A killer stalks the streets of Black Barrow, a provincial town on the edge of a dying kingdom. Can our heroes solve the mystery, or will the town fall to chaos as the people panic?
From the Recruitment Thread: A Killer Stalks the Night
Black Barrow, a small, dull town out near the wilds that border a failing kingdom, where people live and work under the shadow of a mound covered in black grass and choked by thorny briars. There are as many stories about the Black Barrow as there are patrons of the taverns, each more fantastic and unbelievable than the last. Avoid the town lord's notice, don't anger the oft-drunk sheriff, and all will be well.
Or so the townspeople had thought.
The priest was found dead on the altar, his heart ripped from his chest and his blood staining the stone floor of his church. A farmer was hung in front of the inn he was staying at while selling his crops like a scarecrow, his throat opened from ear to ear. The city lord's mistress was strangled using the pearls he'd given her the night before in her rooms at the finest inn in the area. The murders have people near panic and distrustful.
Was it the young acolyte who moved here a few months ago?
There's always been rumors about Old Hald and his unnatural pursuits.
Could it have been some demon in the night trying to sow discord?
Someone has to stop the murder and bring him to justice before the town falls into riots and rips itself apart, but who?
To whom it may concern...
This is (supposed to be) a short adventure where the PCs try to solve the mystery surrounding the murders that have been occuring in Black Barrow over the recent months. Black Barrow is set in Aletheria, which is a homebrew setting. More specifically, it's in Sal-Kavun, in woodlands near the road to the Kingdom of Trinia. You don't need to know much about the setting, but it's there if you want to peruse and ask questions about. I would like the party to mostly be from Black Barrow, however, so keep that in mind.
This is a murder mystery, so skills that can help you gather information, suss out what is true and what are lies from those that you interrogate, and spot clues will be helpful. To help out fighters and barbarians, they can pick two skills as class skills that aren't already. In addition, All classes get an extra 2 skill points.
Black Barrow is a provincial town that lies far from the sophisticated and decadent cities. The townsfolk are superstitious and view magic not from priests or other clergy with suspicion. Arcane casters that openly display their magic take a -2 penalty to all Cha-based skills when dealing with the townsfolk of Black Barrow and the townsfolk will start as unfriendly to you. The DCs to improve their attitudes are also 5 higher than normal. There are some casters that wizards and magi can learn from, but anyone who openly associates with such people are also subject to the above penalties.
Clerics, inquisitors, oracles, paladins, and warpriests worship the Three Goddesses, also called the Three maidens. They can, however, be granted spells and powers by the Guardians as well, though these casters are also worshippers of the Three. If you choose a class that has access to domains, choose any of the domains that you want and I'll work with you to make sure that it makes sense and that any spells that aren't right for a goodly god to grant are swapped out for ones that are. Below is the religion section from the document above for your convenience.
Religion in Aletheria:
The Three Goddesses
The Three Goddesses, or the Three Maidens as they are also known, are the creators of Aletheria. One is the Maiden of Day, celebrating Valor and Honor. Another is the Maiden of Night, the keeper of secrets and wonders. The third is the Maiden of Dawn and the Maiden of Dusk, the herald of life and the warden of death. They created the celestials as their servants and the Guardians to ward their creations from harm.
They were born of the first gods, Aleth and Aeria. Together, they gave birth to the Three Maidens, and it was the gift of creation that was their greatest gift to their daughters. Sadly, Jealousy grew in their hearts as they watched their daughters work on the heavens. They turned the Three Maidens’ servants against them and did battle against their daughters.
In time, both Aleth and Aeria were slain and their corrupted servants scattered across the abyss. The Three Maidens crafted a new world from their parents’ remains and named it Aletheria, in thanks for their birth and in a hope that the world would be their legacy.
The Guardians
The divine servitors of the Three Maidens, these beings are gods in their own right and often find themselves at odds with one another where their interests meet.
The first of these guardians is the First Dragon, and the one who can control all of the elements. She asked for and was granted the power to create servitors of her own to aid her. She first created Alwyn and Caderyn, dragons with dominion over light, water, and sky and earth, fire, and shadow respectively. They grew arrogant and soon began razing the works of the mortals on Aletheria. It was only when the First Dragon and an army of mages and knights subdued, then cursed them, that their rampage ceased.
Since that time, the First Dragon has created six other servitors to aid her. One for each of the elements. The Three Maidens have also made new Guardians, most of them mortals who had proven themselves capable of great deeds, even at great personal cost.
The Fiends
The Fiends were once the servants of the Three Maidens. When Aleth and Aeria turned on them in jealousy, they corrupted some of the servants the Three Maidens had created. These became the fiends, and the chief among them still seek to subjugate the Three Maidens and rule the Heavens and Aletheria as they see fit.
Another thing to keep in mind is that nobles in this world (or at least in this kingdom) can do whatever they wish with practical impunity. Commoners who do not treat nobles respectfully can be jailed, or even killed if the offense is severe enough. I'm not going to open the slavery can of worms, but there is definitely a difference between the classes that you'll be running into. I hope that this will not be an issue since I'm also hoping that we're all people of reasonable maturity. If you feel this is going to be a problem for you, then please do not apply. We'll be coming face to face with class differences and the town lord's family are typical Kavuni nobles, which is to say spoiled, vain, and decadent.
Character creation rules: Materials Allowed
-Core, Advanced Player's Guide, Ultimate Combat, Ultimate Magic, Advanced Race Guide, Advanced Class Guide, and Pathfinder Unchained only.
- Use the unchained versions of the Monk, Rogue, and Summoner. I like the original Barbarian better, but I'll allow either version.
-3rd party is not allowed.
-Races: Core Races + Tiefling, Aasimar, Changling, Ifrit, Udine, Oread, and Slyph
-If you want, you can roll for Aasimar and Tiefling variant abilities. Use the chart here for Aasimar abilities, and the chart here for Tiefling abilities. They are labeled Variant Aasimar/Tiefling Abilities. Please roll in the recruitment thread. Roll thrice and pick one. If you roll, you have to take one of the three options.
-Classes: No Gunslinger, or any archetype that uses guns
-Alignment: No evil
Character Build
-Starting at 1st level
-20 point buy, no stat can be higher than 18 or lower than 8 before racial modifiers.
-Average gold for your class
-Max HP at first, Roll half-HD + average, so d6 would roll 1d3+3, d8 would roll 1d4+4, and so on.
-Two Traits.
-We are using Background Skills From unchained
-We are using Artistry and Lore
-We are using Fractional bonuses, which isn't really going to matter unless you multi-class.
-We'll also be using Hero Points, your character starts with 1.
House Rules:
-All classes get 2 extra skill points per level. This is in addition to the background skill points.
-Fighters and Barbarians can pick two skills that are not already class skills as class skills.
Character Flavor
-Background: Needs to be at least a few sentences.
-Personality
-Appearance: Can be sparse on details, but I would like to know how tall they are and what their build is (are they squat, slender, a curvaceous bombshell, a studly studmuffin, a studly lego, etc.) If you can find a picture, link to it.
-[Optional] Complete one or both lists of questions. This won't necessarily increase your chances, but if it helps paint an interesting picture of your character, it certainly won't hurt.
Twenty questions to help you create a backstory for your character.:
Found here
What is your character’s name?
How old is your character?
What would somebody see at first glance (i.e. height, weight, skin color, eye color, hair color, physique, race, and visible equipment)?
What additional attributes would be noticed upon meeting the character (i.e. Speech, mannerisms)?
Where was your character born?
Where were you raised?
By who?
Who are your parents?
Are they alive?
What do they do for a living?
Do you have any other family or friends?
What is your character’s marital status?
Kids?
What is your character’s alignment?
What is your character’s moral code?
Does your character have goals?
Is your character religious?
What are your character’s personal beliefs?
Does your character have any personality quirks (i.e. anti-social, arrogant, optimistic, paranoid)?
Why does your character adventure?
How does your character view his/her role as an adventurer?
Does your character have any distinguishing marks (birth-marks, scars, deformities)?
How does your character get along with others?
Is there anything that your character hates?
Is there anything that your character fears?
Concept
These are the fundamentals, the broadest strokes. Every character should have answers to these five, including NPCs. It’s the quickest way to give the sense of a full individual instead of a cardboard stereotype.
1. What emotion best describes your character? Find one primary emotion your character expresses. Try to use a colorful, specific word to describe it. For instance, instead of “angry” you might say “vengeful” or “raging,” or instead of happy you might say “cheerful” or “exalting.”
2. What emotion does your character evoke in others? How do others react to you? Do you impress, scare, calm, excite, or perhaps annoy? Again try to find the most specific term you can. Is this reaction different between friends and enemies?
3. What does your character need most? If your character had everything he or she needed, why go on an adventure? Most people’s needs are fairly universal, although they can change over time. Common needs are survival, security, companionship, esteem, romance, family, or wisdom. Consider what your character’s starting needs are, and where you want them to be by the end of the adventure or campaign. It helps to establish this need with the GM, to ensure it fits with the themes of the game.
4. What is your character’s goal in life? This should be the principle, underlying motivation for everything your character thinks, says, and does. If your character were lying on the brink of death, what makes him or her cling to life? What could your character lose that he or she would consider worse than death? This goal is often broad, and sometimes unachievable. Whatever the nature of the goal, it should be something your character can strive for his or her entire life. The best goals are ones that can be threatened, as they will help create more compelling adventures. Ideas include justice, revenge, protecting loved ones, redeeming one’s self, or gaining some kind of power. When you think of something, ask yourself “why?” to make sure it isn’t because of some larger, more important goal.
5. How does your character believe this goal can be accomplished? Because the goal can often be ideological, the method to achieving it is sometimes equally insubstantial. Your character’s methods should be strongly tied to beliefs (or lack of beliefs), and primarily be a decision of lifestyle. A character bent on revenge might consider perfecting a fighting discipline, while a character devoted to a cause might consider a religious or philosophical doctrine.
Background
For any campaign, a character should have come from somewhere. Spend any length of time with someone and their history is bound to come up. These questions give your character history, and therefore dramatic and emotional weight.
6. Where did your character come from? Consider your character’s initial roots, before he or she was a teenager. These times are what shape your character the most. Who were your parents? Where did you live? What was your family’s economic and social status? How were you educated? What were the three most important lessons you learned?
7. When did you grow up? Everyone begins taking responsability for their own lives at different times and in different ways. Describe the events related to when your character started taking care of him- or herself.
8. What values does your character hold? Name three things your character considers sacred, and three things he or she is idealogically opposed to. These things will usually stem from a combination of your goals and your personal history. Consider especially where the values came from. Was your character taught these values? Did they develop as a reaction to something your character considered noble or diabolical? Establish lines that your character will not cross in pursuit of his or her goal to add challenge to playing your character.
9. How does your character dress? Start generally with an overall statement of the quality of your character’s appearance, such as projected social status, trade, common activities, or how groomed or slovenly your character is. Begin to hone in on telling details, especially those things that most people take for granted. How exactly does your character style his or her hair? What decorative articles does your character wear, such as jewelry, decorated buttons or buckles, a belt, gloves, etc.?One especially telling detail is footwear. Describe in detail what your character wears on his or her feet, including cut, tightness or looseness, heel height, sole hardness or softness, lacing/buckling/tying or lack thereof, toe shape (square, round, pointed…?), color, material, shininess, cleanliness, repair or disrepair, and any other details you can think of.
10. What are your character’s means? Consider all the resources your character has. This should include material resources such as money and property, social resources such as friends and allies, and personal resources such as skill, courage, strength, wits, etc. It might help to make a list of all your character’s resources that he or she might use to overcome adversity. Consider challenges like fights, puzzles, traveling, persuading (and being persuaded), and any others.
Details
Now we’re picking nits. These five are all about texture and color. These answers take your character beyond an adventure serial persona and into reality. Answers to these make your characters memorable for years.
11. What are your character’s personal tastes? Name at least three things your character enjoys for no reason other than personal preference. A good place to start is with each of the five senses. Consider a sound, smell, taste, feeling, or sight that is uniquely pleasing to your character. Also consider activities such as hobbies or habits. Name three things your character dislikes, as well.
12. What are your character’s opinions? Decide upon at least three major aspects of local society and your character’s opinion on them. This could be generalizations such as rich or poor people, more specific areas like a particular political or religious group, or very specific things like a prominent individual or an aspect of the character’s job. Check with your GM for relevant things in the campaign to have opinions about.
13. What is your character’s comfort zone? What environment, activity, or mindset puts your character at ease? This can add a lot of color to your character during stressful moments, as he or she will have a place to go or a thing to do at these times. It helps to have a comfort zone broken up into the above parts so at least some of it is portable.
14. Who has had the biggest impact on your character’s life? Name and briefly describe at least one person who had a significant impact on how your character perceives the world today. You can name more than one, but they should each reflect different aspects of your character’s beliefs. Use this as a reference point when your character has to make difficult decisions (i.e., “What would so-and-so do?”).
15. What are some of your character’s unexpected quirks? Name three things that are unexpected about the way your character behaves, such as things that go against his or her normal social status, age, or trade. How about three unexpected talents or abilities like being able to sing, or knowing some trivial knowledge, or being good at math? Three things your character can’t do that most other people can such as whistling, swimming, or reading well? How about three things your character fears, such as heights, dogs, or insects?
Player
These five questions direct your play experience itself rather than your character. What do you want out of your game? If a group answers these together, they can expect dramatically rewarding game sessions, and the GM will know clearly what’s expected to give everyone a good time.
16. What kind of story does your character belong in? Who are the characters your character interacts with? What settings does he or she inhabit? What themes are important? What conflicts does your character face? These things are important to understand so your GM can create adventures that will engage your character, and so you will have a better chance at getting along with your fellow players’ characters.
17. What role does your character fill? Roleplaying is all about the ensemble cast. Make sure you fill a unique role in the party, and you aren’t stepping on anyone else’s toes. Consider your role in the interpersonal relations of the party, your role in combat, what skills your character is best at, and what thematic note your character hits.
18. What should the other players know about your character? These should be major thematic points, your character’s general emotion (if it isn’t secret), potential surprises or areas that might be difficult, and any other pertinent information. Also start sketching out potential interactions, such as another character you might go to for help (or who might go to you for help), or someone you’ll probably butt heads with. Getting these things out in the open is important to ensure there aren’t unpleasant surprises.
19. What is your play style? Do you like heavy character immersion, or attention to detail in the rules, or perhaps you’re especially goal-oriented? Maybe you’re a bit competitive. Do you prefer lots of colorful descriptions, or a quicker framework understanding of situations? Do you speak in your character’s voice? You may not even be aware of your own play style. Keep this in mind as you play so you can better communicate with your fellow players about the direction of the party as a whole, and the course of the adventure. This also helps your GM understand your personal needs at the gaming table.
20. How do you want your character to die? Your character won’t live forever, although you might not play him or her to the end. If you had your choice of deaths for your character, what would it be? Death of old age, having survived through all his or her trials? Perhaps a bloody, violent death? A noble sacrifice? Happenstance? It can also provide an unusual layer of texture to your roleplaying, as you have a better understanding of your character’s fate. It will also tell you if your character is a tragic or heroic one. Finally, it can help your GM in resolving conflicts in-game if he or she has an idea of your comfort zone with threats to your character’s life.
Miscellaneous Stuff regarding your submission
-Your submission won't be complete until you've posted the following in a single post or posted in your character's profile with a link to it. (in other words, Put all of it in one place so I can find it using both hands.)
-You'll need your character's stats, background, personality, appearance, and answers to the questions below.
Questions from your GM
-Who are you and how are you doing?
-How often do you tend to post?
-What kind of tone are you looking for in this game? (I'll be honest, this one's going to be on the dark side.)
-What do you expect out of your fellow players?
-What do you expect out of me (the GM)?
-What is your comfort zone? Where's the line for you in RP terms?
-How do you see your character progressing as a character?
So, if I haven't scared you off yet, you should have something like this when you're done:
sample submission wrote:
HI, this is my character Gazebo the Magnificent!
Stats:
Something like the official stat-blocks from Paizo here. You can see what I'm looking for with the example below with one of my characters:
Josephina Annabella Whitehall
Female human (Chelaxian) paladin 5
LG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +1; Senses Perception +1
Aura courage (10 ft.)
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Defense
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AC 22, touch 12, flat-footed 21 (+7 armor, +1 deflection, +1 Dex, +3 shield)
hp 44 (5d10+10)
Fort +8, Ref +5, Will +8
Immune disease, fear
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)
Melee +1 longsword +11 (1d8+5/19-20) or
. . dagger +9 (1d4+4/19-20) or
. . heavy shield bash +9 (1d4+4) or
. . unarmed strike +9 (1d3+4 nonlethal)
Ranged light crossbow +6 (1d8/19-20)
Special Attacks channel positive energy 3/day (DC 14, 3d6), smite evil 2/day (+2 attack and AC, +5 damage)
Paladin Spell-Like Abilities (CL 5th; concentration +7)
. . At will—detect evil
Paladin Spells Prepared (CL 2nd; concentration +4)
. . 1st—cure light wounds (2)
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Statistics
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Str 18, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 14
Base Atk +5; CMB +9; CMD 21
Feats Extra Lay on Hands, Shield Focus, Weapon Focus (longsword), Weapon Versatility
Traits alabaster outcast, mediator, sacred touch
Skills Acrobatics -5 (-9 to jump), Appraise +1, Diplomacy +11, Handle Animal +6, Heal +7, Knowledge (nobility) +5, Knowledge (religion) +5, Linguistics +3, Perform (sing) +7, Ride -1, Sense Motive +6
Languages Celestial, Common, Thassilonian, Varisian
SQ divine bond (mount), lay on hands 6/day (2d6), mercy (shaken), sheltered
Other Gear breastplate, heavy wooden shield, +1 longsword, dagger, light crossbow, ring of feather falling, bedroll, blanket[APG], cleric's vestments, explorer's outfit (2), masterwork backpack[APG], noble's outfit, signet ring, silver holy symbol of Iomedae, waterskin, 14 gp, 4 sp
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Special Abilities
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Animal Companion Link (Ex) Handle or push Animal Companion faster, +4 to checks vs. them.
Aura of Courage +4 (10 ft.) (Su) Allies in aura gain a morale bonus to saves vs. fear.
Detect Evil (At will) (Sp) You can use detect evil at will (as the spell).
Immunity to Disease You are immune to diseases.
Immunity to Fear (Ex) You are immune to all fear effects.
Lay on Hands (2d6 hit points, 6/day) (Su) As a standard action (swift on self), touch channels positive energy and applies mercies.
Mercy (Shaken) (Su) When you use your lay on hands ability, it also removes the shaken condition.
Paladin Channel Positive Energy 3d6 (3/day, DC 14) (Su) Positive energy heals the living and harms the undead; negative has the reverse effect.
Share Spells with Companion (Ex) Can cast spells with a target of "you" on animal companion, as touch spells.
Sheltered You become shaken when you have less than half your maximum hit points.
Smite Evil (2/day) (Su) +2 to hit, +5 to damage, +2 deflection bonus to AC when used.
Weapon Versatility Weapon w/ Weapon Focus: shift grip to alter damage to B/P/S (free act.).
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Animal Companion
Wolf
CG Medium animal
Init +3; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +7
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Defense
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AC 20, touch 15, flat-footed 17 (+1 deflection, +3 Dex, +1 enhancement, +5 natural)
hp 45 (5d8+20)
Fort +8, Ref +8, Will +3
Defensive Abilities evasion
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Offense
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Speed 50 ft.
Melee unarmed strike +5 (1d3+2 nonlethal) or
. . bite +6 (1d6+4)
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Statistics
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Str 14, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 6
Base Atk +3; CMB +5; CMD 19 (23 vs. trip)
Feats Alertness, Improved Natural Armor, Toughness
Tricks Attack, Attack, Attack Any Target, Combat Riding, Come, Defend, Down, Guard, Heel, Hunt
Skills Acrobatics +9 (+17 to jump), Perception +7, Sense Motive +3, Stealth +7; Racial Modifiers +4 to survival when tracking by scent
SQ attack any target, combat riding, hunt
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Special Abilities
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+4 to Survival when tracking by Scent +4 to Survival when tracking by Scent.
Attack Any Target [Trick] The animal will attack any creature on command.
Combat Riding [Trick] The animal has been trained to bear a rider into combat.
Evasion (Ex) No damage on successful reflex save.
Hunt [Trick] Hunts or forages for food to bring to handler.
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in dim light, distinguishing color and detail.
Scent (Ex) Detect opponents within 15+ feet by sense of smell.
Trip (Ex) You can make a trip attempt on a successful attack.
Background:
Put your backstory here. I don't mind reading a novel if you bang one out by accident.
Appearance and Personality:
Can be separate or together, just so long as they are both there, and you put in how tall your character is. This is also where you put links to any images you may have found that your character looks like.
