
Mia Ravenlock |

My ISP has been down for a week, and will be for another 1-2 weeks, so posting will be a bit more difficult for me.

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All right, I have a bit of 'good' news: two campaigns just died again and I believe I have one spot open. So, if you'll have me still I'll go and finish the character.
I had an idea for something I haven't seen before; a strictly pacifist cleric that can heal and buff very well, but never attacks directly nor inflict any damage to living targets. She'd fight with a combination of combat advice, healing, the luck domain and inspire courage while usually under a sanctuary effect.
Out of combat it will be a cha/wis build so she can be a good diplomat, a priestess, or if you want to, a ruler.
Slightly undecided on where she'd join/come from in this altered version. The idea is a Galtan survivor, a priestess of Shelyn, who fled the country some time ago, as the only survivor of her family falling to the revolution due to a combination of sacrifice by them and sheer luck on her part. She has since lived in the region doing missionary work between the outland factions there. Possibly an apprentice to a white witch living in the area, and that fear of said witch's wrath is what keeps her safe despite being a pacifist.
Or she could have been with the group the entire time, but less noticed?
Any thoughts?

Dargys |

Can she cast hold person on folks so we can beat up on them while they're helpless???
;D
Ahem. Couldn't help asking. More seriously- It does sound intriguing. Shelyn is one of my favorite goddesses in the setting so I maybe biased but I think it could work. I would recommend a few reserve spells that can give a chance of taking a foe out of combat without violence, a command spell here or there; because you never know. As long as you don't get bored being our healing battery, and she can tolerate those who don't share her pacifism?

Varr Stormforge |
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If you find it fun then it works for me.
”I would never hurt you! I’m a pacifist. However…my friends here are murderhobos. Hold. Person!”

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Yeah, if you think too deeply on this then the concept does start to fall on its face :') However, I think it can serve as a motivation to join the colony. If she can't or won't put herself to fight enemies, the moment her protector is lost she needs to find a new one to have a chance at survival in a world like Golarion. So if we go with the Restoration Witch or shaman idea as her teacher, that person could go missing or such, which in turn might prompt her to seek out the colony.
The cncept would be not to fight using spells breaking sanctuary: anything that can be considered 'an attack'. Though one or two non-damaging CC spells could be done to get people to run I suppose.
Incidentally, this fighting style works towards:
https://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/achievement-feats/healer-s-touch-achievement /
Which is pretty cool.

DM Vayelan |

Besides also being a fan of Shelyn, I think that a pacifist cleric is feasible.
The character could very well have been among the original settlers, her pacifist nature dissuading her from getting involved in the party's adventures until now.
Alternatively, she could have been among the Galtan expats following Borjan. Her magic may have been all that kept them alive during what may have otherwise been a death march across the Whistling Plains. Meanwhile, her pacifist nature prevented her from taking direct action against Borjan and Tattercoat. The cleric may have also protected the half-elven orphan, called Pitch, who Tattercoat wanted to execute for as-yet unexplored reasons.
Lastly, she may have also traveled to this region on her own (or with a mentor) from Galt, Taldor, or Iobaria.

Claudia von Reegan |

How have things been for you, Dargys?
It's been a while since saving Falcon's Hollow, with that whole lich and revenant dragon. :)

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Alternatively, she could have been among the Galtan expats following Borjan. Her magic may have been all that kept them alive during what may have otherwise been a death march across the Whistling Plains. Meanwhile, her pacifist nature prevented her from taking direct action against Borjan and Tattercoat. The cleric may have also protected the half-elven orphan, called Pitch, who Tattercoat wanted to execute for as-yet unexplored reasons.
Lastly, she may have also traveled to this region on her own (or with a mentor) from Galt, Taldor, or Iobaria.
Interesting! Could you tell me slightly more about Borjan's background? What is known about him or why he chose to do this/come here? Is he still alive at the moment? Do I have some sort of leeway in his past for making up a backstory tiein into his?
I might go for something like a second in command or close friend or such. Though in that case I might make the character male instead of female as it seems to fit it better.

DM Vayelan |

Borjan is dead, having been assassinated in the night by Francoix.
He was known as the Bloody Baron. Despite being from a noble family, back in Galt he managed to survive and maintain a position of power through his skill as a demagogue, deflecting the mob's bloodlust towards intellectuals, foreigners, and non-humans.
When Taldor invaded Galt (which is what prompted Stoneriver to prematurely eject the rest of your settlers a few in-game weeks prior), Borjan led his group of expats eastward. He had heard about Aristide's colony plans, and he motivated his group with rhetoric about how they were going to "reclaim" it and recreate the "true Galt."
However, having put significantly less investment and planning into their own expedition, their numbers were cut significantly because of hunger, disease, injury, and exposure by the time they arrived.

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Okay, final update before finishing the character probably: I went back and forth a lot on what to do and now definitively settled on a Life oracle (spirit channeler) worshipping Shelyn. Partly because I never seriously did oracle before, partly because having charisma for kingdom things is nice.
I dropped the pure pacifist approach and instead went for control spells mostly as I think it's more fun to play somewhat proactively in the end. His spells still deal no damage, so it kind of upholds the idea. Also, while he starts off a bit weak in the support area, he gains a lot of it with each level. Buffs like heroism at level 7, inspire courage through summon monster at level 8 and evil eye and further hexes every two levels from level 9. He should be great to have in the party and fun to interact with.
I'll think slightly more on the backstory. Going with the high cha it will probably be a more vibrant, in your face personality. A wandering minstrel or such that came with Borjen, tentatively... if anyone knows the reference, a bit like Oliver Lenheim from the Legend of Heroes series.

Olivert Pythareus - Renheim |

This is Trevor again, dropping by with the nearly finished character. In the end I tied him in with the Invasion of Galt by Taldor on one hand and the trek of Borjan on the other. In case Pythreus being his dad is problematic, I could change him to a new, lower ranking Taldan Military commander - or one already in place if that is more convenient.
Let me know if there is any comments! I'm still working on the final stats but this will be the gist of it.

Varr Stormforge |

At first I thought “strength 7! He must have muscle of the society or muleback cords.” But Ant Haul is great at 2 hours per level.
For a curse…given that it makes his body waste away have you considered Promethean? “ Your body is falling apart, forcing you to rely on mechanical augmentations or replacements to keep yourself alive.” Yeah, you’d need to waste a lvl 2 spell slot each morning to cure the 1 point of con damage. But that’s not bad for a curse. But for flavor, it works with needing to cast Ant Haul every morning as well. Where Olivert is literally being kept alive by his divine magic.
But regardless, we’re curse buddies! As is, Varr is Haunted and Olivert is Pranked. Quite a duo. I’m sure they’ll be good friends.

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Yeah, I did consider wasting and promethean. I just like the gameplay and roleplay implications of pranked more. Pranked would mean invisible fey are often pranking people around him, and it adds some nice, proactive spells to use for when no one is injured. With his fighting style now purely based around magic and a lot of investment in being a healer on the side, he'd like all the help he can get there.
It was also partly chosen along the lines of 'what would cause a buff military man to be embarassed of his son' and that's where him having 'imaginary friends' he talks to comes from. I could think a bit more on a more fitting lore explanation of the pranked curse or him being a spirit talker. Perhaps he once outsung a fey while playing outside and he was cursed by it in revenge. Perhaps the assassination attempt on his mother also almost killed him and in that moment his soul touched the spirit realm, where the life spirit helped him survive. I'm open to other suggestions if anyone has anything on this front, of course :)
On the ability scores, 7 str is can be considered cheesy I'd admit though Mia also has one score at 7, so I went with it, especially since all it affects for him is what he can carry, and aunt haul solves that very well at 12 hours per cast for a level 1 spell. I can however easily drop his cha from 21 to 20 and increase his strength back to 9, if people would prefer that. Makes him slightly more versatile and less skinny underneath that armor :)

Claudia von Reegan |
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Archery is feat starved if not multiclassing, but reading this almost makes me want to have feats for an improved familiar (faerie dragon). :D
It doesn't do anything useful for a martial inclined caster, but having (another) dragon bonded to myself.... and one that can prank people...

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Archery is feat starved if not multiclassing, but reading this almost makes me want to have feats for an improved familiar (faerie dragon). :D
It doesn't do anything useful for a martial inclined caster, but having (another) dragon bonded to myself.... and one that can prank people...
Haha, that would be pretty funny I'd imagine :) To be on the familiar's s$~% list all throughout the adventure!

Claudia von Reegan |

And that wouldn't even be the -2nd- dragon under my care. ^^
Unfortunately, it would eat 3 feats.
And i'll need mounted archery, manyshot, and cluster shot to stay somewhat viable with damage.

DM Vayelan |

After a cursory review, Olivert looks good. I find the connection to Pythareus quite interesting, and I may exploit that in the future.
One of the other games I run is a War for the Crown campaign, so I found myself inspired to include a reversed version of Taldor's political situation in our game here. Without the backing of a team of PC heroes, Princess Eutropia's bid for the Taldan crown is unsuccessful and she flees into exile, leaving Maxillar Pythareus to become the new Grand Prince of Taldor. His first course of action is to invade Galt, trying to restore Taldor's lost glory through conquest.

Olivert Pythareus - Renheim |

All right, thanks :) I went ahead and put that background bit in the introductory post.
Also, reading ant haul again, apparently there is a line stating that armor and gear and not affected by the increased carrying capacity - which would in turn sort of make it useless. Muleback cords would work, but eh, I just went and raised his strength back up to 9 by lowering his charisma by 1. So he's slightly below average on strength but not much so, which seems to fit. I was debating this anyway, as I just like characters without dump stats.
I'll rework the curse bit somewhere tonight, going with that he was cursed by an errant fey after beating him/her in a musical duel of sorts.

Olivert Pythareus - Renheim |

I'd like to ask a bit more of the developmental state and geographical location of Haven, if I may. What sort of major buildings have been constructed? How large is it? Is there any sort of trade route nearby? Is there a dock? Do we have access to ships? Do we have access to the inner sea?
These sorts of things would influence Oliver's response the the food problem.

Olivert Pythareus - Renheim |

Thanks. I checked the list yesterday and it wasnt immediately clear to me which potential buildings listed in the list were actuallt built, though I might have overlooked something.

Dargys |

The ancient, ruined city of Kaskkari is said to sit on the western shore of the vast, landlocked Castrovin Sea in Casmaron. We're near those ruins.
If you look up you may see a link under the word resources that read 'the village of haven' that may help you.

DM Vayelan |

Geography
One of our former players created a digital mockup of a hand-drawn regional map that I produced. Since I've been playing around with mapping software again, I'll try to create an updated hex map with more details.
Haven is constructed among the ruins of the ancient city-state of Kaskkari, located on the Castrovin coast in Casmaron, as Dargys said. Haven does not have access to the Inner Sea.
According to Paizo developers, Kaskkari is inspired by the real-world ancient Assyrian culture, so in terms of climate and terrain, this is akin to Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) and the eastern Mediterranean coast.
Haven sits on an elevation overlooking a large river delta that feeds into the Castrovin sea. Some fishing canoes have been carved/transported by the initial caravan, but we have no larger boats or ships. No real docks, wharves, or piers have been built yet, either on the river or the sea.
No trade routes to or from Haven currently exist, but after the group's previous encounter with a Keleshite patrol ship, that is inevitably going to change soon. The Castrovin Sea itself has a few trade routes among Kelesh, Iobaria, and to a much lesser extent Kaladay. There is also the potential for routes to and from Vudra, Karazh, and Ular Kel.
Construction
In anticipation of our switch to the kingdom building rules, I will need to overhaul or perhaps replace the documentation of what's been built. I already know that I am way behind in updating the population ledger.
Several stone shacks and hovels have been built to accommodate the first wave of settlers, using the foundations and stones left behind by the Kaskkari supplemented by timber brought by the caravan and cut from the pine forests a few miles to the north.
The significant buildings so far include Francoix's cabin and kitchen (serving as a makeshift inn), Kalig's shrine to Gozreh built atop an artesian spring, Soraya's infirmary, Kalig's kitchen/home, Sir Dorick's animal stalls, and a set of latrines. The hobgoblins have built a set of low, stone walls that protect the northern and western edges of Haven.
Although not built by the settlers, other important structures include the ancient ziggurat where the leshys live, the ruined stronghold overlooking the sea, the carved obelisk at the center of the city-state ruins, and the "temple hill" ruins where the orcish residents live.

Mia Ravenlock |

hey all, I'll getting a post in whilst visiting a friend. ISP is down still.
Also, You heart me, Mia's cottage/apothecary is totally a worthwhile building! It even as a small spring in the garden!
I also welcome the fey pranked oracle, perhaps a couple of leshys like to get in on the fun.
Docks are a must, we could even instill a toll someday, should we desire, but those are likely a couple years away in game.

Claudia von Reegan |

Neat thing to know, a dragonrider's dragon can carry them from as early as they are the same size category, and strength allowing.
Sargon at Strength 15, Claudia & gear is on start of heavy encumbered category, but a dragon steed can still fly at full speed despite that.

Varr Stormforge |

Otherwise you’d need to play a halfling to fly.

Olivert Pythareus - Renheim |

That's pretty cool :) If carrying weight ever becomes an issue though I could always relearn ant haul. I am tempted to study in Hedging Weapons instead so that Oliver along with Spiritual Weapon has some damage potential.

Varr Stormforge |

Or get muleback cords for the dragon! Could even pay 2k to have them tattooed on the scales! Very cheap way to get +8 strength on mount’s carry capacity. Should never have any issues then.

Olivert Pythareus - Renheim |

Hey everyone,
I have a brutal work deadline to meet by the end of the week in preparation for my vacation. As such I won't be posting much until sunday probably. Apologies for the inconvenience and please bot me if needed.

Sargon the Dragon |

GM, would it be too late to reassign a few skill ranks for achieving prerequisites for a specific feat at lvl 9?
While you have mentioned some of his studies, would it be a stretch to think he would have done some looking into Knowledge Planes?

DM Vayelan |

GM, would it be too late to reassign a few skill ranks for achieving prerequisites for a specific feat at lvl 9?
While you have mentioned some of his studies, would it be a stretch to think he would have done some looking into Knowledge Planes?
I'll allow you to reassign the ranks. Since we haven't progressed too far from our new characters joining, I think a bit of a grace period is fair.
Also, since Sargon has studied both the ancient Kaskkari records as well as other scrolls and books that Barthazar has collected from Kelesh and other regions, I think Knowledge (Planes) would be justifiable.

Claudia von Reegan |

Take care of yourselves.