I've always played it for UMD that failing the check with a natural 1 was a mishap (for example making poisonous berries) and didn't lock the wand and failing with anything other than a 1 the spell fizzles consuming the charge to no effect. If you want to do it that way we can or we can use RAW rules. By RAW it locks it for that specific person for the day.
Male Aquatic Elf Unchained Rogue (Eldtitch Scoundrel) 4: HP 35/35; AC 16/20; T14; FF16; F3 R 8 W 2, +2 vs enchantments; Ini +4; Perc+ 10
Much more advantageous for us going RAW. Quick math shows with Deranthil, with a +7 UMD will need a 13 or better to activate the wand and so will fail more than half the time. By raw he will succeed 8 times for each time he locks the wand. So using RAW, on average after 5 or 6 successes one of us will lock the wand and had it to the other. And this particular wand is not one we need to use in combat. In fact its much better to use it in advance as the berries last all day.
Sure Quelth will uses as many charges as you guys request. Keep in mind however that each berry feeds a person for a day and a food shortage might be a problem down the road.
HP 12/40; AC 22; T13; FF20; F5 R 3 W 5; Ini +3; Perc+7
Looking at Deranthil and seeing the he is somewhat wounded, Bastien stops him. "You are wounded mate, and this is not a good situation. let our Druid make some more berries and then we explore further!"
"Apparently, the field is full of ankhegs. I say we leave that for tomorrow. I'm not sure any of us are in the shape to fight them immediately." where else haven't we checked? We checked the buildings inside the palisade and the tents just outside it, right? So we still have the outbuildings south of the center, A14-18? Assuming I'm remembering correctly... "Perhaps we should check out these outbuildings."
Yes, I still have some tricks up my sleeve today, so why not. Not sure what could be worse than that... Swarm. Vinnick brushes himself off, using his cantrips to clean and tidy his outfit.
Only major location left to check is the Levin farm just south of the pallisade once you clear that out you can rest for the night and you can level up.
You head to the large farmhouse south of the main encampment. This place seems to have been were the colonist were looking to start growing crops after having abandoned the northern fields to the ankheg.
Atop a sloping hill stands a solitary cottage built apart from the rest of the colony. A stone well has been built not far from the house’s front door. A large stone near the entrance is painted with the words “Levin Farm.” Just south of the cottage is a tilled vegetable patch that grows wild from neglect. The door to the farmhouse appears to have been broken down by force.
Jordy nods at Deranthil. "Definitely. Those bugs were a pain." He takes Deranthil's last berry and holds up a hand to stop Quelth from making more berries. "I can take care of a few minor wounds myself." He hums a few words under his breath and in a moment nothing is left but a few scratches.
"Does anyone else need healing?"
CLW:1d8 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6
I don't like the idea that we might be starving soon...
The interior of the house is comparable to the other private homes in Talmandor’s Bounty. It contains only simple wooden furniture and an assortment of common household and personal items. Unlike the other residences, this house is in disarray, with chairs and tables flipped over, blankets torn to shreds, and produce such as corn and melons gnawed upon and then discarded to rot on the floor.
"Hmm. This place has been ransacked as well, but also... raided? Maybe more of the monkey goblins?" He kicks over a few bits of refuse. "If there's roaches in here like the storeroom, I'm outta here." He shivers briefly remembering the horrible sensation of them crawling all over him.
He casts detect magic and scans the room looking for anything that might pop out.
Diomedes detects a magical aura coming from underneath the floor in the living room.
Derantil hears movement up above. Something or someone is moving about on the second floor. Sounds like a single creature but it's too big to be a goblin. It's step sounds uneven like it's wobbly.
At the location were he detects the magic Dio finds a loose floorboard under a carpet. He pulls it up and finds a magnificent longsword hidden away witch is the source of the magic. Next to the sword a small mundane pouch with a few supplies and a letter.
Vinnick follows the group, He looks to the rotted food. Such a waste, makes me want some fresh fruit.
He turns to Quelth, after a few moments in thought.
You, Quelth, you hold druidic magic yes? Can you perhaps restore the fruit and other food stuffs here?
Talking about the Purify food and drink cantrips, which brings me to a question, will you be allowing spell research? I'd love to have that cantrip, and it is sort of fitting to the character to be researching spells and possibly ways to replicate more natural magic via arcane energy.
Jordy, still back by the door, frowns. "What's that noise?" He points up at the ceiling, indicating the upper floor. "Sounds like something big. Bigger than a goblin, anyway. Steps are uneven... wobbly."
Diomedes picks up the sword, pouch and letter. "Nice sword," he murmurs before opening the pouch and letter. He glances down at the letter before Jordy's words catch up to him. "Wait, what noise?" He hands to sword off to Jordy? Bastien? Who wants it? and tucks the letter and pouch away, drawing his own weapon.
Dulin went on the “fishing expedition,” so I thought it was smart to change the drop point, lest they drag it out of him. Rayland is becoming bolder and cockier now that more people have resumed supporting him. Don’t tell him anything, no matter how convincing he seems. If necessary, talk to Eliza, she’s on our side and it’s clear that Rayland resents her for usurping his authority. Some of us plan on taking the canoe—since those bastards conveniently took the boat— and finding somewhere to hole up until the supply ship comes. We can’t all go at once, so wait for the quarter moon and go down to the docks a few hours past nightfall. Barnabus will pick you up. Don’t get followed! —Una
Assuming you head upstairs...
You climb the stairs and in the hallway is a grey skinned humanoid with strangely long limbs. It clutches a bottle of alcohol in one of it's hands and seems surprised to see you.
Jordy nods at Bastien. "If you're not going to use it, sure." The explorer straps the scabbard to his hip and advances up the stairs with the sword ready in front of him.
Underground predators that often dwell on the outskirts of subterranean ruins or in the deep shadows of nameless cavern outposts, chokers lurk in the darkness and lash out with their long, rubbery arms to grasp prey as it passes by. They seldom attack multiple enemies at once, stalking their quarry until they can isolate a weaker victim from its pack.
Chokers walk with a disturbing, almost comical gait due to their extremely limber legs. Chokers are small halfling-sized creatures, averaging 35 pounds (though larger man-sized specimens have been reported[2]). Despite their size, they have extraordinarily long arms and legs.[1] These limbs are boneless, and each ends in five tentacular fingers with an array of spines on the anterior. Chokers travel on their legs, or all-fours as the situation dictates, and have a gait that humanoids find disturbing and unnatural, due to their boneless limbs. Their wobbly locomotion has led to some commoners to question if the creatures have any skeleton at all.
Chokers appear to have little culture of their own, gathering only briefly to mate before their wanderlust and hunger spurs them again to a solitary existence. Their just-better-than-animalistic intelligence grants them a fascination with the trappings of society even if they do not truly understand it. Accordingly, the grubby lair of a choker (often situated in a difficult-to-reach nook or cranny) usually contains valuable objects such as rings, brooches, cloak clasps, and loose coins gathered from devoured victims.
This fascination occasionally compels a choker to abandon its subterranean home for a closer study of the sunlit world's many civilizations. These chokers feel most at home in the darkened narrow alleyways of human cities, squeezing themselves into sewers, forgotten alcoves, barrels, and similar cramped, overlooked spaces. Chokers prefer to keep hidden during the light of day, emerging from their hidey-holes under cover of darkness to hunt for food and cruel pleasure. Favorite tactics include using their long arms to scoop prey off the street from the safety of a nearby rooftop, attacking sleeping families by squeezing through an open chimney, or tapping on a window to bring their curious food within grasping distance.
Male Aquatic Elf Unchained Rogue (Eldtitch Scoundrel) 4: HP 35/35; AC 16/20; T14; FF16; F3 R 8 W 2, +2 vs enchantments; Ini +4; Perc+ 10
The letter
Say, wasn't that a canoe on the bottom of the harbor we saw as we came in? It sounds like the colonists were not getting along and that some did not trust the leadership.
Vinnick jump backwards in surprise and a little disgust.
He raises his hand and shouts an arcane phrase. Arcanis Nar!
A semi-translucent glyph appears in front of his had and a purple bolt of energy shoots from it, striking the choker square in its chest.
The choker is struck by Bastien before it can react. It tries to grab Bastien going for his throat and chocking him cmb / strangle:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 201d4 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
But before it can do anything else Diomedes charges in and strike the creature down. (it had penalties to ac for being very drunk and for grappling so you hit)
That is it for day one. You search the rest of the farmhouse and find nothing else of interest.
You decide to spend the night at the mayors house since it has the best rooms and enough beds for everyone.
Go ahead and level up. We will proceed when you are done you can rp in the meantime.
Jordy, slow off the mark, had charged in after Diomedes but ended up just looking down at a body. He chuckled and shook his head, clapping Diomedes on the shoulder. "Glad you're on our side." The explorer sheathed his new sword and looked around the dusty room. "Not much up here, is there?"
"Let's get some rest. I think I've had about enough for one day. We also need to think about what might have been going on regarding this note. We should talk to Ramona about this."
It's a +1 longsword with a grip wrapped in green leather and gold wire, glowing with a pale green emerald light. The sword emits light as per the spell light.
The workmanship and engravings on the blade and hilt are not similar to any made in the Inner Sea region;
HP 12/40; AC 22; T13; FF20; F5 R 3 W 5; Ini +3; Perc+7
"Jordy, am in that case, would you mind if I take the sword. My mother was an interested Azlanti scholar and she would be very much interested in a blade like that!"
Jordy chuckles at Bastien's request. "I'll be sure to show it to your mother as soon as I meet her, Bastien. It sounds like she and I have a lot in common."
Ha. Jordy's got the Pathfinder Recruit trait, too. He's not giving up this sword for fluff reasons.
Kn:History:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22Just wanted to check for himself.
He nods at Diomedes. "Agreed. The guard design is reminiscent of sketches of Azlanti art I've seen. Even the decoration is what I would expect of late period Azlanti ornamentation."
Have two ideas atm. One is a Aquanaut fighter, the other is a Rune-sage wizard from the acadamea looking to get a leg up on any exotic artifacts and to find any relation to the Thassilion. I'm leaning towards wizard though, as I haven't played one in quite a while.
As a note one thing I am looking to avoid is a full party of aquatic races. While a good portion of the adventure takes place underwater I would like most of the group (at least 4 maybe 5) to be unable to breathe underwater.
Here's my idea, DM. I'm flexible on race if you'd prefer him not to be an undine. In that case I'd probably just go human. I'll work on putting together a profile with crunch.
Archaeologist bard/tomb raider. I'm thinking of an amphibious undine from a line of Chelaxian nobles who have intermarried with undines since the beginning of their line. He knows he's never going to inherit, so he had to do something to make a living, but given his family he had his pick of doing something he loves. Family lore says they can trace their lineage back to old Azlant (even though they really can't), and they somehow attribute their undine-ness to the sunken ruins of the ancient empire.
yeah, I think I'm going to go ahead with the wizard. I haven't set on a particular race just yet, but I'm thinking he is from the acadamea, learned about azlant in his time there and just recently joined the pathfinder's after leaving the college to have an easier time gaining access to potential artifacts and the like.
In other words, I'm debating between the two related triats.
for personality, I'm thinking a more elegant man or woman. Who doesn't particularly like the rugged environments, but is more than willing to withstand the discomfort for the promise of knowledge, connection to thassilonian, and or artifacts.
though if there are a lot of others applying for the arcane position, I may swap. I have wanted to play both for awhile.
Posting here, just crunch so far. Not an aquatic race, but the Kraken Caller archetype gives some scaling bonuses to swim that at high levels amount to almost that. I will take the risk to get tentacles though :)
hey, I need to rework a bunch on this character (was part of another Azlant that the GM had to leave) but I'd really like to play this guy. Human Oracle of Waves.
Are we doing background skills?
Diremerc, I'm making my wizard, (runesage) so he is going to be of the universalist "school" I was wondering if I could talk to you about the "hand of the apprentice" ability?
I actually would be tempted to do a Dwarven Eagle Knight Recruit who’s father was an Archaeologist, and whose mother was a warrior working with he Eagle Knights as trainer.
@helikon I believe I have already been submited more than enough characters I haven't had the chance to check em all yet. Feel free to submit a concept I will get back to you tomorow.
I have a great character for this.
A human fighter, and member of the pathfinder society!
Bastien is a sword and shield type of fighter, ready to protect the others and dish out some decent damage!
I've been toying with an eldtritch poisoner alchemist for this adventure, half-elf total nerd character in search of ancient formulae and uncharted wildlife ripe for chemical experimentation.
Making an Elf Investigator with the Cartographer Archetype from Ultimate Wilderness with the Expert Explorer campaign trait.
I always mean to make an investigator as I really like the class but I end up scrubbing it halfway through making the character for something else but the Cartographer archetype fits great with Ruins of Azlant.
@aipaca Would you be open to Spheres of Might/Power? Not sure what they are but I am pretty open to all characters to be honest I'm just avoiding aquatic races because A it doesn't make sense for colonist from Andoran going to colonise land would all be aquatic water breathing races and B it would make some parts of the game boring.
@helikon go ahead and post a character concept I will add it to the list.
@rorek I saw your pm and forgot to reply I am fine with you adding your int to damage instead of str it's not really game breaking I think.
I am keeping a list of submisision so far here is what I have
Azlant campaing characters
-rorek aquanaut wizard(runesage)
-karlprosek undine archeologist(class?)
-decimust dwarf ranger or stalker
-Quelth tiefling Kraken Caller druid 1
-rhmg animator ??
-suny ???
-dismedes wayfair human oracle of waves
-gm red box ???
-Aipaca ???
-LizArdoc Wizard
-Arknight dwarven eagle knight
-Jovich human Swasbuckler
-Helikon (bastion) human fighter
-kevin o'rouke 440 elf investigator
You already added me to he list.
The concept is a fighter born to the pathfinder society, and trained as a shield warden. Giving the wizards and other casters a place to hide behind to do their magic! ;-)
This is an alias for karlprosek's archaeologist. I have some background fluff and am finalizing numbers.
BACKGROUND:
In progress- House Vashnarstill traces its lineage back to the beginnings of Cheliax, claiming their founding member was a ship captain under General Coren in the Taldan Third Army of Exploration that landed at Corentyn over 3000 years ago. They claim their magic-infused blood comes from an ancient pact their ancestor made with genies that blessed his line with an affinity for the sea. House historians claim their ancestry goes back even further than the founding of Cheliax, to Azlant itself, safe in the fact that the truth is unprovable either way.
The Vashnarstills were a major noble family in Corentyn with vast mercantile and shipping interests until they backed House Davian against Thrune during the Chelish Civil War. When their forces were decimated at the Battle of a Hundred Kings they quickly bent knee to House Thrune and were rewarded with exile to Kintargo rather than destruction and being wiped from the history books. In the hundred plus years of their exile the House has regained much of its influence and wealth.
Giordano- Jordy, to his friends- is the fifth child and third son of the first son and heir apparent to the head of House Vashnarstill. Given the long lives of members of the House- a Vashnarstill can expect to live as long as a dwarf, if not longer- and his low rank among his father's children, Jordy knew from a young age that he was never going to inherit. He loved being out on the ocean, even the cold seas off the coast of Kintargo, and loved almost as much the stories of ancient kingdoms and faraway lands.
Drawn to study and read and travel, Jordy used his family's connections to gain sponsorship into the Pathfinder Society. When he heard about the Andoran expeditions the Azlanti isles he just had to go. Too late for the first wave, he applied and was accepted into the second wave, where he befriended the like-minded historians Carver Hastings and Perrell Beys.
Someone asked above if we were going to use Background Skills. I missed the response; is there any chance we'll be doing that, DM?
Ah I read that as background traits before. Looking at it that seems like a sensible system I think using that would be just fine.
So yes give yourself an extra 2 skills points per level that can only be used for Appraise, Craft, Handle Animal, Linguistics, Perform, Profession, and Knowledge (engineering, geography, history or nobility)
Qlippoth are dark tentacled things that dwelt in the abyss before even demons. Now they live in only the deepest darkest places of even that hellish plane, waiting, always waiting, and hungering for the destruction of everything mortal when they will once again hold dominion.
Quelth carries the tainted blood of such abomination, his dreams are dark and terrible. He spent his early years in a cage aboard the Pirate ship The Crimson Kraken. Besides him in cages of their own were his siblings, almost all of whom were far less human than his, oozing balls of writhing tentacles, deformed things that howled and raged. He only knew comfort from the human woman who would visit him on occasion and sing him soft songs while she wept.
The rest of the crew had dead eyes, and whenever one would recover themselves they would be dragged kicking and screaming to the Captains cabin where the sad woman lived with something terrible.
After years, Quelth still is not sure how long, perhaps a decade, The Crimson Kraken met its match. The ship and its crew were taken in minutes and a massive half orc smashed his way into the Captain's cabin before emerging locked in combat with a hideous slimy egg shaped thing over eight feet tall covered in writhing tentacles. Quelth knew instantly that this was his sire.
Then the half orc changed blurring into an enormous octopus and tearing the abomination to shreds in a brutal frenzy. The half orc returned to his normal form and began slaughtering all of the caged things. Only the woman weeping before him spared Quelth the same fate.
The half orc, Captain Brath Gouger, took the woman as his and treated Quelth like an animal, but to Quelth this was the greatest kindness he had been shown - at least he was out of his cage. Gradually he learned to speak, found that the woman was his mother, the former Captain of the Crimson Kraken Elleera Agradine, who had foolishly summoned the Qlippoth to give her an edge over the other Captains. She had used it to mind control powerful new crew members, but soon enough the Qlippoth turned them on her and took over, controlling every mind aboard The Crimson Kraken except hers as she lived the horror of birthing the things spawn. Only Quelth had been almost human.
Gradually Quelth who followed Captain Gouger everywhere began to pick up Druidry, following Besmara and learning the ways of the deep. The surly half orc came to view him as a son and even bestowed upon his the offspring of his formidable Elasomosaur animal companion.
A year ago his mother passed away of a fever, and after a couple of months when Captain Gouger had taken a new woman he set Quelth ashore in Absalom. He told the young man that seeing his face brought back too many painful memories, and that he was not a man who wanted to live in the past. He left Quelth a bag of silver, and his pet Sklith the young elasomosaur and set sail back to the Shackles.
Quelth still dreams of writhing dark things, and tentacles. His first reaction is invariably a dark one, but he always remembers what the thing that spawned him did to his mother. He is not a good man by any means, a pirate, with little conscience, but he sees his mother in most people and holds back the dark thoughts...
Now something ancient familiar, and at once utterly alien calls to him and he finds himself seeking passage to a place that may hold the secrets at the core of his being. If he gets the chance he will answer the call and hurt whatever is making it until it stops.
I'm finishing up my wizard. He is elven nobility (Minor Nobility, but he won't tell you that) most of his money was spent on arcane schooling at the Academae. He is self serving, prideful, has an obsession with magic, magical knowledge, and artifacts. Should have the completed character with background finished by the weekend's end.
He is a runesage (starting out with transmutation focus), and possibly a bonded wizard, undecided on the last bit.
Submitting a northerner ex-slave tiefling summoner with a crodilian rakshasa eidolan who has some issues dealing with her new found freedom and anti-social 'partner'.
Hey-Ya there! I is a Elf! *Points to naturally, tanned self*
I come from tha' islands... waaaay over that a-way... *Points off into the distance*
I is here all about learnin' all'a people's stuffs! *Nods enthusiastically*
How is all'a every one be doin', hey?? *Begins to skip around and offering to shake people's hands by way of greetings*
So, working on a 'Monk/Ninja' build. Need to work things out since they change the way traits and feats work.
Back in the day one could be a 'Non Lawful' Monk... but things have changed and I need to work through things.
EDIT:Would the DM like to peruse the traits "Adopted" and "Enligtened Warrior" ? The wording of 'Enlightened Warrior' originally read that one's raising elders imbued the child/character with the serine behaviour allowing for Neutral good alignment Monks. Wording has changed and now only allows actuaol Aasimars access to the trait. Adopted is still pretty straight forwards. Cheers.
Submitting my idea for a hobgoblin slayer who's backstory is basically he was raised by hobgoblins, found that he didn't like other hobgoblins and decided to just f*** off and live in the woods. When that didn't work and he heard about this whole new colony thing he decided to give that a try instead.
I will pick two more which I am still thinking about it. The remaining two will be a strong front line combatants fighter or monks and maybe an archer or another fighter or monk. I will go over the rest of the applicants and decide soon.
I accepted you in my other game RHMG so I will pick others for this
My final two will be
-Jovich Trakas Aeramirdal Human Magus
-Bastien Navarre Fighter
Sorry if I didn't pick you there are a lot of variables I consider when picking characters (party balance, how interesting the backstory, if I know the player, if they applied in my other games as well, your intro post ect)
I will make a message here if any opening comes up. Sometimes player I pick fail to show up or vanish early on.
