Hi DM!
Tulip's biography is below. I took full advantage of the information you sent us about Sandpoint and you'll also see I took your suggestions. I hope I didn't overstep myself in anyway. Let me know what you think!
Tulip (Rogue)
Tulip Highgarden is a farmer's daughter who has lived her whole life on a farm a league from Sandpoint. With four older brothers and her father doing the lion's share of the work (her mother died when she was very small) she's often left to her own devices, especially since she burns food whenever she cooks and breaks things whenever she cleans.
Tulip is the consumate wild child, disobediant, disrespectful and an all around nuissance to her family. As a result her father and brothers humor her and go out of their way to keep her well appeased for fear of the outcry that would otherwise result.
Despite her wildness Tulip has a good heart. She just doesn't have the patience for tedious tasks. She only has a faint memory of her mother, who she loves with desperate longing, and even when she's in the midst of causing trouble she is often almost overwhelmed with guilt, knowing what a disappointment she might have been if her mother had been alive to see her.
That doesn't stop her from getting into trouble at every opportunity, however. After a childhood of running wild amongst the hills and forests that surround her family's stead, in the past few years she has taken to devoting her time to Sandpoint, finding the people there (and their belongings) to be endlessly fascinating. She began to ride in with her brothers or father whenever they had reason to visit and even snuck back to town on her own from time to time.
Tulip's slight size and eagerness to snoop and pry into business that doesn't involve her eventually landed her in the potential for real trouble; she began taking on small jobs for the Sczarni, mainly as a lookout and distraction. Tulip's curiosity has gotten the best of her, however, and she's seen things she'd rather she hadn't. As a result she's trying to find a way to back out of her accomodations with the Sczarni, burdened by guilt and fear from getting in over her head.
Tulip saw Lonjiku speaking to a strange man. Lonjiku looked worried and argued briefly with the stranger before nodding and walking away, his face lined with concern. Just a few hours ago she saw him leaving a ladder setup against the wall in the cemetary. She's afraid something bad is about to happen but doesn't know what to do about it.
I think Tulip ought to have a lot of connections in town, but the obvious one is Lonjiku; she knows a lot more about him than she should and that's an uncomfortable connection for her. Maybe someone else in the Sczarni? Let me know what you think.
Starting Gold: x 10 = 140 gp
Korum is a town guardsman who has only recently begun to work for Sheriff Hemlock. He has some difficulty getting along with the Sheriff thus far as the rare need for his physical prowess in battle makes the dwarf so bored that he spends too much time on duty drinking from a few waterskins filled with ale.
He's good with training with the militia, however, and is generally reliable which is why Hemlock hasn't fired his broad ass yet. Korum is trying to keep employment long enough to have the funds to start his own adventuring company, ideally to venture into the wilds in search of giants, who he has hated with a dwarven passion his entire life. His hatred stems from an encounter with giants as a young dwarf that led to the death of his elder brother. He remembers little of that ordeal but has nurtured a hatred for the race ever since, a hatred fostered by his father.
Despite his rashness, Korum is well known and liked in Sandpoint. He enjoys an evening at the Rusty Dragon, always trying to talk Ameiko into either telling stories or joining forces him to create an adventurer's company "that will spawn legends of our glory!"
Lately Korum has been having disturbing dreams. He can’t remember them very clearly, only dim images of large creatures looming over him, and larger objects falling all around him, threatening to smash and crush him. They make him really uncomfortble especially when he wakes up to his cheeks wet with tears. He’s thinking about talking to Father Zantus about the dreams.
x 10 =
Not much gold to start with. Hmm.
I'm almost done with my background. Hopefully I'll have it posted in a little while.
And here it is. The bio got to be rather long and petered out in the end the way it usually does when I write these things. Sorry bout that.
Funds:
Hi ho! 200 gp! Rather appropriate for his background, though I might have to plan to have him donate a thick purse of gold to Sandpoint when the game starts.
He'll take the bonus skill rank in Profession: Merchant, obviously. The only connection I can think of for him is Father Zanthus. Come to think of it, though, maybe he's met one of the other townsfolk during his Merchant days. I'll take another look at the Guide and get back to you.
Traits yet to come.
Weejon, youngest of a brood of seven (three daughters and three other sons) is also the smallest. At a mere 6’6” and 280 pounds, he almost looks dwarfed beside the rest of his kin and had been since his birth (to which his mother once allowed to have been rather grateful for). As a consequence, like all his brothers when he was gifted with his father’s name (Jon) he also earned the prefix of wee. His other brothers are likewise known as Brightjon, Loudjon and Greatjon (7’6” and over 450 pounds) respectively.
The Umbers were a merchant family that dealt largely in wood. Firstjon, the patriarch, was descended three generations removed from a great lumberjack who felled an entire forest using his own great forearms and axe (or so the legend tells it). The sons that followed focused on selling the wood and eventually aligning with men who could make something of it until they no longer cut wood but spent their lives providing it for profit in all it’s many forms.
Weejon may not have had the size of his siblings but he had their appetites and such appetites must be fed with coin. So upon reaching his age of maturity he threw himself into the family business and travelled throughout Varisia making himself and his family ever wealthier.
For thirty three years Weejon had lived a life of luxury, gluttony and greed, believing all the while that his work must be pleasing Abadar -- at least on the rare occasion when he gave any thought to the gods. If asked which of the gods might favor him, he’d have certainly spoken of Abadar.
So it was a complete surprise when Desna stepped into his life and took him for her own. On a perfectly routine trip from Korvosa to Magnimar, Weejon and his men were struck by bandits in such a sudden, ferocious attack that they were caught entirely unaware. Before Weejon could realize what happened, his men were dead and a large Shoanti warrior was charging at him. He never saw the spear thrust and scarcely felt it as little more than a great force against his gut. The world wheeled above him and he lost consciousness before hitting the ground.
When Weejon woke at first he didn’t know what he was seeing. The world seemed to be filtered through shifting sheets of gossamer silks. As he tried to sit up, some of the silks shifted and he realized he was looking up at the sky through a cloud of butterflies. As he bent his legs underneath him, agony ripped through his midsection. He looked down to see the broken shaft of a spear rising from his stomach. Blood was everywhere and ever breath he took brought the agony back.
Without thinking, Weejon gripped the spearhaft, groaning with pain, and pulled. The world seemed to dim to a fuzzy red and black but then the shaft came free and he felt the well of blood pour out of him. He fell back, gasping and sobbing in pain and despair as his life poured out of him. It was then that he saw the butterflies, a cloud of them that had been dancing and whirling around him while he pulled at the shaft. They streamed down and landed on the wound, pressing tightly. He tried to swipe at them with one hand but another cloud danced over his hand and eyes, distracting him long enough to press tightly against his wound once more.
Weak from blood loss and pain, Weejon fell limp, expecting to die. Instead he found himself growing stronger. The pain eased until it was little more than a throbbing ache.
In disbelief, Weejon slowly raised himself back up on his elbow and looked down at his stomach again. The wound was packed full with small, brightly colored butterflies. Every now and then the wings would stir or a butterfly would lift away and be replaced with another.
There was something about the way they clung there that stirred an old memory. One of the gods was known for butterflies. A woman, he thought. The lucky lady? It seemed impossible to believe but as his strength returned to him and the pain continued to numb, he became more convinced. These butterflies were agents of a god.
Moving with deliberate caution, Weejon found that he was able to get to his feet again. The bodies of his men and several of their horses were all around him. His clothes had been slashed into ribbons by a knife as the bandits robbed him. Slowly, Weejon began to make his way down the road.
It took him hours to get to the nearest village and there were times when he came near to collapse. Once he had to sit again as he grew dizzy and the ground and sky began to flipflop around him. He was very careful about the butterflies who continued to cling to him, shifting in slow dazzling movements. But eventually he made it, though he could hardly walk.
Wonders didn’t cease; the village had a visiting cleric of Desna staying at the house of the elder. When the local folk called the cleric to help, he took one look at Weejon and immediately hurried forth to lay his hands on him. ”Desna saved you,” he murmured as he filled Weejon’s body with the warm energy of his goddess’ blessing. It seemed that hundreds of butterflies lifted away from Weejon’s belly to flutter around the heads of priest and merchant alike. Forever after, the skin of Weejon’s belly was marked by a mosaic of colors in the shapes of butterfly wings.
He was marked in another way by his near-death. Though Weejon had always been a hearty, strong man who could lift chests of gold or f%$%~*s of would that any ordinary man could scarcely shift, he discovered soon after that most of his strength had left him. He was still tall and broad of figure but now he was no different than any other.
He did not let that discovery disturb him, however. He recognized a gift when he saw it and he did not intend to waste it. Right there, before the small clergyman who had healed him, Weejon took his oaths to serve Desna as she saw fit, for all his remaining years to come. He journeyed immediately to Magnimar, forsook his fortune and place and committed himself to the church of Desna where he has served for the last 11 months.
Now he has come to Sandpoint to witness the opening of the town’s new church. He is a stranger to the town but already welcomed by Father Zanthus as a friend and looks forward to the ceremony to come.
Weejon is a man haunted by the fortune granted him by his goddess. When he first committed himself to the life of serving Desna, he expected that he’d soon learn why he had been saved by her and did his best to be a model clergyman. As the days turned to weeks, the weeks to months and the month into near a year, he returned to drinking, whoring and gambling when the answers did not come. He’s still as committed to Desna as he ever was but the lack of direction has been disappointing. When his superior suggested that he visit Sandpoint’s reconsecration, he accepted gladly in hopes that his purpose might be found there. Or at the very least, he’d broaden his horizons and discover some new whores to while away the time with.
Formerly Baster here. I'm still working on the character bio. I realized that part of the problem was the name; my original plan for Baster Halfbreed pretty much set him up to be an outsider. I'm not sure I really wanted to do it that way so I've gone with something totally different. I'll have to see how that works.
In the meantime, I can at least roll for starting gold.
x 10
70 gold which is average.
So...much...fighter...goodness!
I'm glad you were having us focus on the bio first so that character builds can come after Ultimate Combat comes out because, man. It's got a lot of good stuff. I can't decide whether or not I want to do an archetype now.
Most of my character sheet is complete. I just need to get the profile updated. Ultimate Combat didn't have a lot for me.
MW is a good player but he's kind of busy, isn't it? Besides, I thought you wanted to stick with four players.
Weejon is almost complete. I'm down to selecting equipment and feats. The feat selection is getting ridiculous these days. At this rate, it'll be as bad as 3.5 in another year.
Aside from equipment, I have everything chosen out. I do still want to update my profile to better reflect things according to your format, Tel, but the Hero Lab profile is included already.
Equipment is needed but just in terms of minor things. Regardless, I am ready when you are.
My hero lab sheet is in my profile as well. I still need to adapt everything to the profile format. It's a real pain you know.
Aside from formatting, Tuck is ready to go. I finally finished the background today. After that, the character build was actually pretty easy.
I'm glad no one is optimizing. That makes the character build a much more enjoyable experience for me.
Sandpoint Contacts: Tuck is well acquainted with Shalelu and Ameiko. I suspect it'd make sense for him to know Tulip as well. Not so sure about Korum.
Tuck doesn't yet know what's going on with him and his sorcery. He's conflicted with wanting to find someone to talk to and being afraid of what they'd tell himm. So in the beginning of the game, that's the big issue that's weighing on his mind.
A'right, I did what everyone else did. Calculated everything in Hero Lab, dropped the bbcode in the profile and called it good; for today. I'll eventually clean up the formatting too.
Almost done updating the profile. I just need to locate the encumbrance totals and how much gold I have remaining and it'll be complete.
Profile updated. Just missing very minor details, not relevant to play.
Weejon is ready too!
I'm all set. Let's see what's waiting for us in Sandpoint.
I really don't mean to be a pain in the arse or ruin anyone's fun but is there any way we can move on to the main campaign? I appreciate what you're trying to do with the rp as a sort of prologue but I'm finding that roleplaying at this level to be not nearly as enjoyable as doing it at the table might be.
I'm likely alone in this but I'd just as soon Korum did his own thing and didn't have much else to deal with until the campaign gets in full swing.
Holy crap! Things have sure taken a bad turn. I'm starting to fear for this particular campaign.
Sure you want to be a sorcerer, Tuck? I think we need a wizard now...
I'm sorry for my mistake! You're absolutely right...I'll try to do better in the future.
More than a little surprising that you want to give it another go, all these months later. Bored lately, amiright?
Haven't you already run Serpent's Skull? They all sound good, but I vote for S&S.
Roll # 1:
Roll # 2:
Roll # 3:
Roll # 4:
Roll # 5:
Roll # 6:
STR:
DEX:
CON:
INT:
WIS:
CHR:
EXTRA:
I'll roll first and then decide which one I'm interested in playing based on that.
Roll # 1: == 13
Roll # 2: == 13
Roll # 3: == 9
Roll # 4: == 17 (So close!)
Roll # 5: == 8
Roll # 6: == 18 (Ta da!)
STR:
DEX:
CON:
INT:
WIS:
CHR:
EXTRA:
If you let me use my Extra roll to get rid of the 8 or 9 in my standard set, I'll use those as though they're fixed! Too bad I didn't get these when I created Tuck...this would be pretty damned good for that character.
There are too many possibilities to help me make my first choice of AP. I guess if we went with the fixed, I'd probably create a rogue, preferably for S&S. My standard I might apply to a ranger in SS and maybe a cleric in CC. I don't know man, I'm torn.
I don't know about everyone else, but I've wanted to play Serpent's Skull since you first mentioned it as an option. I wanted to play it last year.
Roll # 1: -> 14
Roll # 2: -> 14
Roll # 3: -> 12
Roll # 4: -> 11
Roll # 5: -> 14
Roll # 6: -> 8
How disappointing! I was real excited at first until I realized how high the lowest rolls were.
STR:
DEX:
CON:
INT:
WIS:
CHR:
EXTRA:
Why is my Extra dice the highest of the bunch? And two 7s? That's no fair. *pout*
Roll # 1: 10
Roll # 2: 12
Roll # 3: 11
Roll # 4: 16
Roll # 5: 16
Roll # 6: 16
Hoo- 3 16s in a roll, what're the odds of that?
STR:
DEX:
CON:
INT:
WIS:
CHR:
EXTRA:
This one is not looking good for the likes o' me. Come to think of it, it's not even feasible is it? Here's another set:
STR:
DEX:
CON:
INT:
WIS:
CHR:
EXTRA:
Much the better!
I haven't looked at the Player's Guides for the other games yet. How about I consider my rolls, look at the guides and then I'll make my vote? A'course, since you're already familiar with Serpent's Skull, that might make the most sense.
I'll take a second chance on the fixed rolls!
STR:
DEX:
CON:
INT:
WIS:
CHR:
EXTRA:
Well, that's better, I think. I don't know if it's that much better.
I think players ought to choose for themselves what set of dice to use. I'm fine either way though.
Well, that's better, I think. I don't know if it's that much better.
Hey, you're still ahead of me, kid!
The only problem I foresee with everyone using the Fixed Stats is that the majority of us have decent or good Strength scores. That'll lean us heavily toward melee combatants for the group and not allow for quite as much a spread.
As I said before, I'm all for using my non-fixed stats as fixed. I'd certainly prefer those.
Tuck brings up a good point. I'm all for using either set of rolls but for fixed, I'd definitely be going with a melee specialist.
That might be okay though...it'd be the opposite of my RotR character.
Oh, I'd certainly rather have my fixed rolls except...I don't want 'em fixed. I could easily make a good sorcerer with those rolls but I'm not really interested in playing a sorcerer at the moment. Is there anything else that I could effectively make with a high charisma? Bard, I suppose. If I make something strong he'll have a weak constitution. Not a very good compromise.
For all my talk about keeping my Standard rolls in their fixed spaces, I've been shuffling the numbers around and doing different things with them. I'm planning on a skillful character, of the ninja/ rogue/ ranger variety.
I'm inclined to vote for Serpent's Skull with the caveat that if you get bored with it, DM, we just switch to soemthing else. I've got lots of ideas for characters.
I might end up playing a sorcerer after all, then. I understand your feelings about keeping the fixed rolls fixed, Tel. Besides, I'm up for a challenge.
I'm going to check the other high charisma classes though, and see if there's something else that appeals to me. I've never played a bard. Course, I'm not sure I'd be any good with one either.
Oracle possible too.