
Paldak the Outcast |

Milkmonster here following up. Meet Paldak the Outcast:
http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=276563
Paldak's upbringing, while arguably better than death, was anything but hospitable. Paldak, from a young age, often found his life in danger. Rather than fight his attackers, Paldak found it was often better to 'scare' them off. While this often perpetuated the racism he faced, he found it in most cases, a better alternative to physical violence.
While daily life for Paldak brimmed with conflict and hatred, he was safe with his mother at his side. That is, until she passed of old age just days before his 18th anniversary of his rescue. The silence felt throughout the camp was palpable; However, days went by with no action. Hoping things would return back to normal, despite his security net now gone, Paldak went about his daily business. Paldak allowed himself a glimmer of hope as a week passed with no violence.
His hope was shattered on the 18th anniversary of his rescue, his pseudo birthday. Paldak awoke, trapped and immobilized by great chains. There was no fighting it, a bear could not have broken his bindings. He was dragged to the center of the village, a great gathering awaited him, a large bonfire met the dawning sun, burning white hot on a raised platform to the front of the crowd. Death was surely imminent.
However, fate shined on him this day, for it was his mother's dying wish that his life be spared. As a great and honored warrior, the clan was forced to oblige. Paldak however was told that he was no longer welcome in the Sun Clan and should never associate himself with the Shoanti again. As a reminder, a giant brand in the shape of an orc skull, was used to mark Paldak's chest. He was then told, if he ever came back again, he would be killed on sight, for they had only agreed to spare his life once.
The Sun Clan members then dragged him miles away from the village with what little belongings he had, and left him for dead. Despite great pain (from the brand and the emotional loss of his adoptive mother and home), Paldak was able to find himself to a road, which eventually lead to Sandpoint.
Paldak has overcome great adversity in his past, and while he is not sure what this world holds for him, he is ready to start his life anew.
If you have any questions or concerns with Paldak, please let me know. I look forward to hopefully participating!

Alexei Domashev |

pinvendor checking in with my submission, Alexei Domashev.
Alexei is a wildblooded sorcerer archetype with his mutant bloodline being rime-blooded, the mutant strain of boreal. He is a Jadwiga scion of Irrisen who spent time in Varisia in his youth and now returns at the behest of his great-grandmother, Queen Elvanna.
He will be focused mostly on damage and possibly illusion magic. Alexei's cold spells will be able to hit hard and have higher DCs to really help pack some punch.

GM Nightingale |

If we have a particularly strong background, would you consider non-core races? I've got concepts both core and non-core that I could toss in and would love to get into RotRL again, but I'd like to get a ruling on that before pitching any ideas.
It would honestly depend on the race. Which one where you thinking of using?

GM Nightingale |

This guy came from a dead RotRL game... Barely finished the first encounter and the GM poofed into thin air.
Human (Chelaxian) Bloodrager, arcane bloodline and devotee of Cayden Cailean (aka boozer)
Mal, sorry that you didn't get the earlier message, but I decided to disallow the hybrid classes for this campaign. Do you have another character you would like to submit? You could also modify Mal to be just a regular barbarian.

GM Nightingale |

One last bit of clarity for me if you please: are we allowed any Paizo source for feats, equipment, and such or only certain books? I realize not everyone may have some of the Paizo setting material and it won't be in the PRD, but setting neutral variants are usually available in the d20pfsrd if a GM or player needs reference. But understandably, you may choose to not have to do research if you would prefer specific sources only.
I only have access to material from the Core Rulebook and the Advanced Players Guide in book format, and so don't know a lot of the other materials out there. With the exceptions of the specifications I noted in my my first post above, I think that if a material is published in a rulebook (maybe not a random guidebook), then it is acceptable. Really it's a problem of deciding what options are balanced and agree with the flavor of the game I am going for, which is hard to do not being familiar with all of the possible options out there.

GM Nightingale |

Speaking of races is my character being an Aasimar ok? And any feedback on him?
Looks to me as though your use of the Aasimar race is not at all particularly overpowered.
Otherwise, I really like the idea of a mystic theurge, although I would love a more fleshed out and compelling backstory. Spectrevk and Bruden both have a really nice level of fluff which give me a good idea about the origins, personalities, and motivations for their characters.
Anyone else please feel free to ask for feedback about your characters. For people coming up with new applications, it looks like there is a good gap in the way of Ranger, Rogue, or Bard types who are sneaky or have access to a wide a array of non-academic skills. Varisian Harrower would be a cool concept, or a ranger with strong melee skills would fit well into the party that I have in mind at this point.

pinvendor |

The main reason for my question on the feats and such is that in addition to being a subscriber for the Paizo products since waaaaay back, I also have stayed fairly up to do date with the same products in HeroLab, so I have access to a lot of material. I can get books and page numbers for anything in Alexei's character crunch that you would like to review if necessary.

GM Nightingale |

The main reason for my question on the feats and such is that in addition to being a subscriber for the Paizo products since waaaaay back, I also have stayed fairly up to do date with the same products in HeroLab, so I have access to a lot of material. I can get books and page numbers for anything in Alexei's character crunch that you would like to review if necessary.
I think that everything you have used for your character looks fine to me.

Marquis Steelbear |

Darthrancor checking in with my submission, Marquis Steelrain, Conjurer Extraordinaire!
Marquis is a Thassilon Specialist Conjurer who focuses on manipulating the battlefield to the benefit of himself and allies.
After a childhood accident that left him with amnesia, Marquis was adopted by an elderly Taldan Wizard and his wife who taught him Thassilon Sloth Magic, a secret passed down through the wizards family since one of his ancestors discovered an ancient manuscript that detailed the training methods.

Joshua Tansden |

Corsario's proposal here.
His mother was a great Varisian singer, travelling with her caravan from town to town, city to city, delighting audiences whenever she went. And one night, i a small town, she met a handsome and very talented musician to which she feel in love immediately, in a night of passion and celestial love. She never saw him again.
9 months later Joshua was born, with an angelic smile, rainbow colored irises and an glistening ebony skin. The village elders knew they had an azata-blooded aasimar in their mist, and made the village love and protect him.
Joshna grew to become an accomplished singer and musician, but he also wants to explore the world, learning about the "old times" of the Thassilonian empire, an itch he has got since visiting some ruins a lifetime ago. Now that everyone in his caravan that knew him as a child has died he has bide farewell to them and move on, looking for a new life in a different place.
So he shaved his hair, don his Human Guise cape, and started his new life.
What about the Sandpoint to start it?
He is an Aasimar (I can change it to human if you prefer) Musician (Jazz-style trumpet) and Archeologist. A lover of women, and singer of songs.
He was in another Rise of the Rulelords game (you can see his posts on the alias) but sadly passed away in a barrage of goblin arrows on that game, so your game is a new chance for him to do some livin' and lovin'.Please let me know any feedback about him.

GM Nightingale |

As I am very interested in participating, I'd appreciate any feedback. I'm happy to flesh out Paldak further to increase my odds :)
Background idea looks, although I am curious as to both why his tribe tolerated him, although grudgingly, and then decided to kill him. Was this because his mother no longer stood in the way because before she was in some position to force the rest of the clan to tolerate her adopted "monster?" Also, how did the tribe receive word of his mother's dying wish and then decide to heed it, after already knowing that she would of course not want her son to be murdered?

Paldak the Outcast |

Paldak the Outcast wrote:As I am very interested in participating, I'd appreciate any feedback. I'm happy to flesh out Paldak further to increase my odds :)Background idea looks, although I am curious as to both why his tribe tolerated him, although grudgingly, and then decided to kill him. Was this because his mother no longer stood in the way because before she was in some position to force the rest of the clan to tolerate her adopted "monster?" Also, how did the tribe receive word of his mother's dying wish and then decide to heed it, after already knowing that she would of course not want her son to be murdered?
I'm glad you asked. I could have certainly expanded on these things more:
His mother was a great and respected warrior of the Sun Clan. She made it clear that any violence toward Paldak would be responded to swiftly and surely. While his mother's reputation was strained by her choice to raise Paldak, it was great enough that any physical action against her might start a much larger fight within the clan. It was better for the clan members that felt most strongly against it, to stay quiet and bare it, rather than risk a civil war.
As soon as Paldak's mother was dead, there was no one left to protect him. Understanding beforehand, that this most certainly meant death for Paldak, she struck a deal with the tribe elders prior to her passing. The elders informed the rest of the clan on the day of her passing, before her death was public knowledge (hence the silence).
This deal was struck in secret (as it was surely unpopular) and without Paldak's knowledge. The deal entailed that Paldak's life must be spared. The tribe elders grudgingly accept, but tell the mother that once she is gone, Paldak would no longer be welcome in the Sun Clan, and that without her around, it would be impossible to protect him forever. She understands and compromises. The two parties agree that while Paldak shall be exiled, passage from the camp must be guaranteed. In the process however, all ties will be cut and going forward, he will be like all orc-kind, an enemy.

malaketh |

Malaketh here again reporting for duty with a new twist on his druid.
Crunch I will send later but I feel the fluff is important here. He is an Urban Druid. SO no animal companion and using the charm domain. He can be a bit of a face but likes the background controlling the enemies as well as the environment.
“I will get it to you Yannick, I promise, it’s just things have been a little rough lately.” Said Malaketh, “You know I’m good for it, aren’t I the best thief you’ve got?”
The thug stood there a moment, concentrating, as if thinking hurt him in some manner, and Malaketh actually believed that it did.
“You’re the only one hasn’t paid this week boy, you have till the end of the day!” With that Yannick stomped out of the alley. A moment later, after gathering his meager belongings, so did Malaketh. Out of the alley and into the bright light of the Magnimar morning sun.
For the past three years Malaketh has been an “employee”, but slave may be a better term, of one Yannick Bloodscar, Half-Orc and leader of a ragged band of street urchins, ranging from age 6-23(Malaketh) that he forces to steal for him and supply him with all the comforts a bloated, dimwitted, slave driver may need.
Malakeths skills in the delicate arts however are not like the other kids, and if Yannick found out how Malaketh plied his trade, he would not hesitate to somehow abuse those abilities for even further , more nefarious gains.
You see, Malaketh……Has a way with people. Not once has he had to break a lock, or sneak past a guard. He simply just talks to them, and they always like him….sometimes he can even make them unaware he was even there. See now why Yannick must never know?
The city also speaks to him, not so much speaks, but…..well, for example. If he is hungry, a stray rat or cat can lead him to some food. If he gets lost, one of the pigeons above will guide him to a safe part of the city, things like that. He is pretty sure these animals are the voices in his dreams but that kind of knowledge is beyond him.
Anyway, that’s not pressing right at this moment, what is pressing is getting money to Yannick before he loses his head. He thought of “talking” to Yannick once,using his special gift, convincing him to be his partner. That didn’t work, Yannick got so enraged he backhanded Malaketh clear across the room. It seemed Yannicks dim wits saves him from these little “mental intrusions”
Walking and wondering about how in the world he was going to get the money, Malaketh spotted her. She was beautiful…..tall, elegant, standing outside the inn looking so, so……adventurous. By the gods look at that sword! It would feed a family for a month! Well, he was desperate……so Malaketh walked up to the stranger and gave her a little smile.
“Hi there….” He said, invoking the will inside him that seems to be the source of his ability to convince people to do things for him, “I’m Malaketh…are you new in town?” Did he really say that!!?? UGH
“I am,” She replied, “and you can stop trying your weak magic on me, it won’t work.” “Besides, I was asking about you anyway.”
Malaketh turned and ran.
She reached out and grabbed his shoulders with lightning speed. “Relax!” She said, “I was sent here by your Uncle. He paid good money on divinations spells to locate you after he heard someone of your…abilities…..was in the family.” “You need to come with me to Sandpoint”
“My Uncle!” Malaketh cried, “What the hell are you talking about!? I have no family!”
“But you do Malaketh…..you do.” “Ethram Valdemar is your uncle…and sandpoint needs your help”
Malaketh didn’t remember any uncle. The only memories he has of his youth is being raised in a small cottage near the Sanos Woods by his Grandmother. She was strict and when she caught him talking to the rats and they were obeying him she accused him of witchcraft and beat him so hard screaming at him that he was a demon and to leave immediately. That was when he ran away and came to Magnimar.
An Uncle? Why had they not looked for him before? Why now?
(A little twist on the merchant family trait, using his time on the streets as his ability to haggle..I hope that’s ok)
(As an explanation, with the recent troubles in sandpoint, Ethan Valdemar spent some money on some minor divination magic to see if there was anyone in his family with the ability to help fight back as due to recent hard times he was desperate for a new beginning, anything to build the Valdemar name up again. That was when he heard of a nephew with strange powers. He dispatched a bounty hunter to find Malaketh immediately.)
(The explanation for why Malaketh disappeared from the family and was raised by the old women is that the druids in the woods heard of his power and kidnapped him as a babe for one of their own. During his time with “Grandma” His……Mutated….druidic talents developed. They believed him to be cursed and cast him out. This is reflected in the story with the grandma beating him so hard he ran away)

CaptainFord |
2 people marked this as a favorite. |

CaptainFord wrote:If we have a particularly strong background, would you consider non-core races? I've got concepts both core and non-core that I could toss in and would love to get into RotRL again, but I'd like to get a ruling on that before pitching any ideas.It would honestly depend on the race. Which one where you thinking of using?
Kobold. Specifically, a kobold swordlord fighter who plans to prestige class into the Swordlord prestige class (shocking, I know, who'd have thought?)
The tl;dr version is that he hails from Brevoy and was bought as an egg by an elderly noble and renowned swordlord thinking he was a dragon egg. On hatching him, he planning on selling him, but when he demonstrated interest in one of the old man's blade, he acted on a passing whim and humored the little guy, teaching him the art of swordplay. The kobold took to it remarkably fast and the elder duelist decided to keep and raise him for what few years he had left.
After several years of raising, learning and practice, the old man fell ill and on his deathbed, altered his will to leave his estate to the little kobold, asking him to take up his mantle and become a mighty swordsman. The noble family, understandably, was rightly ticked at this change and chased the poor kobold off, leaving him to wander with nothing, but a special blade sized for him left to him by his caretaker, and the old man's book of swordplay that he'd penned.
He wandered around a bit and eventually found Sandpoint, holing up in the quiet place to practice his swordplay on the local goblins. He wants to become a great and powerful swordsman so that he can return some day to Brevoy and reclaim the old man's estate that was left to him from the scheming family.
So... basically, the kobold version of Count of Monte Cristo. I guess... the Kobold of Monte Cristo, in this case?

GM Nightingale |

Here is Cordwin Ironbeard (Bard (Archaeologist)). He will be your trap-finder and knowledge-boy. I have to clean-up/revise his background, but take a look at the crunch and let me know of any suggestions.
Crunch looks great, and might fit an important gap ability wise. Would love to see the fluff that you come up with.

Violca Jovanovi |

I would like to present: The Magnificent Saphir, Varisian dancer, locksmith, and cook, at your service.
Female human (Varisian) rogue 1
CN Medium humanoid (human)
Init +4; Senses Perception +5
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Defense
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AC 16, touch 14, flat-footed 12 (+2 armor, +4 Dex)
hp 8 (1d8)
Fort +0, Ref +6, Will +1
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee dagger +4 (1d4+1/19-20) or
. . rapier +4 (1d6+1/18-20)
Special Attacks sneak attack +1d6
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Statistics
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Str 12, Dex 18, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 14
Base Atk +0; CMB +1; CMD 15
Feats Combat Reflexes, Weapon Finesse
Traits charming, humble beginnings (varisia), monster hunter
Skills Acrobatics +8, Bluff +2 (+3 vs. characters who could be attracted to you), Diplomacy +6 (+7 vs. characters who could be attracted to you), Disable Device +9, Escape Artist +8, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +4, Linguistics +4, Perception +5, Perform (dance) +6, Profession (cook) +5, Sleight of Hand +8
Languages Common, Goblin, Varisian
SQ trapfinding +1
Combat Gear caltrops; Other Gear leather armor, dagger, rapier, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, chalk (10), flint and steel, grappling hook, hemp rope (50 ft.), mirror, piton (10), pot, soap, thieves' tools, torch (10), trail rations (5), waterskin, 55 gp, 3 sp, 9 cp
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Special Abilities
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Charming +1 Bluff/Diplomacy/save DC for a language-dependent spell vs. targets who could be sexually attracted to you.
Combat Reflexes (5 AoO/round) Can make extra attacks of opportunity/rd, and even when flat-footed.
Humble Beginnings (Varisia, Frying Pan) No penalty for using selected item as improvised weapon.
Monster Hunter +1 attack & damage against aberrations & magical beasts.
Sneak Attack +1d6 Attacks deal extra dam if flank foe or if foe is flat-footed.
Trapfinding +1 Gain a bonus to find or disable traps, including magical ones.
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Occasionally, when her brothers would scout out a path through a dark cave, they would allow Alikia to follow. One day, Alikia followed them thorugh a particularly notorious cave, they were set upon by a strange creature. Half bear-half owl the fearsome beast charged after Viorec, the largest boy, knocking him unconscious in one mighty blow. As the beast went in for the kill, young Alikia swung the only thing she had been entrusted with: a heavy frying pan. Wacking the creature hard on the beak, it let out a yelp, before fleeing in confusion. With the help of Giovanni and Anton, the three siblings were able to get Viorec back to the caravan where the elders helped him recover. When Alikia reached maturity, Costel caved and allowed his oldest daughter to perform.
On the first of Desna, 4705 AR, Saphir was born. Most of her family was shocked by how well the young woman demanded the crowd’s attention, and that day brought in more coin than the family had seen in several years. While she has left her family to temporarily settle in Sandpoint, Saphir has greatly enjoyed these last two years of performing and would not trade them for the world.

GM Nightingale |

Hey GM nightingale? What are you wanting when you say you have a vision of the party? I see you posted there a gap for bard, rogue and Ranger.
Should we not try with anything else...tell me what you'd love to see and I'll write some fluff for it and then the crunch.
I am trying to build a party with a well-rounded proportion of skills, combat roles, and character themes. Looking at a lot of the applications so far, there don't seem to be a lot that fill in that skill user fourth role in a party. Also, prematurely playing around with party combos in my head often leads to wishing for a character of that variety. New applications of a type are also great, but they would be in greater competition with other apps already, some of which are really great.
I am really excited to pick the party tomorrow morning, but it's really sad that I can't pick all of the really cool characters you guys have presented.
Also, people are more than welcome to submit more than one character if they have two ideas. But just let me know so that I don't accidentally end up picking you twice...

Arkham Guilford |

Hey GM Nightingale, this is Malaketh submitting his second application, this time using the rogue. I present Arkham Guilford. Please review and critique. I can change whatever.
Yes I did "semi optimize" him with regards to archetypes choice. He will be the skill monkey but I also wanted to be someone effective in combat. If my story is good enough to use the unchained rogue I will use that but if not here is the core build.
Here is the build:
http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=277041
And the Background:
Arkham Guileford is a liar.
Well, he would never admit that to you, but then of course he would be lying. He cannot change what he his. What is he you say.... He's a no good gypsy thief that would steal his mother's rings as much as look at her.
It’s because of this gypsy taint he does what he does so well actually. What is it he does well? Lying of course I just told you that in the beginning so listen would ya or he will rip you off too if you aren’t paying attention to his EVERY movement, and I mean every one.
Every eye bat, finger wiggle, facial twitch mean something with this bastard and if you don’t watch your back, there may be a knife in it when you were sure he was your best friend.
Thing is, when you stare up in anguish to see the betrayer who stabbed you, it sure as hell won’t be ol’ Arkham standing there. Hell no! That’s where that whole thief thing comes into play I told you about. See, our buddy Arkham has the most uncanny gift to disappear into the shadows. It's almost supernatural. Handy for a con man rogue isn’t it?
The guardsmen can't arrest someone that no one sees. And no one suspects him cuz he just flashes that smile and people believe his lies. Even if they didn't, he's smart enough not to leave any trace he was even there.
You see why you gotta pay attention now. This guy...he’s smart…I mean scary smart. I wouldn’t put it past him if he is smart enough to start picking up some magical skills, and the gods help us if he learns that!!!!
He has conned his way from Absalom to Varisia, bedding nobles wives and daughters then walking out with their gold and their innocence. Is he a murderer?, possibly, not a convicted one as yet as we can’t prove it but I am sure the bastard has put a knife or two to someones throat who got in his way.
So he spent his early adult years wandering Golarion. He started small, little jobs to make a bit of cash and it was easy…so so easy. People were so willing to give, and he took…and took. But as is usual with these scumbag types like Arkham, it wasn`t enough. He wanted the big score. To find the mark that could forever send him away on some tropical island surrounded by nothing but ocean and naked slaves all for himself…..some angel our boy is hey?
So over the years he makes contacts and friends and if there is one thing he learnt it's that you can find a black sheep anywhere if you know where to look. After inquiring on some of the richer families in Magnimar he discovers something. It’s not any of the noble houses that are the wealthiest, it’s not the military that has the largest funds…..it’s the damn church of Abadar. THAT he figured, shall be his mark.
The plan was flawless, or so he thought. Ingratiate himself to the church, start of slow and become trusted. Start making friends, easy enough to do with some well placed lies. Did you know the church treasurer is not that high in the chain of command? That changed now I tell you.
After befriending her and spending a few nights getting close, Arkhams charms finally worked and he bedded the gullible poor thing. Apparently he couldn’t bear killing her, must have had a moment of weakness, so instead he drugged her enough that she would be out for the day. Then…he became her, i don't know how, but only a spineless worm would dress up like a woman.
He went to work as her every day. Every night he would come home, drug her some more, then go back to work, slowly fixing the books a little each day adding to his own wealth. These zealous, self-righteous pigs had so much money what’s a bit of missing gold right?! That’s the way our little angel thinks you see.
What the hell was he thinking!! Robbing the great church!!?? They have all manner of magics to ferret out little low rate punks like him. He bit off WAY more than he could chew. Almost a pity he didn’t kill that poor treasurer. She was the one who ID’d him as the kidnapper, poor bastard had a soft spot for her and let his guard down. If he would have killed her though we still would have got him…and on murder as well. Then we could hang the bastard.
So that leads us to Sandpoint. Arkham spent his youth in Varisia training with those gypsy scum, and I heard a rumor he's back, looking to hook up with some old contacts. I'll be keeping my eyes open, and so should you.
(Official report and journal of Theos Redgrave, Inquisitor of Abadar)
The inquisitors report is of course highly biased and made Arkham to look worse then he is. He is a rogue an a scoundrel, but would never kill someone innocent.

GM Nightingale |

Quite dauntingly, it looks like I have 21 applications to consider at the moment.
There of course is still time to add or revise an application sometime early tomorrow morning or tonight. I operate on East Coast time, and I would set the deadline for noon tomorrow.
I think that I should mention I am still waiting for fluff from Cordwin, so if you would like to apply, now would be the time to finish that up.
Can't wait!

GM Nightingale |

With much deliberation, I have settled on a party. Almost all of these character ideas were really awesome for some reason or another, so narrowing it down took quite a bit of thought. I do wish I could have picked you all and run 4 different games (although that might not have been good for anyone, including my grades...)
The final party is:
Paldak the Outcast - Half-Orc (Shoanti) Barbarian
Sabina Fueges - Human (Chelaxian) Oracle
Cordwin Ironbeard - Dwarf Bard (Archeologist)
Alexei Domashev - Human Sorcerer
You all can head over to the discussion forums while I get the gameplay thread up and running.