing him up in full.
I would very well be possible that you've met Shalelu. I would say however, just from how she's portrayed thus far, that she's a lone wolf so I'm not sure you'd be bosom buddies.
I think however you could be colleagues/compatriots, or after the same thing. Goblins would be a very apt favoured enemy for the first chapter.
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Thank you Mr. DM DoctorEvil for putting that list together. Just as to not rush anyone, I'll remind everyone that submissions will go until this Wednesday!
Loving the concepts that are coming in. We're both excited to get started!
Submitting Pearl Fernsworth, a halfling paladin.
Pearl's lived in Sandpoint all her life, running messages, weaving cloth, and helping her mother cook at the Rusty Dragon. Plus she's won a few archery competitions with her halfling sling-staff, and shot a few goblins from the clifftops. But nobody notices halflings, at all. Pearl's been working a bit with the city guard, weaving cloth for uniforms and banners, mending things, and generally being helpful ... but still unnoticed.
It's time to do something about that. The night the cathedral was completed, she dreamed of a gathering darkness, and a glowing stone hurled against it... maybe her sling staff has a purpose beyond just winning trophies and potting rabbits.
Dot. Will be submitting a Druid, race undecided, more to come.
Just realized I didn't submit an "About Me" portion, so... uh... here it is!
Also, just for convenience, I'll post the final build here as well!
Male Human Rogue 1
NG Medium Humanoid (Human)
Deity: Shelyn Homeland: Taldor
Init +3; Senses Perception +5
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Defense
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AC 16 Touch 13 Flat-footed 13 (+3 Armor)
HP 10/10
Fort +2 Ref +5 Will +1
Favored Class Fighter
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee Rapier +3 (1d6+2/18-20) or Dagger +3 (1d4+2/19-20)
Ranged Dagger +3 (1d4+2/19-20)
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Statistics
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Str 14, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 10
Base Atk +0; CMB +2; CMD 13
Feats Weapon Finesse, Combat Expertise
Skills (1) Acrobatics +7, (1) Bluff +4, (1) Diplomacy +4, (1) Disable Device +7, (1) Escape Artist +7, (1) Kn. Local +5, (1) Perception +5, (1) Sense Motive +6, (1) Sleight of Hand +7, (1) Stealth +7
Languages Common, Undercommon
Combat Gear Studded Leather, Rapier, 4 Daggers
SQ Trapfinding, Sneak Attack +1d6
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Other Equipment
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Backpack
-Bedroll
-Hooded Lantern
-4 pints of oil
-Rations (5 days)
-Silk Rope 50'
-Thieves Tools
-Waterskin
Belt Pouches
-Acid (2 flasks)
-Thunderstone
-Potion of Cure Light Wounds
33 gp
"You're only 'arrogant' if you can't back it up."
For nearly 12 years, Ford lived in the Ivy District with his extended family, learning how to fence, how to politicize at noble events, along with more traditional academics. But of greater interest to Ford was the local Pathfinder Lodge and the tales of the agents who visited there. They told of grand journeys, far off wonders, and how they had the freedom to explore at their leisure. More than anything, it was the freedom that appealed to Ford. Being beholden to yourself. No titles, no politics, no egregious duties beyond what he chose.
But at around his 18 birthday, Ford's idyllic life was rocked. To his surprise,
Ford learned that his uncle was actually discreetly involved in the Aspis Consortium... and he owned something they wanted. Ford returned from one of his usual visits to the lodge to find his uncle's estate had been ransacked and his uncle and aunt beaten! Ashamed, his uncle came clean and explained that his debtors had been promised an artifact he'd come into possession of in exchange for a large sum of money. But when the Pathfinder Society showed interest in the item and offered more, he rescinded on the deal, and angered the Consortium agents. They forced their way into his home and took the item by force, looting the place in the process.
Angered and inspired, Ford grabbed his blade and tracked down the agents responsible for the affront on his family. Locating the leader of the toughs, Ford aimed to negotiate for the artifact back, and when the Aspis when's attempted to kidnap him for ransom, Ford stunned the thugs and drew his blade before running one of them through. Having bested his aging uncle, the agents presumed they could easily outmatch Ford; they were sorely wrong. Although outnumbered, Ford held his own very well before a pair of Pathfinders, following after the artifact they were promised, aided him in sending the thugs into full retreat.
Impressed by Ford's prowess and skill, the agents sent in a recommendation that Ford be extended a chance to jointed Society. When the invitation came through, Ford immediately accepted, spending the next three years training with the Society until becoming a full fledged agent!
Following his confirmation, Ford transferred to the lodge in Magnimar to begin his missions, mundane as they might be and leading to many relative dead ends.
Not quite the high profile lifestyle he was hoping for. However, a recent job has caught his attention and makes him believe his luck is about to change! A minor aristocrat has offered a supposedly priceless relic to the Society as a donation, and Ford has volunteered to take on the lead. A change of scenery is just what he needs, and the contact is asking to meet in Sandpoint...
Ford enjoys the spotlight and being at the forefront of the action whenever he can.
Sadly, Ford has come to realize something during his time with the Society: people judge. A lot. He is consistently frustrated when people meet him, recognize him for his noble status, rather than his own deeds, and immediately "know" who he is. After years of trying to fight this phenomenon, Ford has finally decided to accept it and simply act like the spoiled noble playboy everyone presumes he is. Why bother making things harder for yourself? As such, he prefers finer foods, better quarters, and an easier time overall. But this demeanor serves an unexpected purpose; it lowers the guards of those he meets. Nobody believes the rich brat can even handle a sword until he's already run them through with it. Thus, Ford maintains the air of a foppish noble playboy as much as possible, letting other underestimate him, not letting others know that he absolutely can take care of himself.
Despite his demeanor, Ford genuinely tries to make things around him better, sometimes for others, and at other times for himself. He is regularly torn between his desire for attention and trying to do the right thing for those under his perceived command. He aims to tether his urge to steal the spotlight for attention with his wish to take charge because he is simply better prepared for the job, but is not above a little showboating. After all, everyone else has already decided that he is a pompous noble kid... why complicate their perceptions?
Dotting with interest, back in a flash with a bard!
R0B0GEISHA here, presenting Felix Trevelyan, a rakish bard and former noble traveling the countryside in search of women, coin, and adventure... in that order.
I've been playing some manner of RPG since 13 years old, when the 3rd edition of D&D was released. Transitioned to Pathfinder with the release of the beta. As far as PBP games, I've run multiple games and played in a couple spread across a pair of aliases. I tend to focus on detailed characters with a narrative style.
For examples of my work, I'll point you to my favorite game: a Carrion Crown table that I started back in 2014.