Core or Bust!

Game Master dien

*badass guitar solo*

.

*less impressive piccolo solo*

*Questionable tuba solo.*

*Terrifyingly bad cat shrill*

Dot

**burp** "Pardin' me."

At this point the music has become a weird polka, with the half-orc rogue doing vocals...

Rockin' drum solo, followed by a stage dive

See, Kara has the right idea.

As agents and assets fresh out of your training-- or in some cases, recruited straight from the field-- you are all currently at the Grand Lodge in Absalom, awaiting assignment for a 'mission of utmost importance.' (Yeah, sure.) Things finally seemed in motion when Venture-Captain Drandle Dreng sent out a summons for available agents. Specialized in the history of Absalom, Dreng is known for putting off-duty agents to work on sundry tasks when he finds them resting within the city’s limits. Also known for being a wine hobo.

As you come to the meeting place—an odd choice of venue, as it is a street corner far from the Grand Lodge—a lone beggar garbed in baggy robes approaches you. The only figure visible in the constant drizzle, the beggar sticks out his hands for currency. “Have you any coin to spare, fine folk?”

The question hangs in the air for only a scant moment before the figure pulls back his hood to reveal the wizened face of Venture-Captain Drandle Dreng. He gives a crooked smile, soaked head to toe from his unprotected time in the rain. His clothes smell faintly of cabbage.

“Sorry about that,” he says with a wink. “I always like to play a little joke on agents when I stumble across them during my jaunts into town. Now, why did I summon you fine folk here again…?” Dreng shakes his head from side to side, as though trying to knock water out of his ears, despite the constant downpour.

“Ah yes, the Wounded Wisp! I’m undercover now and can’t stray far from the site I’m watching, but I need someone to retrieve a package for me from that fine establishment. It’s among Absalom’s most storied taverns, you see, and one that holds a special place of privilege in the Society’s lore as the place where the organization began. Well, I could drone on and on about it, but standing out in the rain is doing none of us any favors.” As if anticipating agreement, the bedraggled venture captain produces a small slip of folded paper from one of his many stitched pockets. Dreng quickly shows a glimpse of the page’s contents: a map detailing the location of the Wounded Wisp bar.

“The bartender is a woman by the name of Heryn Gale, a fine lady who came to own the Wisp after the passing of her father from—oh, bah, it’s really getting too cold for me to give a proper history lesson! If you could just go to the Wisp, and tell Heryn you’re there to pick up my parcel, it would be most appreciated. I’ll be around here for several more hours at least.”

"I'm sure you can all manage a simple errand for ol' Dreng, eh?" He winks. If you were more seasoned Pathfinders, the words 'a simple errand' would put fear into your hearts-- for some of you, it already may.

(If Korum's sister were here, she'd take it completely at face value, but alas, Shaya was unavoidably detained.)

Barring any questions for the lovable old scamp crusty guy with the hobo fetish drunkard, you set off towards the Wounded Wisp... in the rain... when you would all much rather be inside in front of a warm fire. As you go, you likely introduce yourselves to one another....

Toss in some introductions/initial descriptions! Let's get this party started. :3

Jikan is a gnome of average height wearing purple robes and carrying various scrolls by his side. His blue eyes shift left to right as do his bushy silvery eyebrows as he scans over the party, unsure what to make of the composition of it just of yet. He listens to the briefing the best he can, but gets stuck early on and ends up asking just a simple question.

"A package? What sort of package?"

And after leaving Dreng... "I am Jikan. My parents named me after the town we lived in. Apparently it means 'time' in Tian. Anyway, I am a mage who drew forth some of the power of my home town of Uringen, a place where half of the town disappears from time to time. So, I specialize in space and time. Well... I have just minor spells so far, but I'm sure the more powerful magics will eventually come." Jikan sighs. "When I lived in Uringen, I made clocks from a shop of mine. I had to drop everything to come here, so hopefully we will make some minor wealth soon enough so I can indulge once again in my old hobby."

Seeming to tower over the gnome, the six foot plus half orc pulls a toothpick from his studded leather vest and slides it between his teeth. "Time 'n space huh? Sounds like you mighten' be a good person to know in a pinch. S'funny, you don't look Tianese, if that's a thing." Holding out a hand in greeting, " Name's Korum, master of ale and fornicatin', usually in that order." The half orc adjusts the great ax on his back, "So, how 'bout the rest of ya's? We just gonna stand here in the wet, or are we gonna warm up in a bar?"

A young but massive Shoanti—quietly towering over everyone except Korum—stands at the back of the group through the wet briefing. He moves with a certain oafishness, and frankly … he stinks of fish and sea (a smell made more pungent by the rain soaking his thick hide clothes). His small eyes—fit widely into a blunt, ugly face—flit nervously among the group members, and crawling over his bald head and face is a strange, bright birthmark.

”I am Klo,” he finally mutters quietly, with the painstaking deliberateness of someone who has to work through each word individually. He looks at the assembled team, realizing after a few moments that they likely want to hear more about him. ”I can fish. I can track." He gives a small, reserved grin, "I can lift stuff.” Shrugging uncomfortably, he concludes, ”A bar sounds good”

A Middle-Aged woman of Chelish descent approaches slowly in the rain. Her gaze is steady despite the chill of the weather, and she looks everyone over appraisingly and listens attentively.

She nods in respect when the drunkard reveals himself to be a Venture Captain, and says, a bit formally: We will of course see your task through to the end.

On the way to the bar, she offers a bit about herself. I'm...well, I suppose it's just Kara now. Might take some getting used to. At any rate, it seems as though you all have some introspection about your own talents. She looks at Klo and smiles when he mentions heavy lifting.

False bravado will get us nowhere, believe me. I'll take confidence tempered with realistic expectations any day. I'm here for my tactical expertise, among other reasons. Now, does anyone know where this bar is? I'm new to town, and I don't want to decipher a bloody map in the rain.

Knowledge Local to discern location of bar: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18

"I like yer take charge personality Kara. Reminds me a bit o' my lil' sister." Looking to the large Shoanti, "Ain't never been fishin' afore, but I hear it can be done with a jug in one hand. Maybe ya can teach me one day."

Klo returns Kara's grin with his own crooked half-smile a he follows along, his long, lumbering strides hampered a bit by his heavy leathers.

"Fishing is fun," he responds to Korum. "But you don't use a jug," he says with complete sincerity, and pulls out some fish hooks from the pouch at his waist. "These. Or a net."

The compact orc walking astride the other pathfinders nods, pulling a hood over his wild white hair, a match for his almost pupiless eyes. "Kul-Amon has seen the tide of time bringing in a great fish, a fish of knowledge that was eaten by the fishermen that are the world. Kul-Amon believes it to be his duty to bring forth more fish so the world can eat much!" he declares in tones that make it sound like he is addressing a phantom congregation. "Kul-Amon will lift you when you are down, heal you when you are hurt, make your blade cut more often, and be your sword when you don't have one. And if now I need to be the drink bringer to a drunk elder, then that is what Kul-Amon will be. Although Kul-Amon thinks it is a waste of everyone's time."

A younger elf with a frame slightly sturdier than the usual elven man steps alongside the rest of the party. He holds a large shield, almost as large as himself over his head with both of his hands. His two blue-stained hands. Easily noticable as blue wrist meets olive skinned arms.

The tower shield helps to protect him from the rain, causing rivulets to flow down the shield rather than be absorbed by his shoulder length pale blonde hair. Though his hair is not his concern. The state of his scale armor is worn and evidently hand me down, and concern for it's maintenance keeps his arm upright for the length of the walk.

Grey eyes the color of the rainclouds look out from beneath his makeshift umbrella.

"I am Yargul, disciple of the Master of Masters." he nods to the rest of the group. "As we have nothing better to do while we wait on our organization, it seems wise to assist someone in such high standing."

"Cannot say I have fished before as well. Training within schools focused on the body, mind and spirit has left little time for more... lay endeavours."

Hence my presence here.

"I am not from here either, Kara Now."

Jikan looks at Korum. "I'm not Tian. My parents were just fans of the name and found it amusing."

Jikan looks around at the asundry tall people, and feels a little more safe as he continues to walk to the bar with the group.

In answer to Jikan's query as to what exactly this urgent package might be:

"“Before you judge, despite my current attire, I’m still a man of taste. The parcel is actually a special vintage of wine from the cellar of the Wounded Wisp. I’ve been sampling their finer wines in descending order of bottling. I dare not disappear from my current role in this district, but I also would appreciate some comfort items. After all, I doubt anyone would judge a supposed beggar sipping from a bottle of wine.”

And on that oh-so-serious note that makes you feel extra appreciated and important... you are off to fetch Drang his super-necessary wine.

***

The Wisp is located in the Foreign Quarter, not terribly far from the Grand Lodge itself. As a popular bar with junior agents and trainees, some of you may have even been there a time or two. As you approach, the ruddy yellow light of the taproom shines out the Wisp's barred windows, and the lantern that has given the tavern its name hangs from a brass ring above the door, its glow steady despite the miserable rain.

Inside, at least, it's warm and more-or-less-dry, with a low hubbub of voices tonight. There's a gangly youth at the coat check who barely blinks at the group of six coming in from the rain; he's seen stranger than your company, but offers to take your sodden cloaks if you wish, and to hang them by the fire.

The smell of smoke and spilled ale assails the senses in the main taproom. Walls of dark-stained wood make up the sides of the Wounded Wisp, while well-used wooden tables are spread throughout the space. A raised area in the back of the establishment houses several additional tables and eating areas for groups seeking more than just a good drink.
An austere bar supported by kegs instead of wooden panels commands the northern end of the room. A stained-glass cabinet stands behind the bar, its dark panes cracked in several spots, yet not so opaque as to conceal the several dozen types of hard liquor within.

You're not the only people drinking here tonight. A halfling woman sits near the fire, whom some of you may recognize as a recently-Confirmed agent-- Janira Gavix, currently telling tall tales of some ferocious minotaur with a big axe. (She's probably just making it up.)

There's also a man of Qadiran descent seated at the bar- a local shopkeep named Aram bin Kaleel, who owns a curiosities shop in the Coins district and who has a prominent symbol of the Dawnflower hung around his neck. He is studying a handful of coins spread out upon the bar.

Two half-orcs are taking up most of a table that could probably seat more people, but the two are engaged in a boisterous arm-wrestling contest and most people seem to be keeping clear out of a desire not to get accidentally elbowed in the face. Those of you who have trained under the Master of Swords might recognize them as the Boartusk Twins, eager sparring partners of anyone who doesn't mind a good hard workout. They are drinking just as hard as they exercise in the training yard at the Lodge.

The last face you recognize is Yargos Gill, who has books spread out over one of the boothed-in tables and is thumbing through a particularly hefty tome. The greybearded scholar is not a Pathfinder himself, but he's been known to give guest lectures on the history of Absalom from time to time.

The proprietress, Heryn Gale, is bustling around carrying full trays of drinks to the many occupied tables. When you manage to flag her down and state your errand, she rolls her eyes slightly.

"Oh, Dreng... yes, of course, I can take you to get the wine directly. Just, ah, give me a minute, would you, I've got a table full of Molthuni irregulars over there and a group of dwarves hankering for ale-- have a seat, have a drink, I'll be with you as soon as I can."

(Will allow for any RP y'all wanna do but I'll move us on within 24 hours. Loving everyone's characters so far. :) )

As Yargul hefts his tower shied above his head, Korum drifts back to follow the man, under the cover of the shield. With a grin on his lips,
"Gotta appreciate a man who brings his own roof. Tell ya what, landlord, how 'bout I buy you an ale ta pay fer my rent?"

Know, Local: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 = 19

"So, an old VC wants us ta grab an older bottle a wine from an even older building...don't sound like there is a lot of coin to be had."

Should I just keep my 18, or roll again when something like this occurs?

To Yargul, she says politely, but firmly: Not Kara Now, just Kara, brother. The last word is in Elven, and said with sincerity. I've seen people use different languages from real life to represent the different languages in Golarion. Would you guys want to do the same here? I think it'd be fun to do this uniformly.

At the mention of the Molthuni, Kara goes rigid, and slowly moves to whomever is seated farthest away from them, smoothing her hair down to cover the side of her face. Just let me know which patron is farthest away from the Molthuni, and I'll RP accordingly :-)

Jikan heads up to Yargos Gill. "Are you Yargos, the famous lecturer? Hi, I'm Jikan, and I'm a Pathfinder as many others here in this bar probably are as well. I've heard other Pathfinders speak of you highly."

"Are you researching for another famous lecture?"

Jikan looks over the books that Yargos has open, seeing if anything interests him.

(Kara, you can keep the 18, and sorry I forgot to specifically address your location-thinking! You are indeed able to successfully guide the others to the bar.)

The Molthuni are situated at a table far from Janira, so Janira seems to be safest best for Molthuni-free interactions!

Yargos looks over his spectacles at Jikan, and beams at the compliment, smoothing down his beard smugly. "Why, how lovely to meet someone conversant with my work! Please, have a seat, Jikan, would you care for some of this wine? It's a fine Kyonin vintage. As it happens I am currently researching many of the aspirants of the Test of the Starstone-- specifically, I am charting whether cycles of increased aspirant activity coincides with the movements of the stars, for as you well know I am certain, the cycles of the celestial bodies influence the humours of man, and thus when a certain constellation holds sway over the skies it follows, sequitur, that mankind's passions might be roused, to attempt great feats-- at least, this is the hypothesis I'm currently finding support for!"

Yargos launches into enthusiastic display of his star charts, and a history book of various stellar cycles, corresponded with another history book detailing the many, many failed aspirants for the famous Test of the Starstone.

Know (Local), untrained: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (17) - 2 = 15; wow. There ya go.

Klo gives the youth his outer layers of hides, which—soaked as they are—are surprisingly heavy, and he leans his spear in the corner. The busy din of the place seems to make the large young man shrink back, but he finally moves to catch up to the team as they trickle into the tavern’s warmth.

Giving the place a slow, steady visual inspection, Klo stands in the middle of the room for a few long moments before realizing he’s probably being rude. So—knowing they have a few minutes to kill—Klo lumbers over towards Janira, whom he’s heard was recently confirmed. He doesn’t actually join her, instead looming awkwardly a few strides away.

His face gives his predicament away … not sure if it’s ruder to join her or not. Desperate for something to occupy himself with, he flags down one of the servers. ”Do you have Shoanti drinks?” He notes the diversity in the place, and his eyes widen, ”No. Wait. Bring me something else.” He picks someone at random … the man at the bar, ”What he’s drinking.”

Well, the big boss man is off to a good start.

Seeing Kara visibly shaken, Korum takes up a defensive stance near her, all pretense of humor gone from his face. She is of my new tribe, ain't no one is gonna touch her. Now, who am I goin' to have ta hurt?

perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15

Hmm... the Molthuni is it? I hear they bleed like pigs. Korum repositions himself between Kara and the table of Molthuni, making no secret of his new feeling for them.

I love dropping a text into Google translate. I have used that for characters with exotic languages in the past. I think it adds a lot of flavor. I have done Elven=French, Dwarven=German, Orc=Russian, Tian=Japanese, Mwangian=Swahili, Ignan=Urdu. That said, open for whatever works/feels right.

"Gotta appreciate a man who brings his own roof. Tell ya what, landlord, how 'bout I buy you an ale ta pay fer my rent?"

Yargul smirks and lifts the back end of his shield higher.

When they enter the Wisp he stops to check his shield in with the child at the coat check.

Yargul approaches the bar while the party fans out. Curious, he takes a seat near Aram bin Kaleel and watches his interest in the coin in front of him.

"Your regalia says Sarenrae, but your manners say Abadar. Is there a puzzle in your currency?"

The halfbreed notices Kara of the incomprehensible and ever changing last name attempting to avoid the Molting humans, a feat which he was not aware humans could do, but the world is indeed vast and possibility abounds. Thinking through it all thoroughly, he comes to the conclusion that the Molting humans must wish to spread their gift to other humans or the like, and Kara does not wish to molt. Perhaps they even want to pass on their Molting forcibly. With that fact firmly established in his head, he approaches the two wrestling half-orcs. "And in the thrashing between Earth and Sky was the Truth Found. I see you and greet you. There are molting humans here who wish to inflict their gift upon the unwilling. Will you help protect the ones who do not wish to molt?"

Kara watches Korum block the Molthuni's path and smiles disarmingly. Korum, you gotta hear this! Janira here slew a minotaur! Klo, you coming to? She asks of the befuddled Shoanti.

Bluff to send secret message, DC 15: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16

The soldier signals a passing server, pointing to the nearest patron who has a mug of ale, then to herself before turning back to the halfling now seated across from her.

Congratulations on your recent appointment to the Society! So, a minotaur. What're they like, up close? I've always wondered.

So, the lady don't want ta cause a scene.

With a nod to himself, "Fair enough."

Korum slides a new toothpick into mouth as he walks up to the bar. "Hey now Yar, I believe I said yer first one's on me. Barkeep, two ales if ya don't mind. I gotta keep a roof over my head."

Jikan listens quietly the best he can to Yargos's lectures until someone pulls him away. He doesn't catch it all, but tries his best. I hope there's not a quiz later.

Klo, you coming to? She asks of the befuddled Shoanti.

Klo nods thankfully, taking a seat at the table. A seat that groans threateningly under his weight. "I heard they are huge." He looks over at the halfling, clearly impressed, "Did you kill it yourself?"

Klo is served his request: what the man at the bar is drinking, which turns out to be a fermented drink of some sort-- it's probable that Klo has never had a date before (as in the fruit. We're not commenting on his social life), to know what date wine tastes like, but it's that, anyway, both sweet and acrid at the same time.

The Molthuni throw glances your way, but it seems aimed more at Korum and the stink-eye he is giving their table than Kara herself-- possibly they haven't even noticed her, and are just responding to a big half-orc looking their way with dislike. One of them sneers his direction, making a show of setting a dagger on the table, but it doesn't seem like he's willing to make an actual move. When Korum moves on to get Yargul their ales, the Molthuni show no signs of trying to pursue or pick a fight.

Yargul approaches the man drinking the date wine with curiosity. Aram bin Kaleel looks up with a smile. "A man can serve both! For works of charity, the Dawnflower. For works of commerce, Abadar. And no, no puzzle to my coins, per se, except for that of what is valued and what is of value. See here, these coins are from old Osirion, sold to me by a finder of treasures. And now I in turn but see what they may sell for, to price them correctly! Do you know much of coinage?"

Yargul (or any other PCs who want to join in), you can make a KN History or Appraise check to try and assess the value of Aram's coins.

Kul-Amon avoids the temptations of drink and coin to address the brothers of his species, who look up blankly from their arm-wrestling at his very loquacious speech of Earth and Sky. They look at each other, then back at Kul-Amon with his white hair and odd eyes, then at each other. The brother of the pair shrugs. "Eh, what, man? Dunno what you're saying, all earth and sky and molten stuff." He squints at Kul's symbol of Nethys (assuming it's displayed!). "Waaaait. Is this some... religion thing?"

His sister laughs. "Yeah, we ain't got religion. We got muscles! Wanna wrassle?"

Kara, meanwhile, settles by Janira, encouraging the halfling to tell more of this tale. She's brought a respectable ale and sips it while Janira grins at the compliment.

"Well, thank you! I think the same is due to you as well, aren't you all recently Confirmed? As for the minotaur... I would advise you NOT to get into close quarters with them. They stink! And quite hairy."

She beams at Klo settling in, though also watches the chair uncertainly. "Kill it! Oh no. But I bought time for some other young agents to get into a cave. And then I just led it on a wild snipe chase! I jumped from rock to rock with the minotaur behind me every step of the way, his hot, rank breath on my neck-- until finally I managed to squeeze between two trees! In the time it took him to batter them down, I'd found a place to hide. Still, very scary, friends! Danger might strike at any time, on even the most innocuous sounding mission."

Janira beams and Kara and Klo. "Do either of you have stories to share?"

Diplomacy, Bluff, or a Perform skill if you'd like to tell a tale!

Jikan tries to absorb Yargos's endless stream of information when abruptly the old man seems to run out of breath, at least for a moment. Gill takes a swallow of his wine, then says to Jikan-- "And what did you say your field of study was?"

A knowledge check of your choice to impress Yargos, Jikan.

I'll give potential rollers a chance to roll, and then move us on ... as long as the site doesn't decide to crash out for me again.

"Uh... I study the effects of time magic and how the ins and outs of it. Back in my hometown of Uringen where half of the city disappears in a time loop, I used to make clocks, and it was interesting to see how a clock on the stuck side or unstuck side would compare. They would often yield interesting results...."

No knowledge, but trying to BS this. Jikan never really did any kind of experiments there. :p

Bluff: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13

I've always got time for a story, Kara says with a smile. What good is it surviving battle if you can't talk about it later? She draws her dagger and carves a line on the wooden table.

So here we were, entrenched, but surrounded on three sides by enemy archers. She slides three pint glasses into appropriate positions.

We had cover, and the rain gave us a respite from the arrows, but supplies, and morale, were low. We could wait it out, as the mercenary company we hired was supposed to strike the southern position, giving us an escape route. But our commander was a fool and paid them up front, and if none of us survived, none could tell of their deception. I knew they wouldn't come. Damn hobgoblins...

Kara pours a thin line of beer on the 4th side of the trench.

On the eastern side was a stream, that'd swelled a bit with the rain. If we could get to the banks, we'd have a chance. So, the three best swimmers, Harl, Goose, and Cutjack, they stripped down to their skivvies and crawled through the mud 300 yards to the river. Now Harl, he's a dwarf, so he had to tell the others where to go...

It is clear that reliving her glory days is right up Kara's alley.

Perform (Oratory): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15

"A man can serve both! For works of charity, the Dawnflower. For works of commerce, Abadar. And no, no puzzle to my coins, per se, except for that of what is valued and what is of value. See here, these coins are from old Osirion, sold to me by a finder of treasures. And now I in turn but see what they may sell for, to price them correctly! Do you know much of coinage?"

Appraise: 1d20 ⇒ 18

"Our temples have had visitors from across the world, and they sometimes had coins with different emblems or sizes on them. I don't know that any of them ever had a sentimental value. Seems that the value of sentiment is based on the person, and you might benefit from assessing your buyer more than the coin itself."

"The mysteries of the arcane began when we reached the limit of our own strength. I will now test where mine and yours end. And when I beat you, you will help me with the molting ones, before their shed skin is too much us all" grins Kul-Amon, readying himself to wrestle with his people.

Korum leans against the bar, keeping an eye out on his friends and out for trouble.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 4 = 16

Jikan is familiar with the gnomish proverb: If you can't blind them with your brilliance, baffle them with your b@&*%+#$... He manages to give a convincing-enough account to Yargos, who blinks uncertainly a few times through the 'scientific explanation' but doesn't seem confident enough to challenge Jikan's explanations. When the gnome continues, Yargos tugs on his beard slightly and clears his throat. "Well! That was very interesting! Should your research into time magics ever touch upon my own areas of expertise, local history and so forth, ah, do let me know, I should be happy to assist you in any way I can..."

Meanwhile, Yargul is managing to give an analysis of the coins that starts with the old precept of 'know who you're selling to.' Aram chuckles at this bit of wisdom and taps the side of his nose slyly. "Too true, my friend! Value may be in the mind of the buyer. Well, I don't wish to cheat anyone-- I think they are genuinely coins from Old Osirion-- but I think I know just the sort of curio-seeking soul who will give me good value for them. Thank you for the advice. Should you ever find any relics or historical or religious objects that need examining, don't hesitate to visit my shop, good sir, we can have a discussion on the relative merits of my goddess to the Master of Masters..."

By the fireplace, Kara is giving everyone a rousing military history. Janira's audience, and Janira herself, listen raptly to the tense tale of escape. When it concludes, Janira claps enthusiastically. "Oh, that was very good! You know how to spin a good tale, thank you. I felt I was really there in the mud, fearing an arrow at any time! As thanks for a good story, if you ever get scratched up and I'm in the area, give me a holler! I know a few spells."

Kul-Amon is just settling into a vigorous arm-wrestling match with the Boartusk twins, who are eagerly making room for him at the table, when Heryn, the bartender, comes up with a wiping of her brow and a key in one hand.

"Sorry for the delay! At this rate I won't have feet come morning, all the running I'm doing. If you'll all just follow me..."

Heryn leads through the crowded taproom (the Molthuni soldiers eye your group as you pass, but nothing is said) and to a back stairs that leads down. The cellar that Heryn unlocks is dark, but she lights a lantern that hangs on a wall hook and hands it over to anyone who wishes to carry it.

"Right, so, Dreng wants the 4306 Jeggare, it should be on the south wall, they're ordered by year. You're welcome to go hunt for it. Mind the plank-- the quakes a while back opened a damn big hole in my cellar, I lost four kegs of good brandy and I don't know what else. Anyway, I keep meaning to get in some carpenters to lay down a proper floor, but until then, there's a board down to cross. I'll be upstairs if you need anything." Heryn fixes you all with a gimlet stare. "And don't even think about snagging a bottle other than what Dreng sent you for!"

A wild map appears.

The plank that Heryn mentioned is easy to spot once you're into the next room: it looks like a rather rickety footbridge thrown over a ten-foot deep rift, and the larger among you, like the half-orcs and Klo, aren't entirely sure it's going to hold your weight.

"There is no intention of shining a negative light on our organization," Yargul offers as he moves across the plank.

As he clears it, he looks down to see how far down this rift may go, in case one of the party tumbles.

Double moved to clear off the board.

Dien, would you mind removing GM Upaynao as one of the aliases participating in this campaign? Thanks!

It is with a dirty look of his own towards the Molthuni that Kul-Amon leaves the main room, muttering about "molting humans".

Within the darkened cellar, he gazes around. "Finding the wine is going to require much patience." With a resigned sigh, he inches slowly across the plank. "Looking upon the imperfections of stonework is a task for another time. Come, let us find the bottle."

Klo stops to look down into the gap, "I have rope, if it helps."

If we need to problem-solve this, Klo can toss a rope to anyone who reaches the other side to create a running-rope-handle for everyone else to cross over.

Seeing the others go down safely, Jikan heads down and searches.

"We need to look for it right?"

Perception: 1d20 ⇒ 11

Let us know if you need anteing else from us to get across the rickety bridge thing.

As the team fans out to search, Klo follows suit. He scratches the characters he thinks he's looking for on a piece of old paper, having one of his teammates verify that he's looking for the right stuff. Then he lumbers off into the gloom, but not until after he breathes onto the end of a stick at his belt ... which catches fire with a heatless flame.

Casting Light and searching for the wine bottle.
Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19

Kara also walks across the bridge (so long as no one else is on there at the time), and sticks close to Klo, trying to help him find the correct bottle.

Lemme see, what was the name of it again...

Perception AA: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12

"The 4306 Jeggare. Whatever that combination of words and numbers may mean" offers Kul-Amon, as he motions for the others to make their way across sloooooooowly.

The rogue, untrusting of the Molthune, lags to the back of the party to ensure no one follows them down the stairs. He walks up to the rickety palnk...

Klo was able to get across on that? Well, I should have no problem.

With that, the half orc crosses the plank to join the others. He pulls the plank across to their side of the gap.

Rather proud of himself, he can't hide a smirk. "Just in case anyone comes along with a clever idea to trap us here." Korum joins the others in their dull, boring, pointless task.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21

"You are very wise. The molting ones could have gone mad from the incessant pain they suffer from their flesh falling down around them, and decide to chase us all down here" comments Kul-Amon with a nod.

Regarding the cleric with a curious glance, "Uh, what now? Molting ones..oh HAH HAH HA!" Laughter erupts from the rogue. We wipes away a tear with the back of his hand. "No Kul, they were Multhune, as in where they are from. Not 'molting', which is puttin' a funny picture in my head about dem boys." Dropping a fist on his fellow half orc's shoulder, "Yer okay Kul." Walking to join the others, "Gotta love that. Molting, that's a good one."

Okay, sorry about the slow down, thank you site. That plank is tedious in PBP; essentially, if someone weighs over 250 lbs it's supposed to break, but short of guesstimating character weights and adding up gear, I'm really not arsed to deal with it, and you guys are going across one at a time, and you have rope, and the pit is all of ten feet deep, aaaand it's dumb. Moving forward:

The Pathfinders make it across the rickety 'bridge' with no trouble, though the piece of wood groans and sags alarmingly under Klo's bear-like size. All the same, the other side is reached with no difficulties. Moving forward, the Pathinders scan for the bottle of Very Important Wine that Dreng so desperately needs... it's Korum's keen eyes that are able to first spot the bottle. After explaining the intricacies of 'molting' vs 'Molthuni', of course.

Korum reaches out to triumphantly pluck the bottle from the shelf...

...only to hear a faint click, and a little grinding sound, as the shelf swings to one side and reveals a passageway! You're all shocked. Shocked I say.

The room beyond is lit beyond the gentle glow of Klo's magic: a lamp burning with heatless fires come to life as the door is opened, showing a small study with a desk and bookshelves, and dark, jagged fissures interrupting the walls, perhaps more work of that earthquake Heryn mentioned. There are two wooden chests beneath the desk.

Map updated; go ahead and position yourselves as you please. Also, nice work whoever made the rounded portraits.

The papers and books on the desk are covered with a layer of dust; clearly nobody has been here in some time. The air in the room smells musty and rank, with an undercurrent of death and rot.

Mystery GM roll: 1d6 ⇒ 6

(Invitation only)

Discussion and hammering-out post for a wacky little idea I've had...

I've played through the vast majority of regular PFS scenarios at this point, with just a handful prior to Season 8 I still need to play. I've also known the mild frustration of experiencing them in completely non-chronological order, or playing part of an arc only to never get a chance to pick up the other parts in the series. And of course, there's the slight bummer of the innate lack of continuity in PFS, where you wind up adventuring with, and playing, different characters week to week and the chance to build any sort of contiguous narrative is like a wild and elusive wildebeest. Or something.

It'd be really neat to experience, say, one or two seasons of PFS 'in order', with the same characters, working through the story organically. But that's definitely impossible in Classic, given how many I've played.

Core, on the other hand, is still fairly new territory to me.

So the premise is this: a group of 6-7 dedicated players, each playing the same characters through as much of set arc as we can get through (maybe a focus on season 4? Open to opinions). We'd rotate out GM duties, and we'd have essentially the same party for the entire "campaign," short of whoever was 'absent' that scenario in order to GM it.

Things we'd really need for this to work:
-Commitment, obviously. Both as players and when it's your turn to GM. If someone drops out mid-scenario, it's not as easy to find replacement CORE players as it is for classic, and of course, if someone does drop out permanently, that makes the whole 'PFS campaign' thing somewhat less workable (though if we start with a group of 7, we can at least weather some attrition). I know that life certainly does happen, and someone might need to skip a scenario or two here and there, but ideally everyone would be with this for the long haul.
-Willingness to GM when it's your turn, i.e., once every six or seven scenarios. If you want to run a multipart you could potentially get your "GMing duties" for quite some time taken care of in one fell swoop.
-Coordination - approaching this to some extent as a teamwork exercise. A certain amount of willingness to contribute towards group costs for needed resurrections, etc, and a certain amount of planning out build ideas together, so that we really mesh as a team of badass specialist Pathfinder Field Agents who leave no man behind!
-A badass guitar solo? I dunno?

Thoughts? Concerns? Badass guitar solos?

Sounds fun. Would need to map out a "playlist" well... and figure out dealing with player characters untimely demises.

Intrigued.

A super, super tentative proposed playlist. It's got all the non-special scenarios from Season 4, but I had to pad it with a few others to get a character from level 1 to 11.

Color me interested! PFS may be the best way to facilitate my DM training, too. :)

And I really like the idea of a Society Special Task force. That could be interesting

Also, I've played almost none of season 4. Is there some theme to it?

Season four was "The Year of the Risen Rune" - there's about five scenarios that explicitly tie into the Runelords, and some various smaller tie-ins throughout. You could also make a case for it being kind of the year of Zarta Dralneen and the Blakros family-- there's four scenarios in Season 4 that explicitly tie into the Blakroses or Dralneen, and I added in some of the non-Season 4 ones like Hellknight's Feast, or Voice in the Void, due to their Blakros tie ins. So basically, while there are a number of scenarios on my "proposed list" that are stand alones and aren't too tightly themed, about half of those scenarios should have some fairly clear continuity between them. Think maybe sort of a TV serial thing where yeah, there's standalone episodes, but every other episode we throw a bone to one of the major 'plots', etc.

(On my proposed list, there's some color coding. Black is standalone, red ties into Aspis stuff, blue ties into Zarta Dralneen and/or the Blakroses, green is a short three-part arc that sets up some season 5 stuff, and purple is the "Runelord" mini-arc as it were.)

I'm not wedded insanely tightly to this schedule or anything, so obviously as I find more suckers people interested, we can adjust as needed. :P

And yeah, PFS isn't bad training for GMing, really. You have a super clear rules framework to work from and don't need to hassle with XP or encounter design or story stuff, since it's all there for you.

I'll start putting out some feelers towards other interested people. Glad you both think it could be cool!

I'm all about a Runelord-themed set of adventures (at least in part). Varaisia's awesome (as are the cultures it houses). So I'm down if that's the direction we go.

For other players, so you have a group you're thinking of reaching out to? I dont have anyoneone specific in mind, but I do have a group who set out to do this very thing that just failed (after 2 scenarios; the DM opted out). There may be a person or two interested from that crew, though I can't vouch for them (as players, DM's, or people with the commitment necessary to see this thing through). But it may be a start if you don't have anyone else in mind.

Hey Eben! Thanks for the invite, Dien. I'm definitely tempted, but I am a bit out of the PFS loop. Is Core PFS literally just the core rulebook for everything? Classes, feats, equipment, etc?

It sounds interesting, and I'll definitely have more free time starting next weekend (I'm a teacher and next week is our last week). I don't want to slow things down once school starts back up, though. What sort of time commitment are you looking for? With running and participating in a campaign already, and all of the time I spend with Ashes (if you haven't tried it, check it out! It's a card game kind of like Magic or Destiny, but better, IMO) I'm not sure I can do it justice.

Hey! Mbauers! Good to see ya. Yep. Core is just that. Core rule book only. It's a fun challenge, but not everyone has an appreciation for it.

The question of expectation is a goo one.

You can see from this overview of season 4 that the majority of the scenarios take place in Varisia, Eben. :) Could be the 'Year of Varisia' I guess!

Mbauers-- yeah, sorry, my bad. Core is definitely a vast paring down of options compared to regular PFS/Pathfinder in general, but hey, challenges are fun, right? :P

Core does make Chronicle Sheets sort of "more important," because those Chronicle Sheets are the only way you can get access to various equipments, heh. I.e., it's still "unlocked" for you if it's on a chronicle, even if it's not a core item.

I could always even run Bonekeep for these poor, Core characters.... ;) ;) (I can't actually, Bonekeep has a specific timed element that renders it not legal for PBP play, heh.)

I've put out some feelers to some various peeps, we'll see if anyone other than Mbauers potentially bites.

Regarding commitment: I'd hope for people who could (usually) manage the once per day thing, with fudge room on weekends or the like. I wouldn't be too worried about keeping up any sort of rocket pace though, and I'd also be open to like, breaks of a week or two between scenarios-- sometimes you just need recharge points or short hiatuses in long campaigns, which is more or less what this would be, except with more built-in points where a break is convenient.

Also, if a given GM was needing to go a little slower and didn't feel like managing the 1/day thing, they could set their own pace as long as we didn't slow to a stop, etc. And with a pool of 7 GMs, we could theoretically arrange it around people's schedules-- i.e., you could save your GMing for summer, if you wanted, mbauers!

(What do you teach btw?)

Looking at the Scenario list, the only conflict I have is Mists of Mwangi, which I have played in Core. Otherwise, it's good. :)

Ah, well, it can be swapped out-- I threw it in there just because it's the first Blakros scenario, but it's hardly a necessity.

I'm definitely interested! I've only done a handful of PFS scenarios in Core, so I wouldn't be against what you propose. My only concern is that Year of the Risen Rune is not easy. Basing an entire campaign around it will definitely make things harder than you might otherwise expect. I'm especially concerned about certain scenarios in particular, which I can talk more about via PM for spoiler's sake.

In the meantime, I'll starting thinking what Mr or Mrs Core -23 will be like. :D

I am interested! Thanks for the invite! (Was playing Godsmouth Heresy today, which I GMed for dien, haha)

One thing I will note is that I am organizing PFS at a local convention next weekend (May 25th - May 28th, 2017) so starting up in between that time frame may be possible but I will be pretty much unavailable all next weekend.

There are a few season 4's I've played in CORE (so far). They are:

• #4-03: The Golemworks Incident (Levels 5-9)
• #4-05: The Sanos Abduction (Levels 3-7)
• #4-06: The Green Market (Levels 5-9)
• #4-07: Severing Ties (Levels 1-5)
• #4-15: The Cyphermage Dilemma (Levels 1-5)
• #4-19: The Night March of Kalkamedes (Levels 1-5)

Of others on the proposed play list, I have played:

• #0-05: Mists of Mwangi (Levels 1-5)
• #1-35: Voice in the Void (Levels 1-7)
• #2-11: The Penumbral Accords (Levels 1-5)

A lot of those are at the beginning of the list, so it probably would be me putting in a lot of my GM time early on and pretty much on anything I've played, which honestly I don't mind that much.

As far as characters go... I'm pretty open. Although I am curious if we are going to have a "we're good" vibe to our party or "we're skirting the evil line." I've been thinking of a necromancer of some kind, but not too hard about it.

As well, I will say that it'll probably be a Gnome. I have 10 CORE characters right now... all are Gnomes. I call it "GnomeCore," but I might break it if we have an equally exciting party idea for a home group vibe. Maybe all one race, or all short people, or something. I also could make an...

I'm certainly not wedded to season 4 per se-- I think of it mentally as being sort of one of the more strongly 'themed' scenarios, for a campaign. There are a few scenarios I can think of that are tough in it, yes, but I think that's potentially the case for any attempt to do a 'whole season' type thing. (Unless maybe you did all season 0, I dunno.) So, sure, we could just choose to avoid the scenarios that are likely to be TPKish in core.... BUT THAT IS THE PATH OF WEAKNESS!!!!!

(Nah, I don't actually mind excising a few.) But if you have a suggestion for a different season, Upaynao, or a different theme-- IDK, I don't feel Year of the Demon would necessarily be any easier?-- I'm completely open to suggestions.

I was going to say 'oh spoil away' but then again Eben did admit he hasn't played much of S4 in regular. I'll PM ya.

Andrew, is there a season you've played less of in core? it sounds like you may have more Core play than most of us. I appreciate you being willing to suck up a lot of the early GMing, but ideally we'd find something you could play more freely as well.

eta: I don't think we'd start THAT soon-- I'm finishing up GMing a PFS scenario atm-- we could easily push it back til after that convention, anyway.

I have no problem with gnomes. :P Gnome away. I don't know if our characters need to be that tightly sorted/themed-- by coordination I just mostly mean things like, being willing to take teamwork feats, or respecting the base idea of people having existing roles in the group so that everyone doesn't make skill monkeys, etc. I.e., the basic level of coordination you'd get for a 'campaign'.

Hey Andrew, I belatedly noticed your listing of games played on your profile, that's handy. It looks like season 5 is maybe more open for you?

I'm just as cool with a Year of the Demon-esque campaign, unless anyone else has misgivings about it (or even about specific scenarios with season 5) or has played a lot of it in Core already.

We could also just mix-match-pick scenarios from multiple seasons to try and follow a certain arc or theme, maybe if people had a wishlist of stuff they wanted? Be that 'specific scenarios' or 'I want dungeon crawls/I want social stuff', to make sure there's something for everyone at some point. (Heeere I go making this complex, haha.)

I'm still hoping for about two more people to say yes, so I'll send out some more PMs later today.

I could do Season 5, too. I actually have a character pretty spot-on for it, actually. :)

Actually, I've played more Season 5 than I have 4. (By 2) ;) I'd be fine with either though.

But if you worry about too much GMing on my end, we could switch out some of those Blakros for other scenarios(the three listed in my post above). That actually would help out more I think, and then I could just GM the Season 4's I've done and plan on not playing any more Season 4's locally. XD

I actually like that plan but don't want to ruin others' Blakros fun if it's required for the badass guitar solo. ;)

Ok, this is sounding doable. I'll start reading up on Core. For example, when I make a Core character (as I have none), would it be my PFS number and then Core-1 or something?

So, as far as something timed like Bonekeep goes. Maybe we could do something like that via Skype/Discord/Roll 20? That could be kinda cool.

I figured since season 4 features the Desimeres, it might be interesting to have part of that story featured. I also changed the order on some things based on my experience either running or playing them. What do you guys think?

I love this idea. Thank you for throwing me an invite. I am fully on board with this. My only conflict is that I am is with another group that is trying a similar concept (also in CORE). We are doing mostly seasons 5 and 6. The organizer also wants to do Eyes of the Ten in an attempt to get these characters to 14. All that said, I love this idea. I only have two core characters, so I am pretty open. More importantly, I am not gnome-intolerant.

If there are too many conflict for scenarios, there are also evergreens , modules and what not. I recently picked up Daughters of Fury. That covers 4 to 6. Not certain how fast we are looking to level as opposed to enjoying one another's company. School gets out for me in about three weeks. There will be some other teachery things, but like mbauers, plenty of free time coming up.

I have played 6-05: Slave Ships of Absalom, and 6-11: Slave Master's Mirror is also on our list (however, that is quite some time down the road, and I should have a GM star to use for a replay by then if need be).

In core, I have a cleric who will eventually go Mystic Thurge and a half orc paladin, eventual dragon disciple. Up for playing anything, preferring non-divine.

I'm leaning towards Bard, Fighter, or Barbarian for what that's worth.

I was thinking ranger, rogue or (control) wizard.

Vaguely leaning towards paladin here, but I also have no objections to playing a cleric.

**

Okay, so since TriShadow's done a lot of season 5, I suggest we stick with season 4...ish, with some excising per Upaynao's suggestions. I'm gonna strip out a few of the ones Andrew/others have played (like Mists, Voice in the Void, Penumbral Accords), since they're not season 4 anyway. I'll take a looksee at other scenarios that could go there, gimme a bit to get a new proposal up based off Upaynao's.

Okay, swapped out a lot of the low-level stuff Andrew had played, currently I have something that looks like this.

Also, it sounds like we have seven of us! Yay. Unless I'm miscounting. Dien, OneLung, Eben, mbauers, Upaynao, Andrew, Trishadow. Woot.

The updated list looks great! When are we looking to start? I wouldn't mind incorporating a backstory with someone if possible.

I have 3 concepts for Season 4. :)

A Mordent Spire elf on assignment with the Grand Lodge. Either a fighter/rogue or a wizard/eldritch knight.

A Shoanti demon-hunter, a ritualistic warrior who seeks out evil outsiders. Ranger switch-hitter using mostly spears to hunt stuff.

A half-orc Druid, I'm still tinkering with the concept of this one, but I've yet to actually get to play a martially-inclined, wildshaping druid. And I really dig that idea.

Those all sound good to me, Eben! Wildshaping-focused druids can still tear stuff up pretty well in core, which is nice.

I was wondering if anyone was going to do any rogue or rogue dips. Core rogue is kinda painful once one has gotten used to archaelogist bard, unchained rogues, etc... but given that it IS core, rogue sort of gets some of their 'real estate' returned to them- i.e., nobody else can do magical traps really, unlike in regular PFS. So that's a thought.

I think they're all neat concepts. :)

As for when we'll start: I suggest we yammer about builds, etc., until Andrew's done with his convention (the 28th)? Try and start the 29th.

Since this was my bright idea, I'm willing to take the initial GM bullet as it were. :P Once we make sure that the scenario listing works for everyone. Of course, there may still be a scenario or two or three people have played, but that's the times someone can GM, etc.

I'm also totally down to link backstories, etc, where feasible. I don't really have a 'theme' in mind for the group-- I tend overall to skew good in my character concepts, but I like neutrals too and I like them able to work with "evilish" PCs short of the evilish PC being an outright team-screwing jerk. Which doesn't seem likely here. ;)

Currently leaning towards a half-orc paladin of Shelyn, frontlining and smacking things.

Maybe if once people get their ideas down they list their concepts in order of what they'd most like to play?

For myself:

1. Half-orc pally, reach weapon, smackin' things and being pretty
2. Cleric, focused on pure casting and buffing
3. Wizzzzard of some sort. That's really specific I know. But a geeky knowledges sort anyway.

I have always enjoyed my sneaky guys. Happy to throwdown a rogue. So, here are my preferences:

1. Rogue [DEX]~ skills/face
1a. Rogue [STR]~ combat/intimidate
2. Ranger ~ archer [possible Arcane Archer] outsider-type enemies
3. Wizard ~ control/buff

As for race, probably human or elf (maybe a half orc rogue)

I've always been a thematic fan of rogues. Though I always try and give mine darkvision racially, cuz otherwise scouting gets silly, lol.

I've got potential names and backgrounds for my concepts now! The rest of you slackers should hurry up. ;)

I typically like support, casters, buffers, healers, and control... anything but damage. However, I do have a few characters in mind.

1. Sorcerer - Transmutation focused buffer/debuffer that isn't afraid to use Dimension Door on the melee later on. Thinking Destined bloodline so will have spontaneous Freedom of Movement (- Which many know is an incredible spell). I tried to make this character before, but by the nature of PFS and so many not willing to cooperate with the buffs it wasn't very fun so I rebuilt him. Enlarge Person is tons of fun to cast... in the right party.

2. Rogue - I don't have a rogue in Core yet so throwing that in the mix. Would probably be going for Feint.

3. Cleric? - I have a couple idea I'm throwing around for this. I keep meaning to make a Cleric who has the Protection domain (keep looking at Abadar) so that he doesn't have to buy a Cloak of Resistance.

Niice, I dig the sorc idea. I dig them all really, but the sorcerer sounds fun and if I did my paladin she'd certainly like to be enlarged.

In preference order, and I know I already said them but I just spent time making up backstories, haha:

1. Shaya, an LG half-orc paladin of Shelyn from Averaka, the aforementioned smacking of things with a glaive, some face skills, and probably Dazzling Display just cuz

2. Thurgood, an LG dwarf engineer, I mean, cleric of Torag, who's sort of in that young idealist stage where everything can be fixed if people would just be rational and listen to him (generalized cleric buffs/heals/some utility earth stuff but don't except channels cuz yeah dwarves)

3. Morrow, a N half-elf wizard with a general hodgepodge of spells, knowledge skills, probably gonna put in feats to use rays in combat, an excitable academic and scholar who loves history.

@ GM Andrew, I second Dien's thought on your sorc. As my favored character is a big combat brute, I’d be all about coordinating to make awesome use of Enlarge Person. >:D
Sounds like between a potential big bruiser pally and a big bruiser druid, there's no lack of targets for that spell.

Ooh oooh! My thoughts, in order:

Klodax "Klo" Thunderstep: Shadde-Quah fisherman, birthmarked chosen of Gozreh, and northern Lost Coast guide for the Society. Human martial-bent wild-shaping druid with the Weather Domain. A massive man-child of inexorable strength and inexhaustible stamina. He’s our lovable, dim-witted, (un)gentle giant of the group (I’m hoping).Dien, you’ll definitely recognize this guy (though he’s been tweaked in a few ways). :D
This is my favored concept by a long-shot.

Name TBD: Skoan-Quah demon-hunter who uses ritualistic weapons and techniques to seek out and destroy evil outsiders that infest his people’s land. A spear-wielding human ranger who works as a semi-scout and skirmisher (switch-hitting style using Quick-draw and shortspears predominantly).

Alenthyn: mordent spire elf historian, adventurer, and relic-hunter; part of the long-standing agreement between the elves the spire and the Grand Lodge. Either a Fighter > Wizard > Eldritch Knight or a Fighter/Rogue, depending on what the group needs. His concept works either way.

Well, it looks like we have some heavy hitting combat, so I will lean toward DEX rogue. Though if I go half orc, I would not mind being the more practical, less moral-compass driven sibling to Dien's pally. (twins would be a lot of fun).

Name TBD: "Ninja" from Tien Xia. Specializing in disguise, subterfuge and misdirection. Just not certain how to get her the dark vision just yet as I am still undecided on race.

Curren Batiste: Pipe smoking ranger with a bow and quarter staff. happy to share his prayers to Cayden with whomever is near.

Siblings or twins COULD be fun. :D

I'll go ahead and thinkcraft the sorcerer idea since people seem to like it, and it was my first choice anyway.

Jikan Osoi: Jikan is a gnomish sorcerer who originates from Uringen, the strange magical town in the River Kingdoms where half the town mysteriously disappears at irregular intervals... but always comes back. He lived in town as a clock maker, using his powers of Transmutation magic to augment his clocks. Around his shop, he also had various knick knacks of peculiar items as he also had interest in the mysterious and magical. Even though Uringen was mysterious and intrigued him his whole life, he recognized that the town's days could be numbered.

A group of Pathfinders came to town one day, and he was intrigued by the strange powers and weird magics they posessed. When he got in contact with the Pathfinder Lodge in Gristmill so conveniently located on the edge of the Embeth forest, he was recruited quickly by the Dark Archives as he found his interests matched their own. He hopes to expand his magical capabitilies through Pathfinder training and missions, hoping to eventually master the magics of time and space which ran so rampant in his home town.

Jikan is a skeptical, cautious gnome whose own gnomish tendencies are his downfall. He likes to remain cool and calculating, but sometimes oversteps his own set boundaries that come from his fey heritage.

Anyone thinking of working the Lost Coast into their background? I'd love to tie backgrounds with someone, if possible. :)

Do faction journal cards apply in Core? I need to think things through--yall have some good concepts!

Faction cards totally apply in Core. ;)

Just a note (lots of people make this mistake), you can only take traits from the Web Enhancement (Under Free Pathfinder Roleplaying Game PDFs -> Character Traits). Another note though... because it's allowed, the Additional Traits feat is allowed from that same document.

Animal companions are limited to those in the Core book... can't use Bestiary 1 for them. It's listed somewhere on the Core forums but I'll withhold from finding it unless someone really wants to question it. ;)

Shapeshifting, Wild Shape, Planar Binding/Ally, and Polymorph spells can use Bestiary 1, though. And Summons obviously have to use stats from the book, but of course are restricted to their summon list like normal.

For online resources, I typically use the actual Paizo PRD to build Core characters since it's very easy to view just the Core stuff there.

I'm digging Jikan!

Andrew's got the Core clarifications down well *tips hat*. Also if you're like me and a lazy person who uses Hero Lab, Hero Lab has an option in character configuration to just select 'Core' options. Though as always with HL, one should doublecheck that the things it is saying are Core are really Core, ha.

This is where I'm headed with Klodax.

I'd love to hear any questions, thoughts, or comments. :)

I'm looking forward to playing with Klo again! :D Even if he's a slightly-changed Klo. I also look forward to him tearing the crap out of things with his claws, haha.

Okay, so if we have everyone playing their current 'first choice' our party compo looks something like this:

1- Dien with a frontliner paladin using a reach weapon, some face skills
2- Eben with Klo as a wild-shape focused melee druid, wise but not so good with the words
3- TS as a dex-y sneaky-rogue, possible sibling tie in!
4- Andrew with the magical transmuting clockwork gnome! Buff city, fun stuff.

Onelung, mbauers, and Upaynao, are y'all leanin' towards anything yet?

I'm considering bard, barbarian, fighter, monk in that order. I have a few concepts I'm kicking around, but I need to think some more and check out the CRB to get some concrete ideas.

rawr!

Gonna need to find a way to tag this thread so I can see updates!

Anyway, I'm not sure. I was toying with a sort of battle cleric, but Holy Vindicator is APG. I've done druid, wizard, fighter and ranger. And I'm not interested in the monk or rogue. So I'm left with:

bard
barbarian
cleric?
sorcerer

I'm gonna have to percolate on that and on the character's personality. I'm open to advice.

I'm a dumbass, I forgot you all can't dot the campaign, since I see it in my campaigns. Let me put up a dot-holder as it were.

eta: Gameplay thread open to be dotted

Dien, can you post the link to the Scenario list on the campaign tab or something? I'm finding it harder and harder to find it in this thread. :/

Done, should now be visible at the top.

*steeples fingers* Eeeeeeexcellent!

Thanks, Dien. :)

So we have 33 Senarios and 7 player-DMs. Do we want to have people go ahead and mark which ones they'd like to DM? Given that I've played only a few, I don't have a preference.