Would someone like to give a shout out to Joventus and direct him over to this thread if he's interested?
I don't know Joventus, but the consenus seems to be that he's a good gamer so I'm more than happy with that.
Hey guys,
Thanks for the props and letting me know about a potential opening in this game. I see that the adventure has been going on for awhile and I'm really excited about what I've read so far, especially the post frequency. I'll try to read through the game and discussion threads this weekend and will come up with a character concept as soon as I can.
Mothman, if you can give me head's up on party composition and character creation rules, that would be great. I'm going on vacation April 10th but will be able to post while I'm away. It just might take me a couple days to configure the WiFi. Do you want to set Monday, April 14th as my tentative start date? I should be able to read through all the material by then and finalize character details. Feel free to move that date slightly in either direction in order to fit me into the plot at a suitable point.
Jon
btw anyone know how to chance handles, I'm sick of the Jonventus moniker :)
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Jon,
Welcome aboard. Two weeks or so for character creation sounds about right. I’d want to involve your character at a logical point, so that might need to be somewhat flexible.
Most of the setting specific character creation rules are on the first page of this discussion thread – let me know if anything is unclear or needs clarification. A few minor details may have changed, but most of that should still be accurate. We added an additional house rule at a later date that spell casters get bonus 0 level spells / day equal to their relevant ability modifier (int for wizards etc.)
Current party composition is:
Laithe, male human (Karandic) druid (shapechanger variant)
Keildrithe, male human (Karandic) bard / ranger
Alton, male halfling swashbuckler
Pharris, female human (?) warrior (generic class)
Outgoing character but yet to be written out (currently NPCd):
Kajetan, male human (Lorin) sorcerer
Current party composition is:
Laithe, male human (Karandic) druid (shapechanger variant)
Keildrithe, male human (Karandic) bard / ranger
Alton, male halfling swashbuckler
Pharris, female human (?) warrior (generic class)
Outgoing character but yet to be written out (currently NPCd):
Kajetan, male human (Lorin) sorcerer
I've read through the first two pages of the discussion thread. Considering the current party composition, I think I'll make a spellcaster of some sort, possibly a sorceror. I'm also thinking about a priest depending on what role Laithe seems to fill within the party. If I do play a sorceror, I'd probably rather create my own character rather than take over an existing one, but if that's your preference, I'll consider it more seriously as I read through the game thread.
Also, you mentioned that you will be drawing a lot of material from Dungeon Magazine. I'm a former subscriber but basically stopped buying the mags when they switched to 3rd Edition. I didn't really want to buy new books :) I've also read the Shackled City AP and a handful of random adventures. I haven't really kept track of what I've read, but I think we should be ok if you're mostly pulling from 3E stock. I agree that it takes away from the game if players have read through the adventure, so if you want to compare notes, we can do that. It's been a long time, though, so there's a good chance I won't even recognize familiar territory.
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You are welcome to either take over the existing sorcerer or create a new character –whatever you prefer is fine with me.
Laithe’s main roles are combat (usually in beast form), tracking and healing (most of his spells go towards healing). I’m sure he wouldn’t mind another healer in the group to take the pressure off him, but either an arcane or divine caster is fine by me.
I’ll likely be drawing from some 2nd edition Dungeon material, as well as 3rd – for example, I may use The Knight of the Scarlet Sword, The Unkindness of Ravens and several others … but I tend to mix things up to keep even players who’ve read the adventures on their toes.
I’ll likely be drawing from some 2nd edition Dungeon material, as well as 3rd – for example, I may use The Knight of the Scarlet Sword, The Unkindness of Ravens and several others … but I tend to mix things up to keep even players who’ve read the adventures on their toes.
Ok, well I'm fairly certain I haven't read either of those. If something strikes a bell, I'll let you know so you can make modifications if you feel it's necessary.
Glad to see you involved Jonventus. Look forward to gaming with you.
Cheers
Same to you! I can't wait to get in the game :)
Hey Jon,
Glad to have you aboard, and to keep gaming with you. By the way, don't be overwhelmed by the year's worth of posts and background material we've accumulated. It would actually make sense if your character were not yet aware of what our PCs had lived through and what their present goals are...
And if I may say so, Mothman runs one of the best (the best?) PbP on these boards... the thread volume and posting frequency rate can testify to that, as does the fact that three of the original players are still deeply involved in the story.
Cheers!
Glad to have a chance to game with you again Joventrus!
And if I may say so, Mothman runs one of the best (the best?) PbP on these boards... the thread volume and posting frequency rate can testify to that, as does the fact that three of the original players are still deeply involved in the story.
Absolutley; this is one of the best games on the site.
By the way, don't be overwhelmed by the year's worth of posts and background material we've accumulated. It would actually make sense if your character were not yet aware of what our PCs had lived through and what their present goals are...
Hmmm, that's an interesting point. Now that I'm officially joining the game, I don't find the amount of material overwhelming. I'm between novels at the moment and, unless Mothman would prefer I start fresh without any game knowledge, was planning to read through the game thread to get a feel for posting styles, campaign background, and a role-playing niche my character could fill. I'm looking forward to it actually.
Mothman, let me know if you think it's better than I don't read part or all of the game thread and I won't. Otherwise, my printer's gonna get a good workout this weekend :)
I've read through the first two pages of the discussion thread. Considering the current party composition, I think I'll make a spellcaster of some sort, possibly a sorceror. I'm also thinking about a priest depending on what role Laithe seems to fill within the party. If I do play a sorceror, I'd probably rather create my own character rather than take over an existing one, but if that's your preference, I'll consider it more seriously as I read through the game thread.
Welcome aboard Jon. I'm looking forward to meeting your new character.
As Mothman mentioned, as the only healer in the party, Laithe focuses much of his magic on healing at the moment. But more than happy to share the duties with another if you were considering taking levels in a divine class. It's always nice to free up a few spell slots for non-healing magic. Your call though - I'm happy either way.
I'm 500 posts into the game thread. The party is about to reach the Valley of Snails, but first have to rescue Wil the Fox!
I think I will make a pure arcanist, likely a sorceror since I've never played one. Race is undecided at this point.
Mothman,
I'm going to start working on my character tonight. Should I make him Level 1 according to the guidelines on the first two pages of this thread? Or should I advance him a certain amount to be in synch with the party? If he's higher level, should I use the table on p. 135 of the DMG to determine starting wealth? Obviously, feel free to adjust the amount if the PCs have been especially fortunate or unfortunate with regards to treasure.
I'll send you details as soon as I've made any final decisions.
Jon
I thought I posted this earlier, but maybe I clicked Preview instead of Submit...
I'm going to start working on character details tonight and was wondering if I should create a Level 1 character using the guidelines in this thread, or boost him up to be in synch with the party. If I do start at a higher level, what rules are you using for HP (max at certain levels?) and starting wealth? There's a table in the DMG (p. 135) giving suggested wealth for higher level PCs, but that might not be appropriate if the campaign has been on the high or low end of the treasure spectrum. Whatever you decide is fine with me.
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I thought I posted this earlier, but maybe I clicked Preview instead of Submit...
I'm going to start working on character details tonight and was wondering if I should create a Level 1 character using the guidelines in this thread, or boost him up to be in synch with the party. If I do start at a higher level, what rules are you using for HP (max at certain levels?) and starting wealth? There's a table in the DMG (p. 135) giving suggested wealth for higher level PCs, but that might not be appropriate if the campaign has been on the high or low end of the treasure spectrum. Whatever you decide is fine with me.
Bump your guy up to level 3. Max hit points at first level. Treasure has been on the low side of the arc, so (refering to that table in the DMG) use the 2nd level starting wealth (I think its 900gp?).
Bump your guy up to level 3. Max hit points at first level. Treasure has been on the low side of the arc, so (refering to that table in the DMG) use the 2nd level starting wealth (I think its 900gp?).
Sounds good. I'll start by rolling my stats shortly on invisible castle under the name "Jonventus". I'll fill in character details gradually over the next few days as I read through and get inspired by the game thread. I'm on post 1000 or so...and I'm still waiting for the party to achieve its current formation :)
Pretty decent above average but nothing exceptional scores. I trust that's ok?
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Hey, have you guys seen the stuff about Nicolas Logue’s new RPG company, Sinister Adventures? If you haven’t done so yet, its worth checking out his website.
There are some articles and mini adventures available in pdf format for very low prices (also available here on Paizo). There’s an article on swashbuckling and dueling that might interest you for Alton Arctaris, and the whole campaign setting / world is very focused on ocean based adventures, pirates, shark gods etc. Ash, I don’t know, but there could be some useful stuff for your game there?
Better still, there will soon be full length adventures by Nic Logue, Richard Pett (who wrote The Devil Box that we’re playing now), Greg Vaughn etc. Good stuff.
Hey, have you guys seen the stuff about Nicolas Logue’s new RPG company, Sinister Adventures? If you haven’t done so yet, its worth checking out his website.
There are some articles and mini adventures available in pdf format for very low prices (also available here on Paizo). There’s an article on swashbuckling and dueling that might interest you for Alton Arctaris, and the whole campaign setting / world is very focused on ocean based adventures, pirates, shark gods etc. Ash, I don’t know, but there could be some useful stuff for your game there?
Better still, there will soon be full length adventures by Nic Logue, Richard Pett (who wrote The Devil Box that we’re playing now), Greg Vaughn etc. Good stuff.
I've been considering buying the article. It sounds like it fits the favored fighting style of a lot of my characters. If I end up getting it (which I probably will), I might want to incorporate some of the stuff for Alton.
Mothman,
I sent a preliminary background and some questions about reference material to your hotmail account. I've since reached the point in the discussion thread where you asked players to post character details directly in their profiles. I was going to do that anyway, but just wanted to let you know I sent an e-mail in case you no longer use the hotmail account. Let me know if you want me to post it here or send it to another address instead.
Jon, got your email, thanks, that gives me some good stuff to work with. I will reply in detail when I get a chance over the next few days. I’ll probably post replies to the boards rather than via email – that email account is current, I just don’t check it very regularly.
Np, I'll do the same (post on the boards). I was running with your original request at the start of the thread to send character info by e-mail. I've since got to the point where you asked for it in our profiles, which I prefer anyway.
By the way guys, your adventure thread reads like a novel. I'm having a lot of fun cathing up on things.
Hey, have you guys seen the stuff about Nicolas Logue’s new RPG company, Sinister Adventures? If you haven’t done so yet, its worth checking out his website.
There are some articles and mini adventures available in pdf format for very low prices (also available here on Paizo). There’s an article on swashbuckling and dueling that might interest you for Alton Arctaris, and the whole campaign setting / world is very focused on ocean based adventures, pirates, shark gods etc. Ash, I don’t know, but there could be some useful stuff for your game there?
Thanks for the heads up Mothman - I checked out the ocean based stuff and it looked good so bought a copy. Reading through it now and it seems to have some good content which should come in handy.
Just a (somewhat belated) heads up; I'm not going to be able to post regularly until Saturday. I might be able to make a quick post a few times but for the most part I'll be AFK. Sorry for the late warning and the inconvienence.
Mothman,
Just took a look at your Shackled City story. Really well written. Grabbed my attention from the first sentence. This is one I'll be following.
Nicely done!
Is that a campaign journal you've written, Mothman? I'm about to run Shackled City in my live game and would love to read it if someone could point me in the right direction...
Also, in the interest of keeping Shamus Car'das and Harlon Happytoes alive, I'd like to include them as NPCs the party may encounter. Any objections? I figure Shamus will be a contact from the Last Laugh - probably Patch's connection. Harlon will likely replace Fario and/or Fellian since the group already has a fighter/archer. If that's ok with you guys, I'll pull the info from your profiles. Twiceborn, could you let me know what reference I could use to find out about Harlon's class?
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Jonventus:
The Order was originally begun by priests and monks in the service of Arton who did not agree with all the Church’s teachings. It has since expanded to include non-clergy members, but they tend to be somewhat rare.
Being a priest or monk (or ex) could be interesting, but is not required to be a member. Also, being a priest or monk does not require being a member of the cleric or monk classes (most priests of Arton are not clerics and do not cast spells and few orders of monks in service to Arton have a martial tradition) but you would probably need to take a few ranks in say Profession (priest) and/or Knowledge (religion) – which might be useful even if you are a lay member of the Order.
Your destination is the town of Lichford – a Thuringian town under Atuscan rule, but known to be more liberal than many places. It is on the outskirts of the Empire.
Depending on whether you are still a member of the Order or not, you may either have been told to seek out, or merely be aware of, a priest called Stefan who is the Order’s main contact in Lichford.
We also have to work out how your guy will actually meet the rest of the party. He may be staying at the same inn they end up at, they may meet him at the Cathedral, or the freak show they are seeking out. We’ll need to be a bit flexible with this depending on what they end up doing, and it will probably require some work from you to give yourself a reason to join up with them once you have met.
Anything from a non-core source I’d like to review on a case by case basis, mainly so I can understand it and figure out if its suitable for the feel of the campaign. The Magic Compendium stuff sounds alright (not overpowered) but I would like you to explain how your character came by them, arcane magic (and even divine) being rare in the Empire.
Let me know what you decide on from the Complete Arcane, feats from that source sound ok. Draconic heritage in a sorcerer in this campaign would be extremely rare (but not impossible) as dragons here just don’t really mate with anything apart from other dragons. There could be exceptions. More common would be fiendish, celestial or fey bloodlines.
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Yeah, I’m running Shackled City in my home game too. We’ve been playing for a while, but are not that far through – about halfway through Zenith Trajectory. I’m happy to jam with you about it, but be aware that Ash is one of my players in that game too, so beware of spoilers (we can use spoiler tags for anything sensitive, or move to another thread).
The thing that Utak was referring to is a sort of campaign journal, sort of work of fiction, loosely based on events in our game that took place between Flood Season and Zenith. I’ve taken a lot of liberties with the characters, particularly in terms of internal dialogues and motivations. It’s unfinished … not sure if I’ll keep going with it, I kind of lost the motivation for a while. I should pick it up again.
Mothman
Yeah, I’m running Shackled City in my home game too. We’ve been playing for a while, but are not that far through – about halfway through Zenith Trajectory. I’m happy to jam with you about it, but be aware that Ash is one of my players in that game too, so beware of spoilers (we can use spoiler tags for anything sensitive, or move to another thread).
The thing that Utak was referring to is a sort of campaign journal, sort of work of fiction, loosely based on events in our game that took place between Flood Season and Zenith. I’ve taken a lot of liberties with the characters, particularly in terms of internal dialogues and motivations. It’s unfinished … not sure if I’ll keep going with it, I kind of lost the motivation for a while. I should pick it up again.
damn spoilers....haha
I'd love to discuss Shackled City at some point, but I think I'll wait until my character is up and running in this game. Don't want to be pulled or pull you in too many directions at once.
Speaking of which:
Also, I'm fine with some heritage other than dragon if that makes more sense in the campaign. Do you have a source for corresponding feats akin to the Dragon feats in the Complete Arcane? If not, how would you feel about some customized ones of similar power level? I would probably not be descendended from fey, in order to differentiate myself from Kajetan, but I'll consider Celestial or Fiendish. Both are interesting to me. I'm leaning towards Fiendish, as long as that does not require me to be Evil. What do you think?
Mothman:
Also, in the interest of keeping Shamus Car'das and Harlon Happytoes alive, I'd like to include them as NPCs the party may encounter. Any objections? I figure Shamus will be a contact from the Last Laugh - probably Patch's connection. Harlon will likely replace Fario and/or Fellian since the group already has a fighter/archer. If that's ok with you guys, I'll pull the info from your profiles. Twiceborn, could you let me know what reference I could use to find out about Harlon's class?
Sure, it'd be nice to have Shamus live on.
One of the best names for a character that I have seen on the boards, Shamus Car'das.
Well you'll probably see it again sometime; I tend to recycle names.
Also, in the interest of keeping Shamus Car'das and Harlon Happytoes alive, I'd like to include them as NPCs the party may encounter. Any objections? I figure Shamus will be a contact from the Last Laugh - probably Patch's connection. Harlon will likely replace Fario and/or Fellian since the group already has a fighter/archer. If that's ok with you guys, I'll pull the info from your profiles. Twiceborn, could you let me know what reference I could use to find out about Harlon's class?
Wow, that's a great honour, Jon. Of course, you can import Harlon Happytoes into your game. Source material for the binder class is WotC's Tome of Magic. I really hope I have an opportunity to use him again, someday... he didn't get far, level-wise, but he's one of the most distinctive characters I've ever created.
I'm finished reading the game thread and see that the party is just arriving at Lichford. I'm going to be working on my character over the next couple days (sorry I'm a little slow with character creation - it takes me awhile to settle on a specific vision). I have a few questions for you, based on our previous conversations and what I need to do to get up and running.
Mothman:
I've asked a friend to e-mail me a .pdf of Dragon #311 with the bloodlines article. I'll probably get it today or tomorrow. Without having seen it, my inclination is to go with fiendish bloodlines. But I don't want to be evil. Could this make sense for a Chaotic Good character? I want to play him as confident and charismatic, but willing to use his charms to foster chaos and manipulate others. But in the end, he has a kind heart and wants to see good done in the world. To me, this sounds fiendish, but I'm not that up-to-date on monsterology, so I don't know if a fiendish bloodline would make sense from a conceptual standpoint. If not, is there something else more suitable?
Skills
Just waiting to hear if I can consider Knowledge (religion) a class skill considering my training in the Order of Truth. I'm putting 4 skill points in either way, just wanted to know if that will give me a +2 or +4 modifier.
Background
I still have some work to do here, mostly regarding how I meet up with the party. One possibility would be that I'm staying at the local inn (The Minstrel I suppose) and encounter the party as they are having trouble communicating with the locals. I'm planning to take at least Thuringian and Atuscan as languages and could get them out of a pinch by offering my services as a translator while they're in town. What do you think? I also need to flesh out my relationship with Stefan. Is he roughly my age or significantly older?
Languages
Speaking of which, can you tell me what El'Kainish refers to? It's listed as a bonus language for Atuscans but I haven't seen any references to it. Also, is fiendish considered a language in your campaign? I vaguely remember reading that you have a house rule regarding that, but that could be from somewhere else. If it is a language, can I choose that as a bonus language if I end up with fiendish heritage?
Mothman:
Level 0: Detect Magic, Light, Mage Hand, Message, Open/Close
Level 1: Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Obscuring Mist, Tenser's Floating Disk
Before I do though, I have a question about the last one. Can I stand on my own disk and use it to slowly float 3' above the ground? The description says it can hold 100 lbs/level and maintains a distance of 5' between itself and the caster, unless directed otherwise. There doesn't seem to be anything against standing on it in the description, but I've had DMs rule both ways. Whatever you decide is fine.
Mothman:
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Jonventus:
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Jonventus:
A fiendish (or celestial) bloodline makes sense to me, whatever your alignment. Your otherworldy ancestor would be at least five or six generations back (or more) and while there may be some slight influence on your personality, it would not need to determine your alignment.
Being in the Order of Truth I will allow Knowledge, religion as a class skill.
Staying at the inn is cool, but it may not be the Minstrel – lets leave it flexible and see where they’re at when you join the game (in case they move inns or something).
Stefan would be in his mid thirties. He is a fairly well established (though not necessarily high ranking) member of the Order.
El’Kainish is a human language. Kainia is a subject nation to Atus, located to the south west of the heart of the empire (you are presently north east). El’Kainish people have long been subject to the Empire and the Artonite religion and tend to be quite devout Artonites.
Fiendish is … not really available, but we can work something out if you have a fiendish bloodline. It’s fairly unlikely (though possible) that the tongue has been passed down through the ages, especially if the family has become predominantly good. Perhaps it has been inherited as some sort of racial memory?
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Jonventus:
Having trained as a priest, joined the Order, but then dropped out of your priestly training would be fine. You would be a full (though junior) member of the Order, but not an ordained priest (or monk or what have you).
Perhaps you have grown disillusioned with the Order (they are not getting enough done, or their rules are too constricting) and are wandering on your own, or perhaps you are on a mission for the Order – either direct such as ‘deliver this message to Padre Stefan in Lichford’ or open ended such as ‘travel around and try to discover ways to spread the Truth or fight against the Dark.’
Thanks for all the info. I've made all the relevant decisions for my character and just need to put it on paper. Do you have preferred format for the profile? I saw some players used Spoilers for each section. Should I do that?
Just a quick post to wish everyone well
Cheers
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Thanks for all the info. I've made all the relevant decisions for my character and just need to put it on paper. Do you have preferred format for the profile? I saw some players used Spoilers for each section. Should I do that?
No need for spoilers unless you want to - entirely up to you. As long as its easy to read, I'm happy.