She probably doesn't entirely trust Kieran, but given her background as an enchantress and manipulator, she probably wouldn't let him know it was anything other than friendship.
I think this works, though again, the tension between Kieran and Ansha may not be apparent to the casual observer. He may not entirely trust her, expecting that enchantment magic may have been involved in Ansha's insinuation into the smuggling ring; and she probably doesn't trust him, either, for the aforementioned reasons.At the time Ansha was captured by the smugglers, Kieran was still a willing member, although he had just started to come around and reconsider his place among the group. He could not simply resign, however; instead, he would bide his time, waiting for the opportunity to not just part ways with his associates, but hurt their operation as well. It was during that period that Ansha went from a prisoner of the smugglers ring to a new recruit, a fact which surprised Kieran.
From that point onward, he kept an eye on the woman, trying to spend time with her and get to know her, at least as much as she would allow him to. Was her partnership with the smugglers a real thing, or had she chosen to become a part of their organisation because of some ulterior motive? That was what he was trying to determine and before long her true agenda became apparent. And when the elven mage finally turned on her 'associates', she found in the half-elf a willing partner and ally.
Once the smugglers found themselves in trouble, thanks in no small part to the two of them, Kieran and Ansha left together and tried to put as much distance between them and their former 'friends' as possible, at the same time remaining together due to their former common goal, as well as the fact that together they would have a better chance of defending themselves and surviving against potential reprisals if or when it came to that...
Sounds good to me and it does make sense indeed given Ansha's background and abilities. I do like! :-)
I have three other Feats (1st level, Human, Monk) Precise Shot is a definite, but I don't have the BAB for any of the other interesting archery feats. So then I thought Dodge (meh!) and extra ki (even though I wont use Ki till 4th level). So I can really use some help.
Well, as far as the monk feat is concerned, you do not need to meet the prerequisites for it, so why not Precise Shot, Far Shot or Rapid Shot, since they all are among the bonus feats a Zen Archer can choose from at 1st level?
As for the 1st level and human feats, I should think Dodge, Toughness, Improved Initiative would make for some fine choices. Besides, I do not think you can take Extra Ki at 1st level since you do not actually have a ki pool just yet.
Elaborating on Ansha's connection to the smuggling ring(s) at Crown's End, I was thinking that it may make the most sense for her to have either been taken as an exotic pleasure slave by a (the) ringleader and then patiently building her standing into that of a consort before backstabbing him, or more immediately charming the ringleader and taking a place as his consort and becoming an integral part of the operation before backstabbing them.
It'd give a bit more reason 1) why she was accepted by the ring, despite being captured by them initially, and 2) why she knew enough about the ring to do damage to them. It would also give Kieran a reason to be suspicious of her when she first showed up, as well as to not completely trust her after the two had left Crown's End.
AK, I'm thinking of Travel and Fate for Tebati's domains. They're among the possible Shimye-Magalla domains thrown around on the recruitment thread. I assume they meet DM approval?
So I'm running with the idea that Ansha managed to charm the ringleader of the ring that captured her and became the man's mistress, with the idea that she became an integral part of their operations in fairly short order (I'm thinking like the XO of the operation, right-hand woman, that sort of thing). She and Kieran became friends of a sort, but she still only brought Kieran in on her revenge plot at the last possible second (to avoid any negative consequences if he chose to out her) and proceeded to murder the ringleader in black widow fashion the night before a big smuggling operation. The ring shows up for the operation, but Ansha had set up the smuggling ring by framing the smugglers for a double-cross on the slavers or drug-pushers who were on the other side of the deal, the deal goes south and the ring gets into an unexpected fight with their former partners, with few surviving.
Ansha and Kieran weren't present when the ambush happened, and in fact were already taking what ill-gotten goods they could and fleeing. The smuggling ring may have had a couple of survivors, and they likely suspect that Ansha and Kieran were involved--their absence is likely suspicious. Heck, Ansha may have left a taunting note with her former lover's body.
The two use contacts to hire an Aspis Consortium ship to take them as far away from Crown's End as possible, and end up on the same ship as the party as they head for Eleder. Kieran and Ansha overhear them talking about the Trials, and try to convince them to let them join. (After all, they're probably going to need protection if any number of the betrayed smugglers survived.)
Thoughts? Also, the black widow part may be a bit disturbing. I think it fits the character, given her (unwilling) connection to Nocticula, but I'm fine with toning it down if anyone's offended.
As an aside, F. Castor, I'm not intentionally trying to trivialize Kieran's role in their shared background (though in reviewing it, it kind of looks that way), but I'm not terribly sure how Kieran acts or behaves, so you'll have to forgive me if I focus on the character I know, and any ideas you may have are appreciated.
Qhude, I like the alley meeting. Jakob most likely views you as a friend. He disapproves of the pit fighting but realizes ther are worse ways to make a living. We could back this meeting up a couple of months and have Jakob even helping out at the fights with the odd cure light.
Done - so we knew each other for a couple of months before you got the call to the trials. Figuring I would be useful, you invited me along.
N'bellocq - do you want to join up in Port Freedom or Eleder?
One option that could work (hackneyed plot device as it is) is that you all responded to a call for interest in joining the trials. Once Jakob arrived to Eleder he put word out he was looking - and you guys were the best ones that responded?
I can see N'bellocq wanting to be a part of the games to showcase his ability with the bow and get a paying job; Tebati would be drawn in to support him, as it turns out they're half-fourth cousins twice-removed or something like that. :)
If N'bellocq made his own way to Eleder - then you two guys can meet up off screen as well, then come to the party as a pair.
Will give us Jakob/Qhude, Ansha/Kieran and N'bellocq/Tebati as three sets of twins in the group.
If we want to expand the cliche further - perhaps the meeting was taking place in Picklebeards clan's tavern just before it was shut down. He overheard / was interested and when the tavern got closed he decided to join up?
I can understand if people cringe at that a bit though. Most overused starting line "So you are all sitting in a tavern and...."
I would be at a good point in Port Freedom to meet up with people. Just freed, and totally broke.
If and when he catches word of the Games. He will be very interested. The challenge is intriguing, and a chance for his own money would be great.
sheet is up.
Sheet is up too. Went with Precise Shot, Dodge, and Improved Initiative.
Tebati could as easily have been let off at Port Freedom as Eleder and met N'bellocq there. Eleder is the next logical step if she's heading back toward Nantambu. She could offer her services as ship's healer in exchange for passage to Eleder for her 'cousin' and herself. When they arrive in Eleder, they hear of the Trials and N'bellocq convinces her to stay and enter with him. Maybe they take the same ship from Port Freedom as Jakob and Qhude....
So I'm running with the idea that Ansha managed to charm the ringleader of the ring that captured her and became the man's mistress, with the idea that she became an integral part of their operations in fairly short order (I'm thinking like the XO of the operation, right-hand woman, that sort of thing). She and Kieran became friends of a sort, but she still only brought Kieran in on her revenge plot at the last possible second (to avoid any negative consequences if he chose to out her) and proceeded to murder the ringleader in black widow fashion the night before a big smuggling operation. The ring shows up for the operation, but Ansha had set up the smuggling ring by framing the smugglers for a double-cross on the slavers or drug-pushers who were on the other side of the deal, the deal goes south and the ring gets into an unexpected fight with their former partners, with few surviving.
Ansha and Kieran weren't present when the ambush happened, and in fact were already taking what ill-gotten goods they could and fleeing. The smuggling ring may have had a couple of survivors, and they likely suspect that Ansha and Kieran were involved--their absence is likely suspicious. Heck, Ansha may have left a taunting note with her former lover's body.
The two use contacts to hire an Aspis Consortium ship to take them as far away from Crown's End as possible, and end up on the same ship as the party as they head for Eleder. Kieran and Ansha overhear them talking about the Trials, and try to convince them to let them join. (After all, they're probably going to need protection if any number of the betrayed smugglers survived.)
Thoughts? Also, the black widow part may be a bit disturbing. I think it fits the character, given her (unwilling) connection to Nocticula, but I'm fine with toning it down if anyone's offended.
As an aside, F. Castor, I'm not intentionally trying to trivialize Kieran's role in their shared background (though in reviewing it, it kind of looks that way), but I'm not terribly sure how...
No worries, Ansha. And I do not see it as trivializing, since your character is the one you will be talking most about of course (seeing as how she is, well, your character and, as you said, you know her better than you know mine). :-) If I may, a few things about Kieran's involvement could be the following:
Kieran not only wanted to leave the smugglers, but also somewhat redeem himself and his past actions in his own eyes. Thus, he was formulating a plan to betray them, but one involving the authorities rather than some other nasty gents, like slavers or such. This would be happening at the same time he was getting to know Ansha and he too would not really talk to her about it, since why would he trust the smuggler leader's apparent consort with such a secret, at least before he could ascertain her true intentions? And since Ansha's revelation of her motives and plot came at the last minute, Kieran's own plan was already set into motion.
That would mean that the smugglers did indeed get into an unexpected fight with former partners, such as slavers or drug-pushers and then had that fight and/or their operation raided by whatever passes for authority in these parts. During the chaos, Ansha and Kieran could very well make themselves scarce and things coupld proceed as you say, leaving the two together, but with that lovely undercurrent of suspicion and uneasiness, not complete trust or friendship (though Kieran would probably see it more like a friendship than Ansha, since he would understand why she did what she did the way she did it) but with mere hints of them.
I think the above makes both characters have a more active hand in the organisation's downfall and pretty much justifies feelings of mistrust or suspicion, as well as any friction, between them, since both were holding out on each other up to some point.
Thoughts? :-)
No worries, Ansha. And I do not see it as trivializing, since your character is the one you will be talking most about of course (seeing as how she is, well, your character and, as you said, you know her better than you know mine). :-) If I may, a few things about Kieran's involvement could be the following:
Kieran not only wanted to leave the smugglers, but also somewhat redeem himself and his past actions in his own eyes. Thus, he was formulating a plan to betray them, but one involving the authorities rather than some other nasty gents, like slavers or such. This would be happening at the same time he was getting to know Ansha and he too would not really talk to her about it, since why would he trust the smuggler leader's apparent consort with such a secret, at least before he could ascertain her true intentions? And since Ansha's revelation of her motives and plot came at the last minute, Kieran's own plan was already set into motion.
That would mean that the smugglers did indeed get into an unexpected fight with former partners, such as slavers or drug-pushers and then had that fight and/or their operation raided by whatever passes for authority in these parts. During the chaos, Ansha and Kieran could very well make themselves scarce and things coupld proceed as you say, leaving the two together, but with that lovely undercurrent of suspicion and uneasiness, not complete trust or friendship (though Kieran would probably see it more like a friendship than Ansha, since he would understand why she did what she did the way she did it) but with mere hints of them.
I think the above makes both characters have a more active hand in the organisation's downfall and pretty much justifies feelings of mistrust or suspicion, as well as any friction, between them, since both were holding out on each other up to some point.
Thoughts? :-)
I think that works works pretty well.
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Tebati could as easily have been let off at Port Freedom as Eleder and met N'bellocq there. Eleder is the next logical step if she's heading back toward Nantambu. She could offer her services as ship's healer in exchange for passage to Eleder for her 'cousin' and herself. When they arrive in Eleder, they hear of the Trials and N'bellocq convinces her to stay and enter with him. Maybe they take the same ship from Port Freedom as Jakob and Qhude....
** spoiler omitted **
Overall, I'd prefer you worked something up with the Mwangified Scholar of Ruins trait.
I think that works works pretty well.
:-)
So, pending DM AK's input or feedback, we are more or less done with Ansha's and Kieran's mutual history, as well as a probable way for them to meet the rest of the group for the first time. Now on to the whole group's shared history together?
On another note, just a rules question, mostly out of curiosity rather than anything else: Do we roll for hit points or do we get a fixed amount each level?
Ok, let's try this again.
gear needs to be organized, appearence, personality, and background need to be added but I think all the crunch is good.
Birthdate or the 30th of Sarenith
Birthdate 1d365 or the 30th of Sarenith
I like that <yoink>, here I was going to just pick a day. Silly me.
Birthday Generator -> 3rd of Abadius
Character sheet is fully updated with background, appearance, etc. and Date of Birth.
Birthdate 1d365 or the 30th of SarenithI like that <yoink>
Birthday Generator -> d365 3rd of Abadius
I thought about allowing for leap years but that seemed too much like work. I believe in simple and close enough.
Qhude doesn't know when he was born in the seasons, so I'm happy just to increment his age whenever a new year rolls around.
When the message came through from your parents about the Trials, you saw that Qhude would both be useful - as well as seeing it as a way to save him from his situation. You offered him a job both escorting you to Eleder, then joining you in the Trials. Qhude accepted.
Catching a river scow from Kalabuto through to Port Freedom, then on arrival we started canvassing the docks for a ship to take us to Eleder. Passage was bought on the same vessel that was taking N'bellocq and Tebati Northwards.
On the ship, Tebati tried to reach out to Qhude seeing a fellow Mwangi in pain. Getting an initial cold shoulder to Tebati's talk of Shimye-Magalla's plan for all, you did manage to discover about the Trials. When Tebati later told N'bellocq, you figured that the Trials would be a good opportunity and approached Jakob to see if he would accept you into the party.
Arriving in Eleder, the vast majority of rooms in the city were occupied as the city swelled to bursting with people arriving for the Trials (both to watch and to compete). The only rooms available were at a Dwarf run tavern owned by the Blackhammers. While the tavern was unable to openly operate - it was willing to take on a few boarders, especially when Picklebeard found out why they were in town.
Meanwhile Ansha and Kieran alighted in Eleder after their escape from the smugglers. Through a combination of Kierans local knowledge and Ansha's insight into the nobility you found out that House Mulle was putting in a team for the Trials. Seeing this as a way to win some fortune, as well as surrounding yourself with people who could shield you from the smugglers - you sought out Jakob and joined up.
This is obviously all open to addition / interpretation and change. Just wanted to weld the storylines together in a way that could work and has a bit more meat on it for critique.
Birthday roll! = 1st of Pharast
Qhude doesn't know when he was born in the seasons, so I'm happy just to increment his age whenever a new year rolls around.
** spoiler omitted **...
I like this. I think it's a go.
AK?
Birthday roll! 1d365 = 1st of Pharast
Of course, using a calendar named after the colonials' gods is just internalizing oppression. Shouldn't the Mwangi have their own calendar?
I think Qhude's Wall o' Text sounds pretty plausible. Also, apparently Tebati and Ansha share a birthday.
I think Qhude's Wall o' Text sounds pretty plausible. Also, apparently Tebati and Ansha share a birthday.
All the more reason for her to want to let you and Kieran join the group. You're practically cousins!
EDIT: +1 for Wall o' Text.
Another +1 for Qhude's Wall of Text. It does indeed make for a plausible chain of events leading to the group's formation. Cheers! :-)
Are we saying Shimye-Magalla's alignment is CN?
Date of birth , i.e. 23rd of Pharast.
Dotting.
Also...
Well, Kieran's character sheet is ready, so here he is.
Wow, that is one fine character sheet!
Huge +1. That is one very swanky sheet.
As far as Qhude's proposed backstory goes:
Picklebeard nods in approval.
"That'll do, lad. That'll do just fine."
Excellent good - so we have that pretty much locked down.
DM AK - is there anything else you would like to see re: the troupe's backstory?
For character sheets I think we have everyone but Tebati's up and ready?
Looks like the group's story of coming together is pretty much done, the wall of text is acceptable.
Sorry had a very busy day so far (have to move out ofo ur accomodation today and move back in tomrorow) but i'll get back to Joana about the background in the next few hours.
Jakob looks ready now.
Background wall of text looks great. Thanks for that. I will incorporate the details into my backstory when I get the chance.
I believe CN would be most appropiate yes.
Proud Mwangi Scholar
You are familiar with the land and ancient histories of your heritage and in your time you have stumbled across secrets in Mwangi ruins that others often missed.
You gain a +1 trait bonus to Knowledge (geography), Knowledge (History) and Knowledge (dungeoneering) checks. These three skills are always class skills for you. In addition, while exploring an ancient structure of any kind you gain an automatic perception check to notice secret doors or any other hidden secret you pass within 15 feet of.
Sounds great, AK. I'll try to get my character sheet up later today.
Dotting.
Also...
Huge +1. That is one very swanky sheet.Well, Kieran's character sheet is ready, so here he is.
Wow, that is one fine character sheet!
Thank you. :-) To be fair, the credit concerning the linking-things-to-their-respective-rules thingy should go to Neil Spicer. I noticed his character sheet after getting to make my first character for a PbP in these boards (he is also a player in it) and found the idea pretty damn good. So, I took a page out of his book and went with it as well. The layout, I believe, is my idea, at least as far as I can remember... :-P I rather like the way it looks frankly.
On another note, pretty excited about this game and cannot wait for it to start! :-D
Thank you. :-) To be fair, the credit concerning the linking-things-to-their-respective-rules thingy should go to Neil Spicer. I noticed his character sheet after getting to make my first character for a PbP in these boards (he is also a player in it) and found the idea pretty damn good. So, I took a page out of his book and went with it as well. The layout, I believe, is my idea, at least as far as I can remember... :-P I rather like the way it looks frankly.
On another note, pretty excited about this game and cannot wait for it to start! :-D
I liked it so much I kind of mimicked it with mine. And +1 on the excitement!
I like the picture too Ansha, just spotted it on your profile :).
Thanks! A friend of mine did it for me a year or so ago. I intend to add additional shading, but I keep putting it off.
Here's the Hero Lab on Tebati; she's mostly done mechanically, but I still have some tweaking to do (alignment's still up in the air, for example). You can look over her stat block anyway.
Female Human (Mwangi) Cleric 1
NN Medium Humanoid (Human)
Init +2; Senses Perception +3
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DEFENSE
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AC 14, touch 12, flat-footed 12. . (+2 armor, +2 Dex)
hp 10 (1d8+1)
Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +5
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OFFENSE
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Spd 40 ft.
Melee Hanbo +1 (1d6+1/20/x2) and
. . Trident +1 (1d8+1/20/x2)
Ranged Blowgun +2 (1d2/20/x2)
Special Attacks Agile Feet (6/day)
Spell-Like Abilities Bit of Luck (6/day)
Cleric Spells Known (CL 1, 1 melee touch, 2 ranged touch):
1 (2/day) Divine Favor, True Strike, Obscuring Mist
0 (at will) Stabilize, Light, Sotto Voce (DC 13)
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STATISTICS
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Str 13, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 13, Wis 17, Cha 14
Base Atk +0; CMB +1; CMD 13
Feats Eclectic, Selective Channeling
Trait Faithful Feedback
Campaign Background Trait Proud Mwangi Scholar
Skills Heal +7, Knowledge: Dungeoneering +2 (untrained), Knowledge: Geography +2 (untrained), Knowledge: History +5, Knowledge: Religion +5, Swim +2
Languages Aquan, Common, Polyglot
SQ Aura (Ex), Channel Positive Energy 1d6 (5/day) (DC 12) (Su), Cleric Domain: Fate, Cleric Domain: Travel, Spontaneous Casting
Combat Gear Blowgun, Hanbo, Leather, Trident; Other Gear Backpack (3 @ 6.16 lbs: Holly and mistletoe, Waterskin, 108 gp), Holy symbol, wooden: Shimye-Magalla
--------------------
SPECIAL ABILITIES
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Agile Feet (6/day) (Su) For 1r, you ignore difficult terrain.
Aura (Ex) The Cleric has an aura corresponding to his deity's alignment.
Bit of Luck (6/day) (Sp) Target takes the higher of 2d20 for a d20 roll.
Channel Positive Energy 1d6 (5/day) (DC 12) (Su) A good cleric can channel positive energy to heal the living and injure the undead; an evil cleric can channel negative energy to injure the living and heal the undead.
Cleric Domain: Fate Associated Domain: Luck
Cleric Domain: Travel Granted Powers: You are an explorer and find enlightenment in the simple joy of travel, be it by foot or conveyance or magic. Increase your base speed by 10 feet.
Faithful Feedback Whenever you cast a spell belonging to the healing subschool on someone of your religion, increase the hit points healed by +1.
Selective Channeling Exclude targets from the area of your Channel Energy.
Spontaneous Casting The Cleric can convert stored spells into Cure or Inflict spells.
Hero Lab® and the Hero Lab logo are Registered Trademarks of LWD Technology, Inc. Free download at http://www.wolflair.com
Pathfinder® and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC®, and are used under license.
Tuesday is best with Monday being a holiday and all for us Americans.
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Ah of course. Well Tuesday suits me too, sounds good.
Joana- character sheet looks good. I would advise against the Eclectic feat and taking Druid levels later- I would be happy to come up with or discuss other character options that reflect you taking a more naturalistic leaning without mixing two different full casters.
But if its the path you choose and see the character forming into, so be it. Just wanted to get my two cents in :).
I think Qhude's Wall o' Text sounds pretty plausible. Also, apparently Tebati and Ansha share a birthday.
Just noticed it's also the day the prelude to the story was set in motion, as well:
;)
I'm sure Shimye-Magalla would find that appropriately fortuitous?
Fidgeting in my seat with unbridled anticipation.