Aubrey's PF Dark Sun (Inactive)

Game Master Aubrey the Malformed

Yay Heathy! Whoooo!

Oh and Hi Sean ;)

Heathy:

Hi all this is Th'Kal (or Kal for short)
I'm in the process of leveling him to 2 and reading through the gameplay posts to get some ideas to rework his old backstory.

His main concept is that he's a foundling, raised by humans; he has all of his racial memories and behaviors/instincts, but tries very hard to fit in with other humans/humanoids... it makes him both very easy going, but also very structured when dealing with group hierarchies.

He's an axe-wielding kreen barbarian.

Arakan wrote:

I think Aubrey was going to update what you read.

We were heading to Tyr (from Balic), but ended up in Altaruk. We are about to leave, going East (I think), to find a defiling orb to destroy for some benefactors (pretty sure they are Veiled Alliance).

So, I reckon that in Tyr, somebody saw him whomping some other guy in a back alley over a stale marble rye and gave him a job as a caravan guard to Altaruk; Furio said "what the hell," and headed over there;

unless you got something better?.....just brainstorming.

That basically works, though maybe you've got some other problems which maybe makes you want to leave town for a bit until the heat cools - maybe the guy you whacked had friends. You are now in Altaruk, don't like it much, want to head back to Tyr. An acquaintance, another mul called Kamzar, suggests a job running a bit of light desert raiding for a couple of contacts of his - dangerous, maybe a big pay-off. "What the hell..."

Hi all this is Th'Kal (or Kal for short)

I'm in the process of leveling him to 2 and reading through the gameplay posts to get some ideas to rework his old backstory.

His main concept is that he's a foundling, raised by humans; he has all of his racial memories and behaviors/instincts, but tries very hard to fit in with other humans/humanoids... it makes him both very easy going, but also very structured when dealing with group hierarchies.

He's an axe-wielding kreen barbarian.

Probably a pretty similar story to Furio's - at a loose end in Altaruk after a caravan job. You know Kamzar, he offers you a job. You like to be helpful, so no problem, and maybe you get a new "clutch"...

We are probably about ready to run, so Furio and Kal can join very soon. The only downside is the party currently lacks a full-time leader - Arakan is a hybrid bard, but can only do a single heal per combat. If we don't get a leader, you might want to reconsider your second-level utility powers and think about putting in a power with which you can heal yourselves - both fighters and barbarians get those, I believe (without my books right now). It's not an absolute requirement, but might assist party durability.

Oh yes, before I forget to mention it - we are using inherent bonuses. These are in the DS rulebook (towards the end) and cover off some basic bonuses to attacks and defences in an environment which is not rich in magic items. You will need to factor these in (though if you are using the online Character Builder you can include these with a tick box in the Managing Your Character section).

Heathy:

** spoiler omitted **

Aub:

Oh yes, before I forget to mention it - we are using inherent bonuses. These are in the DS rulebook (towards the end) and cover off some basic bonuses to attacks and defences in an environment which is not rich in magic items. You will need to factor these in (though if you are using the online Character Builder you can include these with a tick box in the Managing Your Character section).

Note to self....check "inherent bonuses" out.

hello;
just a note: I won't be around tomorrow night. Working very very late.

@Inherent Bonuses (for Heath):
At level 2, you get a +1 to attack rolls and damage rolls and gain a +1d6 on a crit.
At higher levels this will increase and you will also gain an inherent bonus to AC.
(Pg 209 in the 4e DS Campaign Setting)

-----------

Aubrey, are we playing with the breaking weapons rule? Would it be smart to carry extra weapons just in case?

I'm still working on picking my second feat, but most of the rest of my character sheet is up to date.

I'll fix the background a bit to reflect meeting up with Furio.

To the group:

I know we're light on healing. I have a daily utility that grants me the use of a surge when I do damage, but should I look to pick up a multiclass healer feat? Something that gets us one more healing per day?

Originally, I was going to grab a multi-class monk feat b/c it fit with his roll and combat style, but if the group needs more healing, should I grab a MC Leader feat instead?

New guy to the group and all, so I want to try and help it stay alive as long as possible.

So, I guess I'd get "boundless endurance" i.e. I get regeneration 2+con mod when I'm bloodied.

So I guess that means when I'm below half hp's, I regenerate 6 hp per round until I'm above 1/2 hp's if I take that exploit.

I can do this 1/day, as a minor action.

Kal, I wouldn't multiclass unless you want to. There is already healing in the party, just not that much, and we might get a leader at some stage. As the front-line, so long as you and Furio stay alive is the main thing.

OK, lined up a leader for the next mission. Tenro, your character is called Gart. We'll just go for it and see where we get to.

alrighty. what does a warlord do mostly? are they magical at all? i am kinda looking for someone who is a bit more supernatural than what "warlord" brings to my mind, but i also look forward to exploring some of what Dwarves bring to the table in DS.

EDIT: i did a bit of cursory googling, warlord seems to fit the idea i had of dwarves, i suppose, more than the other classes might. and the thing where they give everyone temp HP seems useful especially if they can do that every attack. i think i will try to get some racial powers though to really capture that flavor as well.

A warlord is a leader, and their "power source" is described as "Martial", like a fighter. But under 4e you get powers in the same way as a wizard would, so being "magical" isn't really the point - you still get to do special stuff. The main role of a warlord (like any leader) is to heal and buff. In very broad terms, it's the same a cleric (the other leader in the PHB). But the flavour is very different - a cleric is all about rushes of radiant power, a warlord is all about pep-talks and grit.

Ah very dwarflike. Are there dwarf racial attacks or shouts I could do too?

No. Some dwarven feats, but not many.

By the way, you are on.

Oh, Furio and Kal - you can have one magic item of up to 5th level, gratis.

Whooohoo!

Thanks :)

not really sure what an appropriate life purpose would be for Gart.

also finding an avatar picture for a hairless dwarf-looking type was harder than i thought! damned stereotypes!

additionally, what type of weapon would Gart have? i was thinking an obsidian not sure if that is too nice or not axe or something

You don't have to work it out right now. But he's a former slave from Tyr, and now a mercenary. He's probably going to be big on freedom, anti-slavery, probably quite big on cash too. Or maybe not - maybe he hasn't really thought about these things, or perhaps hankers for certainties taken away by being freed. Does he want to support his old squad-mates, or does he want to avoid them? Or kill them (or they him)? Maybe he's looking for a cause and hasn't found one yet, and is just drifting.

On the weaponry, I'll handle that.

not really sure what an appropriate life purpose would be for Gart.

On Dark Sun, Survival is the only life purpose. ;)

There is that...

Oh, Kal, you asked about spare weapons. They will be provided as part of the mission.

Tenro, here's Gart's character sheet (spoilered for length, not secrecy).

I suggest you hit reply, then cut and paste the text into his character page.

hah it said **spoiler omitted**

but its ok i will just copy and paste it. hopefully sometime today or tomorrow i can get those books and look em over. i'd like to include some character options that are specific to dwarves in dark sun if such options exist.

i think something of his life quest could be trying to get back to his dwarven roots, trying to find a location that is or used to be a center of dwarven power or community. I dont remember the specifics of the life quests of dwarves so i dont know if that is specific enough or would cause game problems.

also, looking it over, he doesnt look like he can heal others very much. i see he is more tactical, but i think i read the other one was inspiration or something (CHA focus vice INT) and it could give people temporary hitpoints, which i thought was more heal-y than this.

i mean this looks great if this is what the party needs but i was under the impression that i should heal more (but then again i dont fuly understand the rules yet)

also, what is my plate armor made out of? chitin?

copied the info into my profile, prettied up the formatting, and i think im ready to go for real.

i looked up what his weapon is, but i cant seem to find what Brutal 2 means.

i have the basic 4e books now, just waiting on the Dark Sun special guide.

The life quest to get to your dwarven roots is fine - I guess you need to work out how he lost touch with his roots and why he's interested now.

On the healing front, you have the Inspiring Word power, which is an Encounter power. It allows the PC on whom you cast it to spend a healing surge and get an extra 1d6 hp on top. That's your key healing power. The other stuff is tactical, as befits a warlord.

Your armour is chitin, yes. "Brutal" means that if you roll low on damage, you get to reroll. Brutal 2 means that if you roll a 1 or a two on a damage roll, you get to reroll. A 1d8 Brutal 2 weapon (which you have) is really a 1d6+2 damage weapon, though re-rolling damage is arguably a bit more fun in practice.

Ah ok I get it. Could it be that he was captured at a young age or surrendered as part of a tribute to the sorceror king or even that he was conscripted? Just some ideas that popped in my head, not sure which would be more suitable, if any

Conscription, with a bit of captured by slave traders, is probably a good one. There is a dwarven settlement in the mountains not far from Tyr, so it should work. So how about he was captured as a child by slavers, his impressive physique led to him being bought/conscripted into the army, and he was then freed following the revolution. While wandering about, a bit rootless, working as a mercenary he's got to thinking about what became of the family he hasn't seen for almost twenty years or so.

Yeah i like that a lot

Heathy, I ran Furio through the online character builder and it's shown a couple of errors, which I've taken the liberty to correct. Also, as you (as far as I know) only have the DS book and the PHB, I want to run some options past you you might not know about.

Furio, Mul Fighter 2

STR 18
CON 18
DEX 12
INT 10
WIS 12
CHA 8

Theme: Gladiator
Background : Tyr - Freed Slave (+2 Streetwise)

AC: 16
Fort: 17
Ref: 12
Will: 12

Init: +2

Speed: 6

Passive Perception: 12
Passive Insight: 12

HP: 44/0
Bloodied value: 22
Surges p/day: 14
Surges remaining: 14
Per surge: 11
Death Saves: 0
Temp hp: 0
Action points: 1
XP: 0

Basic melee attack: Gouge / Attack +8 v AC / 2d6+5 damage (Brutal 1)
Basic ranged attack: Javelin / Attack +8 v AC / 1d6+5 damage / 10/20

Racial Features:
Born of Two Races (race selected: dwarf)
Incredible Toughness
Mul Vitality (+1 healing surge)
Tireless (require only 6 hours sleep each 72 hours)

Class Features:
Arena Training: You treat all weapons with which you are not proficient as improvised weapons. You gain a +2 proficiency bonus to attack rolls with improvised weapons. Your attacks with one-handed improvised weapons deal 1d8 damage, and your attacks with two-handed improvised weapons deal 1d10 damage. While you are not wearing heavy armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC. This bonus increases to +2 at 11th level and +3 at 21st level. You select two weapons as your arena weapons. If you are not already proficient with these weapons, you gain proficiency with them. In addition, any of your feats that grant feat bonuses to attack rolls or damage rolls with one of your arena weapons apply to your other arena weapon as well. (Weapons selected: Gouge, Lotulis)
Combat Challenge: In combat, it’s dangerous to ignore a fighter. Every time you attack an enemy, whether the attack hits or misses, you can choose to mark that target. The mark lasts until the end of your next turn. While a target is marked, it takes a -2 penalty to attack rolls if its attack doesn’t include you as a target. A creature can be subject to only one mark at a time. A new mark supersedes a mark that was already in place. In addition, you gain the Combat Challenge power.
Combat Superiority: You gain a bonus to the attack rolls of opportunity attacks. The bonus equals your Wisdom modifier. An enemy hit by your opportunity attack stops moving, if a move provoked the attack. If the enemy still has actions remaining, it can use them to resume moving.

Feats:
Toughness (+5hp/tier)
Improved Vigour (+1 feat bonus/tier to the number of temporary hit points gained from using an invigorating power)

Skills (trained: Athletics, Endurance, Intimidate):
Acrobatics +1
Arcana +1
Athletics +9
Bluff +0
Diplomacy +0
Dungeoneering +2
Endurance +11
Heal +2
History +1
Insight +2
Intimidate +5
Nature +2
Perception +2
Religion +1
Stealth +1
Streetwise +4
Thievery +1

Powers:

At Will:
Object Projection: Your force of will teleports an object a short distance away. (Minor, Psionic) Personal. Effect: You teleport an object you are holding in one hand to an unoccupied square within 10 squares of you or to a willing creature within 10 squares of you.
Combat Challenge: (Immediate Interrupt, Martial, Weapon) Melee. Effect: Whenever an enemy marked by you is adjacent to you and shifts or makes an attack that does not include you as a target, you can make a melee basic attack against that enemy.
Vicious Offensive: You smash into your opponent with such force that a nearby enemy can’t help but take notice. (Standard, Martial, Weapon) Melee, Target one creature, +8 vs AC, damage 2d6+5 damage. On a hit, you mark an enemy adjacent to you until the end of your next turn.
Crushing Surge: The feel of your weapon crunching against the enemy puts your heart back in the fight. (Standard, Martial, Invigorating, Weapon) Melee, Target one creature +8 vs AC, damage 2d6+5. Invigorating: you gain 5 temporary hit points (CON mod +1) when you hit with a power that has the Invigorating keyword. No invigorating power grants temporary hit points more than once during a turn, even if the user hits more than once with that power. Temporary hit points granted do not stack.

Encounter:
[ ]Second Wind: (Standard)
[ ]Incredible Toughness: Through dogged determination and sheer physical hardiness, you shrug off an effect that would daunt a lesser person. (No action) Personal. Trigger: you start your turn. Effect: You end any ongoing damage or any dazed, slowed, stunned, or weakened condition currently affecting you.
[ ]Disrupting Advance: With an attack followed by a violent shove, your enemy flies backward. As it flails for balance, it loses its footing and stumbles into the creatures around it. (Standard, Martial, Weapon) Melee, Target one creature. +8 vs AC, damage 4d6+5. On a hit, you push the target 2 squares. The target and each enemy adjacent to the target at the end of the push are slowed until the end of your next turn.
[ ]Goading Manouevre: After a swift strike, you step to the side and draw another one or two foes into your trap. (Standard, Martial, Weapon) Melee, Target one creature. +8 vs AC, damage 4d6+5. On a hit, you shift 2 squares and you mark one or two enemies adjacent to you until the end of your next turn.
[ ]Sidestep Manouevre: The enemy closes to strike, but you duck away and ready a nasty counterstrike. (Opportunity Action, Martial) Personal. Trigger: an enemy ends its move in a square adjacent to you. Effect: you shift 3 squares to a square adjacent to the triggering enemy. You gain a +2 power bonus to your next attack roll against the triggering enemy before the end of your next turn.

Daily:
[ ]Lead the Attack: Your extensive experience helps you pick out the flaws in your opponent’s technique, letting you move to meet the enemy’s attacks. (Standard, Martial, Weapon) Melee, Target one creature. +8 vs AC, damage 2d6+5. Effect: Until the end of the encounter, whenever the target willingly moves to a square adjacent to one of your allies, you can use an opportunity action either to make a melee basic attack against the target or to charge the target.

Magic Items:
+1 Rending Gouge (Critical: +1d6 damage and make a melee basic attack with this weapon against the same target)
Potion of Healing

Equipment:
Hide Armour
Gouge
2 Javelins
Desert Clothing
Fire Kit
Filter mask

Weight: 78
Capacity: 180

Money:
8gp

Other than the corrections, I've made some tweaks. These are my idea and can easily be changed back, but wonder what you think:

- the point buy seemed to leave two points left over. I put them both on WIS, as you get your WIS bonus to add to opportunity attack rolls.
- gave you a background: Tyr - Freed Slave. It fits with your backstory, and I appled the bonus to Streetwise as your Endurance score was already massive enough.
- I think you forgot your race bonuses to skills and healing surges
- I took the liberty of swapping out a feat and power: Crushing Surge for Cleave and Improved Vigour for Power Attack. I noticed that Furio's AC is quite low for a defender, which means he could take a pasting. Crushing Surge is a power from Martial Power, and it gives you temporary hit points (equal to your CON bonus). As an At-Will, the potentially quite a lot of temp hp, and could help keep you going. The feat increases the number of temp hp the power grants. The logic is that as a defender it is your job to take the hits, but with a low AC you are more likely to actually take damage. The temp hp should keep you on your feet longer. Clearly, if you want Cleave and Power Attack back, it's no problem but wondered what you thought.
- I added a magic gouge

I suggest you hit reply, then cut and paste the text into his character page (whicg should work as it isn't spoilered this time).

Thanks, AUB!

I copypasta'd the whole thing into my character sheet and I'll probably do most if not everything you said.

I guess, remembering back, Dark Sun inevitably meant a piss poor armor class, so it didn't phase me.

Nekkid fighter duodz fdw!!!!

If Trailjava doesn't get in, i know a guy who is looking to join a game. He is new to pbp and pathfinder/4e in general so I am looking to get him into any game that i am in.

OK, I'll see what Trailjava says - he's asked first so he gets first refusal. Everyone seems to want to be a 'kreen but I think fopr Kal's character concept right now it's probably best to have him as the only one in the party. If Trailjava's not in, you can ask your friend.

Understandable. Yeah thrikreen are super cool and if kal dies I totally wanna play one, but the situation here is understandable.

Kal - watch your back.

Hahaha I wouldn't kill him over it. I actually like dwarf too because they're different in DS from normal fantasy. Like in the pentad series I really liked how they treated them.

I'm actually quite unversed in DS - I've got the old boxed set, which to be honest I didn't really read - and the 4e stuff. I've never read the novels. So far I've breached canon at least once.

Its understandable. Honestly I liked the storybut the author focused overmuch on sexuality for my tastes. The other stuff was great though.

If there is a DS source, or novel, I've read it. As far as the books go, like I told Aubrey when we started, the first one of the Pentad series is probably the best intro to DS. I like the Tribe of One novels, but like all DS novels, they change the world WAY too much in the books. The first Pentad is good for bringing you right to the start of the 4E version of DS.

I loved DS since it came out with the first box set, and it will always be my favorite game world. I love how they took all the norms of typical fantasy worlds and turned them on their heads. Cannibal halflings (and the first thin halflings, excluding Kender, which aren't halflings anyways). Savage raider elf tribes. Half-dwarfs and Thri-kreen (which I loved since I first saw them in 1st ed Monster Manual II). And best of all Psionics, I loved the Psionics Handbook. The world was like an all new discovery of a fantasy world, and I loved how it stepped out of the mold.

Kal - watch your back.

lol!

The 'Kreen is a cool race. I've never read the novels, but I've read most of the old 2E(?) books on the race and their behavior. It's a very cool concept.

yeah i liked the thrikreen a lot in the pentad series, but i also like the dwarves. they were so different from the Gimli-esque dwarves of typical fantasy cannon. That is why i am excited to play a dwarf now, and to explore their forgotten lores and ruins. but i do like thrikreen a lot, just like i like the unique races of any setting, similar to changelings or kalashtar in eberron.

FYI i hope you all realize how tough this is to type considering how drunk i am right now hahha

LOL - typing drunk, now that is a Gimli-esque dwarf, lol.

That's a good point about setting-specific races being fun to play -- I like the warforged and changelings of Eberron.

It sounds like I should read the pentad series -- that's the second recommendation of them.

The series was a decent read, but as I said, they change the game world A LOT. It sucked reading them when the game world began, as the new world was presented, then they turned around and changed it.

The first book of the series will get you to the state of the 4E world of Athas, and I'm glad they went back and undid all the things the novels destroyed. Heck between the pentad and tribe of one series, the world was barely the same (as far as socially and politically) it was still a ruin, but it could have begun repair.

Hello,

um,.....work today has left me a totally neurotic mess, and I'm useless for frolicking in the dunes of Dark Sun.

Sorry for my lack of presence.

OK, we'll carry on and you can be a silent presence until you pipe up.