Cutting the Razor: A Razor Coast Gameplay Thread

Game Master Divinitus

As the title says, this is a recruitment thread for my upcoming Razor Coast campaign that is to be hosted here on the messageboards.

I had written SEVERAL walls o' text for prospective PCs to peruse but, after trying to post and summarily having the post eaten, I am just putting recruitment up for now and adding the 'world lore' piecemeal in the campaign information tab later.

To give you an idea though, the campaign is set in the Razor Coast area, a beautiful but deadly chain of islands on the high seas. The majority of the urban adventuring will take place in Port Shaw, which is something like a seedier Port Royal, while the wilderness adventuring is split between exploring the various islands and sailing the seas. The setting has a definite Caribbean/Polynesian feel to it and it is intended as a sandbox, which is precisely how I intend to run it.

Character Creation Details

Starting Level: 5. Yep, you heard me right, you start the campaign at level 5! No more Dire Rat massacres for XP!

HP: Max HP per HD. Trust me, you will need it!

Race: Any Core Race is automatically accepted, though most Pathfinder races are allowed. Those of you interested in setting-unique races, the Tulita (Tribal natives of the islands), Menehune (Gnome race who worship the volcano goddess Pele), and Dajobasu (Individuals from normal races, cursed from birth, who bear features reminiscent of sharks) will all be available once I get the rest of the information necessary for you guys in the campaign information tab.

Alignment: Any but CE. That said, those who are evil PLEASE try to be team players!

Class: All Paizo-produced classes are legal for this AP, along with MOST archetypes. I will also allow some 3PP material, though it must be cleared before being used. To answer the likely most-asked questions about 3PP allowances, if it is a Dreamscarred Press class for Pathfinder related to the Psionics, Path of War, or Akashic Mysteries lines, it is allowed.

Ability Scores: 20 point build, with baseline scores of 10 (Before racial modifiers).You may also, if you are at the 'base starting racial cap' on ability scores with a penalty, pay a number of points equal to the penalty to override it, so you can bring it all the way up to an 18, if you so desire. Why? Because we don't have enough drum-playing Dwarven Bards, greatsword-wielding Elven Barbarians, fully suited-up Halfling Paladins, or canny Orc Alchemists! Screw those starting racial caps!

Skills: You get +1 skill point per level. Have fun with it!

Feats: You get a bonus feat at first level!

Traits: 2 standard, plus a bonus Trait if you choose to take a Drawback.

Fluff: You MUST include fluff with your characters! This is a roleplaying game after all and, as such, I expect there to be something to roleplay with. 'I grew up as a 1st level murderhobo alone in the desert of trench coat antiheroes' doesn't quite cut it! Add some backstory, your appearance, what your character's personality is like, ect. I encourage you to post whatever you desire in the beginning, even if it just a blurb, but your final character must have at least a decent amount of fluff.

And now for the posting requirements! I expect 1 post per day, minimum, from anyone selected, though I would prefer 2-3 posts per day. If you miss a day, please let me know why. If there is somewhere that you have to be and cannot post, please let me know so I can bot your character as necessary to help keep your character up to pace with the campaign. If you ever feel the need to quit the campaign, something I frown upon unless there is a legitimate reason, please let me know so I can work your character's removal into the story so there is no awkward 'Bobo Baggins runs off into the jungle and is eaten alive by a miniature kaiju, no save' sort of situation. It is only fair to myself and your fellow players that you do so, because I have seen a lot of threads fall apart after a person just vanishes for no reason and the GM has to explain away why the character is no longer there or else has to burden himself/herself by piloting that character until he can dump it off somewhere.

Shipboard party time.

NO PEANUT BUTTER JELLY TIME! :P

Dotting for interest.
I’ll read the Razor coast player guide and see if I can think of something interesting to create.

This sounds like a good time. I will come up with a character soon.

Rule number 1 with Paizo - if you are planning on posting anything longer than 1-2 paragraphs, type it in a word processor as the Paizo site tends to reset if left on a single page for longer than 10-20 minutes, which often results in lots of lost work.

All things considered though, this is one of the few problems I have found with the site.

EDIT:
Is the character building a straight 20 points? Or the standard Pathfinder escalating point value 11-13 = 1 point each, 14-15 = 2 points each, etc.

Interested. I'll peruse the PG for this.

Ghorrin Redblade

EDIT: Maybe I'm just dense, but I don't actually see a PG; is my search-fu just off today...?

Tirion, it's a straight, non-escalating point buy.

Redblade8, there IS a player's guide, but it is unfortunately not free. Otherwise I would post it for people to view. I have heard that Paizo is quite squicky about people putting up Google Docs. That's why I am simply transplanting the fluff for PCs to peruse later on.

Dotting with great interest. I'm thinking of a half-elf, half-Tulita bastard, shut out of the family fortune and determined to climb to the top of Port Shaw's social ladder. Swashbuckler by class and focusing on social, mercantile and ship-related skills.

I have a couple of questions:

1) How does the Razor play with Golarion, if at all? Does the Razor exist somewhere in that world (and thus so do Golarion's gods and ethnicities) or are you going to use the player's guide's larger setting, which as I understand it is still a little undefined by Frog God Games?

2) The Player's Guide has some ships for sale, some of which could be within grasp for a 5th level character, if I recall correctly (I don't have the PG with me). Would it be possible to start the game with a ship, or are those plot-devices that become available later?

Thank you!

After thinking about this for a bit, the first character to come to mind is an investigator (maybe with a swashbuckler dip), either a vishkanya or a tiefling. This is so far off my normal wheelhouse that I just have to try... :)

Details to follow.

Ghorrin Redblade

I'll have my character built to fifth level by tomorrow. If you want to look at what I currently have, he's on my alias.

DOT! I made this character for another play by post that never took off. I will update him to level 5 later today.

Also do we have a certain starting gold or do we start mostly naked?

I will also grab his fluff and add that on later as well!

Hmmm, been wanting to play a monk/druid for some time. Think it could work quite well here. Will play with the build.

Do we have any starting cash? Or do we all start nekkid and washed up on a beach?

I hath thy link.

Going to edit my background. Cheliax is not on this world.

I'm just gonna set this dot right here and come back later to conjure something up. Not sure what, but with stuff like that, it should probably be something crazy funny awesome.

How do we do stuff like religion and what not? Is there a list of deities someplace?

Dot!

I made this character for another Razor Coast game, but that one died about three posts in. Hopefully this one does better : )

Anyway!

Fluff is included, but I shall look over it and perhaps adjust/improve it.

The crunchy stuff needs an update/change to comply with the campaign rules, but that shouldn't be that hard : )

Interested! :)

I think for this I shall work up Kellen Raines (not his real family name but the one he fights and sails under), Brawler, Sailor and merchant's son ( who is an embarrassment for his interest in such a lowly profession and sport.

I had considered making him a Fighter/Monk, but I think I'll go with Brawler (Snakebite Striker) instead.

Edit: I'd also like to use the Brevoy Bandit trait, re-fluffed for Razor Coast (use Strength for Profession (sailor) in addition to Wisdom)

Dotting. Been wanting an appropriate setting to play an Undine Watersinger Bard for a while now. Going for a Combat Maneuvers by way of Hydraulic Push build...

Dotting, also with an Undine in mind. Mine would be a monk/magus though. A trident wielding water mage that drags the unlucky under the seas. A shipboard marine first and foremost, but loves a fine wine and a good song or roll in the hammock in the evenings. She had a rather liberated mother, and perhaps some of that nature rubbed off on her as well. A murderous water wench to keep your crew in line, no matter what it takes!

Will post more backstory when I get the chance.

I will also, if sillier characters are discouraged, be interested in submitting a more 'straight face' submission : )

I FORGOT TO LIST THE GOLD AGAIN! YOU START OUT WITH A COOL 11,500 GP!

Fighting Chicken, Razor Coast is not set in Golarion, so none of the Golarion ethnicities apply. However, I am not opposed to people using Golarion deities, due to there only being a handful of setting-specific ones. In this setting though, MOST of the gods prefer to operate more in the background than on Golarion. The exceptions are the Loa that the Aizanes Tulita worship, as these are gods with intimate ties to the world itself, and Pele, because let's just face it, the goddess of volcanoes cares nothing for subtlety and is not shy about letting her wrath be known.
As for the ships, you may definitely invest in one, but I know my buddy is going to apply and wants to play a semi-retired pirate who took the Colonial Pardon (Basing this on the actual British pardons from the golden age of Caribbean pirates, apparently,) so you might save money if you were just boarding up with him as first mate or something. Then again, it depends on what you're looking for. If you want to be captain yourself, you may purchase a ship, though we only need one through the early to middle game.

Redblade8, a Vishkanya? You're the first person outside of my former homegroup that I actually have seen use one!

Mowque, you may use Golarion deities or you may select one of the setting-specific ones that I will be list in a bit once I am done transcribing the massive amount of fluff from the Razor Coast player's guide.

Arknight, unless a trait is REALLY specific, you may refluff it for the purposes of the campaign.

Lessah, I have no problems with a sillier character. Razor Coast is quite gritty at times, so a comic relief character would be great!

About to go and copy-paste several walls of fluff text into the campaign information tab.

Maybe I can come out with something...

How are firearms handled?

Early? Are they common?

Please no guns. Please no guns. Please no guns.

Sorry, never seen a purpose for them in high fantasy even if Paizo has created feats and classes for them.

@Guns - The purpose of a gun, I believe, is to shoot that other sucker before he manages to stab you with a sword ! (Reference: See 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' ^^)

@characters - nice : )

I was in a very short-lived Razor Coast game myself. I'll be applying with that same character, a minotaur brawler. Fluff and crunch to come in a bit.

Please no guns. Please no guns. Please no guns.

Sorry, never seen a purpose for them in high fantasy even if Paizo has created feats and classes for them.

Sorry to disappoint but this is the razor coast book's cover.

It's a pirate campaign.

Updated!!! His character sheet and fluff are on his page.

Drak is a flamboyant charming character. At least he thinks so. He likes to keep peoples spirits up but can be a bit of a wise guy.

One of his traits is from skulls and shackles let me know if thats not ok.

Bigrig107, guns are at the Commonplace level in this setting, but only ones appropriate to the setting, so no revolvers, machine guns, or other types of nonsense! Bring on the muskets, flintlocks, arquebuses, pepperboxes, ect!

Sorry Tirion, but this setting is very much based on the Golden Age of Pirates in the Caribbean/Polynesian area, so not including firearms would be somewhat remiss!

Threeshades, it's not necessarily a pirate campaign, although it could turn into one. Still, it DOES have firearms!

SOME PRELIMINARY INFO UP IN CAMPAIGN INFORMATION TAB ON PORT SHAW AND A SHORT BLURB ABOUT THE SETTING ITSELF! A FEW MORE WALLS OF TEXT TO COME IN SPOILERS SOON!

EDIT: Drak, that's ok!

Is there such a thing as too much fluff?

*Waves*

(^_^)

Postin' ta show m'selfs fer peruzalin'!

No time t'be tweakin' this verson. Will be havin' more time on'a week endin'.

Much cheers an' good will ta every one! (^_^)

Mowque, after seeing the wall of text that is JUST Port Shaw as a barebones, straight-from-the-player's-guide spoiler, you may think so! :P

Suny, hello there! Oi see yer in tha maritime mood, yar! Be gettin' it together, lass! :)

Suny! Hey!

Maybe we'll be playing in another pirate-themed adventure together!

Thank'e fer tha' welcomin'. (^_^)

Right intrigued I be fer this adventure. Bin selected an' played in another PbP which has up an' died on m'slefs. :(

Were a naffy, fun time t'be had.

I be lookin' forwards ta' knwoin' if'n m'selfs meets tha' DM's approval fer racial types, an' all?

Much cheers ta' every one.

What do you mean about the "base starting racial cap"?

Alynthar42, the cap on maximum ability scores, which is lower in some races due to racial penalties. For example, you cannot bring a score above 18, before modifiers, in most races, but it is traditional that those with a racial penalty to a score due to race, CHA for Dwarves to use an example, to cap out at character creation at 16 WITH modifiers (In the case of -2 penalties). Get it now? I don't know if there's an actual term for it, but I'm sure you get the idea now, right?

ABOUT 5 MORE MASSIVE SPOILERS TO ADD TO THE CAMPAIGN INFORMATION TAB!

Here's Alynthar at level five. Please, for the love of Cthulhu let me into this game. I've wanted to play a nautical campaign for so long. I will frikkin pay you to let me into this, if I have to.

By the way, I reccommend that everybody put a point into linguistics to learn Drow Sign Language (Alynthar picked it up from a business associate of Fastar's, and will be happy to teach it to any other characters) so that they have a nonverbal method of communication.

Crap. I just realized I've gotta change his feats. That was modified from a conjurer I've been playing in a homebrew game (I figured it was easier than building Alynthar to level five).

Okay, here we go.

Boing!

I think I will actually try my hand at making another character, then see which one I like the most, before updating my old one :P

Just a quick question - you said *all* paizo stuff, right : )?

I was thinking of this archetype because it blends swordfighting and guns in the most pleasant way I have seen of any of paizo's stuff. However! I thought I'd ask before I commit to anything from the Technology Guide :)

I was thinking rapier/cutlass + pepperbox, if you are willing to squint over the issue of needing a free hand to rotate the barrel. If not, I think I will simply invest in like 5 normal pistols and carry a brace and the Quickdraw feat : )

Edit: Cestus + Pepperbox actually works and allows for a somewhat scrappy fighting style. I like it =)

Just a shame that the Dirty Trick Rage Power requires level 6 ...

It just occurred to me. How many spells do casters get? A spellcaster would have found, bought, captured, or stolen spellbooks throughout his travels.

Alynthar, brinery eh? It appeals to my draconic sensibilities, but let us see your character's fluff! :P As for spells, you get your listed spells known amount and can purchase additional known spells (You ARE a Wizard, after all!) for 1/2 the listed price or find some way to swipe them. As well, enemy spellcasters will have their spellbooks as loot, assuming you don't torch the spellbooks with a fireball or something! You WILL need to track how full your spellbook is and purchase a new one to accomodate any spells over the amount one can hold. Other casters who can learn prepared spells will be given ample opportunities to acquire spells, those I listed are just the ones most relevant to you.

Lessah, that is a fine archetype, just know that there will be no laser blasters or power armor in this campaign! As for the pepperbox, I think that there is a modification or feat somewhere that waives the free hand stipulation.

NEW EQUIPMENT SPOILER HAS BEEN ADDED IN CAMPAIGN INFORMATION! INFORMATION ON THE RAZOR COAST ITSELF IS FORTHCOMING!

@Laser - I guessed. But that is fine by me : ) (edit: And for the record, the electricity gun is the coolest :P)

@Pepperbox - I might have solved it already!

@Info spoilers - You might wanna check if you hit the max character limit. Your equipment spoiler cuts out right in the middle of the fancy rapier!

Lessah, I figured that out. After putting flora/fauna, ALL the text I put has been deleted... D:<

Does anyone know if I can just share the player's guide as a read-only file? I'm super p***** that my multiple hours of work is now just gone because of that stupid character limit.

Sorry. Here's Alynthar's fluff.

The editing timing out wasn't a problem, something happened with the stupid word count and I want to do an 'UUGRUUK SMASH!' on the thing now. I just e-mailed Frog God Games to see if they will just let me post a link to the player's guide on Google Drive.

So, I'm confluffled. How do I read the campaign info? The tab seems to start in the middle of what you have typed.

ALWAYS TYPE EVERYTHING LONG ONTO A WORD/WORDPERFECT/GOOGLE DOC AND THEN CUT AND PASTE!!!!! Even the [i] and [spoiler]s.

Just my 2 cents.