Hooray! You’re reading this! That means you’re at least partially interested in playing this game. Kudos. Below, you’ll find all the guidelines and house rules you’ll need to make a character to run in Blood Rage of the Wastes, the Giantslayer Adventure Path set in Belkzen. One spot is spoken for, and I’m looking for 4-5 more players.
I’m new to PbP on the Paizo boards. I’ve played for for over 20 years ( DnD and then Pathfinder mostly, with occasional forays into Rifts, World of Darkness, and Mutants and Masterminds). I prefer Pathfinder and MM to all of the others. I’ve GM’d for many of those years. I have 3 successful PbeMs going (Council of Thieves, Skull and Shackles, and Jade Regent), and I have just started a PbP Kingmaker game set in Tian Xia. Because it’s been such a positive experience, I figured I’d start another PbP, because… why not? For those of you worrying about time crunch and competing with other games, I live in Hawaii and I’m a teacher. I live for paperwork and I’m 6 hours behind Eastern Standard Time, so I know I can manage flow.
Now, about the game!
It’s set in Belkzen, and you’re expected to be natives. I would like to do this as a sort of reverse-AP. The party will be composed entirely of orcs and half-orcs. The party will be recruited by a nascent warlord with aspirations of challenging Grask Uldreth himself. You can belong to any tribe (although it may help for you to belong to the same tribe).
When you submit your characters, I would like a paragraph detailing at least one big character goal you have for the PC. If nothing else happens the entire game, what is the one thing you want your PC to accomplish? You can have more than one goal. In fact, I encourage it, since it gives me more levers to pull and helps invest your character in the events of the game. You don’t have to be married to the idea, after all, plans can change. But, it should be there to start with. Feel free to think as big or small as you want, after all, you’re getting a kingdom out of this, so the sky’s the limit.
The game will open with a brief introduction during the annual festival known as the Flood Truce. Put as much detail into your tribe as you want. If you want to be part of an established tribe, I’ve put very brief descriptions of each tribe in a doc at the top. If you want to make your own tribe, go for it. If you’re interested, Belkzen: Hold of the Orc Hordes; Orcs of Golarion; and the Giantslayer Player’s Guide have a host of information about bout the Hold of Belkzen as well as key locations in this AP. I don’t expect you to have those, however. I’ll provide any supplemental info you might want.
Five to Six total. One is already spoken for. That leaves 4-5 spots up for grabs.
I don’t care about ‘balanced’ parties. I’m more interested in what the PCs backgrounds bring to the table. You’re all orcs; what sets your orc apart from other orcs? That’s what matters. I want you to send in characters that you feel passionate about and that you want to play. I’ve seen all-witch parties decimate encounters, and I’ve seen perfectly balanced parties tank. I can always give you guys items and gear that will accommodate an unfilled role if it becomes an issue.
No 3rd party content.
25 point buy. You can drop scores to 7 (lower with racial modifiers, of course).
You have max gp for your class to buy your gear. You can use skills like craft to reduce the cost of this gear as per the rules in the PFSRD. All rolls (pre-game) are assumed to be successes. Have fun.
Start at 1st level.
Any alignment is allowed (even chaotic evil). You can be evil. Don’t be a jerk, though. Remember, you have to be able to work together with your comrades in arms to survive. Even chaotic evil characters can get behind that philosophy.
Orc is the main language of Belkzen. So, everyone is expected to know it.
You can be the following races: orc, half-orc.
All official paizo classes, archetypes, and prestige classes are allowed.
A character starts with 4 traits. One trait must be a campaign trait selected from the traits listed in the Player’s Guide. The remaining traits (such as those given by feats or drawbacks) may be selected from any combination of other traits.
Hit points: max hd + constitution modifier at each level .
Crafting is allowed.
Leadership feats are allowed.
Throughout this AP, you’ll be fighting some dragons, a lot of giants and a bunch of other humanoids. I don’t know much of what happens in later books, save those very broad strokes, so keep that in mind when you’re looking at builds.
I’ll roll initiative, perception checks, and anything that needs to be resolved immediately, you can handle everything else.
If you want an immediate action to go off, you need to tell me when you want that to occur, either during your turn as a condition that I’ll look for the subsequent round (yes you will need to keep stating the condition for the immediate action each turn). I will not, slog through 3 actions to get the immediate action in play. So, if you don’t immediately tell me when you want your immediate action to occur (or the condition that triggers it), it’s not gonna happen.
I’m expecting a post schedule of 1 per 48 hours to allow for time differences.
Please keep track of your own statuses and what not. List essential stats (race, class level, alignment, hp, initiative, and perception) in the alias bar, spoiler everything else.
Please, be civil and polite to each other in these threads. I don’t approve of name calling or anything like that. If you disagree with someone’s opinions, discuss it respectfully in a level tone.
I’m new to PbP. I’m going to make mistakes. Please be gentle when I do :) I’ll try to fix what i borked.
Recruitment will end on April 17 at midnight Hawaiian Time (that’s 6am April 18 for those of you on the East Coast).
Definitely intrigued. I have a couple of different ideas kicking around my brain; let me see if anything jells in the time frame you're allotting.
Later on,
Ghorrin Redblade
Dot for interest. I'll see what I can come up with.
Very interesting concept, I will look into Belkzen a bit more and come back with a concept later on this evening.
Yes!!!
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Definitely interested in this. Considering perhaps a former member of the Defiled Corpse tribe who was sickened by the creation of the Carcass Man of Belkzen and fled to join another tribe. Still has some canniballistic tendencies.
I'll come up with a more concrete idea, but I'm definitely in if you'll have me. :)
Here is the crunch for my mounted fury. I already had it built so i'll post a backstory soon.
Interesting. I'm already thinking of ideas.
Well hello there. :)
Currently pondering, all melee-oriented:
1) A druid, either saurian shaman because dinosaurs are cool or goliath because bigger is better.
2) A oracle of battle, the dark tapestry, or battle.
3) A swashbuckler. Because there's something wonderful about playing a member of the raaaaaaaaaaaar race who does flips and pirouettes around the battlefield with a slender blade.
Dot
Half Orc Anti-Paladin.
I'll have a doc for tribes up in a few hours.. i'm still at work
And, while i'm at it, I'll have a doc for common Orc gods. I'll include the racial pantheon and the Golarion-wide deities. You don't have to worship them, but it'll be there for an FYI.
ill dot in for now ...how do you feel about
summoner /synthesis /blood god decibel?
I'm leaning cross blooded sorcerer maybe, melt some faces or something.
oh or do you think you could allow White-Haired Witch with Scarred Witch Doctor ^_^ for my Orc
Hmmm... An orc kineticist sounds like an interesting option. A small guy, runt of the litter but tough. Nobody thought he'd make it. Until one day when he started hurling thunderbolts around. Nobody was going to push him around any longer.
Will you accept playtest material? Under the usual assumption that I have to live with the changes when the final version comes out, good or bad.
ill dot in for now ...how do you feel about
summoner /synthesis /blood god decibel?
Yes a synthesist/ blood God disciple is ok
Hmmm... An orc kineticist sounds like an interesting option. A small guy, runt of the litter but tough. Nobody thought he'd make it. Until one day when he started hurling thunderbolts around. Nobody was going to push him around any longer.
Will you accept playtest material? Under the usual assumption that I have to live with the changes when the final version comes out, good or bad.
Eh... Gonna say no to play test at the moment, sorry.
oh or do you think you could allow White-Haired Witch with Scarred Witch Doctor ^_^ for my Orc
as long as they're a legit combination, I'm ok with it
A note on blending archetypes: as long as they're legal combos, I'll probably say OK. But, remember, if 2 archetypes touch the same ability, they're invalid as a combo
Eh... Gonna say no to play test at the moment, sorry.
No problem. I'm still interested. Gonna play around and see what thrills me.
This is Gorr Bardagi, a Half-Orc Ranger who ended up being raised by Elves.
GM Dragonofashandflame I gave him the Giant Slayer from Rise of the Runelords, because it is recommend in the players guide for this AP. If you don't want to allow it let me know, and I will swap it out for slayer instead.
Gorr Bardagi
Male half-orc ranger 1
NG Medium humanoid (human, orc)
Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +6
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Defense
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AC 17, touch 13, flat-footed 14 (+3 armor, +3 Dex, +1 shield)
hp 13 (1d10+3)
Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +3
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)
Melee bardiche +4 (1d10+4/19-20) or
. . kukri +4 (1d4+3/18-20)
Ranged composite longbow +4 (1d8+3/×3) or
. . longbow +4 (1d8/×3)
Special Attacks favored enemy (giants +2)
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Statistics
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Str 16, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 8
Base Atk +1; CMB +4; CMD 17
Feats Point-blank Shot
Traits adopted, giant slayer, sacred touch, vexing defender, Civilized
Skills Acrobatics +2 (-2 to jump, +6 to move through enemy's space without provoking an attack of opportunity if the enemy is larger than you), Climb +5, Craft (bows) +2, Knowledge (local) +7, Knowledge (nature) +4, Perception +6, Survival +6; Racial Modifiers +1 Acrobatics, +1 Climb, +2 Knowledge (local)
Languages Common, Orc
SQ orc blood, track +1, wild empathy +0
Combat Gear caltrops (2); Other Gear studded leather, buckler, arrows (40), bardiche, composite longbow (+3 Str), kukri, longbow, bandolier, bedroll, canteen, canteen, flint and steel, grappling arrow, hammock, masterwork backpack, mess kit, powder (2), silk rope (50 ft.), trail rations (5), whetstone, wrist sheath, 16 gp, 9 sp, 3 cp
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Special Abilities
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Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white vision only).
Favored Enemy (Giants +2) (Ex) +2 to rolls vs. Favored Enemy (Giants) foes.
Giant Slayer +1 Bluff, Perception, Sense Motive, attack and damage against giants.
Orc Blood Half-orcs count as both humans and orcs for any effect related to race.
Point-Blank Shot +1 to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at up to 30 feet.
Sacred Touch You were exposed to a potent source of positive energy as a child, perhaps by being born under the right cosmic sign, or maybe because one of your parents was a gifted healer. As a standard action, you may automatically stabilize a dying creature mer
Track +1 Add the listed bonus to survival checks made to track.
Vexing Defender +4 trait bonus to Acrobatics to move through larger creatures space without provoking AoO.
Wild Empathy +0 (Ex) Improve the attitude of an animal, as if using Diplomacy.
Many half-orcs are born of violence. An Orc takes a slave, or defeated foe, or a prize from a raid, has his way with them, and it is done. In the Hold of Belkzen, it goes from most, to almost all being conceived this way. Somewhere in Belkzen however one Half-orc was not.
Gudrik Bardagi, also known as Gudrik the Skull Taker, always took the head from his foes, and his domicile was full of them. Skulls of bested foes from many ages and places, ancient ruins, and high peaks. His collection gained him some notoriety, enough to peak the interest of a human anthropologist name Megan. She asked his permission to view his collection, to study the skulls of human skeletons and mummies he had collected from tombs, to so if there were changes over the ages.
She went to his holding at her own risk, for while guests of other races are permitted in Urgir, their safety is not guaranteed. After examining the skulls, and hearing his stories of collecting them over very strong wine, they lay together that night, and soon after a son was born.
Soon after however, Megan was forced to flee with her child during a raid by another orc tribe. As she ran she was struck down, and long after the battle was over young Gorr was found by two traveling elves, who took pity on the child and took him with him to their elven home.
Gorr was raised in the temple of Ketephys, god of the hunt and taught the ways of the hunt, and elvish traditions. He grew into a powerful and skilled hunter, rivaling any of his elf boon brethren.
This life was not always easy. He was taunted for being different by many of the elves, and many even saw him as a bad omen, or even some sort of spy. Gorr found comfort only in the hunt, and moved from hunting game for food, to hunting enemies of the elves to protect them.
This proved to the elves that he belonged, and they all fully welcomed him with open arms. Gorr still found something missing however. He had been told of how he came here, but he never knew his fathers name, or his mothers, or where in the Hold they were from.
The temple elders told him to travel to the Hold, and hunt his answers down. They told hi to experience the land of his birth, and decide if his home was with the people who shared his blood, or the people that raised him.
So Gorr's goals are to find his father, find where his mother died, maybe track down who or what did it and kill them/it, and decide if he wants to live as an Orc or an elf. Obviously he is just visiting this area right now, and has no idea what is going on, what all of the tribes are, what customs are ect. He is a tourist in his own nation. Also if you wanted to change the name of who his father is, that is fine, I pull that from another character backstory.
A lot of his character come from being an orc raised be elves. He believes in Elven traditions, and does things in the elven way.
I crafted both bows, I can just barely make the DC for the compound bow.
I was in a very brief Giantslayer campaign with this exact same premise. Color me interested.
really? i thought i was the only one this crazy! Danggit! Now I'll never survive the Quickening!
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Okay I'm working on a half-orc Feral Hunter with a Warcat of Rull (from Belkzen, Hold of the Orc Hordes) companion.
He'll later take several levels of Fighter (Drill Sergeant) I think as well. He's been trained as a war leader, and eventually hopes to train his warcat as a mount. He's a follower of Rull the Tunderer, and hails from the Storm-Screamers tribe, though he's found Regnat the Green's methods a bit boring, and is looking to join a more bloodthirsty group.
Since I WROTE the Warcat of Rull I'm super excited to try one out!
hmmm. that or brawler/monk of some sort... something about being an orc and beating your foes down with your bare fists...
That does seem pretty orcy.
Okay I'm working on a half-orc Feral Hunter with a Warcat of Rull (from Belkzen, Hold of the Orc Hordes) companion.
He'll later take several levels of Fighter (Drill Sergeant) I think as well. He's been trained as a war leader, and eventually hopes to train his warcat as a mount. He's a follower of Rull the Tunderer, and hails from the Storm-Screamers tribe, though he's found Regnat the Green's methods a bit boring, and is looking to join a more bloodthirsty group.
Since I WROTE the Warcat of Rull I'm super excited to try one out!
Me too! Looking forward to ur submission!!!
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having a hard time deciding... so I'll ask DM an others
is this a "serious" game, or is it more open to "funny characters" if so I may go half-orc Tetori who is always oiled up...
otherwise, Ideas are-
MOMS 2/brawler X
Martial artist X
Judo Master (maneuver master monk, focused on tripping...hehehe, I could throw giants..)
and one a bit different, the far strike monk (thrown weapons)
While most of the above (save tetori) would hold the same personality, (think, half-orc trying to prove himself, serious, mean, rough..)
the far strike would be more.. fluid, and chatty.
having a hard time deciding... so I'll ask DM an others
is this a "serious" game, or is it more open to "funny characters" if so I may go half-orc Tetori who is always oiled up...
otherwise, Ideas are-
MOMS 2/brawler X
Martial artist X
Judo Master (maneuver master monk, focused on tripping...hehehe, I could throw giants..)
and one a bit different, the far strike monk (thrown weapons)
While most of the above (save tetori) would hold the same personality, (think, half-orc trying to prove himself, serious, mean, rough..)
the far strike would be more.. fluid, and chatty.
Hmm.. good question on tone. I plan on this game being very grim and gritty. It's Belkzen, after all. There will be blood-sacrifices of not-nearly-dead sentient creatures, probable cannibalism, and wanton blood lust and mass slaughter.
But, even without me orc-ing the game up, it's still a pretty dark campaign. The first book, as written, is fairly dark i.e. the hopeknife ceremony in which adults teach children as young as 11 the precise arteries to cut so that they don't end up alive in orc cookpots (among other things). This is their rite of passage into adulthood. That implies a level of grim that isn't necessarily present in, say, the Jade Regent adventure path, which is a fairly happy romp along the not!Silk Road.
That said, an oiled-up orc brawler is kind of a cool sight (oil could be any fluid, really: brain matter, fat, blood of the enemies, mud), and kind of appropriate to the setting, regardless of shtick.
However, I will take cues from the PCs on tone. So, go with your gut on what to submit.
M'Gora Tarkkan, Half-Orc white haired witch/hexcrafter staff magus. Hails from a tribe of Orc/half-Orc witches, mostly male-haters who steal away male humans solely for procreation. She has been prophecied to be the future leader of her tribe and is seen as a symbol of fear amongst her tribe and those surrounding. She is still relatively young and has a lot to prove. She is heavily concerned that she won't ever fully come into terms with her role and that Orc society won't ever accept her as one of their own due to her strong human appearance.
I would (hopefully) play her as meek and nervous at first, not quite experienced with the world just yet until she comes into her own light and becomes a ruthless leader in her own right.
one other thing.
would you allow me to take Ability focus (stunning fist) ?
sure sounds OK
M'Gora Tarkkan, Half-Orc white haired witch/hexcrafter staff magus. Hails from a tribe of Orc/half-Orc witches, mostly male-haters who steal away male humans solely for procreation. She has been prophecied to be the future leader of her tribe and is seen as a symbol of fear amongst her tribe and those surrounding. She is still relatively young and has a lot to prove. She is heavily concerned that she won't ever fully come into terms with her role and that Orc society won't ever accept her as one of their own due to her strong human appearance.
I would (hopefully) play her as meek and nervous at first, not quite experienced with the world just yet until she comes into her own light and becomes a ruthless leader in her own right.
interesting idea.
I'll have a tribe doc up in a jiffy.
For those interested, I've uploaded documents on the Tribes and Gods of the Hold of Belkzen. Use them as you will.
Would taking the Feral alternate racial trait, which removes the starting languages, and not having high Int or Linguistics bonus languages be allowed? Basically a grunting orc.
Would taking the Feral alternate racial trait, which removes the starting languages, and not having high Int or Linguistics bonus languages be allowed? Basically a grunting orc.
hmmm... Yes. There are a lot of orc tribes that are described as fairly primitive, and Zagresh is pretty much the deific archetype of what you described.
I'd love to join this game
I'm looking at a Forgepriest Warpriest of Varg/Gorum. Basically he is convinced that Varg is simply the Orcish persona of Gorum with more Orcish values projected on an otherwise human god.
I'd love to join this game
I'm looking at a Warpriest of Varg/Gorum. Basically he is convinced that Varg is simply the Orcish persona of Gorum with more Orcish values projected on an otherwise human god.
super keen!
I have the distinct urge to play a bard. Arms like wet noodles and a voice like silver.
No idea why. Just have the urge.
i think an orc bard could be quite potent given the right build. And, it actually fits.
Mauhur of the Defiled Corpse, ready to grunt, gesture, and hit things with a big club. True Primitive Barbarian with the Feral orc trait and the Orphaned by Giants campaign trait. He has a giant's femur that he has fashioned into a club, and some crudely stitched hides. A long-term goal I'd have for Mauhur would be to try to integrate into greater orc society in Belkzen without discarding his beliefs, maybe settle down and complete the Feral Heart story feat. The major problem with that plan is that as a Defiled Corpse, Mauhur has eaten a couple of the other tribes' minor leaders, and has quite a ways to go before the others forget about it.
I have a question how are you running this game I've seen some people say they're going to play one class / another is that just multiclassing or are you allowing gestalt rules?
I know some people don't like gestalt but I have a lot of fun with gestalt customization you can do. being able to mix two classes together at the same time if no its cool I just have a question. I had an idea in my head for the Summoner / blood. Disciple, and then I was going to be taking levels in monk possibly concentrating on using a staff as a weapon
Interested.. will create submission this week.