pssst! Guys! I think we're still in initiative.
Yeah I'm going to keep shooting at it until it's all dead and not mostly dead :)
Don't spoil my fun! I had a plan for it to play possum!
Sorry about that DM B.
Sorry, but are we still in turn-based combat? I'm a bit lost at the moment as to what's going on.
Ok, so done reading and pretty much done Akiros and his mount, Kydal. Please check for accuracy.
Is Akiros starting with the standard 6,000 gp, or an amount inline with the others PCs? Either way is fine, I think he's almost at the 6,000 gp limit as he is right now. Have to double check the math later. Also, is there any gp limit on what items he can have?
What are his age, height and weight?
I gave him the Courageous and Bastard (from Kingmaker) traits, do those work for you?
Do you have anything else written for him Personality, Appearance or Backstory wise other than what I included on his sheet? If not, I'd like to flesh them out a bit, perhaps even something to do with his Bastard Feat, all with your approval of course. Do you have any suggestions or preferences?
Finally, how would you like to introduce him to the current game thread?
Ok, so done reading and pretty much done Akiros and his mount, Kydal. Please check for accuracy.
** spoiler omitted **
Just curious but the Bastard Sword damage without combat feats is going to be 1-10+7 if he's 1-Hd w/ it and his Shield correct (STR+Specialization+Enchantment)? Similarly the alternate Heavy Shield Bash would be 1-4+4 if not an off-hand attack?
I'm also curious about Akiros's order. He's not really masterless is he? He's sworn to service of Newhaven.
btw, I think it would be a pretty fair fight between us. It might be fun, maybe we should do a mock battle? Or save it for IC..
Any details regarding Akiros's appreance or any additional backstory, I trust you to make. For his trait, just rename it "Exile" and he's good to go. 6K gold is good for him. There's no real limit, but his gear selection has to look and feel organic.
His attack should be +10 (1d10+7/19-20) or +8 (1d10+11/19-20). You have him getting the Power Attack bonus without the penalty. Shield Bash would be +8 (1d4+4) or +6 (1d4+8). (Though he can't have Weapon Specialization yet, because he didn't get eligible until level 4 and doesn't receive a feat at that level, so reduce the bastard sword damage by 2 for each.)
The reason it was lower in what I copied is because HeroLab considers him to not be proficient. (I created him before the katana was published, and I liked keeping him with the bastard sword.)
He would have 20 skill points (4 per level plus Human) to spend. You have 8 written down. While I haven't checked to see if the math jives, you might have some extra. I see you spent your favored class bonus on hit points, as average would bring him to 36 and favored 4 times would bring him to 40.
You can pick any order, Cavalier or Samurai, though he isn't really Ronin anymore. If you prefer the mechanics of the Ronin order, we can handwave the description and call it something else.
Give me a little time. I'm probably going to have him have a little mini-adventure in Sanctuary until they return.
Ok great, thanks all for the corrections, I was just using the demo version of HeroLab and it doesn't have Samurai so was trying to wing it with the fighter. If anyone notices anything else, please don't hesitate to let me know.
And heh, sure Berrin, a scrap might be fun ; )But with the enmity between the two, we'd have to make sure it doesn't get out of control ^-^
What 'ranks' do Berrin and Akiros have now btw? It says in the Gameplay that Berrin is the General, but it also says in the IC text that Akiros is the General of the army as well. Are they both? (That sounds like fun, lol)
Also, is anyone acting as the party mapmaker? Was thinking that would be something up Akiros' alley.
Am also adding a bow and a couple other little things I forgot.
Ok switched back WS for Cleave and added the bonus HP for being human which I forgot.
I'll take a look at all the other Orders and see if one seems to fit better, but I do kinda like the Ronin benefits so may just rename it as you say.
And no worries about the time, as that will give me the time to get rid of all the kinks and smooth out his backstory and such as well.
What Human bonus HP? Am I missing out on something or did you mean human bonus skill point?
It the favoured class bonus, we have the option each level whether we want to use it towards a skill point or an HP (if we are taking a level in our favoured class of course)
And while we're on the subject, has everyone been rolling for HP, or taking an average? Or we have the choice? What is the average for d10?
You have the choice, but you have to stick with it. If you roll a 1, you roll a 1. Honor system for it. Average is rounded up PFS style, so d10's average is 6.
Taking average and putting his favored class bonus into HP, Akiros should have 40: 10 base, 18 from 3d10, 8 from 14 Con, and 4 from favored class.
If it's alright, I think I'd rather roll instead, so here goes.
Woot! : D 25+10+8+4= 47HP
Also, I've completed Akiros's personality, appearance and background. I pretty much left most of what you had written about him, and what he had told the others about himself intact Barcus but I added, well, quite a bit actually to his background that no one as of yet knows anything about (once his 'voice' got into my head I just couldn't stop writing down what he told me). I also expanded his appearance, personality and some info about his relationships with the others. All of this is only submitted for your approval of course. If you, or anyone, has any problems whatsoever with anything I've written or any liberties I've taken please just let me know and I'll change it, no problem at all. Hope you enjoy.
Akiros is a large fellow, standing some 6 feet tall and weighing in about 200lbs or so. He has long, thick, dark black hair and piercing black eyes. He is a man of some presence, his every word burning with intensity and purpose. He is honor-bound almost to a fault. Nothing is more important to him than his word, and there is no price he will not pay to keep it.
He is an incredibly intense and driven man, yet his intensity is as a deep river, for almost never does his passion ripple his calm surface. A single, soft word from him can terrify his soldiers far more than the most volatile raging of even the biggest and meanest of the sergeants. Akiros is an enigma to most, for he allows very little of himself to escape through his rigidly controlled demeanour. Yet somehow he instills trust in those around him. Perhaps it is because he is fair, always seeing to the true balance and equity of any situation. Perhaps it is because few, if any, can best him with a blade. Or perhaps it is because his men know he will give everything of himself to lead them to victory. Whatever the cause, his men would follow him anywhere.
While no one would ever accuse Akiros of being overly friendly, he gets along with well enough with most. However, he cannot stand the steward of the realm, Berrin. He keeps it to himself, mostly, but they had started off on an ill foot and the terrible first impression, and second and third, Berrin had made to him had simply failed to ever fade.
There seems to be some sort of odd connection between Akiros and Taisper. While neither of the two would call themselves friends, there does seem to be an...understanding of some sort between them. Of all the heroes, Taisper seems to be the most accepting and trusting of Akiros being among them.
Lately Akiros has been approaching Verik more and more. The samurai never seems to run out of questions for the priest about Abadar. He seems particularly interested in the idea of the Vault, and there somewhere being a perfect version of everything. Verik has not yet come anywhere near divining the purpose of these questions and Akiros seems to have no intention of divulging his motivations. Yet for all that, the priest is always happy to speak about his chosen faith and sometimes the conversations between the two can last for hours.
As for the leader of Sanctuary, never does Akiros treat Jemini with anything less than the utmost respect. Although Akiros had given his oath to the heroes and Sanctuary in general, it seems clear to most that , since her return, the samurai seems to have shifted his oath to her personally. As is almost everyone, Akiros seems drawn to the brave and beautiful paladin. Yet his manners are never less than impeccable with her and for the most discerning it seems his attraction to her goes beyond the physical. It is almost as if the shining Paladin seems to remind him of someone...or perhaps something. As the noble lady is friendly and kind with everyone, it is not eminently clear exactly how she feels about him. As well, it is more than possible that whatever thoughts or feelings she has about Akiros are coloured by the presence of another
As for that other, Nikolai, the returned Stag Lord in the flesh, no one but Akiros himself knows how he feels about the man and his return from the dead. As of yet, the two have not been in extended close proximity to each other. Although he has not obviously done so, many whisper that the general is avoiding his ex-liege lord. Whatever the case may be, the truth of it remains yet to be seen.
As for the rest of the heroes and leaders, Akiros does not seem to have any feelings towards them one way or another. He leaves them to do their jobs and expects them to leave him to do his.
(the parts in bold are the parts I have modified or added to)
Akiros was once a somewhat renowned paladin in New Stetven, spoken of with great expectations for his potential. The town was shocked when he murdered a merchant and his wife, then fled to the south. It has been five years since that scandal; the city believed him dead or to have fled the area entirely. At one point, soon after meeting the heroes, he tells his story in his own words.
"I am from Mivon to the south. Like all Mivonese citizens, I dueled for status. I was rising swiftly in standing, but I lost everything one day when I fell in love. Despite my better judgment, I engaged in a dishonorable affair with a noblewoman. Her husband found out about us and, when she told him that it had been against her will, he challenged me to a duel for her honor. It was a savage duel, and one without witnesses to legitimize it. We fought for what felt like hours until I was about to land the finishing blow. She leapt in the way in a last second attempt to stay my hand. I was too exhausted to stop the momentum. In a single blow, I killed both of them. I knew what it appeared to be, so I fled."
"Pursued by his brothers and friends, I made it to these lands but was too weak to continue. In a stroke of luck, I found myself at the Stag Lord's fort. He accepted me, gave me respite and food. Mere hours later, my pursuers arrived. They demanded that he hand me over, but the Stag Lord does not respond well to demands. He did battle with them outside the walls. In less than two minutes, four trained swordsmen lay dead, four ranked members of the Aldori Swordpact. Covered in blood, both his own and theirs, he seemed a giant and my savior. I swore my loyalty to him as long as we live, then and there." Akiros looks at them, his gaze steady and true. "I may disagree with much of what he does, but I swore an oath and intend to keep it. I hold out hope that he will one day be the great man he has the potential to be, but I fear his mysterious patron has too much hold over him for that to happen."
However, that is not quite the entirety of the story, for the ex-paladin had left some significant parts of the story out. For one, while the noblewoman, Sarah, her name, engraved forever on his heart, was Sarah, had indeed told her husband that Akiros had taken her against her will, it had been Akiros himself who had quickly and quietly insisted to her that she do so. The reason he had done this was because, moments before they had been found, she had lovingly told him that she was with child, his child. His mind whirling in the adrenaline of the moment, the distraught young man had instantly understood that a bastard child born of infidelity would have began it's life at great disadvantage. But if she had been able to convince her husband she had been taken against her will, then surely she would also have been able to convince him that the child was his own.
Akiros had intended to lose that duel, to allow the man his pride and honour, and then leave New Stetven, never to be seen there again. But Sarah's husband had been so angry. A rage that would accept nothing less than the death of it's target, and Akiros did not intend to die that day. Still, he would not have killed the man had Sarah not intervened. He would have merely battered the man into unconscious submission. Yet the Gods had been particularly cruel that day and as Sarah dove in to save the life that had not been in danger, Akiros, tool of a heartless Fate, had accidentally ended not one, not two, but three lives that day. In truth, four, should one count his own ruined life. When he had fled, it had not just been from his homeland. He had fled from everything. For he knew in the deepest part of his heart that never again would be able to believe in a God, in any God, who could allow such a cruel tragedy to play out among innocents. So now, the samurai believes in nothing but himself, in his own Word and Code. And this is the true secret behind his obsessive need to keep his bond, above all costs. For it is the last thing he has left. To break his word is to break himself; a sundering from which he knows there would be no recovery. So this is his secret.
There is an even deeper one though. A secret so deep Akiros keeps it even from himself. For as much as he blames the Gods for the tragedy which is his life, there is one other he blames even more. Akiros Himself. For in truth was it not he who had allowed the affair which doomed them all? Yet a drowning man clings to whatever will keep him afloat. For Akiros, this meant burying this truth so deep within himself that the thought of it never occurs to him. There are some things which can shatter a man's soul for all eternity. This is one of them.
Now, Akiros is the former lieutenant of the Stag Lord, as the heroes of Sanctuary had killed the man in an honourable battle. The samurai had then pledged his fealty to the heroes of Newhaven for sparing his life. As a reward, the blindness that Tandlara has cursed him with lifted by she who bestowed it. Truly one of the most beautiful and amazing experiences in his life had been opening his eyes and seeing again for the first time. The Beauty, the Colour, the Detail. It had left him speechless and sent a tear sliding down each of his cheeks.
Currently Akiros serves as the general of Sanctuary's army, training their soldiers for the battle which is surely coming. Knowing this, Akiros drills his men mercilessly. Yet no one works harder, trains harder than does he. For hard work wearies the mind, and a tired mind does not think too much, and this was of utmost necessity. For thinking leads to contemplation, and contemplation leads to the uncovering of truth. And some truths must stay buried forever.
Looks good! I see you amped the tragedy up a notch!
Glad ya like it :) He just seemed to draw it out of me.
Hi kids. Currently doped up on painkillers pretty hardcore atm (injured my arm).
I'll try and knock out a post soon (24 hours or so).
Hydra's turn in combat ya?
So is it Berrin or Nikolai up next to try and beat out my whopping 2hp of damage this round?
Berrin is next. I currently have the initiative of an old shoe.
*Facepalm*
That's what I get for being drug-addled and not reading the IC thread.
Thanks for keeping me in there DMB.
Hey all, sorry, I am without laptop or smartphone atm, both having crashed within a day of each other, so net time is limited for the moment but I'll be back and posting asap. So should give you some extra time to intro Akiros's scene Boss ; )
Verik would probably not pry too much on Akiros' questions concerning Abadar and any possible interest there, as he would simply find his interest to be a fine boon to his Bank and what he's trying to foster in the new realm. Verik will have a strong undercurrent of bringing civilization to an area that lacked it previously, as well as to be vigilant against the "corrupting" precepts of Brevian nobility and other aspects of Brevian politics that would spell doom to the growth of Newhaven as an independent realm. In that sense he would think that Akiros and Verik would pretty much agree on this.
Anyway, however you want to play it out with Akiros, consider Verik to be an ally and someone that will listen to him without (too many) strings attached! Anything you'd like to add as backstory in the past few months I'm open to working in of course.
I'm at a Con this weekend. Sorry for the delay!
The hydra is thematic foreshadowing for the trolls, but not directly connected.
** spoiler omitted **
That's all great and thanks for the response! And yes, Akiros would very much agree with Verik about bringing civilization to the area as well as the priest's dislike and/or distrust of Brevian nobility in general.
I have nothing further planned backstory-wise at present but look forward to creating more together in the future.
I'm very much liking how you play Verik too by the way- Part strident believer and part comic relief. ; )
I was thinking about it earlier, and I think that the group would have passed a law stating that no public funds shall pay for a resurrection. The reasoning is that they don't want to have special privileges. People are going to die, and they can't afford to bring them all back. It would be unfair to the citizens to expect them to let their loved ones stay dead while using the public treasury to bring themselves back.
What do you guys think?
Seems fair and democratic. It still stinks to be poor, but I don't think we will be fixing that anytime soon. ;-)
Ooooorrrrr...
We could make resurrection a state-run lottery.
Wheel of Mortality turn turn turn, tell us which urn we are to un-urn!
LOL
"Thanks Verik, would you like to mount from the front or behind?"
Literally LOL'd
Ya I'm for the rez funding ban, as well as any other considerations that generally makes a Raise Dead & Resurrection more profound and less routine.
Heh Wheel of Mortality. So do we get Bob Barker for that?
Ooh Akiros has a dark and nifty side-quest brewing there!
Not sure if Akiros gets a vote or not, but he would for sure also be approving of the funding ban.
And ya, this story line is cool! Neato!
Also very much looking forward to seeing you lot meet up with those Trolls. Could that battle you hear be it?
Berrin raises a good point. Why didn't we stock up on acid-y and fire-y things? Or did we just handwave that "the party takes a wand of flaming acid arrow bomb explosion" along with? Or was there nothing we could take? 'Cos if that's the case, then heading back gets us nowhere. But if there is stuff back in Newhaven we can use, then the idea of a strategic regrouping suddenly has a lot more currency, I reckon.
Well OOC I just figured this may be more of an exploratory mission, and we're going to find we may be in over our heads here. Or perhaps we can find what happened to Gregary and learn more about the scope of the menace. I figured our group is going to have a 'welcome to the NFL moment here' that we'll have to adjust to on another outing.
We're lacking in serious arcane boom-boom right now, but we can probably take on a couple of foes and with Taisper's acid we can keep them down once they are down. Fire and acid notwithstanding, if we come up against an equal number of Trolls we need to go run away :)
Of course, I find it hilarious that we can't make a Perception check to even know that there's a fight in the area - yay Perception checks!
Ooh an interesting twist for Akiros with Tandlara there! Of course, I'm glad Eoin wasn't here for that, else I think we'd be seeing some PC on PC crime right about now hehe.
For the caravan fight I'm going to try and get off a couple of buffs, plus I have a AoE spell if I can line it up in Short Range against a group of kobolds if the opportunity presents itself. Just a reminder that my healing channel bursts can only exclude two foes, so don't go all crazy-Conan in there and get yourself surrounded :)
I'm fine with Taisper looking like a moron as it'll make for some fun RP, but in his defense I gotta point out that under the perception spoiler, it said the fight he heard was "far, far away", so that's what I went with. I wasn't purposely trying to mislead the group, though I won't be surprised if that's what they accuse him of. >_<
At worst you can expect a 'tsk' from Berrin, maybe followed by a shake of the head...
Nah I thought it was good in the sense that you're not going to have Taisper say "oh yes there is the sound of combat 1.24 mi away and we can close the distance in approx. seventeen minutes at a rate of x" sort of thing.
Of course I had it stuck in my head that perhaps you were going to bust out with some OOTS and say "c'mon guys you know we already had our random encounter for the day so let's catch some shuteye!" hehe.
Maybe Taisper overestimates his hearing capacity? If he can hear something that is hours worth of brisk riding away, that is pretty damn impressive.
I think Taisper is always hearing something, and I just hope I never hear what it is telling him to do....
We do have private messaging now, so you never know what Taisper is hearing.
|
*Facepalm*
That's what I get for being drug-addled and not reading the IC thread.
Thanks for keeping me in there DMB.
Psionic where are ya man? Getting better I hope from your injury? It's a hard transition to take Nikolai there, but I'm looking forward to more from him as a real PC!
I'm looking to step up my game and post more often (back on the once per 24 hour expectation) once we get out of this combat...well assuming we get out of this combat...in one piece...or close enough to it :)
Sorry for the delay in the fight scene. I can only post the battle from home (because of its complexity and the maps), so I should get rolling pretty well tomorrow to Sunday.
Oh s+$~.
Poor Bessie...
We're waiting on the kobolts right? Not me...?
Ouch.
Ouch.
I'm gonna get you!
Who hasn't had a near death experience? Verik got ripped up by tatzlwyrms, Tandlara got shot by Orlivanch, Jemini and Nikolai actually died... Have Berrin, Taisper, or Zander been in negative hit points?