Welcome Baldric, Vhik, Rhiannon, Zwain, Travok, and Satinder to your new Discussion Thread. I am very excited by the initial role-play you have already done and am eager to so where that all will lead. While I work out an opening post that will include connections to those first posts you already made I have a few questions for you, just to help me be a good DM to you.
1) How familiar with RotRL are you? Played it or DM'd it before, read it?
2) How familiar with Sandpoint are you? I see some of you at least know the NPC's in part and I am curious how much I need to give and what you already have access to.
3) What do I need to know about your character that I might not have picked up form your initial posts/ character sheet? I did read over your original game thread, and skimmed the OCC one, but I did not delve into any creation conversations you may have had with the first DM.
4) What were you original creation guide lines, I am not going to ask you to change them...just want to know for power balance.
5) How much experience as a gamer do you have with Pathfinder? Howl much have you had with PBP? Just so I know and don't assume.
6) What do you want most as a player out of this campaign? What do you want most as a character?
7) Is there anything you want to know about me?
While you are thinking about your answers here are mine:
1) This will be my fourth time DMing the Rise of the Rune Lords. The first two were both table top and neither gaming group completed the first book. Not from lack of desire, but in both cases I moved away from the group. The third is still ongoing here on the Piazo boards and we are now well into the second book of the AP. I am also playing as a character in a RotRL adventure currently on the boards as Blake Deverin... a Magus, son of Wade Deverin (killed during the late unpleasantnes) and cousin to the Mayor of Sandpoint. We are about 2/3rds of the way through the first book.
2) I am pretty familiar with Sandpoint and I love to use the NPC's they have already provided, If there is a particular NPC you know of..or a type of NPC if you are not as familiar with the town..that you want your character to have a relationship with (good or bad) let me know. I like to think of Sanpoint as a living and breathing community and your interactions with the NPC's help make that happen.
3) Obviously I don't have a character, I don't make DM PC characters...I have enough to do with the NPC's that said I am not above creating an alias for an important NPC and having them go with the PC's if the story calls for it. In those cases they are along to help, but not lead the group. I once was very irritated with a DM who's NPC was actually his character and the story was all about their glory and we were along for the ride...not fun for the rest of us.
4) Don't worry if your original guidelines are different then I would use, I can adapt to fit the action to the story. You have a large group which will probably require me to buff up the encounters from the AP.
5) I have been gaming for 30+ years...DND Red Box up to the current Pathfinder and love the game. That said I have not had the opportunity to play at higher levels often. I also tend to have old house rules or old versions of rules ingrained in my mind as actual rules so call me out when I make a mistake and I will fix it. As for PBP I have had few start and fizzle and one that is going strong, albeit a bit slow right now. I feel I have worked out a lot of the kinks to this style of gaming, but I am always open to suggestions on how to make it a better experience.
6) As the Player in the DM role the thing I want most out of the campaign is for you all to have FUN! If it's not fun let me know so we can correct and change things so that it is fun. If anything seem odd or out for you, just bring it up in the OOC thread. I am more than willing to look at better ways we can gel as a group. With a PBP that can take some time and patience. As the DM "character" I want to partner with you to tell your characters best story! Character goals, hopes, dreams, fears are all more important to me than stats, bonuses, and XP.
7) I have probably told you way way more than you wanted to know already, but please ask if you have any questions. Also feel free to share any comments or concerns you might have.
Now to get working on the opening post!
Opening post is under way, but not ready for publishing. I am doing a bit for each character to sum up the posts you already have done. Two characters are done, but I am out of time for now to work on it. I hope to have it up today or tomorrow.
1) How familiar with RotRL are you? Played it or DM'd it before, read it?
2) How familiar with Sandpoint are you? I see some of you at least know the NPC's in part and I am curious how much I need to give and what you already have access to.
3) What do I need to know about your character that I might not have picked up form your initial posts/ character sheet?
4) What were your original creation guide lines, I am not going to ask you to change them...just want to know for power balance.
1st Level Characters
20-point Buy
Non-Evil Alignments
Core and Featured (from the Advanced Race Guide) Races Only - No goblins
Any Paizo-created class or archetype is fine (Including the new(ish) Advanced Classes)
Max HP at level 1
Average gold for your class
2 Traits - One must be from the campaign guide
You may craft gear if you have ranks in the relevant crafting skill
You may (you're not required) take a drawback for an extra trait
5) How much experience as a gamer do you have with Pathfinder? How much have you had with PBP? Just so I know and don't assume.
6) What do you want most as a player out of this campaign? What do you want most as a character?
7) Is there anything you want to know about me?
My answers are surprisingly similar to Vikh's...
1) Never played it; never GMed it; never read it. I read about a one paragraph summary of it before we started because I have a character in a shattered star game on the boards whose background includes that his father was one of the heroes caught up in these events (coincidentally, that character is Teldon Moore... I applied for this game with his father because it seemed too awesome to pass up).
2) I know about as much about Sandpoint as can be learned from the previous gameplay thread (plus a little bit I picked up from the player's guide for this AP).
3) Baldric is more Han Solo than Luke Skywalker... he's a sellsword looking for some easy coin. He is brave, and surprisingly willing to intervene in dangerous situations, but motivated more by the hope of reward than any greater cause. He's sort of a reluctant hero, not a knight in shining armor (though he does keep a nice shine on his armor). He was also trained in a combat school that claims to have roots in ancient Thassilon, and where they insisted that all students learn about that language and culture (which is why he has the scholar of the ancients trait). He's not a typical/cookie cutter/min-maxed fighter, but he should be reasonably effective.
4) answered
5) I've been roleplaying since... 1990, probably.
Started with basic, played some 1st and 2nd edition, got in on 3.0/3.5 when it first came out, never got into 4th edition but have been playing Pathfinder since it was in Beta... There have been other games along the way, too: a handful of palladium games (including beyond the supernatural and rifts), storyteller (mostly Mage and a friend's homebrew), a couple of very different GURPS things, heroes/villains unlimited, HōL... you know, the usual. I've also GMed on and off since the mid to late 90s.
I don't have much PbP experience (just a month or two on these boards) but I'm enjoying it quite a bit (especially since I moved this past July and can't really do much table top anymore).
6) Fun. I like this kind of fighter (an atypical one with more Int, more skills, and less armor than most) and I'm curious how he's going to work. I also really like the idea that everything he accomplishes fleshes out the stories that his son grew up hearing (and the things he learns and the ways he grows will impact the lessons he passed on to his son).
7) Besides your post in recruitment, and here, and our side conversation? Lol, I think I've learned enough for today :)
Just had laser eye surgery so screen reading is tough for me. Will get to this in a couple dats. Excited!
Just had laser eye surgery so screen reading is tough for me. Will get to this in a couple dats. Excited!
Sorry to hear you needed surgery, I hope it was a successful procedure. Take your time, we can wait for you to see and feel better.
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1) How familiar with RotRL are you? Played it or DM'd it before, read it?
I have played in several unsuccessful incarnations of it. None of them made it to second combat. I have read parts of the adventure here and there, but it's not a problem for me to not metagame.
2) How familiar with Sandpoint are you? I see some of you at least know the NPC's in part and I am curious how much I need to give and what you already have access to.
I know a little bit, most of what I know is stuff about the history from the first part of the book. A lot of that would fit in with Rhia's need to read anything she can find about history.
3) What do I need to know about your character that I might not have picked up form your initial posts/ character sheet? I did read over your original game thread, and skimmed the OCC one, but I did not delve into any creation conversations you may have had with the first DM.
Rhia's not stupid, she just doesn't care as much about being sociable and therefore never really learned to interact properly with others. Her formative years were all about books.
4) What were you original creation guide lines, I am not going to ask you to change them...just want to know for power balance.
Someone posted this one.
5) How much experience as a gamer do you have with Pathfinder? How much have you had with PBP? Just so I know and don't assume.
Started roleplaying in late 2007 in a free form Final Fantasy game. Picked up D&D 3.5 probably early 2008. DM'd my first game in 2009, which lasted until 2011. Started playing Pathfinder in 2009, too. All of this is mostly on forums and very little of it is at a table. So this is how I feel most comfortable.
6) What do you want most as a player out of this campaign? What do you want most as a character?
When I first heard about the Adventure Paths that was the thing that drew me in. I want to play through what started it all. As a character I like the idea of just seeing where the story takes us. Rhia isn't really plotted out, there are ideas I would like to build on her, but I'm good at working on the fly.
I'm kind of a writer, amatuer aspiring novelist. So I'm really all about story.
7) Is there anything you want to know about me?
It tends to help to know your DMs better and for players to know each other
1) How familiar with RotRL are you? Played it or DM'd it before, read it?
Not at all familiar with it. I only read the Player's Guide so story-wise I have no idea what I am in for.
2) How familiar with Sandpoint are you?
Since I didn't know anything about the adventure path I wanted to stay away from spoilering myself. This is why I kept to the player's guide, so I am actually limited in my knowledge to the cursory introduction it gave. I am also not too familiar with Golarion as a setting but I am reading a little bit each day to get the broad scope of it down to memory.
3) What do I need to know about your character?
When I started to answer this question I realized that I have somehow deleted Travoks background from his profile! I apologize for this and I'll attempt to have it back up by tomorrow. It's nothing spectacular. In short Travok is a scholar belonging to a clan that for generations has specialized in protecting trade going in and out of Janderhoff. The Shortstrider clan is known for producing dwarves with wanderlust and a craving for knowledge.
Also, his mwk Armored Coat was crafted by himself which is why I could afford it at all.
4) What were you original creation guide lines, I am not going to ask you to change them...just want to know for power balance.
Already answered.
5) How much experience as a gamer do you have with Pathfinder? Howl much have you had with PBP? Just so I know and don't assume.
I played pathfinder with my tabletop group since it came out, but we've limited ourselves to the core rulebook, advanced player's guide and ultimate combat. We felt that anything on top of this just was unnecessary so I am not familiar with anything else but I am willing to learn. I had my first experience with gaming in general with my cousin's copy of D&D 3.5 back in 2003 and I've been playing and DMing ever since.
Played PBPs for years and my longest running game has gone on for 5 years until I quit 2 years ago. We ran it on RPOL and in another language than English so I can clearly see some of the other players here outshining my roleplaying abilities but I am a quick learner and I am determined to catch up. I've had a 2 year hiatus from almost all gaming due to my studies taking most of my time. Doing a masters and a bachelors at the same took all of my energy but I -need- some RPG in my life now so you can rest assured that I won't quit this.
6) What do you want most as a player out of this campaign? What do you want most as a character? I primarily want a chance to have some fun roleplay, some serious roleplay and most of all some -good- roleplay. Travok has a need to learn new things that he can write down in his own little "The Life and Limb of Travok Shortstrider: The Last Few Centuries."
7) Is there anything you want to know about me?
I'd like to know what you expect of us. What you want to and what you don't want to see us do.
Here is the Desna's Fortune official game thread with the first opening post.
I will get back to respond to your comments here soon. :)
Yea, I'm typically the last one to respond. I do have plenty of time to post, just never when anyone else has the same amount of time to post lol. Anyways, to the answers for you request!
1)
I'm running a pbp, table top, and about to do a pbp/Roll20 for my final run of it as a GM. Obviously I own it, in both the original and AE versions. Personally, I still like the original version just a tad bit better lol. Also, I am playing it in another pbp game with a different character, but I've tried to use this character for quite sometime now.
2)
Considering I have a large collection available to me as my table top group meets under an RPG library (his husband works for Barnes and Noble. Their collection is amazing), then I have plenty available. But I'm pretty good at keeping my own GM knowledge out of the game.
3)
He is very much malleable by either one of us. Whether it's you asking for a specific thing or something you want to know so that you can twist it around, he's got a background that has enough to know some specifics, but is loose enough to do what you want with it. Also, due to the creation guidelines, the campaign specific trait he has should be modified as no one in his family has yet to die fighting goblins.
4)
Is it okay to call this a dead horse? Cause I don't want to beat it...
5)
Have been playing DnD since 3.5, was forced to run 4th as a GM as no one would even consider playing anything other than the paper version of WoW. No joke, that's how I had to convince people to play, by saying that it was just like WoW, but you could actually impact the story. I've finally only recently been able to play in a group again thanks to finally finding a PFS group, but have been running my PBP game for almost a year (this month actually makes a year). I've attempted to play in games but either real life gets in the way or I've had to back out because I couldn't keep up with the 20 plus new posts by 2 or 3 other players who decided they were going to run the game. I aim to play, not be a walking stat block. Or the games just die.
6)
Well as I just said, I do want to actually play and not just be rolled over because the big blocks of time I can post never matches with anyone else it seems. I'm a player, not a stat block. For the character, I wanna see how he can change and grow. I built him for this campaign, knowing what transpires over the course of the adventure. And I definitely want to see how it would change a young and naive character by the end of it.
7)
If you had the choice of chicken or beef, but could only choose between door 1 or door 3, then why would you pick Jupiter over Mars? I don't know lol, I'll pick things up about you as we go on, so unless you want me to actually ask you something, then I figure we can just let time take it's course. Though I do look forward to picking up a thing or two from your GM'ing style.
Looking forward to a great game!
1) How familiar with RotRL are you? Played it or DM'd it before, read it?
2) How familiar with Sandpoint are you? I see some of you at least know the NPC's in part and I am curious how much I need to give and what you already have access to. I come from the more the players know the better the story telling camp, so I am fine with you knowing all about Sandpoint and its locations/residents so you can add in character knowledge. I can always add twists and surprises.
3) What do I need to know about your character that I might not have picked up form your initial posts/ character sheet? I did read over your original game thread, and skimmed the OCC one, but I did not delve into any creation conversations you may have had with the first DM.
4) What were you original creation guide lines, I am not going to ask you to change them...just want to know for power balance.
5) How much experience as a gamer do you have with Pathfinder? Howl much have you had with PBP? Just so I know and don't assume.
6) What do you want most as a player out of this campaign? What do you want most as a character?
7) Is there anything you want to know about me?
Thanks for all the helpful information, I think it will help me be a better DM for you.
I'm kind of a writer, amatuer aspiring novelist. So I'm really all about story.
It tends to help to know your DMs better and for players to know each other
Agreed, PBP is all about trust. You all trust me to post regularly, follow the rules, and create a great "world" for your charters to play in. I trust you all to post regularly, keep track of your characters crunchy bits, and make the character "alive" in our shared "world". I think it helps if we know each other as real people and not as anonymous avatars. My undergrad was in English, creative writing so I too am all about the story. :)
I'd like to know what you expect of us. What you want to and what you don't want to see us do.
Fair questions. I expect you all to have fun, it is a game after all. I want you to get into character and together we will tell a new story..one different then any of the others already told using this AP. I want you to play your character, put personality over rules. I reward players who don't min/max. Anyone can make the perfect Race/Class combo...but chacters have dreams and flaws. I hope you will use them in the game.
I also want to see you call me out, challenge me, and be open with me if something is not working, not fun, or deemed unfair. I can't fix what I don't know about so if something is troubling you, please let me know. I'd rather work it out in the OOC thread then have people quit the game.
Also remember RL comes first. Don't stress if you have to sit out a week or need a few days. I know I will need that from time to time. Work and Family trump games. All I ask is you try to give a heads up in the OCC or PM. I will try to do the same and I hope that you will have patience with me when those times pop up. I will try to always post once a day during the week.
I've attempted to play in games but either real life gets in the way or I've had to back out because I couldn't keep up with the 20 plus new posts by 2 or 3 other players who decided they were going to run the game. I aim to play, not be a walking stat block.
If we all try to keep our posting to about once a day this shouldn't happen. I have seen it, but it hasn't been a problem in any of my games. Based on you earlier posting, I don't think it will her for this group either.
If you had the choice of chicken or beef, but could only choose between door 1 or door 3, then why would you pick Jupiter over Mars? I don't know lol, I'll pick things up about you as we go on, so unless you want me to actually ask you something, then I figure we can just let time take it's course. Though I do look forward to picking up a thing or two from your GM'ing style.
Well Jupiter is a gas giant, and out here in Nebraska it often smells of gas no matter which door I go out because of all the beef...100,000 head of cattle in the feed lot south of town. They say it's the smell of money, but I prefer when the wind blows south. :) I look forward to getting to know more about all of you too over time, but I do want you all to fell free to ask me about how I game, and well about me to help build that trust I mentioned above.
I want to know that you're as committed to pushing through this game as we are. PBP games get tough for the DM as we get higher in power and the monsters/NPCs have more options available to them. I am committed hardcore, and I think the other PCs are as well. You're inheriting and excellent group of posters, are you willing to push through the tough spots?
Absolutely. I have been looking to increase my gaming opportunities and when I saw your request for a new DM I acutely laughed...thought good luck with that. Out of curiosity I read over your game thread and then I thought WOW these are some awesome characters I could DM them! After careful consideration I decided I wanted to and could offer to take over the thread. Now that I have I want to assure you all I really am EXCITED to see where these character go, how the do differently then the other groups I have used. I am eager to try out some things I didn't get to use in those games or ideas I got after those scenes past. There might be times it gets tough to keep going. My other PBP has been running since 2010, and we have had some long breaks when I graduated and moved, when my computer crashed and I lost all my data. We had to push through those tough spots and it has so far worked out. We did lose a player, we had two players decide the characters they had weren't fun anymore and swapped them out for others. As long as we all work together we can work through anything.
I am super excited to get this off the ground. I am working on the big opening scene, but I did lose all my maps and stuff since the first time I ran this so I am scrambling to recollect and build that library back up. Should be ready soon, but until then keep up your good role-play!
It look like only two of you are super familiar with the AP, I will try to make some subtle changes to make it interesting for them but while keeping to the main story. I will follow the plot of the AP, but I will try not to railroad anyones choices. If the group decides to follow a different course of action and go off the main Plot I will improvise and the game will continue on.
To help with in character knowledge I have a googlesite that acts as an expanded players guide and game journal. Would you all be willing to share and email address with me, and I will share it with you. It will be just for this group and will have information on all the locations in Sandpoint. You can look up a place and use it to help round out your posts. I will also update it from time to time with the important people you meet and clues you find. PBP take a long time and it helps to have a central location for the group to go look for stuff.
Works for me. I can send you my email later today. Is it Google docs?
It's actual a Google Sites, a free webpage that will have pictures I have chosen to represent all the folks in Sandpoint, the Location descriptions from the original town right up in Burnt Offerings edited for DM only knowledge. It has more than any one character would know, but it allows you the player to decide if your character knows something or not. It is a work in progress and evolves with each new incarnation of RotRL I run.
Example: Davrin Hosk is a retired ranger, goblin hunter who runs the Goblin Squash stables. If it makes sense your character might have met him then role play it that way, if not the description of the location can make it easier of you make a post when your character is in that location. I hope this will help you role-play better.
I believe the more the players know about the setting the better their characters become enmeshed with the fabric of the world. They tend to feel more real and more organic this way.
I also will update it with important NPC's that you might meet along the way. Say you hire a guide and she becomes a semi regular character who falls in love with a PC. I might write her up and add her to the campaign world.
One of the NPC's I have already added is a Sargent Blake at the Garrison. He was created for one of my home games, and I ended up using him in the PBP as well. So now Sandpoint has a Sargent Blake who serves under Sheriff Hemlock in charge of the night watch.
I already see the potential for Ferrah, to be a possible recurring NPC. ;) Will have to see how the role play pans out. Your suggestions and requests for NPC interactions will help make your version of Sandpoint unique.
The positioning looks good to me. Although the file name does not bode well.
999 Goblin's is balanced for 6 level one PC's...right. :)
Im starting to go over the character backgrounds in closer detail, be on the look out in the next few days for a PM about ways I can help personalize the campaign to your character.
I'll be out of town doing a wedding this weekend. I should be able to keep up fairly well via phone posts, but if at any point you are all waiting on me for something please feel free to bot me for a round. (And, actually, please feel free to roll AoOs for me as part of the provoking creatures' post- I get 3/round, even when flat-footed, and will let you know ahead of time if I ever don't want to use them on the first 3 chances). Thanks.
I am doing a wedding this weekend too, so it will probably be Monday before I have time to post again. I also want to give Rhiannon a chance to post in the game thread.
On the Googlesite, is there a reason the Sandpoint map is unavailable for us to view?
That is a very good question Zwain. When I go to the site I can see the map under the locations sub page, and when I click on it the map opens in a new window that is can be enlarged to see better. I will have to look into why it might not be viewable by others, no one has every said they had trouble before.
It is the same map that is inside the Players Guide that I included for easy, so until we sort that out if you have the free PG Download you can see the map and the numbers all correspond.
I also just went in and changed the size of the map, it is now full size with all the location descriptions below.
Let me know if that helps.
That just sounds incredibly helpful! How does it work and where can I find it? I'm new to this site and need all the help I can get with the interface.
Click on your character name to bring up your profile and then click the campaign tab. Any campaign that you've posted in the gameplay tab will come up. If you're using multiple characters in multiple campaigns, your parent profile has them all. Very handy.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Sorry for the delay, yesterday we had an unscheduled visit to the pediatrician (an hour away) which turned into a long day of shopping and we didn't get home till late.
GM if I might make a suggestion; It would be helpful if you could add a "current tactical map" (or whatever other name is appropriate) link to the "short description" box under the campaign info. This will have a readily-available link at the top of the browser on any page in the campaign.
Thanks for the suggestion, but I am more comfortable adding the links to the maps in the posts. I usually update the map in any given round two or three times and this way you can always link to the most recent version by going to the most recent DM post. You can also go farther back if you are curious of character locations in prior rounds easily since each map is stored on photbucket separately.
Once I have everyone's email I certainly could post a link to the Campaign Google site there for easy access.
I'll post when I get home tonight.
Just tried the map link and it gave an error. I'll try again later, might be the website itself.
I just followed the link and it seems to be working for me, I haven't had any problems with photo bucket before. Let me know if you are still having trouble. I will look into imgur, I have never used that site before.
Please let me know if this imgur link works
It's working for me now too.
Did you see my question about the Wayfinder?
I did and I wrote a response that apparently did not get submitted or the goblins ate it.
There is a Character Trait called Seeking Adventure from the Legend of Fire AP that you can take that gives the PC a Wayfinder with a 500 gp debt to a venture captain. If you want to swap one of your traits to take that I am cool with you doing that. You can read about it HERE. From what I have read of your back ground this might be a cool option for you.
If you don't want to do that then I am okay with you having an old broken one, if everyone in the group is okay with it. Even broken it is a 500 gp magic item that could be fixed so to be fair I think everyone should agree.
The other option is to have a compass that is a replica that never had nor will have any magical power.
It's because goblins hate writing. They must think that eating any form of writing will rid the world of the beast that steals words out of your head.
I'll trade Scholar of the Great Beyond out for the Seeking Adventure one.
it seems that a lot of messages have been vanishing lately. I've seen two other posters saying the same thing as of late.
I think that's a great choice. Do me a favor, add a few lines to your background to explain the Wayfinder and who you owe the debt to. Feel free to tweak to make it Dads if you want.
The board used to eat posts all the time. I figure this one was my error. I have been know to hit preview but never actually submit.
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It would probably make the most sense to say that it's from her father. I will have to add something about it when I get home or am able to get on my actual laptop because of the way the work laptop works with Myth Weavers. I could see him being kind of a strict by protocol guy with him being elf and all.
It would probably make the most sense to say that it's from her father. I will have to add something about it when I get home or am able to get on my actual laptop because of the way the work laptop works with Myth Weavers. I could see him being kind of a strict by protocol guy with him being elf and all.
Whenever you have the time, I like the idea of a strict protocol father..."Here is my gift you you, I expect you to pay it off in a timely manner." :)
My apologies to Vikh, I just realized I spelled it Vhik all through my last DM post.
Round 2 post is up. Just and FYI the family and I are taking a weekend trip. A short vacation before my wife starts back to work. We leave tonight so I probably won't post gain until Monday. Let see if you can keep Sandpoint from burning to the ground?
forgive my lack of posting... I was sick all day, and I still feel not-so-great as I write this. I will hopefully be up to par tomorrow.
I have the same problem
Sorry for the last few days. Work has me playing with my schedule a little bit. I'll post this weekend.
I posted an updated map with a correct link. Sorry about that, must have copy / pasted the wrong window.
And I'll post tomorrow. We lost power the last few days due to gale force winds. Gotta love Seattle lol.
Okay...I see when I posted at 4:30 am with a cranky baby I swapped Travok to Vikh's order. And didn't handle reach well following that. I will fix it now with a post and make sure Stander targets well.