Thanks for the welcome!
One quick thing: the name is Doran, no "i" in the middle.
And thanks for your suggestions. I have tended to avoid rogue archetypes that lose trapfinding, but you make a good point - having Synthia in the party could free me up to explore such archetypes. I'll look into some.
I agree that daggers are an excellent pirate weapon, but I'd have to swallow doing 1d3 damage, since they'd be small. I guess that's not so different from the 1d4 my wee shortswords will do though, eh?
Thanks again for the ideas, they're fun to think about - keep 'em coming!
And yes, three shipwrecks is a lot. An early draft of the story only had two, but if I'm cursed by the sea-gods (or am I loved by them, as I always survive? Or is that in itself a curse?), I might as well go for it. I look forward to seeing what Barcas comes up with in relation to the curse as time goes on. Keep a life-vest handy. :p
Edit: just read Knife Master - it sure makes up for the switch from a d4 to a d3! I like the idea of d8 sneak attack dice.
A question - your sheet says you are Chelish, but your story says you're from Magnimar. There's lots of history of Cheliax in Magnimar as I understand it, though I don't actually know if it would be considered a Chelish city at this point.
Oh, that just means Synthia is ethnically Chelaxian, as opposed to Varisian or Shoanti, the other two major ethnic groups present in Magnimar.
I'll give the rest of your post some thought and respond soon!
Wow, thanks DM Barcas for selecting me. I feel honored after such a competitive group of applicants.
This is my first alchemist, so if I do something that isn't correct, my feelings won't be hurt if called on it.
As far as combat goes, Vrunyar has three bombs/day, at level one. His Opening Volley feat gives him a +4 to attack after a successful ranged attack. So at least once in a while he'll try to throw a bomb then charge in with his battleaxe swinging next round. Hmmmm, but without armor perhaps using a ranged weapon like a crossbow wouldn't be a bad thing.
Be aware, Vrunyar can't heal other people with alchemy until second level.
Now off to read everyone's history and go over my equipment again.
I am going to post a character sheet template for everyone to follow. (It will be the Hero Lab template.)
Have you considered Vivisectionist? Three Sneak Attack characters would be hilarious.
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Be aware, Vrunyar can't heal other people with alchemy until second level.
Welcome to the group Vrunyar! So are you planning to take the infusion discover at 2nd level or take the Chirurgeon archetype?
Sorry! Got it, no i in the name. Yea, I like Knife Master archetype. River Rat trait offsets your strength loss too!
@John - I just realized you're Hideo from the Jade Regent campaign!
I'm Nicat, the guy who just said he's got your back as we face the goblins, or whatever killed them. I should have recognized your helpful hints in character building.
I will also go through everyone's profiles - crunchy bits and all -tonight or tomorrow and come back with comments or recommendations. I hope to get sailing by Friday - as there is a very strong (practically guaranteed, frankly) chance of me getting a scene between Friday night and Sunday afternoon. Depending on what that scene is, I may be a little scarce (or not) as I work the case.
Anyone have any questions as we get started?
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Its all good! And I hope you don't mind the suggestions. Its good to see you in the group.
Sounds good on the dagger. Its a bit early, but I think I'll be doing a little tweaking tonight or tomorrow on John. I had thought about going TWF but after seeing the group make up, I think I'm going to go for something a bit more defensive. I'll most likely be going Sword and Board route for my combat style and wield a buckler/light shield and a cutlass.
No real questions from me, unless the DM says otherwise, I'm good to go. I think the group looks to be fun to watch :)
Just want to make sure everyone is familiar with the Misfortune revelation, I would think it would be easiest if people elected to use the reroll themselves if its available rather than me triggering it. Thoughts?
Misfortune (Ex): At 1st level, as an immediate action, you can force a creature within 30 feet to reroll any one d20 roll that it has just made before the results of the roll are revealed. The creature must take the result of the reroll, even if it’s worse than the original roll. Once a creature has suffered from your misfortune, it cannot be the target of this revelation again for 1 day.
It works on friends as well as foes so the name is a bit of a misnomer. I'm inclined to think its best to use it as freely as we can, so if you are reasonably sure you missed and its available just use it.
Just want to make sure everyone is familiar with the Misfortune revelation, I would think it would be easiest if people elected to use the reroll themselves if its available rather than me triggering it. Thoughts?
Misfortune (Ex): At 1st level, as an immediate action, you can force a creature within 30 feet to reroll any one d20 roll that it has just made before the results of the roll are revealed. The creature must take the result of the reroll, even if it’s worse than the original roll. Once a creature has suffered from your misfortune, it cannot be the target of this revelation again for 1 day.It works on friends as well as foes so the name is a bit of a misnomer. I'm inclined to think its best to use it as freely as we can, so if you are reasonably sure you missed and its available just use it.
A couple of questions on this:
Does this have a limit on number of uses per day, aside from each of us in the party only benefiting from it once per day? It seems revalations don't, but this re-roll feature in other forms often does, like in Desna's Bit of Luck ability.
When we want to use it, is your thought that we'd just declare that within our post, and consider that you've taken the action to apply it to us? That sounds good, and I love re-roll abilities, so I'd be happy to do that.
I guess it's misfortune for someone. Remember that it requires Beshra's immediate action.
As discussed, I'm going to modify Doran a bit, making him a Knife Master and taking his persona in a slightly darker direction. It's tough to train to be the knife in the darkness, doing what has to be done, while living under the curse of the sea-gods, and keep an entirely sunny disposition.
He'll still have some Kaylee in him, but there will be a sizeable dollop of Jayne sauce over the top, with perhaps a sprinkling of Jubal Early when needed (without the psychosis, I'm hoping).
A few thoughts I'd like input on as I make changes:
Does it make sense to add the Scout archetype also? This would give me more opportunities to do my hefty sneak attack damage, but come at the cost of uncanny dodge and its improved cousin. I expect to rely pretty heavily on my Dex for AC, so this is a big tradeoff.
Feat and Rogue Talent-wise, I'm thinking Two-Weapon Fighting at level 1 and Finesse Rogue at 2. Other feats in mind are Weapon Focus, Quick Draw, maybe Improved Initiative. Haven't spent a lot of time thinking about other Talents, but Underhanded could be pretty sweet with my sneak attack d8's, but I'd only have one use per day and it's pretty situational.
I've also noticed that Synthia has a very different stat array from Doran's - thoughts on changes to Doran's abilities scores would be interesting to hear.
Here is the sample that I'd like you to use.
Sample Fighter
Human Fighter 1
CG Medium Humanoid (human)
Init +1; Senses Perception +1
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DEFENSE
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AC 17, touch 11, flat-footed 16 (+6 armor, +1 Dex)
hp 13 (1d10+2)
Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +1
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OFFENSE
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Speed 20 ft.
Melee Masterwork Longsword +7 (1d8+6/19-20/x2)
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SPELLCASTING
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1st: 4/4; Spells Known: grease, color spray
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STATISTICS
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Str 18, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 10
Base Atk +1; CMB +5; CMD 16
Feats Blind-Fight, Power Attack -1/+2, Weapon Focus (Longsword)
Traits Deft Dodger, Natural-Born Leader
Trained Skills Intimidate +4, Ride +1, Swim +4
Untrained Skills Acrobatics -3, Climb +0, Escape Artist -3, Fly -3, Stealth -3
Languages Common
Other Gear Masterwork Chainmail, Masterwork Longsword, 150 GP
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SPECIAL ABILITIES
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Class info goes here. (Sneak Attack, Mystery/Curses, etc)
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RACIAL TRAITS
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Skilled Gain 1 skill point per level.
Bonus Feat Gain a bonus feat at 1st level.
Hehe, I wouldn't worry about sticking with a Firefly crew member, I doubt the for fun list will be the same after we gain a couple of levels and characters personalities develop organically anyway :)
I'd certainly be tempted to go scout, the more you can sneak attack the better, and though good uncanny dodge never seems to come up that much for me.
The chirurgeon archetype was what I used in drawing up my character. Simply forgot to indicate that. A vivisectionist (tentacle body parts and a tumor familiar possible!) is a little darker and creepier than I want to play; great for a horror-themed campaign though.
No questions at the moment.
Doran, I think your ability scores compliments Synthia's very well.
Starting with Iakob: Your math seems right so far. The space/reach section isn't necessary for a medium creature with normal reach. Could use some capitalization. History needs a bit of updating to fit the updated narrative.
Vivisectionist doesn't necessarily have to be darkly flavored. It can simply be nudged in flavor to be that the alchemist is a surgeon and just plain knows where the vulnerable spots are quite well. But if bomb-throwing appeals to you, that's cool too.
Next is John: how does he have +5 in Fortitude? All I can find is +4. Technically, I think the different weapon options should be "or" unless it is TWF. Background also needs to mesh with Iakob's.
After thinking about it a bit more, the idea of throwing bombs around flammable sails, rigging, etc. isn't quite how I imagined Vrunyar. So, I will use the Vivisectionist archetype. I'll make the changes tomorrow morning.
DM Barcus how much would a picture book cost? I'm imagining something like a number of simple prints, bound together, something like "The Cat Princess", a fairy tale that Beshra would be attached to.
That would be a negligible cost.
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Next is John: how does he have +5 in Fortitude? All I can find is +4.
+2 for class, +2 for Fort, +1 for peg-leg trait.
Technically, I think the different weapon options should be "or" unless it is TWF.
Hrm, thats how Hero-lab gave it to me, but I have since corrected it.
Background also needs to mesh with Iakob's.
Updated to reflect First Lieutenant Steele, and our entwined backstory.
Also, I changed out Iron Will for Additional Traits. I picked up Suspicious and Lover of the Law. I got rid of some of my gear and switched some things out, including plot items. The gear has been updated to reflect my Peg leg, Journal, Holy Symbol, Lock of Alima's hair, Wedding Ring and a tooth from the shark that took my leg. I won't be going TWF or Sword and Board, I'll stick to 2hander for now.
@Iakob:In my back story I gave you the rank of First Lieutenant. In navy jargon its the officer who leads the deck force sailors, and would have made the most sense if you had been my boss. Let me know if you want to change it so I can update mine to reflect. Thanks!
Starting with Iakob: Your math seems right so far.
Missing one language, added Aklo.
The space/reach section isn't necessary for a medium creature with normal reach.
Removed.
Could use some capitalization.
Done.
History needs a bit of updating to fit the updated narrative.
I'm working on that as I can today, should finish up this evening with the fine polishing.
@Iakob:In my back story I gave you the rank of First Lieutenant. In navy jargon its the officer who leads the deck force sailors, and would have made the most sense if you had been my boss. Let me know if you want to change it so I can update mine to reflect. Thanks!
That's fine. Reading over your sheet again I'm seeing some striking similarities between our characters personalities, Iakobs dourness will stem from his sense of personal failure though, rather than the physical loss, at being captured, failing to escape with everyone and failing to rouse the Andoran Navy for the rescue. So he has a ingrained feeling of responsibility for his 'command' that I'm hoping to express.
Now back to work! (Real work) I'll get back to this in a few hours.
Here is the sample that I'd like you to use.
I've become pretty reliant on Hero Lab, but that's been turned into a plus for me here. :)
Mine has a few minor changes - like the split between trained and untrained skills and the addition of a spellcasting section.
I'm pretty close to your format already, and will revise to fit it soon. I'm mid-stream on making changes to Doran based on conversations here, so if things look a bit hinky when you review it, that's why. Will post a note when I'm done.
Synthia's profile/character sheet has been changed to your preferred format.
On the subject of slavery, Synthia is egalitarian in her indifference. Some places they have it, some places they don't. Her only strong feeling about it is that she never, ever wants to experience it herself.
As for particular races or classes of people who are more often enslaved in one place or another, again, she doesn't think about it much at all. She judges people, free or enslaved, by their actions towards her and, frankly, by what they can do for her (or what she can get from them). She's an equal opportunity exploiter, in other words.
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On the subject of mechanics, I must admit that the fighty-fight bits of the game (which I'm relatively new to) are where I'm weakest in my rules knowledge. I don't know what feat trees are best for what styles of fighting or even what style of fighting Syn's "build" best supports. As others have noted, I spent more time working up her out-of-combat skills and so on both mechanically and in terms of her history. She's a second-story woman, safe cracker, and trap disarmer before she's a fighter. Any suggestions or aid along those lines are more than welcome—I want her to be useful in a fight, certainly.
Beshra's profile ought to be in the correct format now to.
Doran is now in your format also, with one variation - I like to list my skills and saves with the basis for their bonuses (much like how you want AC bonuses listed) . It's easier for me to keep track of as I level up or otherwise change things, and it should make it easier for you to review for correctness.
If it's too busy or you otherwise don't like it, let me know.
That's fine as long as they're in the right place.
I prefer it in the header of combat posts. (This also helps if I need to go back and track something.)
Doran, I was going through all the backgrounds and so on doing some catchup reading and noticed you have Andoran listed as one of your languages. I don't think there is such a tongue—they speak "Common" (Taldan) in Andoran according to the Inner Sea World Guide.
I saw that when I was making this list for my own benefit, but thought I might as well post it here as well. The crew, linkified:
• Iaokob Steele: Male Human Gunslinger (Buccaneer) 1
The story begins...
Character sheet and background
• John Rawkins: Male Human (Taldan) Ranger (Freebooter) 1
The story begins...
Character sheet and background
• Beshra Bleak: Female Rakshasa-Spawn Tiefling Oracle (Dual Cursed) 1
Character sheet and background
• Ollivor Myles: Male Human Sorcerer (Bronze Dragon Draconic Bloodline) 1
Character sheet and background
"Wrinkle" to Ollie's background
A bit about Ollie's motivations
• Synthia Candle: Female Human (Chelaxian) Rogue (Burglar) 1
Character sheet and background
• Doran Tidewrack: Male Halfling Rogue (Knife Master) 1
Character sheet and background
• Vrunyar Magmabeard: Male Dwarf Alchemist (Chirugeon) 1
I think Vrunyar's character sheet is formatted properly. I checked it and caught three errors, but one or two may have slipped through.
John, I didn’t understand what you meant last night about chirurgeon and vivisectionist stacking, but with a fresh mind in the morning I do, so I’ll follow your advice. Thank you.
Questions for the DM:
1) A mutagen takes 1 hour to prepare, but I don’t see a daily limit (other than only one can be prepared for use at any one time). So for example say we were in combat in the morning, then sailed off and Vrunyar had enough time to make a new mutagen. In the evening the party found themselves in a bar fight, Vrunyar would be allowed to use that new mutagen, right?
2) Do the modifiers from the Steel Soul feat (+4 spells and spell-like abilities) and the Hardy racial trait (+2) add together? “Spell resistance never stacks, but rather overlaps.” http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/glossary.html#_spell-resistance I don’t know what this means exactly in terms of game play.
Okay, Beshra is next. She needs her class added to the first line of her character sheet. I believe she is actually a native outsider, not simply an outsider. Can you put Swim in the untrained skills section, as that will likely be relevant in our watery campaign? She also needs her melee attack section, even if it is unlikely to be used, as she does have a dagger and some other gear.
With a strength of 7, I'm probably going to hassle you a little when it comes to carrying capacity. All her gear together is 50 pounds, which is a heavy load. Even just the armor, coat, and dagger (with sheath) are 32 pounds, a medium load. I suggest either moving your strength up a little (so I don't pay attention to weight) or get some lighter stuff. Like I said in the recruitment, I tend to dislike stat dumping and don't have-wave things (like encumbrance) when it is involved.
The BB codes are a little rough. For instance, CMB and CMD. Also, can you clean up the special abilities section with BB code so that it doesn't have that spoiler text?
Which of the two curses is her primary and which is the secondary?
It hasn't come up yet, but let's have the legalistic curse's ability to grant +4 to a roll be before the roll, not after, since it doesn't require an action.
I think you've got one too many 0 level spells. I could be wrong if you have another source for the 5th one.
Doran, I was going through all the backgrounds and so on doing some catchup reading and noticed you have Andoran listed as one of your languages. I don't think there is such a tongue—they speak "Common" (Taldan) in Andoran according to the Inner Sea World Guide.
I saw that when I was making this list for my own benefit, but thought I might as well post it here as well. The crew, linkified:
Useful linked list...
Synthia - thanks very much for that list, it is helpful to have that all in one place at this point, as we get to know each other. And thanks for the language info, I'll think on a different language for Doran.
You mentioned feeling like you had a weakness in the "fighty-fight bits" of the rules, so I took a look at your sheet. I have a couple of thoughts right off the bat:
Athletic as a feat may not be the best choice. With your Strength, you'll already get a +2 on Climb and Swim, and as a class skill an additional +3, so with 1 rank in each you'll have a +6. You might be better served with Two-Weapon Fighting or something else combat related - we rogues don't always hit very well, so having two bites at the apple in a round is helpful, and if you hit twice with sneak attack damage it can do a lot of harm to the baddies. If you don't see Synthia fighting that way, perhaps Weapon Focus would be better, or an archery feat (such as Point Blank Shot) if you see her more as a ranged combatant.
Vagabond Child as a trait is also not helping you much - the three skills it can affect are already class skills for you, so you don't get a lot out of it, just a +1 to a single skill. There are lots of traits out there to choose from, some with a purely mechanical benefit, like Reactionary, and some that add good RP flavor.
You may have chosen these purely for flavor, and if so and you want to keep them as is, that's cool. But I wanted to bring them to your attention.
Ollivor: You've got to update the sheet to the format (which will not require much change at all, really), so I'll just look at the math. Since you've got Hero Lab, it looks like it all checks out pretty well.
Vrunyar: You've definitely got some odd stats. Perhaps you could shift some stats a round a little, though you do have mutagens to help yourself. A higher strength would help him hit. Why are they all at odd numbers?
As a prepared caster, we need a slight change to the template. Maybe another line below that lists what you actually have prepared.
I see you took Hedge Magician. That's fine, but be slightly warned that I am only fine with crafting so long as it's not abused. It's not a way to get double WBL, though you will likely still be above.
If you have the time, you can make multiple mutagens in the day. Steely Soul is basically an +2 upgrade to Hardy, so they don't stack. Steely Soul is still one of the best feats in the game. It isn't spell resistance, but rather an upgrade to your saves. (You don't need to write out what it does in the feat section though. Make a note of it in the Hardy section of racial traits.)
You may want to add some light armor. There's no reason he can't wear it. You might also want to pick up a different weapon from the dwarven proficiency list, though I can see where a dagger might be preferable from a storytelling standpoint.
His Will save seems too high. I can only find +2.
The underwater fighting rules (found here) will probably come in handy to review. I know I've had to look them up.
Doran: Sheet looks good.
Looking over his history, how does he feel about Andoran? After all, they did sink the ship he was "serving" on with little regard for the fact that they use slave labor. Is he going to be good hanging out with some Andoran sailors?
The folks who sank his ship were Andoran privateers - basically an independent crew (read "pirates") licensed by the Andoran government to supplement their fleet and protect their home waters, and known to cross the line of propriety from time to time. I can't remember where I read about Andoran having privateers, but I saw it somewhere and grabbed it for his story. If it doesn't work, they can be from someone else's navy, or pirates, or whatever.
Doran feels quite positively towards Andoran, as it was the first place he tasted freedom, and their politics meant that even as an escaped slave, he didn't have to hide. He would have liked it if the superstitions of sailors didn't keep him from signing on with an Andoran ship, but he blames that more on the sailors, and the reality of his own curse, than on Andoran.
In short, he'd be happy to hang out with Andoran sailors - he respects the Andoran political philosophy, and he'd be sailing, which is what he loves.
Synthia: Do you have all your skill points assigned? I count only 8, whereas she should have 9 with the skilled racial trait.
Flat-footed should be 13, as you would lose Dodge, and touch should be 15.
Athletic is not the best choice of feats, but I understand why she would have it as a burglar. Sure Grasp might be a better choice for the same idea. The Defiant/Inexplicable Luck series from Advanced Race Guide might be a good fit too.
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Vrunyar: Just to echo what Barcas said; Steel Soul is one of the best feats there is. I would also mention that this is a great site for alchemists. I have used it in the past when I made a alchemist and I found it very handy!
I forgot to mention that the dwarven trait "Glory of Old" does stack with Steel Soul, since its a trait bonus.
Ollivor: You've got to update the sheet to the format (which will not require much change at all, really), so I'll just look at the math. Since you've got Hero Lab, it looks like it all checks out pretty well.
Ok. I think I've got it now. Sorry for the delay
Synthia: Do you have all your skill points assigned? I count only 8, whereas she should have 9 with the skilled racial trait.
Flat-footed should be 13, as you would lose Dodge, and touch should be 15.
Athletic is not the best choice of feats, but I understand why she would have it as a burglar. Sure Grasp might be a better choice for the same idea. The Defiant/Inexplicable Luck series from Advanced Race Guide might be a good fit too.
I'll correct the AC and and add in a skill point (yes, I only used 8).
I'll also take a look at that feat (and the ones Doran recommended) and the stuff from the ARG.
Will get back to you once all the changes have been made.
Okay, I must admit to some confusion, actually, as I go in to edit.
Synthia's Armor Class is 18 <— 10 + 4 (armor) + 3 (Dex mod.) + 1 (Dodge feat)
Flat-Footed robs her of Dex (-3) and Dodge (-1), right?
Touch attacks disregard armor, shields, and natural armor, but all other modifers, such as Dex and Dodge, still count. So it would be -4 (armor), yes?
Or no?
I don't have Hero Lab and do all this by hand.
Yeah, it looks like I mentally flipped her Dex bonus and armor bonus.
Okay, I must admit to some confusion, actually, as I go in to edit.
Synthia's Armor Class is 18 <— 10 + 4 (armor) + 3 (Dex mod.) + 1 (Dodge feat)
Flat-Footed robs her of Dex (-3) and Dodge (-1), right?
Touch attack disregard armor, shields, and natural armor, but all other modifers, such as Dex and Dodge, still count. So it would be -4 (armor), yes?
Yes, that's correct.
Your AC would be 18 (10 + 4 armor + 3 Dex + 1Dodge)
Touch AC would be 14 (10 + 3 Dex + 1Dodge)
Flat-footed AC would be 14 (10 + 4 armor)
I haven't made the leap to Hero Lab either - too old-fashioned for it, I guess.