A Game of Kingmaker

Game Master Wandering Wastrel

On a completely different note...

I'm planning to run a Zhentil Keep campaign on these forums. Right now, I'm putting together the pieces and a set of house rules which include a rework of the crit system and introducing wands and staves as ranged weapons, and my goal is to put up a recruitment thread in a week or two.

I want to give the DMs and players of the campaigns I'm involved in as a player a head's up, as I much prefer filling up the group with people I know. I know, I know, I should put more trust in strangers, oh well ;)

With that being said, the campaign will take place in and around the Moonsea with the players assuming the role of Zhentarim agents in one form or another. Hired muscle, a down-on-his-luck apprentice from Zhentil Keep's Tower of the Art, a scheming merchant or a fortune-seeking acolyte with no scruples: the Zhentarim embrace talent in all shapes and forms.

And yes, that means evil alignments are allowed, which ties in my preference for having players at the table who I know and trust, to ensure the game won't grow toxic. PvP is *not* what I'm looking for.

The soon *tm* recruitment thread will have way more info on character creation, the setting, my expectations as a DM and the actual point of the campaign, but I'm curious to see if there's any interest in a campaign using PF rules in the Forgotten Realms setting :)

I would potentially be interested in that game. :)

That sounds really interesting!

Thank you. I'm trying to puzzle together the right match of PF alternative rules (like intrigue), house-rules and then fixing the setting so it is just right. I don't want to create an entirely new system, but since I'm DMing a PbP, I might as well mix it up a little.

And heh, Faerun has the nasty habit of pushing the timeline by writing in massive world-shattering events, and Zhentil Keep and the Zhentarim have been hit by at least one with every timeline pushing splatbook :'x

Besides, while I might love Zhentil Keep and Faerun in general, I find that it gets a rather unwarranted bad rep from plenty of gamers.

Really sorry about the lack of posting. I'm still very much here, but next week is the year-end review of targets meaning that all the clinical data has to be signed off on, and of course everyone leaves it to the last minute *grumble*

Normal service will be resumed asap! Please don't panic.

No worries, boss!

Sounds good!

Back - that should be the worst of it over. Thanks for your patience.

Aivar, assuming that you don't set that game up until after Christmas, then I'm definitely interested :)

Yay! Welcome back! We missed you!

I definitely won't be starting the game before or during x-mas. It will take at least another week to get the rules and setting sorted out and then we'll have to get everyone up to speed on the setting and the expectations, form a party, and I'll need to do a ton of digital doctoring to get the necessary sources up and running.

I'm no digital slouch, but I've never been the most organized kid on the block, so that might be a bit of a challenge xD

So I've been giving the idea of campfire chats some thought. Due to the pacing of the adventure (not a complaint), there isn't really a good opportunity for our characters to make small talk and get to know each other better.

We could start an in-character Discord server. Functionally, we'd just use it as a chatroom, no actual voice-to-voice stuff. We'd know when people posted from alerts and it would would keep the Gameplay and Discussion threads uncluttered.

Does that seem like a good idea?

I'd be down for that.

OK, I've updated the map and the calendar. There's not a lot left to explore, so good going guys and gals!

Onward to Oleg's?

Onward!

Or backward, considering we came from there. But, eh, yes!

But tonight I say, we must move forward, not backwards! Upward, not forward! And always twirling, twirling, twirling towards freedom!

Wow, the game has been active today... and lucrative for your friendly neighborhood Wizard Nariel XD

I'll post later tonight when I have more time to thoroughly read what has gone on.

For the spells Wastrel, I'm thinking the following:

3rd: Haste, Fly
2nd: Resist Energy

I think the Resist Energy might be useful for our eventual encounter with the Stag Lord. If he's using ice, some Resist Energy scrolls will help us defend against him. When we do hit 3rd level, my regular two spells will be Web and Invisibility.

@Nariel - sounds fine to me. Go ahead and update your spellbook.

So I've been giving the idea of campfire chats some thought. Due to the pacing of the adventure (not a complaint), there isn't really a good opportunity for our characters to make small talk and get to know each other better.

We could start an in-character Discord server. Functionally, we'd just use it as a chatroom, no actual voice-to-voice stuff. We'd know when people posted from alerts and it would would keep the Gameplay and Discussion threads uncluttered.

Does that seem like a good idea?

Since only Raquel has responded to this, I'll bump it.

Sounds like a fun idea, though I'm not presently using Discord (or have ever used it actually) so you'd have to walk me through it.

I cannot say for certain how often I'd check in on it, but I'm all for the idea.

Heh. Nariel, you have the cool and detached (and slightly aloof) voice-of-reason thing nailed :-)

@Sasha - I've never used Discord but if you want to set something up I think there's buy in for it.

I'll work on it. :)

Heh. Nariel, you have the cool and detached (and slightly aloof) voice-of-reason thing nailed :-)

Thank-you very much, that was my intent! Actually, the more I write for Nariel, the more I realize that this particular elf isn't as cool and detached as she likes to put on... so I've been slipping in emotional moments of compassion, levity, fear or even excitement (like when she found the wand/spells just now) that very briefly betray her usually aloof and stoic persona. Makes for fun writing.

I dig it ^_^ and Discord is a handy tool since you can share pretty much anything and everything over it. I'm not sure how exactly using it will play out, but there's only one way to find out.

The (unfinished) Zhentil Keep document that contains a brief overview of the setting, the background, the factions and some custom rules I'll be using.

It's a bit of a mess and I'll take some time over the weekend to add some structure to it. Got to separate the lore and the crunch plus add a brief description of what the game will actually be about. Hint: working your way up the totem pole of the Black Network by doing all kinds of jobs, missions and personal undertakings for wealth and power.

Any and all feedback is welcome :)

Great, I'll take a look at it.

I'm now off work until Jan so the pace will now pick up! Thanks for bearing with me - I started this job in October and didn't realise how manic the end-of-year bit would be... :)

Hey all,

Just a heads up, but I'll be away on vacation for six days starting December 26 and returning Jan 2nd; my ability to post will likely be non-existent, so if necessary, feel free to bot Nariel during that time.

Up until then though, I'm very much available. I'll post later tonight.

Thanks for the warning, I'm kind of expecting people to disappear to some extent over Christmas/new year.

BTW, if anyone else wants to retcon having written a letter I will draft a suitable reply. Or if you did write something and I missed it, let me know, but I think my notes are up to date.

EDIT: @Aivar, very much liking what I'm reading so far! :)

I have some RP with Nariel I would like to do before she leaves for vacation. GM, if you don't mind me future posting for later in the evening at the trading post, I will do so.

That's fine - downtime moves fluidly, it's only combat that doesn't permit retcons or do-overs :)

Okay, posting now since I might not have time later.

Later, she responds to Kazgar's letter, telling him she would be honored to attend the tomb-sealing service.

Incidentally, are you planning to let him know about the dwarf gold-mine that you found?

(Please picture me asking this with the most nonchalant, poker-faced expression possible)

Yes, will do!

Iiiiinteresting...

*scribbles notes, doing best to maintain poker face*

Jesus I did not expect to read that when I woke up this morning. I had been thinking I should have sent money with my last letter but that wouldn't have changed a thing.

Interesting turn there Raquel. Funny enough, Wastrel asked me way back in July whether Nariel would be open to romance, and my response was this:

As far as romance, it's a possibility, but she would be leery of relationships with non-elves, not because of any sort of prejudice (quite the opposite) but because of the short life-spans of non-elven races.

Seems like that very thing is being put to the test in a way I hadn't expected. Love this game, always keeps me guessing!

By the way Aivar, I'll echo Wastrel in saying I'm very much intrigued by what you've got going so far there, so I'm in.

@Nariel: You do have separate rooms

This interlude seems like a good place for everyone to level up - apart from Raquel, who's just received the "Let's Be Friends" speech.

Welcome to Level 3!

(Just kidding, Raquel: you have unlocked The Power of Friendship so you get to level up as well)

Thank you for the kind words, Nariel, and I'll take that into account when opening the thread as you might be on holidays at the time.

Will post a leveling overview later today!

Raquel refuses to be friend-zoned so easily! ;)

I will level up fully tomorrow morning. I will be taking Deific Obedience for my feat, setting up to eventually take the evangelist prestige class.

I'm going to be largely absent until Thursday, as I'll be with family during the holiday. I'll try and check in here and there.

Also woot lvl 3.

So for level 3, here is what I went with:

I decided for level 3, I'd pickup Monster Summoning II to help with battlefield control for the time being. Air, earth and mud elementals all have a lot of uses.

As for the role play aspect, Nariel will be somewhat AWOL while I'm gone on vacation. I think that is the perfect way to put a pause on a rather dramatic scene for the practical reasons that I'll be away for a time.

I'd like to also use the downtime to get some scrolls completed - how much time is there? What is a reasonable number of scrolls she could complete? One last thing, can I purchase I longsword for Nariel? In the highly undesirable and unlikely event Nariel gets into melee combat, she is actually proficient and would be better served than a Quarterstaff.

You have as much downtime as you decide as a group is practical, given that your job of mapping the Stolen Lands isn't quiiiite complete just yet.

And you are in a trading post - buying most things is absolutely not a problem. There's certainly a longsword for sale.

Way to leave a girl hanging, Nariel. :P

Just kidding. Have a safe trip and happy holidays! :D

Now is probably a good time to see what upgrades we can afford to get people's armor class up and, if we're that rich, some masterwork weaponry. There's also something to be said for investing in scrolls of lesser restoration and neutralize or delay poison.

I will thanks! Looking forward to some vacation time. On a side note, not going to leave you hanging for a week; Nariel is going to keep it in the friend zone as Wastrel put it earlier. While I find the thematic and story telling elements intriguing (reminds me of the Pathfinder comic books actually), I also recognize I'm just not good at that kind of writing. Great dramatic scene though XD

On other news, I'm pretty sure Nariel is going to pickup the Craft Wondrous Items feat at level 5. If you all want to start thinking of things you'd like to have, I can begin amassing the spells required to make them. For example, a cloak of Elvenkind might be great for Sasha, or a headband of inspired wisdom for Raquel, alluring Charisma for Aivar etc...

Query for the group: Can other spellcasters help make these things if I don't have the appropriate spells? For example, if I was to make a headband of Alluring Charisma, could Raquel memorize and cast the Eagle's Splendor and help in its creation?

It was a great bit of writing - the detached elf trying to stay detached ;)

I'll allow co-operative crafting. There is a bit in the Unchained rules about group crafting of magic items that I will take a look at over the holiday break in case I decide to go down that route when we get to it.