Congrats to everybody who got selected it was a hard choice. You know the drill, post your out of character stuff here and any questions. Please make any final tweaks to your characters as soon as you can. I will probably have the gameplay section set up tonight when I get home. Feel free to establish any in character relationships, as those can be fun to have in a game, but are not necessary. Lastly, I would like everybody to post something they would like to get out of this game. I am going to try to incorporate character backgrounds and such into the later parts of the AP. Again, thanks for joining and I am excited to get started!
Sweet, thanks for letting me in! I am fine with making some preexisting relationships but I haven't perused the other characters yet.
Revhi wants to make a name for herself and have some sort of important position on a crew. Not necessarily captain, but something like quartermaster or something else; she's a natural born leader. Basically she wants to have a sense of self accomplishment and pride about being a pirate and to have her name whispered with awe when she passes.
I believe her character is completely ready to go.
Glad to be on board. Edmund is fully loaded.
All his life he has heard the stories of famous pirates and the incredible adventures that led to great wealth. He wants to experience these adventures for himself. So Edmund wants to become a pirate foremost but somewhat like Revhi ultimately wants to make a name for himself.
Edmund has some personal challenges including his experience, attributes and skills to overcome to make his dream come true. Hopefully the time spent wielding his pistol in the back lots will not go to waste.
Edmund we may need to figure out about your ammo once on board of the Wurmwood, and you may need to help me a little with the gunslinger aspects as I am new to them because I have never played as one or played with one. I am familiar with the rules of them and have read through the class several times but still am not super familiar with them.
We will learn together as I have never played one but I have been in parties with gunslingers.
Bullets and blackpowder are expensive. I start with 10 blackpowder (BP) charges stored in a powder drum and 10 bullets. The Secret Stash deed feat helps me gain some free ammo though. Takes 1 of each (BP and bullet) to fire and the pistol loads as a standard action.
I will do something with at least the blackpower, I am going to have to add some guns in the campaign anyways so maybe a few of the officers use guns and their is blackpower kegs on board. Of course you will have to earn the right to use them, with permission that is lol
I like it!
Reginald to this point has been fairly lucky what with stowing away on a pirate ship and living to tell the tale, and even moreso, thriving on it. While he wants to make a name for himself, like the others, he really wants to be captain on a ship of his own.
Given that he was 15 when he left his family and grew up on a pirate ship, he tends to be a bit naive when it comes to "real life." He can be a lot of bravado, but if put in a situation outside of Pirate Life and work with a blade, he's at a loss.
I'd be up for establishing some character entanglements. That could be fun. Reginald would be good at finding trouble in drinking establishments, and carousing, having been taught by some of the best (pirates). He'd also be pretty good at getting into a mess, since he's somewhat unsure of himself.
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Wow, I'm amazed to be invited. This is only my second PbP here on Paizo forums (although I have done a bit, haltingly, elsewhere in the past), so please if I do anything contrary to convention, do let me know. :)
I'll be going to set up the alias now. :)
As for what I would like to see, I think my favorite part about RPGs is deep NPC interactions and building relationships with NPCs over time. So I would find it super cool if the DM kept an Excel chart (or similar) of crew relationships with the players as the story develops, so that I could use people skills to build relationships over time.
All right, my alias should be finalized. Presenting Janis Talon, female manipulator with -- perhaps appropriately enough -- an image of a smug as hell Iggwilv as an avatar.
My final shopping list, there should be no gold left over after these:
Chain shirt
Heavy shield, wooden
Longsword
Heavy crossbow
80 bolts
Janis is heavily focused on face skills, especially Diplomacy, so don't expect her to be a big damage dealer. Do expect her to try to talk to NPCs at every possible point and try to swindle them into doing her bidding.
If anyone is interested, I'm open to another PC having been screwed over by Janis in some mild, not-deadly-serious way a few months/years ago in Port Peril. Something like, "you owe me for that whipping I got/those weeks I spent in jail because of you".
Just getting home, but yay! I got picked! Looking forward to this.
Sylvia's background, for convenience and possible editing sake:
Sylvia was born and raised in Westcrown, port town of Cheliax. The time of her birth was an auspicious day, old salts and sea dogs just nodding and whispering that she had been marked by the goddess of piracy for a greater destiny. Her family were merchants before House Thrune came into power and the elven merchant family was enslaved shortly thereafter, and the "prophecy" was forgotten shortly after. Just a young girl at the time, Sylvia remembers nothing of the more innocent times before House Thrune.
At a young age, the elven maiden was sold to a band of sailors for a pittance, having no use to the noble family that currently owned her family. The sailors were pirates from the Shackles, and saw much use in the fiery young girl after a scuffle aboard the ship caused a bucket to mysteriously go flying and knock an overseer unconscious during a heated beating. Grabbing up the man's blade, the young girl was able to hold off a handful of men before the first mate of the vessel was able to intervene.
From that point on, the girl was freed from her slavery and trained in the ways of magic and blade. She was even instrumental in helping the first mate get his own ship by deposing the previous captain. Celebrating their success, they came to dock in Port Peril and settled in the Formidably Maid, and aptly named tavern. A free woman and with allies in her debt, now was the time for Sylvia to find her destiny. She doesn't remember how many drinks she had in that night's celebration, but they quickly went to the elf's head and she passed out on the table with uproarious laughter and singing around her before she could find her destiny. Unless it lay in the bottom of the bottle... in which case, maybe she has truly found her destiny after all.
She's also the only non-human, from what I see... dirty, filthy, human lovers... Least I won't have to wrestle with any dirty wizards for the scrolls we find...
I think it would probably be a good idea to share a few words about the maturity level of the game and make sure we're all on the same page. Since this is a pirate game, and there are a lot of dirty foul and probably chauvinistic thugs on a ship with us, it could be helpful to know how far to take things.
Personally, having chosen to play a female character among pirates, I am prepared for, and even hoping for, some uncouth treatment, as I find that to increase the realism and immersion level. Having said that, I wouldn't want to make anyone uncomfortable, if we have for example a thirteen year old player with us, or anyone else who, for any perfectly valid reason, wants a more sanitized experience.
So while I for one would like to feel the danger of being a woman among pirates, I absolutely don't want to ruin the game for anyone else.
*looks at Sylvia, Janis, and Revhi* Feeling a bit outnumbered, Edmund? :P
Sylvia, it sounds like Reginald and Sylvia have a lot in common as far as upbringing onboard a ship, and would be easily believed that they could have crossed paths in Port Peril, especially for the long lived elf to have seen the young human growing over time. {also, this is really the first human I've played in a loooooong time ;) }
Janis: I'd be up for some sort of interaction. With Reginald's lack of experience with the realities of the world it would have been easy for Janis to have taken advantage of him at some point. I don't think a beating would have given him a lot of pause, but something that embarrassed him would leave a lasting memory.
Revhi: A lot like Sylvia, it seems we all have similar upbringings, although yours was a lot more voluntary and with a father's blessing, so a hook there is pretty easy, but also something we could find out as the game progresses, rather than a pre-thought out arrangement.
Edmund: I'd need to see more background to see if there's a hook.
On Maturity in the game: I have no problem with mature themes, as long as they fall within Paizo's TOS. I left 13 in my rearview a long time ago. ;)
I need to reread Paizo's community guidelines but I usually try to either use symbols for swear words or use words like arse. I am not opposed to a more mature feel, and I believe more mature content is suppose to be in spoilers but I will check the the community guidelines after work tonight.
Janis, I make a word document that has the NPCs on board attitude towards the party in general, because most of the crew will judge you guys as a collective whole, mostly due to story purposes but I am willing to change that up a bit as needed.
Edmund is a bit of an innocent in that he was raised as the son of a merchant's family and only experienced the childhood dreams of what Regy must have truly experienced.
Edmund is human born in the seaport where he has spent his entire life around those involved in the sea trade. His father was a local merchant dealing in trade goods, ship and weapon repair. Being around the store he learned to work on ships with his father and even tinkered with firearms that his brother made but he never specialized in the arts of the family business.
Edmund spent his days near the water watching the ships come in and dreaming of being a pirate. Not a violent pirate but one who traveled the seas adventuring, gathering treasure, and visiting ports around the Inner Sea. He mixed with the many other kids (half-orcs, half-elves, dwarves, and the likes) along the back alleys playing games of chance and learning to evaluate talent as well as cheat when he could. Edmund had very quick hands and a knack for tells in card games.
As he got older his dream of pirating only grew. Occasional he took a musket or pistol from the shop to play with it, learn its capabilities and power. He never kept any of his families goods but he did put together a little pistol from spare parts at the shop and named her "Suzy Firecrouch". It was something he heard that made him laugh much like the pistol.
Now of age he works part time in his father's shop but spends his nights along the waterline hoping for his chance to become a pirate.
Possible Ties to others:
Reginald Kretch , Sylvia de'Karne - May have seen them in and around the tavern with other crew members. Edmund often tried to listen in and learn of pirate stories along the docks and taverns.
Janis Talon – I can’t see an obvious connection to a Chelaxian noble runaway although what teenage boy would pull away from a charismatic lady with a silver tongue.
Revhi - Edmund has heard stories of her father old Blacksail Robert, the man the sea could not conquer.
Hi Nice to meet you all.
I just heard I will be the sixth member of this little group.
Jack of Hearts
Male Human Rogue 1
CN Medium
Initiative +4; Perception +5
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Defense
--------------------
AC 17, Touch 14, Flat-Footed 13
HP 9
Fort +1, Ref +6, Will +1
Speed 30 ft.
--------------------
Offense
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Crossbow, light +4 1d8
Dagger +4 1d4
Rapier +4 1d6+1
--------------------
Statistics
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Str 12 Dex 18 Con 12, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 12
Base +0; CMB +1; CMD 15
Feats
Two-weapon Fighting, Weapon Finesse
Traits
Besmara’s Blessing, Grief-Filled
Skills
Acrobatics 1+7=8, Appraise 0+1=1, Bluff 1+4=5, Climb 1+4=5, Diplomacy 0+1=1, Disable Device 1+7=8, Disguise 0+1=1, Escape Artist 0+4=4, Fly 0+4=4, Heal 0+1=1, Intimidate 0+1=1, Knowledge Local 1+4=5, Perception 1+4=5, Perform 0+1=1, Profession Gambler 1+4=5, Profession Sailor 1+4=5, Ride 0+4=4, Sense Motive 1+4=5, Sleight of Hand 1+7=8, Stealth 1+7=8, Survival 0+1=1, Swim 1+4=5
Languages
Aquan, Common
--------------------
Equipment
Bolts(40), Crossbow, light, Dagger, Rapier, Studded leather, Thieves’ Tools
On rough seas in the midst of a storm a young boy was born. His mother, bless her soul, was trying to make quick work of her delivery as she was needed to support her crew, husband and ship. As a priestess of Besmara first and captain of the Barracuda second it was her task to pray to the goddess for salvation and command her man. Her husband, first mate and currently at the helm trying to steer the ship out of the hurricane was unaware his first child was just born.
As the waves got higher, the winds stronger and the chance at survival slimmer it would be a mother’s love for her newborn child that would change the obvious outcome.
As she was laying on floor, exhausted, she prayed.
Supreme goddess and all powerful spirt of the sea hear my call.
As I have served you for the last decade, looting and pillaging in your name, I have but one request SAVE MY SON.
I have seen his eyes, he will bring you much pleasure in the years to come. He will be a famous pirate who will be greater than all who sail on the Barracuda, including myself.
Take me, my husband and all who call the Barracuda her home so my son may live.
After a mere heartbeat the storm started to lose power and in minutes was completely gone.
The crew started to cheer on the decks above as a beautiful red-haired woman appeared beside the priestess, smiled and said Name the boy and give him to me.
The priestess kissed her newborn and said Be great, little Jack.
Besmara smiled again and took the boy from his mother. Jack, a fitting name for a future pirate were the last words from her lips and she vanished.
At first nothing happened, then an eerie sound, a call from below the water. Then all hell broke loose, giant black tentacles came up from the water and grabbed the ship. The mast broke like a twig and the hull was being crushed to pieces. Men who didn’t die in the initial attack were taken by a wide variety of sea monsters when they entered the water. No crewmember survived including the captain and her first mate.
And Jack……
Jack never knew his parents of the events that had transpired on the day he was born.
All that Jack new was that he was an orphan who had been taking in by an innkeeper and his wife, a couple in their forties who couldn’t have children.
He grew up in Quent a city/port ruled by the pirate lord Tessa Fairwind.
He was loved by his foster parents and had a great childhood.
Jack grew up amongst buccaneers, merchants, pirates and sailors and everyday he heard new stories.
And at the age of 12 he wanted nothing more in life than to sail. He pleaded with his parents but they wouldn’t let him go.
So he did what an adventurous young boy would do, he ran away and stowed away on a merchant vessel heading for Port Peril.
After just 2 days he was found and brought before the captain. He pleaded with the captain to let him be part of the crew, to let him be a sailor.
The captain was not a harsh man and made the young boy part of his crew. In the next 4 years Jack served on his crew, from deckhand to eventually becoming his first mate.
But Jack wanted more, and he resigned and went back to his roots, to Quent.
But when he returned to Quent all was not well, his mother had gotten ill and had died a year after he left and his father couldn’t take the loss of his wife and he drank himself to death.
The loss of his parents hit him hard and he sought to forget this loss in reckless behavior like gambling and thievery.
Now 1 year later after his return to Quent he finds himself in the Formidable Maid drinking the painful memories away.
The next day he wakes up with an enormous headache………
I will open up the campaign tab tonight when I get home and have the first post ready. I am still experimenting with various online map programs, so I use a combination of dungeongrid, which is basic program for encounters and roll20, which requires everybody to set up an account. I am going to try to figure out if I can take a screen shot of the roll20 map and upload it to dropbox and then edit/change the map each time people post. Not sure yet but am open to suggestions.
I don't mind mature themes, but I'm not sure where you're heading with a "woman among pirates." As a female, I'd rather not turn this into a game where I have to struggle as a female character or put up with chauvinistic themes. I can do that well enough out of the game, if I wanted to. If I'm the only one who feels that way, though, it's still early and I can be replaced. No hard feelings.
As for background ties, I'm easy with what anybody else wants. Sylvia's worked with her fair share of crew members over the years!
I see Pathfinder as a more "equal" place for males and females as several of the APs have strong female characters and there are plenty of females on the Wurmwood. I usually do single out a particular character in this AP, be it male or female, but its not due to gender it is due to another factor. With that said, I always make sure with the player that it is okay.
With that said, it could be do to gender, but that is not a requirement. It is just, I like somebody to catch the eye of the First Mate, the last game it was a male.
No, no, I meant Janis'
So while I for one would like to feel the danger of being a woman among pirates, I absolutely don't want to ruin the game for anyone else.
(emphasis mine), which, like you said, doesn't really hold in Pathfinder, since the society, unlike today's actual society, is actually gender equal in most areas.
As for maps, I've seen and used quite a few. Personally, I like to use Google Drive.
Google Drive
Pro's
- Anyone can edit with link
- Can be set as viewable only for documents or portraits
- Assets can be dropped by anyone
Con's
- Trust
- Areas can be covered, but can be uncovered by unscrupulous players. Not a problem if you trust your players, though
- Anyone can edit with link
- Hard to measure long distances using Pathfinder diagonals
- Tokens don't carry across maps
Roll20
Pro's
- GM layers for access to notes
- Character sheets and tokens carry across maps
- Instant communication if on at the same time
Con's
- Difficult to manage combat rounds over long periods of time
Dropbox
Pro's
- Easy to setup
- GM has complete control over everything
Con's
- Tokens don't carry over between maps
- GM has complete control over everything
- If GM forgets something, player needs to remind GM, sometimes over and over and over... Yes, I'm forgetful
I'm sure there's other pro's and con's for each of them, too. Those are just what I came up with off the top of my head.
Personally, I'm not a big fan of using Roll20 for PbP, but I've seen it done and it works. And like I said, I personally use Google Drive and love it, though it does take a bit of setup. Though they all do.
I don't mind mature themes, but I'm not sure where you're heading with a "woman among pirates." As a female, I'd rather not turn this into a game where I have to struggle as a female character or put up with chauvinistic themes.
I meant towards myself, not others; I find it an interesting theme but would never want to impose it on others.
Having said that, since there has been any concern at all raised, I'm good with dropping the topic; forget I said anything. :)
Jack, what can you say about Jack. Jack is a true rogue, he loves to show off and he gets away with almost anything. Is it because of his boyish good looks, lightning fast skills or just plain luck? None knows.
Jack wants to be a captain of his own ship, maybe even one day a true pirate lord like Tessa Fairwind, ruler of his hometown Quent.
Jack loves 3 things in life, not necessarily in this order, the sea, gambling and women.
Jack will take an interest in Janis, Rehvi and Sylvia. Let’s face it, life at sea can get boring without female companionship.
Reginald thinks and acts a lot like Jack so he will be either a cool companion or a dangerous adversary.
Edmund will need a mentor on the ship. Jack will try to keep him out of danger.
Janis, there is some room for you to have that feeling, as your backstory could include an unwelcoming advance, which led to a harsh shut down, of a man with long black hair, a long, braided beard, and a mouth full of gold teeth! :)
Sounds good! :)
Just so you know Janis, that will mean you will be getting extra attention from a certain character in the story, mostly negative. As I said earlier you may be singled out slightly more often, mostly in a negative way, and I don't want to ruin any fun for you.
I believe I will find it to increase my fun. The more hell my characters get put through, the sweeter it will be to plot revenge. :D I'll be sure to let you know if I'm wrong about that. :)
Okay sounds good. I try to be as flexible as I can to make sure everybody is having fun.
Thank you! :)
I am fine with all mature themes as long as they are there for a story reason. IRL I am a guy so I can't comment much on the female theme.
For maps, my personal favorite is google drive because it's easy to use and access and the limit is your imagination. I can link you to some of the maps I've mad as an example.
Revhi that would be helpful, I have had trouble using Google Drive because of trying to line up maps that I cut from the PDFs
That'll happen no matter which method you decide on. That'll come down to how you edit your maps before you post them on whichever medium you decide on. I usually use a combination of paint and paint.net (a photoshop knockoff) to edit my maps. Not to steal Revhi's thunder, but here's some examples:
Map from PFS Wonders in the Weave 1 Scenario
Notice the blocked off sections of unexplored areas. Anyone can move them to poke about, so needs to be on the honor system.
Map from PFS Quest for Perfection 2 Scenario
Couple of battle maps crammed together to make a single map.
Portrait of an NPC from PFS Quest for Perfection 3 scenario
Artifact from PFS Quest for Perfection 3 scenario
Good for NPC's and artifacts, too.
Map of PFS Quest for Perfection 3 scenario
Good for jotting down notes on maps. I really like Google Drive, but you should really use what you're most comfortable with.
The campaign is officially started and some stuff is uploaded to the campaign tab. I still have a few more things to add to the campaign tab but they will have to wait till tomorrow night.
I will update tomorrow night, I had to take my wife to the hospital last night and got home real late and between lack of sleep and taking care of my two kids today, I can't think straight. All is well with the wife, and I will be on tomorrow night to advance the story.
Good to hear your wife is ok. Rest up!
Get some rest and take of your wife and kids, we will be here when you get back later.
Thanks guys, all is well, just didn't have a clear head or a lot of sleep last night and didn't want to post complete garbage.
No worries. Family comes first, always.
How is Cuc pronounced? Cook? Kook? Cock? Suck? Suss?
I think that third one may have been a stretch haha.
haha I guess the best way would be Cuc, it is part of my last name lol
I mean Kook lol
how do I do that?
Go into campaign info, click edit, then mark all of the unwanted players as inactive.
GOt it thanks Revhi, I also updated the campaign tab with night time activities as well as what Captain Harrigan, Mr. Plugg, Master Scourge, and the red haired lady (Sandara), look like.