Welcome one and all. Before we get underway, there are a few things to cover.
First, please arrange your profile in a manner similar to this example. Particularly the information listed under Class, so it displays in the thread with each post. The less digging I have to do in combat means more posts!
Second, if you take a look at the combat in my Carrion Crown thread, you can get a feel for how I tend to run things. Essentially: post your actions, not necessarily in order, then we recap and move on to the next round.
Please use the below format for anything posted during combat. this is important, i wont keep track of your HP. Also please denote move action, Standard and minor actions, wherever possible, simply using a or to indicate is perfectly fine.
now we'll give everyone a while to check in and get underway as soon as possible.
please make any necessary adjustments to your characters to fit the rules posted in the recruiting thread. Remember, no weapons with a +2 or better enchantment.
I've been seeing a new trick in use for the "Class" line that looks like this. Are you ok with that or would you rather have it exposed? Do you prefer the breakout of the profile like Peredur has to a standard stat block? If so and its ok, I'll do both in the profile since I find it a little easier to find things in a stat block (but its no problem for me to do both).
I need to pick up that trick of posting the spells used in all of my PbPs. That will make it sooo much easier to keep track of spells.
Edit: I do have some more equipment to purchase, but will wait to see the composition of the rest of the group so we don't have too much overlap.
Alright, I think I got everything together. Let me know if I missed anything.
Great, looking forward to getting stuck in!
DM Corvus, I think my equipment broadly complies with the rules, but obviously as I have to equip a character and an eidolon its a little different.
I was also wondering if it would be possible to convert my war trained heavy horse into a heavy camel? It just seems to fit better for flavor purposes. Say stats as a heavy horse with spit instead of hoof attacks? Or just a plain heavy horse reflavored as a camel.
I believe I just need to select my eidolons skills, which ought to be done shortly. Is there any particular way you would like me to handle the eidolon? Post its stat block, in a similar way to a PCs, create another alias, etc.?
Hello all - happy to be here, and glad to see you Zahur (you know me as Nicat in our RotRL PbP).
My alias is just about wrapped up, barring a couple of things:
1. Like Zahur, I have to buy some more equipment
2. I have 2 language slots that I'd like DM input on - Khatapeshi makes sense for me, but looking to see what else would be logical and of value.
Also, I realized as I was re-formatting my alias that I hadn't spent all my Lore Warden bonus skill ranks on Int-based skills, as is required, so I switched a couple of ranks around - I'm now prepared to be our knowledge-monkey swordsman.
Edit: Ninja'd by Khol - good to see you here too. Nice to meet you, Razan.
Likewise Ajkanir :)
Crunch should be finished, Elreem is a bit of a glass cannon but with life link his 32 hp can be extended greatly. His damage output should be excellent, but he will likely die a lot, his vicious enchanted amulet of mighty fists being very much a double edged sword.
Note: While crunch is complete still need to reformat as per the example.
Hello, all! ^^ I still need to pick up a tent and some daggers, but other than that - I'm all set! (Yay for Bags of Holding. ;) )
@Razan: I think an additional alias for your eidolon, if not too much to handle, is the best bet.
@Zahur: Your class line idea works just fine for me.
@Ajkanir: being from Katapesh, Ajkanir would have been exposed to a glut of languages. Osiriani and Kelish, Vudrani and Tien according to the Inner Sea World Guide. Katapesh doesnt actually have its own language per se. Most of northern Garund speaks Osiriani
@zahur: I'd prefer it be like Peredur's so i can find things quicker. If you want both thats up to you.
@Razan: Camels have a distinct profile in the bestiary 2, you can find it in the PRD online. We'll use that. They cost 150 gold as a mount.
a few other points:
as far as the alignment info in the original post: Again, I wont be playing strongly along the alignment rules. Detect/protection from evil will only work on outsiders, undead, and the sufficiently evil big bad monsters, not just your average every day goon.
Posting guidelines: Once a day at least, please. I don't post much on the weekends, so don't worry about that. If you can, please do, if you can't whatever.
Backstory: I like everyone's story, that's why you were picked. As previously stated, lvl 5 characters are of some renown, so if you wish to have any common history or knowledge of each other prior to your hiring, please feel free to work that out.
@Zahur and Natasha: Please include the stats for your animal companion and familiars under a spoiler tag in your profile.
Whoops! Will do...
Still need to edit as per example, but here is Elreem the eidolon - pic does not fit very well see pic linked in his profile.
Okay, Sand the fox - and his inglorious backstory - have been edited into my character profile. ^^
Hah, I have the oldest character here. I think it would be humorous if he had had contact with most of the others at some point or another during his time in Thuvia. Remember, he is 90 and was fully matured about 30 years ago so he has been in operation as a bandit/mercenary/guide for longer than most of you have been alive. Not to mention the roughly 50 years where he was just another punk tiefling trying to survive around Duwwor, but once again that was before you lot were born.
After 30 years and no signs of slowing, he probably has a pretty solid reputation throughout Thuvia and Duwwor in particular and was probably a pretty established figure when most of you were just starting out. I'll type up a description with some distinct physical features for you lot to keep in mind.
So is this everyone? I don't know how many got selected. Just curious if there are more players and what they're playing.
Hmmm. Interesting.
Natasha has been in a university, but she has also been going out on digs. Maybe Khol could have been a guide for one of the expeditions?
this is everyone. it's a big group, especially with eidolons, familiars and animal companions.
we will hopefully get started with the game thread tomorrow night.
Any questions from anyone? Anything at all?
Hmm. Can I add one more item of notoriety? Maybe Natasha entered the university's martial arts event and actually managed not to get knocked out in the first round? ;)
I'll post more tonight on possible links to others.
One question I have: should we line up all equipment now, or will we have a chance to get stuff once we have a sense of where the avdenture's taking us? Not sure if I should buy travel gear, courtier's clothes, or something in between.
@Natasha: Seems fine to me
@Ajkanir: Well, start with what would fit. if he's new then travelers clothes, if he's been in Duwwor a while then Courtiers might make more sense. You will have a chance to purchase gear as needed early on.
@Natasha: That works, he is probably skilled enough to keep a bunch of scholars from getting eaten by Divs.
Okay, both summoner and eidolon should now fit the example template.
I've aged Razan down a little to 19 as I that fits his background better. I'll note that neither he or Elreem look much like their avatar pics.
Since Razan offers his services more as a guard than as a guide - though Elreem's half decent in a pinch - he might well know Khol, and potentially some of the others.
I could see Khol taking the burgeoning young summoner under his wing and showing him the ropes... or at least putting up with him long enough to make sure their clients make it out of the desert safely.
Razan is pretty likeable and follows orders well so that would probably work, Elreem would probably have garnered by far the more respect of the two as he is far better at desert travel, and spotting trouble, etc. Not to mention mauling foes ;)
Considering Khol and Elreem probably have more in common than Khol and Razan, he probably would like the summon more.
Ajkanir is both a scholar and a skilled unarmed fighter, so there's a good chance he would have met Natasha at the university, and perhaps competed against her in the martial arts contests. He has a reputation for being un-hittable, and is very quick, so perhaps he defeated Natasha in a bout, but spoke to her afterwards and found they had much in common in their studies?
Ajkanir has been a mercenary for several years, often leading small groups of other hired swords on difficult missions, or guarding travellers crossing the desert. In that capacity there's a good chance he would have met Khol and Razan. To take his mind off things, Ajkanir is known to draw a small, sharp knife and make very fine carvings out of wood. Camped at an oasis one night a couple of years ago, he saw Razan with his eidolon sleeping by his side. Picking up a hard nut fallen from the trees of the oasis, Ajkanir carved a striking likeness of Elreem curled up in sleep, and presented it to Razan in the morning as they broke camp. Their paths have crossed several times since then, and they have traveled together a few times escorting caravans, and they have grown friendly towards each other. How's that sound?
Not sure how I'd know Zahur, as he seems to have kept a low profile for some time. Ajkanir has been in Thuvia for some years now, and could have run into Khol in the desert, as they likely end up working for some of the same people.
Ajkanir is rather sweeping and flamboyant in his fighting style, and the difficulty his foes have in hitting him leads to fairly frequent encounters where some bold warrior wants to show how skilled he is, and there is inevitably a duel. Ajkanir does not like to end a life needlessly, so he often manages to defeat his foes by knocking them unconscious with his fists or feet, rather than slaying them with his sword. This has led to some fame, as few expect a Katapeshi mercenary to show such compunction or such mercy. As a result, he has found increasingly greater opportunities to work for clients who want someone with a sharp mind as well as a keen blade. Unfortunately, this fame also seems to be leading to even more duels...
@ Ajkanir: Sure. I can see that happen. ^^ She'd be a little sore about being beaten, but she'd step past that in the heat of academia.
I like that you guys are running with this.
Just curious what time zones everyone is posting out of. Eastern Standard time in the U.S. here.
Pacific Time - SF Bay Area, to be more precise.
Glad you asked, I'm always curious about this.
EST as well
GMT, I'm over in England though I keep pretty odd hours :)
@Razan - what do you think of my backstory for how you and Ajkanir know each other? You say Razan is a pretty friendly guy, and Ajkanir likes to laugh, so I'm thinking we'd get on okay.
@Khol - any thoughts on a connection between us? Or we can leave it be and meet in game.
Central European Time.
Works for me Ajkanir, ElreeM can wear the carving on his amulet.
I'll also point out that I really don't like the glowing runs on the forehead bit of the summoner, so both Razan and Elreem habitually cover theirs. For the record the rune is shaped like a dissected V, like this \|/.
@Razan: thats a nice touch. I can imagine most folks would be pretty off-put by the glowing rune thing. Or the alien looking talking critter following Razan around.
I actually like the idea that Khol might have known Ajkanir's master as opposed to Ajkanir himself.
We will be under way tomorrow. Thanks everyone for your patience. Hope we haven't lost Zahur already.
Nope I'm here. I'm CST. I'll work on reformatting the profile, but it might be tomorrow or Friday before I get that done. Also will plan to create a profile for Salt (the scorpion) since it sounds like you'd like one for the animal companions (will also put stats in profile).
I think Ajkanir is right about my low profile, but once I have a better feel for how you're pulling us together I might have suggestions.
No need for a complete alt for an animal companion, unless you absolutely want one. I feel its a bit more necessary for eidolons since they are slightly more complicated.
@Khol - that's a good idea, that you knew Ajkanir's master, Valen. Let's plan on that, and have it come out during play. A few thoughts: Did you know him in Khatapesh? Maybe you knew him somewhere else, that Ajkanir never knew Valen had travelled or lived?
No kidding! Love them, but they are complex, I always seem to need to look up a raft of rules for eidolons, for those who don't mind book keeping only.
yeah frankly ill be learning a lot this game. building encounters while factoring in animal companion and an eidolon is going to be a challenge im sure. I'll try not to over-compensate.
Somewhere else sounds good. Khol would have probably visited later if he passed through Katapesh so Ajkanir may have some vague memories of a clawed man stopping in for coffee with his master early in his apprenticeship.
Gameplay thread is live.
I'm a bit worried about Elreem's sheer damage potential, but it should be mitigated by the fact that he'll be causing himself substantial damage as he attacks. I was very up in the air about taking Vicious for his Amulet of Mighty Fists, but in the end was too worried about an elemental type getting nullified all of the time. I'm expecting him to die pretty often truth be told, though life link should mitigate things a bit. I'll probably remove the amulet in a fair few encounters.
I'm planning to use Elreem's alias for combat posts only for the most part FYI.
Natasha, I'm confused. Are you asking Zahur or the High Priest and High Warden? Zahur's comments are directed to the two of them, no one else. He asks no boon of you.