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Ascension
I'm looking for 16 or 20 players to form four groups of 4/5 players each representing a different faction. Each of the four groups has different goals and motivations, sometimes those goals will overlap with another faction's goals, and sometimes they will conflict. As a result players will find themselves sometimes working with the other groups, and other times in opposition to them.
Players wishing to participate in this game should be able to post once per day (Mon-Fri). More is certainly allowed, but if you cannot meet this posting requirement please don't sign up for this game. I will generally post updates between 10-11 PM MST. I will sometimes post small updates during the day as well dependent on me having some down time at work. Maps will be posted to my photo bucket account for viewing by the players. For example
Despite the campaign name, this game is not using the mythic play test rules, and there is no mythic ascension point in the campaign.
This is the recruitment thread for the Mageocracy.
Other factions can be found here:
Merchant's Guild
Thieve's Guild
Rebellion
I'm expecting to leave the recruitment thread open for about one week. After which players will be selected for each faction and another week will be given for players to flesh out any final details for their character back story and create a character stat block.
Either you are a student of the tower, were once a member of the city guard, or have some other tie to the current mage leadership of Coran. You are charged with upholding the laws of the empire, rooting out thieves, running sting operations on smuggling operations, and so forth. The mages of the tower are a secretive group and rumors abound about what goes on inside the walls of the tower, but for one reason or another you have earned their trust.
Allowed alignments: LG, NG, LN, N, LE.
Allowed classes: Any as allowed by the above alignments (arcane casters are a natural fit of course, but the party should be well rounded).
Races allowed: Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, Half-Elves, Half-Orcs, Haflings, Humans, Aasimar, Tieflings.
Based on alignment restrictions this is the only faction allowed to have paladins. My recommendation however is that you don't choose this class as you may have evil party members and some situations may face you off against difficult moral choices (this really applies to any LG character, but paladins will have a harder time with this). That said, if you really want to play a paladin in this scenario you may. I'd love to see someone with creative role-playing tackle this – just expect you will need periodic atonements. I'm not a GM who takes glee at seeing a paladin fall, but it can happen.
When creating your back story feel free to talk with other players wishing to join this faction and create ties between your back stories.
More information on your faction will be given once the game starts, though you are free to ask questions if you are looking for additional details to flesh out your back story.
The remainder of the spoilers contain information that is identical in each of the faction threads. If you have already read this information in one of the other threads you can skip these.
This campaign is mostly an urban campaign, though some wilderness travel and ocean travel will also occur.
The factions will give their teams various goals or objectives to meet, it is up to the players to determine how to achieve those goals. While I've got a number of missions for each faction to give to players, this campaign is intended to be fairly sandbox. If players come up with things they'd like to try to further the overall goals of their faction I will try to incorporate those ideas into the campaign. Be aware though that there are some places in the world that will prove death to the players if they wander about haphazardly.
I'm not currently interested in character stat blocks, I want to see first and foremost a back story for your character. As part of this back story all characters are required to include one (though more is allowed) individuals living in Coran, Gumlat, or Issust Hold (see geography below) whom they hold dear. When your character is in the neighborhood it is expected your character will take some time (stealthily or openly) to visit with this person. This could be a spouse, sibling, parent, aunt, uncle, cousin, etc. But it must be someone the character would take great pains (or even be willing die for) to prevent harm to them. This NPC will be a commoner and is not capable of defending themselves from more powerful PC's or NPC's.
It is expected your character has friends and acquaintances from this region of the world, feel free to include a couple such friends in part of your back story.
All players are from this region of the world and should select one of the areas from the geography section as a birth place.
I'd like to know what motivates your character and what your character is afraid of. Anything that I can hook some side plots into will make for a much more interesting play experience.
Please also include a physical description of your character including such things as skin color, hair color, eye color, and style and color of clothing.
Your posted stat block for your character should use this format or something very similar to it. Feel free to copy and paste this into your profile then change it up to match your own character.
Characters will be created using a 20 point buy.
Characters will start at 5th level. You may choose no more than 2 classes (or 3 if the 3rd is a prestige class) to create your character. This also applies when leveling up.
Each character starts with 10,000gp, of which no more than 50% may be spent on a single item. During character creation all items within the given 5000gp or less per item are available.
As you accumulate wealth you can assume anything costing 4000gp or less (assuming it is not an illegal item) are readily available. Anything costing more than 4000gp will require crafting time to have made for you, though anything up to 15000gp can be obtained. Anything above that price may or may not be available. Characters may not start with custom made magic items. You may request to have a custom magic item made – though I'm likely to add a flat cost on top of whatever costs might normally be associated with said items – or may just flat out disallow it.
Slotless magic items that mimic the ability of an existing magic item that normally requires a equipment slot are not allowed.
Magic items that provide +x enhancement bonuses such as cloaks of resistance, rings of protection, belts of physical stats, headbands of mental stats, etc can always be upgraded to a higher level for the cost difference. Also, these items may always be combined with another effect that uses that item slot for the price of the additional magical enhancement + 50%. For example a cloak of resistance +1, cost 1000gp, could be combined with a catching cape, normal cost of 200gp (plus 50% for a cost of 300gp), for a total of 1300gp. Or a ring of protection +1, cost 2000gp, combined with a ring of counterspells, normally 4000gp (plus 50% for a cost of 6000gp), for a total of 8000gp.
Players should select 2 traits using the standard rules.
Depending on which faction you are a member of there are alignment and racial restrictions (see the individual faction recruitment threads for this information).
Because of the nature of this campaign there will be PvP between factions. Players should plan for escape mechanisms from a battle turned against them.
Inter-party PvP will be strongly discouraged. If you wish to engage in PvP with those who should be your allies you must talk to me about it first, and your reasons must be compelling in story character reasons (like your allies endangered your NPC dependent – not something petty or trivial).
All players will get one free true resurrection during the course of the campaign should they die (you may choose to use this to raise a fallen ally). Unless the player's gear can be recovered though, resurrected players will start with one-half their WBL based on their current level. For arcane casters you will get a new spell book with only those spells you would have for your current level, any additional spells will need to be purchased again. If your body can be recovered then normal uses of spells like raise dead are available.
Players get max HP at every level.
Players will level up when I say they do, but this will be roughly following the fast experience track.
I do enforce encumbrance rules, keep this in mind when equipping your character. In general I will not be keeping track of food or normal ammunition (things like arrows made out of special materials will be tracked). If you somehow get yourself trapped in an area though where you could not readily restock these items then these items will be tracked until you can escape the situation. You must still buy 1 quiver (or 2) full of arrows, bolts, sling stones, what have you. At such time as you may become trapped you will have the amount listed on your character and those items will be tracked at that time.
Rule books allowed are Core Rule Book, Advanced Players Guide, Ultimate Magic, Ultimate Combat, Ultimate Equipment, and some portions of the Advanced Race Guide (alternate racial features and archetypes are allowed, as are racial spells and feats, and see faction specific areas for races allowed). Other source books are not allowed.
I recommend all characters train the stealth and disguise skills, but this is not required.
Leadership feat is not allowed, I've got enough to keep track of without worrying about cohorts.
Antagonize feat is not allowed. It is especially problematic for a PvP type game.
You may take item creation feats, but these feats will not be applied to your starting 10k wealth to reduce the cost of magic items. You will be able to get use out of item creation feats though if you select them.
Diplomacy and intimidate skills don't exist. They are all rolled into the bluff skill. If your chosen class has diplomacy or intimidate as a class skill you instead have bluff as a class skill. Feats and traits that would increase diplomacy or intimidate instead affect your bluff skill, however these do not stack with other feats or traits that would increase one of these skills.
In game when you are using your bluff skill please specify what you are actually trying to accomplish. i.e., still state you are trying to intimidate someone, or calm someone with diplomacy, etc, but your bluff skill will be used to modify the d20 roll to determine the effectiveness.
Because of the potential PvP encounters realize that using the bluff skill to get someone to act more friendly towards you (because of good diplomacy or fearsome intimidation) in a social situation may or may not work, though role-playing in this area is certainly encouraged. Combat uses of bluff skill can also be used to apply the shaken condition (as per intimidate) or apply class specific abilities that rely on one of these skills.
Note that many d20 rolls will be done by the GM. Skills that have an obvious success or failure such as climbing, swimming, crafting, attacking, should be made by the players. Skills which have more hidden results will be made by the GM such as Bluff, Sense Motive, Knowledge, Spellcraft, Stealth, Perception, etc.
When your character speaks, unless you specify otherwise, it will be assumed you are speaking in common. This means any listeners, known or hidden, will be able to understand you. Speak in another language and you may be able to foil spies if they don't have a means of understanding the given language.
Because this game will be taking place in four different threads simultaneously I ask that you refrain from reading the other factions threads. Doing so will only reduce your own and other players enjoyment.
Also because of the four threads game time will not always be consistent between the different groups. This could also result in a given thread being put on hold for a day or two if an encounter is about to occur between two groups but one group needs to finish something up.
The campaign takes place in the city of Coran, capital of the Ondian empire. Coran lies on the eastern coast of the continent and in the southern foothills of the Chaggath Spine, a large mountain range that runs northwest from the city. Coran is home to the great library, which draws scholars from across the continent to it for study and research. The city is a good sized metropolis with a large transient population. The given population at any given time is around 15,000 people. Many magical wonders and exotic goods are available in the city, as are illicit substances and other secrets for those who know where to look. Coran is also home to the current ruling Mageocracy, who rule from the Tower of the Heavens. What happens inside the walls of the tower is a secret to all but those allowed inside. From the tower come the laws of the land as enacted by the Council of Seven. Coran is primarily human though it is not uncommon to see all the varied races of the lands walking its streets.
A weeks travel to the west is a small village known as Gumlat (population of around 600). This village lies at the edge of a large expanse of forest. Rumors and stories of were-creatures surround the rise of this small village. It is said many years ago, Aroale Nulil, priestess of Erastil, defended what was then a settlement against a large number of lycanthropes through the strength of her god, though she perished in the effort. The tales of beast men continue to float about the area, though no one has since that time brought forth clear proof that any such creatures continue to exist in the area. Many believe the forests west of Gumlat are haunted though, and more than one soul has disappeared into those forests to never to return. The land between Gumlat and Coran is mostly farmlands with small thinly wooded areas near the base of the Chaggath Spine. Gumlat is primarily human though a good number of gnomes and haflings also inhabit the area.
North across the Chaggath Spine, two and a half weeks of travel over the high mountain roads, lies the city of Akleta with a population of around 3,000. This population is not centralized though, perhaps 1500 live in the city proper, with the other 1500 inhabitants within two days travel of the city. The area consists mostly of shepherds, cattle ranchers, and miners. The mountains separating Akleta from Coran have given the people of Akleta a sense of independence from the rest of the empire, though they are still dependent on Coran for trade goods from across the sea and rely on them for aid in times of war and to influence the surrounding tribes of hillmen. Akleta consists of almost entirely of humans in population. Other races visiting this area are frequently given a cold shoulder.
South of Coran lies a large expanse of desert known as The Endless Desert. At the northern edge of the desert, nine days travel south of Coran (or 3 days by ship), lies a mining town known as Issust Hold. The population is actually scattered between a small walled port that services Issust Hold (population of roughly 100 people) and a more heavily fortified settlement that was built on top of a natural oasis (population of around 500). Issust Hold primarily produces iron, but also mines some precious metals and gems. The place seems to attract the unsavory sorts of characters, perhaps in part due to a recent war against pirates from the southern seas which occurred nearly 30 years ago. No doubt some of those pirates make up part of the holds population. Issust hold is the home of a large number of dwarves, half-orcs, tieflings, and ifrit, though other races also commonly seen.
Seven days voyage by sea, to the east of Coran, lie the islands of Ioso, considered a tropical paradise by many. A relatively simple people inhabit the islands, which export fish, spices, and exotic goods from other lands. Outside of the villages the islands are the home of wild animals, dinosaurs, and a few other dangerous creatures. The islands are primarily inhabited by humans and undine.
The Chaggath Spine is home to several goblin clans, but these are probably the least dangerous of the the creatures that roam the mountain cliffs and dens.
The Endless Desert is home to desert nomads and various dangerous creatures, both natural and magical.
West of the empire are various smaller kingdoms who trade with the Ondian people.
South of the islands are pirate infested waters, and east of the islands lies a great ocean.
North of Akleta live tribes of savage hills men. These disparate groups are usually not a concern for the inhabitants of Akleta though there was a time in the past when they banded together under one tribal leader and threatened the area.
Laws are about what might expected of any medieval society, with punishments fitting the crime. Pick pockets will lose their hand after a 3rd offense. Murder is punishable by death. Creating undead is illegal (this doesn't mean you can't select spells/abilities to do so, just don't get caught). Slavery is illegal.
The Tower of the Heavens is home to the current ruling mageocracy. While it primarly consists of wizards, they also have among their ranks magus, witch's, sorcerers, and all other forms of arcane magic users. The Council of Seven makes up the ruling body and currently consists of masters Veray, Isul, Akeli, Torenest, Danroth, Banock, and Liam.
In recent times the roads have become a bit dangerous of late for individuals or small groups. Bandits and highwaymen, and in the mountain and desert roads more dangerous creatures are becoming a growing problem. This has been a cause of contention between the Mageocracy and the Merchants Guild. Tariffs have been raised to help pay for the costs of patrolling the roads but the added protection seems to be of limited effectiveness.
At the same time a group dissatisfied with the mages rule is starting to become more than a mere nuisance. The Mageocracy would like to put an end to this discontentment, if only they could figure out who is behind it and where they are hiding out.
With the current turmoil and politics the thieves guild is looking to expand their operations while the mages are distracted with other matters. Crime in Coran is on the rise, from petty thefts to rumors of an underground slave trade.
Because this campaign allows for evil characters there are some things that are likely to come up that could make other players uncomfortable discussing.
Sexual content should be limited to a PG-13 range. Rape or other sexual crimes are not allowed in the campaign.
Violence against children is not allowed, though you may run into street rats and such at times – bringing them to the authorities if the situation merits is a real possibility. You may burn down an orphanage if you like, but slaughtering its inhabitants is not allowed.
Torture is allowed, but highly detailed descriptions of such are not. Cutting of a limb or breaking some bones is fine. Descriptive details of what you do with a carving knife, or hot poker, etc, are not.
I would like to throw my hat in the ring with an Undead Lord Cleric. Lawful Evil. I haven't chosen a race yet.
Also, I like the idea of the many player groups, and I assume that we cannot have a character in two different parties, but is applying to multiple parties allowed?
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Dotting for interest.
I have a Tiefling Synthesist Summoner I've been wanting to play, but I understand if you do not want one in your game. You can see her current status here, and I would obviously edit her to meet the requirements for this game.
Issust Hold is likely where i will place my character's daughter as well as his history.
My character's friends and acquaintances are likely to be other members of the Tower of Heavens.
His birthplace, i havent decided yet, I am still thinking about the race. His NPC family member (i am thinking it will be a daughter) will likely be from that area as well.
My character's motivation includes cementing his place in the Tower of Heavens despite his illegal practices by making what he does an invaluable, if unfortunate, necessity. His biggest fear would be to be locked up for a lifetime in prison i think.
Physical description will follow once i choose a race. I am currently leaning towards human or half-orc (looking at the ARG for some good half-orc flavor to see if it fits with my idea)
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i am very interested in your multi-faction campaign. However this would be my first time for doing this online. I am curious about how to make a character sheet on the forums like Seranov did. Im in afghanistan currently and wish to know what time zone most of the people are playing because my night here is day over on east coast. I plan on joining the Merchant's guild as a half-orc Inquisitor. If i am not allowed to play for fear of my schedule, my feelings won't be hurt and i wish the best for this campaign.
im interested im thinking about joining the thieves guild.
dotting for interest. Will come up with some concepts over the next day or two.
Also, I like the idea of the many player groups, and I assume that we cannot have a character in two different parties, but is applying to multiple parties allowed?
You may apply to multiple groups. If you do so though please make it very clear which character concepts are also from you so I only pick one from a single group.
Dotting for interest.
I have a Tiefling Synthesist Summoner I've been wanting to play, but I understand if you do not want one in your game. You can see her current status here, and I would obviously edit her to meet the requirements for this game.
Synthesist is fine. It's a complicated class though, so I'll have to go through all the rules on that again.
i am very interested in your multi-faction campaign. However this would be my first time for doing this online. I am curious about how to make a character sheet on the forums like Seranov did. Im in afghanistan currently and wish to know what time zone most of the people are playing because my night here is day over on east coast. I plan on joining the Merchant's guild as a half-orc Inquisitor. If i am not allowed to play for fear of my schedule, my feelings won't be hurt and i wish the best for this campaign.
This being your first time in an online game is fine. The timezone hours don't matter since players post when they are awake, and as GM I collate all their posts together to progress the story.
As for creating a profile, I'm not sure if there is a good resource explaining how to do that. I've tried explaining it to people before, but its somewhat muddled and cumbersome. If someone else has a good link explaining it though?
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Synthesist is fine. It's a complicated class though, so I'll have to go through all the rules on that again.Dotting for interest.
I have a Tiefling Synthesist Summoner I've been wanting to play, but I understand if you do not want one in your game. You can see her current status here, and I would obviously edit her to meet the requirements for this game.
I am thoroughly willing to sit down and discuss the character and the archetype with you, because you're right, it's a pain in the ass to understand. I have no intention of trying to outshine everyone else, though, I just have a very specific character I'm trying to make.
I'll edit Akane later today, and when that's done, I'll send you a PM and we can discuss things!
I would like to submit a character for the Mageocracy faction.
The character from a class perspective will be a 5th level Bladebound Magus - Dwarf.
Since you mentioned at this stage all you are looking for is background, I will forego the crunch.
Valdr Ozzune was the third born son of Hakledun Ozzune, the Patriarch of a moderately successful clan and mining outfit in Issust Hold. For several generations, tradition dictated that the first born son follow the path of the father, the second born serve the law in capital, the third take up the pursuits of a scholar, and the fourth music. If a father was fortunate to have any sons beyond four, they were free to chose their own path. So it was with Valdr, until the plague known as the Saltpox spread through Issust Hold. It ravaged the small population equally, but the dwarves of the region found the losses particularly brutal as they were not known for being particularly fecund. Valdr's older brother Hamlun died of the saltpox, and Valdr himself was left with hideous pock scars following his battle with the disease. The death of Hamlun brought a shift to Valdr's station and his stern father informed him he would take his brother's place in Coran. Valdr was only 29 at the time and he had years of martial training to make up. Six and a half years later, at 36 years of age, young Valdr made the journey north to the capital. He was inducted into the city guard and served admirably for three years. He was not the strongest, nor the fastest among his peers, but he was certainly one of the most intelligent. His intelligence got him into trouble with his peers, many of whom felt that Valdr looked down on them, but it also caught the attention of Tharbeck the chief apprentice of Master Torenest.
Valdr was chosen to be part of an expertiment to enhance the capabilities of the guard and form a special group of enforcers for the Tower of the Heavens. For two years Valdr underwent intense arcane training which he nearly did not survive, but his forceful will carried him through and in the end he earned his place in the new order. His weapon, a traditional dwarven axe, was subjected to intense magics and in a ritual bonded to him. He became one of the first Blackblade's of the Tower of the Heavens.
He now serves the council rooting out crime and disorder, hoping to bring honor to his family back home and keep the peace for the citizens of Coran.
The people he cares about:
His father - Hakledun Ozzune, Issust Hold. He is protective of his father, though part him resents the coldness he has always been treated with. Still, he remains the dutiful son and knows his father has the best interest of clan Ozzune always in his thoughts.
His Mother - Neril Ozzune, Issust Hold. His mother, 'nuff said.
His younger brother - Faelurk Ozzune, Issust Hold. Five years his junior, Faelurk took his place as a scholar. Valdr feels it his duty to make sure Faelurk makes the most of his life and often sends letters and treatises back home to him.
His mentor - Tharbeck, Coran. He hold a great deal of respect for his mentor Tharbeck and while they have never shared a drink together, he would do much to protect the man who saved him from the drugery of a simple life as a member of the city watch.
The preferred format is an an alias of your paizo account.
e.g., Go to 'My Account' at the top of this page, then create a new message board alias. Then edit that alias to copy in your character back story and stat block.
Once that is done, when posting to the forums you will note a small drop down between the text box you type into to 'Post As' and you'd post as that alias.
LurkingTyranny, this looks good.
Dotting.I may take up the challenge of rocking a Paladin (Holy Gun). If not, then gunslinger is in route.
Issust Hold is likely where i will place my character's daughter as well as his history.
My character's friends and acquaintances are likely to be other members of the Tower of Heavens.
His birthplace, i havent decided yet, I am still thinking about the race. His NPC family member (i am thinking it will be a daughter) will likely be from that area as well.
My character's motivation includes cementing his place in the Tower of Heavens despite his illegal practices by making what he does an invaluable, if unfortunate, necessity. His biggest fear would be to be locked up for a lifetime in prison i think.
Physical description will follow once i choose a race. I am currently leaning towards human or half-orc (looking at the ARG for some good half-orc flavor to see if it fits with my idea)
Tavrus is a human male of slightly-above average height and a wiry stature, with brown hair and hazel eyes. His skin is more pale than your average hard-working human, but a good deal less pale than your book-bound scholar-mage. His daughter, Marinda, lives with the (presumed) widow of his decades-missing brother in Issust Hold. Elara has taken the role as the girl's adoptive mother since Tarvus had to leave to pursue his studies after his wife, Laurae passed away from a wasting sickness. Elara is a seamstress, and tries to teach Marinda her trade, however Marinda has become somewhat wild without enough fatherly influence in her life, and dreams of becoming an adventurer and traveling the world.
Further: his daughter is approximately 12-14ish.
He is evil but I plan to play him evil only inasmuch as he casts spells with the evil descriptor. His daughter and her adoptive mother don't know what he does other than that he is a spellcaster.
Thank you for advice, will do alias asap, but what is starting lvl for character? I didn't see it anyway. I had assummed that starting level was 1st.
It is 5th, 20 point buy.
Further: his daughter is approximately 12-14ish.
He is evil but I plan to play him evil only inasmuch as he casts spells with the evil descriptor. His daughter and her adoptive mother don't know what he does other than that he is a spellcaster.
and in situations of high stress, as a residual effect of casting the evil spells having slowly changed him over time, he might end up doing something a little more evil than necessary (not sure what, i just think i would like to roleplay that a bit from time to time)
Would love to jump in, will form a character soon.
Characters so far:
Valdr Ozzune (LurkingTyranny) - Dwarf, Bladebound Magus, from Issust Hold, comes from a family with proud traditions. Significant NPC's: family
Akane Mori (Seranov) - Tiefling Synthesist Summoner, back story pending (interested to see what you come up with after reading your back story you'd written for another campaign)
Tavrus (Tenro) - Race?, Undead Lord Cleric, from Issust Hold, doesn't agree with the ban on undeath. Significant NPC's: Marinda (daughter)
? (Bilbo Bang-Bang) - Paladin or Gunslinger - no other details yet.
? (Adrien Riventhorn) - no info yet.
? (imimrtl) - no info yet.
whalerking for Merchant's Guild, so not a member of this faction - will note it in the merchant's guild thread.
LilWilly5 for thieve's guild.
Very interesting concept! I'm thinking of creating a LE Gnome Ninja, who serves as part of a covert-actions team for the Coran leadership. I'm thinking of something of a semi-fanatical group, selected and trained early on by the mageocracy to uphold their rule of law and quietly "deal with" the more complicated problems.
Assuming this sounds acceptable, I'll work up the concept over the next few days and have something for you by the end of the week. I can also tweak this concept, if not good for the game you had in mind.
Tarvus will be human.
Very interesting concept! I'm thinking of creating a LE Gnome Ninja, who serves as part of a covert-actions team for the Coran leadership. I'm thinking of something of a semi-fanatical group, selected and trained early on by the mageocracy to uphold their rule of law and quietly "deal with" the more complicated problems.
Assuming this sounds acceptable, I'll work up the concept over the next few days and have something for you by the end of the week. I can also tweak this concept, if not good for the game you had in mind.
This is very workable. The mageocracy group can basically be thought of as a special task force for dealing with problems that are beyond the capabilities of the city guard. The mages themselves tend to be more of the book worm type - not liking to get their hands dirty with physical stuff.
This sounds like a really neat world. Is it alright if I join? I have the makings of a character floating in my head, but I'll have to sleep on it.
Edit: Aka, it's four a.m. and I'd love to tell you, but I'm having trouble typing a simple sentence.
This sounds like a really neat world. Is it alright if I join? I have the makings of a character floating in my head, but I'll have to sleep on it.
Edit: Aka, it's four a.m. and I'd love to tell you, but I'm having trouble typing a simple sentence.
I intend to close recruitment on the 13th of Jan, so you have till then to come up with a character concept and back story.
This is very workable. The mageocracy group can basically be thought of as a special task force for dealing with problems that are beyond the capabilities of the city guard. The mages themselves tend to be more of the book worm type - not liking to get their hands dirty with physical stuff.Very interesting concept! I'm thinking of creating a LE Gnome Ninja, who serves as part of a covert-actions team for the Coran leadership. I'm thinking of something of a semi-fanatical group, selected and trained early on by the mageocracy to uphold their rule of law and quietly "deal with" the more complicated problems.
Assuming this sounds acceptable, I'll work up the concept over the next few days and have something for you by the end of the week. I can also tweak this concept, if not good for the game you had in mind.
@bbangerter: This is Secondsight, Brother Tomlin is my submission for the Mageocracy. I went with halfling instead of gnome, and might rearrange some of the crunch, but the story is pretty well set. On the profile is a somewhat lengthy backstory; hopefully I didn't screw up with any canon you have in mind with this campaign. If so, I can adjust whatever is needed. At the end of the description is an assortment of folks that Tomlin is close to. The family members in particular are all very dear to him, and he is especially protective of his sisters.
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It seems to me that the Mageocracy could use a brute. Personally, I'd prefer my submission to the rebellion (Rocosmia), but if that falls through, perhaps this character will find a home in this world.
Jauld Merrithorn, a human urban rager, or a barbarian class with the invulnerable rager and urban barbarian archetypes. Raised in Gumalt, now serving the mageocracy in the capital at the age of 20.
- Born and raised by two humans in Gumalt. He learns to fight with near-savagery due to his mother's cruelty and father's blind devotion to her.
- Served briefly as a soldier in Gumalt, quickly setting himself apart with his fighting prowess.
- Transferred to Coran to serve in the guard, where his devotion is modest but his ability more than makes up for it.
- A young woman, Vanessa, serving the mageocracy forms a bond with him and the two wed.
- A mage who covets Vanessa coerces Jauld into more dangerous service, too weak in influence to do worse.
- Jauld gets twitchy and temperamental in the face of unnecessarily harsh criticism. This has done poorly for his military profession, not so bad in Coran.
- The Mageocracy is having a hard time, but rebellion? Jauld fears they might actually be right and he's a bad guy, and worse, that Vanessa is too. But rebels are miscreants, and he won't flinch in dealing with them.
I intend to develop this character more. I'm thinking some kind of tie to the merchants.
@bbangerter: This is Secondsight, Brother Tomlin is my submission for the Mageocracy. I went with halfling instead of gnome, and might rearrange some of the crunch, but the story is pretty well set. On the profile is a somewhat lengthy backstory; hopefully I didn't screw up with any canon you have in mind with this campaign. If so, I can adjust whatever is needed. At the end of the description is an assortment of folks that Tomlin is close to. The family members in particular are all very dear to him, and he is especially protective of his sisters.
That is a very impressive back story, nice work.
Characters so far updated:
Valdr Ozzune (LurkingTyranny) - Dwarf, Bladebound Magus, from Issust Hold, comes from a family with proud traditions. Significant NPC's: family
Akane Mori (Seranov) - Tiefling Synthesist Summoner, back story pending (interested to see what you come up with after reading your back story you'd written for another campaign)
Tavrus (Tenro) - Human, Undead Lord Cleric, from Issust Hold, doesn't agree with the ban on undeath. Significant NPC's: Marinda (daughter)
Brother Tomlin (Secondsight) - Hafling, Ninja, from Gumlat, grandfather lost to brigands, extremely devoted to the tower for the compassion and aid they have shown he and his family. Significant NPC's: family.
Jaulr Merrithorn (Nightskies) (alt of Rocosmia from Rebellion if not selected for that group) - Human, Ranger or Barbarian, a grizzled veteran of the guard, has some inner doubts if the mageocracy is in the right. Significant NPC's: wife.
? (Bilbo Bang-Bang) - Paladin or Gunslinger - no other details yet.
? (Adrien Riventhorn) - no info yet.
? (imimrtl) - no info yet.
? (SnarkyStitches) - no info yet.
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Sorry it's taking me so long, I had my first day of classes today (three 3-hour classes!) and I'm dead tired. I'll start working on Akane's new background in earnest tomorrow after I get back from a job interview.
I'm amused at the fact there are no wizards that have applied to the mageocracy. I guess they all do prefer studying to doing (:
I really thought about a wizard, but have one in tabletop group I'm in. Thought about Necromancer in particular, but we already have an Undead Lord in the mix.
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Okay, here we are with Akane's updated backstory. I decided to simply take the backstory I had before and bend it to fit this campaign, instead of completely rewriting it, I hope that's acceptable. Here's a quick link to her updated alias, which has all of her most up-to-date information.
After she reached the age of nineteen, Akane seemed to simply stop aging. While her parents began to get on in years, the pretty tiefling girl remained young, spry and forever positive. Some said it was her blood that kept her young, but the coy woman would always simply wink and say it was because "I am always looking forward, there is no time to get old."
When Hideaki and Yoshino passed away, their daughter was already well into her thirties. That particular winter had been cold, wet and exceedingly painful for the family, who had very little material possessions. They went quietly, within minutes of each other, still holding hands to the end. Even Akane, ever-positive, spent a whole month mourning the loss of her beloved family. They were buried beneath a plum tree on the family's small tract of land, a pair of makeshift stone graves made by their surviving daughter to mark their final resting place. With nothing left there, Akane sold the land and donated most of the proceeds to the local temple of Qi Zhong. In return, they allowed the tiefling woman to stay at the temple and train as a missionary.
Roughly ten years after her parents' passing, Akane had the first of many prophetic dreams. In the dream, she was greeted by a mighty floating mask and gauntlets. At first glance, she could only assume it was an oni, come to reclaim her and her devilish blood. But the mask spoke, its voice calm and almost friendly. "This one is called Yoroi. From the Master of Medicine hath this one been sent to you, milady." Waking with a start, the tiefling woman could not understand exactly the meaning of this dream. Though unwilling to simply dismiss it as a strange dream due to the creature mentioning her deity, Akane simply laid back down and returned to sleep.
Over the course of the next five years, she would have dreams similar to this one rather regularly, but she would always wake before she could ask the floating armor anything. It was not until she brought up her dreams with the head priest of the temple that she received some clarity in the matter. His face full of utter surprise, the head priest, a half-elf man by the name of Zhon Quai, pulled Akane into the main building of the temple. The man brought her over to the actual shrine housing, and opening it, revealed a red armored mask and black gauntlets. "These are the Relics of O-Yoroi," Zhon began. "They have been entrusted to our temple for generations upon generations. The legend surrounding this relic tells of the 'Kageko,' a child of shadow who shall be of Qi Zhong's chosen. The legend has never told of what shall occur, simply that we are to give the relics to them." The half-elf's face becomes serious as he continues to tell her the story. "I believe you are this 'child of shadow,' Miss Mori. I believe that you were sent to us by Qi Zhong himself, and that all the hardship you have faced has been to prepare you for this. And it is because of this destiny," Zhon removes the relics from their place in the shrine, handing them to Akane, "that you are to go forth. What our god's plan for you is, I cannot say. We will give you food, water and funds with which to support yourself for the near future, but beyond that, we cannot promise anything."
Awestruck and speechless, the tiefling girl accepted the relics, holding them carefully. Looking at the small masked helmet and gauntlets, each far too small to be worn by anyone she has ever met, confusion shows freely on her face. Upon bringing the relics to her chest, in order to hold them safely, they begin to decay at an overwhelmingly quick rate. But as they decay, a searing heat begins to build on the palm of her left hand. As the relic disappears into nothing but dust, Akane raises her hand, to find a glowing wheel on her palm. Though faint, it is very easily distinguished as the holy symbol of Qi Zhong. Even more astounded than the tiefling woman, Zhon stands there, mouth agape. "It is just as the legend says! You are most certainly the chosen of Qi Zhong! You must call out for his servant, the mighty O-Yoroi. Deep within you, you shall know how."
Looking deep within herself, Akane finds the words. "O-Yoroi, koi!" she shouts, and suddenly is immersed in bright light. When her eyes finally adjust, she is clad in the armor from her dream. Opening her mouth to speak, she finds her voice coming out as a strange combination of hers and Yoroi's voices, making for some very strange dissonance. Khon drops to a knee, almost moving to prostrate himself before the stunned woman. she begins, but as she reaches out, her hand seems to burst into flame. Shocked by the sudden flash, she turns away, only to discover the hand is not on fire, but merely radiating pure white light. Gasping, Akane stumbles backwards, before Yoroi disappears... though she can still hear him in her mind.
"It must be true... Come, Miss Mori. We shall get you all you need for your trip. You must go forth. There is no surer sign that this is your destiny!" Zhon proceeds to take her further into the shrine, where she is outfitted for the journey ahead. "Remember always, that we are behind you. We expect great things of you, and we are ever grateful for your service." With this last statement, Akane is shuffled out of the door. Confused, laden with the equipment and coin for her trip, and still surprised, Akane Mori begins her journey. Within a handful of days, however, one of her comrades from the temple catches up with her. His name is Koan, and he is a monk and scholar who had been a disciple under Zhon's tutelage. He explains that he has been dispatched to assist Akane in her duty.
After nearly a year of travel to the east, Akane and Koan find themselves in the Ondian empire. Acting as a missionary of her faith, the tiefling woman has spread the word of Qi Zhong to many small villages and towns on her quest. Hearing of the great library and the Mageocracy of Coran, she hopes to spread the word of the Master of Medicine to even more folk who can appreciate the power of his magic. In the year since they began their journey, Akane and Koan have become inseperable friends, working tirelessly to spread their god's message. Once they reach Coran, Akane is met with another vision. Yoroi speaks to her in her dreams, "Milady must work towards the goals of the Tower. My master has not told this one why, but if he wishes it, it is this one's duty to see it done." With this, Akane makes sure Koan finds lodging in the city, before approaching the gates of the Tower of the Heavens. Explaining her purpose to the guards there, she is soon brought before the rulers of the whole city. Further explaining herself to these powerful mages. Explaining her task, and displaying her powerful magic, the council decides to take the summoner into their service. Now, in the name of the Council of Seven, Akane Mori works towards the goals of Coran and the Ondian empire, as well as to spread the faith of Qi Zhong to as many as she can.
Her eidolon, Yoroi, is a floating, disembodied armored head and pair of armored gauntlets that follow her every move. It does in fact surround her body, but it is invisible to the naked eye. If one were capable of seeing it, they would see a huge, armored beast with four legs, two arms and snow white fur.
She can sometimes be a bit air-headed and scatterbrained. Her attention is easily stolen by things she enjoys, and she would rather relax and enjoy herself than go out and get things done, though she can be persuaded with some ease.
I figured I'd write up a little more about Koan, because I couldn't really think of a way to fit a lot about him into Akane's backstory.
He has no martial training whatsoever, having spent most of his time at their home temple as a scribe and scholar. He fears combat and danger, and if he and Akane are accosted while traveling, he will quickly hide himself wherever possible, only coming out at Akane's beckoning.
When not around Akane, Koan is very mousy and even quieter than normal, generally choosing to spend his time by himself. He frequents the great library in Coran as often as he can, loving to bury himself in old tomes and scrolls of magic, despite his inability to actually use them.
Jaulr is a barbarian, a rager, not ranger. A cleric, summoner and magus aren't casty enough?
Ha, my reading has failed me.
I hope that's acceptable.
** spoiler omitted **...
Yep, that's fine.
@bbangerter: I sent you a PM yesterday, just wanted to make sure got it. Also, I planned Tomlin as a poison crafter. I'm assuming that the rules for this would be just like magic item crafting: you have to buy them at full price now but can craft later. If I'm wrong on this let me know. Also, can I assume that all poisons listed in the allowed rulebooks are available for purchase and creation? Tomlin has about 400gp's left over.
@bbangerter: I sent you a PM yesterday, just wanted to make sure got it. Also, I planned Tomlin as a poison crafter. I'm assuming that the rules for this would be just like magic item crafting: you have to buy them at full price now but can craft later. If I'm wrong on this let me know. Also, can I assume that all poisons listed in the allowed rulebooks are available for purchase and creation? Tomlin has about 400gp's left over.
I did get your PM.
I'm actually not aware of any rules on cost to craft poison, but half cost to craft your own makes sense.
For character creation yes they are all available. Once the game starts rarity of some ingredients could be an issue for future crafting.
as far as i know, poison crafting follows all the same cost/craft check requirements that regular crafting does.
poisons: "Poisons can be made using Craft (alchemy). The DC to make a poison is equal to its Fortitude save DC. Rolling a natural 1 on a Craft skill check while making a poison exposes the crafter to the poison. Crafters with the poison use class feature do not risk poisoning themselves when using Craft to make poison."
craft: "To determine how much time and money it takes to make an item, follow these steps.
Find the item's price in silver pieces (1 gp = 10 sp).
Find the item's DC from Table: Craft Skills.
Pay 1/3 of the item's price for the raw material cost.
Make an appropriate Craft check representing one week's worth of work. If the check succeeds, multiply your check result by the DC. If the result × the DC equals the price of the item in sp, then you have completed the item. (If the result × the DC equals double or triple the price of the item in silver pieces, then you've completed the task in one-half or one-third of the time. Other multiples of the DC reduce the time in the same manner.) If the result × the DC doesn't equal the price, then it represents the progress you've made this week. Record the result and make a new Craft check for the next week. Each week, you make more progress until your total reaches the price of the item in silver pieces.
If you fail a check by 4 or less, you make no progress this week. If you fail by 5 or more, you ruin half the raw materials and have to pay half the original raw material cost again."
@bbangerter: Tenro has the jist of it, but Tomlin also took Master Alchemist (from APG) as a Feat which greatly increases the speed (though not the cost) of poison crafting. Like all crafting, it can get a bit complicated so if you prefer to not have to deal with that I can just drop the whole alchemy/poison-making angle of the character. Just let me know.
yes i imagine with rules as written that feat would work with the poison crafting. honestly, the cost itself is the most prohibitive thing about poisoncrafting, since the fact that poisons are typically illegal drives up the price, which makes it more expensive to craft because those ingredients are harder to come by.
as far as i know, poison crafting follows all the same cost/craft check requirements that regular crafting does.
/facepalm. Of course, thanks Tenro. Feel free to take those skills/feats secondsight.
I'm throwing together a Neutral Rogue as companion to a friend of mine who will be adding (I believe, unless he's changed his mind) a LG Fighter. We have a backstory we're working on that groups us together and I'll submit my half soon.