Dwarven Academy for Excellence in Dwarfiness (Inactive)

Game Master leinathan

Hey guys - real post upcoming.

Ok guys - initial character creation basic guidelines:

You live in the dwarven metropolis of Jormurdun (population primarily dwarves and gnomes). It is 4688 AR. Each of you attends the dwarven education center in Jormurdun, the primary purpose of which is to educate young men and women in a dying culture, and train them against the enemies that plague dwarfkind (Anti-giant tactics are learned here, for example). It's a comprehensive school, teaching arcane, divine and esoteric secrets, although the arcane professors are somewhat discriminated against and the combat professors are revered (sort of like drama directors and football coaches in a high school).

I still need to actually complete a lot of the character creation guidelines, but it'll go like this:

You make, with 15pt. buy, a 1st-level NPC-classed young character. You have two traits that reflect a faculty member that you have a connection with and a subject that you have an affinity for (that I will create). You must make a dwarf or a gnome. We'll do some adventuring in the school and in the Citadel itself. Then, we'll fast-forward to adulthood. You'll add five points to your point-buy and one of Pathfinder's general traits. You'll modify your character so that they are 2nd-level in a PC class. Then we'll do some more adventuring.

Dotted!

And dotted the gameplay thread with the super-secret invisible dot trick.

Anyone have any thoughts on the kind of character they would like to play?

Introducing houserules: Please let me know if you have any objections to these. They're meant to make things a little more realistic.

1. Rolling a nat 1 or a nat 20 on a d20 roll does not guarantee success or failure. When the roll is a skill check, caster level check, saving throw, or attack roll (or CMB), a nat 1 imposes a -10 penalty to the roll, while a nat 20 grants a +10 bonus to the roll. Other rolls are not unduly affected by rolling a 1 or a 20.

2. Taking 10/Taking 20 is not allowed, unless it is granted specifically by a class feature (for example, some of the bard's class features allow Knowledge skill take-10).

3. Group stealth, when more than one person is avoiding detection, the average of the entire group's stealth rolls is taken.

4. When multiple people make a skill check, the highest roll is always aided by the lower rolls, and the total result determines success.

5. When crafting magic items, all of the prerequisites must be met - one cannot increase the DC by 5 to ignore one, though one can ignore one through class features.

Introducing the subject-matter traits: Please let me know if these appear unbalanced. They're meant to be powerful. Also let me know if you think I missed a subject-matter category.

Scholar of the Arcane: Pick one school of magic. Gain spell-like abilities according to that school as if you wore a Cloak of the Hedge Wizard. The DC to resist these spells is Intelligence or Charisma-based, whichever is higher. Your caster level for these feats is equal to your caster level or your hit dice, whichever is higher.

Seeker of Knowledge: Choose two of any Knowledge skill, Linguistics, Spellcraft or Craft. Gain a +2 trait bonus to those skills, and they are always considered a class skill for you.

Practiced Athlete: Gain a +5 inherent bonus to your base land speed. In addition, Acrobatics, Climb, Swim and Stealth are always class skills for you.

Patient Mediator: Diplomacy and Bluff are always considered class skills for you. You gain a +1 trait bonus to those skills and can take 10 on them, even when endangered or distracted.

Defensive Bastion: Gain a +1 dodge bonus to AC and a +2 trait bonus to CMD.

Hewer of Enemies: Once per round, when you hit an opponent with a melee attack, you may spend a swift action to make a melee attack (at your full base attack bonus) against another adjacent opponent, as if you possessed the Cleave feat. This effect stacks with the Cleave feat.

Consecrated Symbol: You start the game with a platinum holy symbol of your diety. As long as you retain possession of this holy symbol, once per day you may call upon its power to use any of your class features from a divine spellcasting class that are limited to uses/day (ex. judgment, channel energy, animal focus, wild shape, etc.)

Darklands Delver: Increase the range of your darkvision by 30ft., and gain a +2 bonus on Survival, Stealth and Perception checks. These skills are always class skills for you. In addition, you gain light sensitivity.

Also, because this adventure takes place ~30 years before the current date for Pathfinder adventures, Gunslinger may not be played, nor may any class or archetype that allows firearm usage. None of the archetypes, feats or skills from the Technology guide may be used. You may, however, make full use of the Occult Adventures Playtest, if you revise your sheet upon its full release.

Introducing: Modifications to the Dwarf and Gnome races!

- Dwarf:

Ability Score Adjustments: You may choose one of: shield dwarf, (+2 Str, +2 Con) or mountain dwarf, (+2 Con, +2 Wis).

Hardy: You may roll twice on saves versus poison or spells and spell-like abilities, and take the better result.

Weapon Familiarity: You also are always considered proficient with the light hammer and the handaxe.

- Gnome:

Ability Score Adjustments: You may choose one of: tinker gnome, (+2 Int, +2 Dex) or rock gnome, (+2 Con, +2 Cha).

Darkvision: All gnomes have darkvision 60ft.

Illusion Resistance: You may roll twice on saves versus illusion spells and spell-like abilities, and take the better result.

Obsessive: Once per day, if provided with appropriate scrap materials and 1 hour of work, a gnome may create any alchemical tool or weapon without paying the gp cost.

Oh, and Here are the rules for young characters. Pretty much the only relevant thing are the ability score adjustments and the age ranges.

A couple more houserules:

Weapon Finesse is a free feat for all characters.

All characters start with 60gp.

All characters start with one free Craft, Perform or Profession skill rank.

Dot.

neat.

Choosing a faculty member will result in multiple potential benefits: That faculty member will give you tasks according to their interests, you will learn more things about that faculty member, and you may gain bonuses according to that faculty member's expertise. Choosing a faculty member doesn't necessarily mean that you are one of their students - it can mean that you're related to them, or that you've struck up an unlikely friendship with them, or any number of other things. Eight more professors on their way.

Introducing the Faculty, Pt. 1:

- Valddal Garakkak (male shield dwarf fighter, archery professor); Valddal's favored weapon is the longbow he wrested from an orc warlord during his time in the military. It has an extremely high draw strength, and he can only use it when he's under the effects of self-cast magic. He harbors special hatred for goblinkind after losing an eye and most of one nostril in an invasion of a goblin warren, and always encourages his students to show no mercy to goblins and their ilk.

- Gorn Dernfind (male shield dwarf ranger, two-handed combat professor); Gorn is about as dwarven as a dwarf can get - compact, muscular, always found wearing armor and with his favorite two-handed maul slung across his back. He speaks as little as can can, preferring to teach by example and practice rather than theory.

- Nimble Topplecoil (female tinker gnome slayer, unfair combat professor); Nimble is always looking to prove gnome doubters wrong. She thinks that people underestimate her kind more than they deserve, and that those people deserve nothing more than a knife in the back. She teaches a style of unarmed combat to her students that's especially effective against giants.

- Teribit Powerspringer (female tinker gnome diviner wizard, illusion/divination professor); Teribit disdains direct combat, instead opting for information gathering, misdirection, and sneakily taking care of his problems.

Revision: All gnomes have darkvision 30ft. You can still take the alt. racial trait for 60ft. darkvision and the campaign trait for increased darkvision range. Gnomes also have low-light vision by default.

Still working on the remaining professors. Any thoughts so far?

Introducing the Faculty, Pt. 2:

- Togstrom Gizmalauncher (male rock gnome deep earth sorcerer, transmutation/evocation professor); There are rumours that Togstrom isn't a gnome at all, but rather simply stepped out of a wall one day and walked into Jormurdun to teach. He certainly hasn't showed any signs of aging in years, and his earth-related powers inspire envy and admiration with their power. [polymorphing, corrosive spells, creation spells]

- Hugnir Skallifind (male mountain dwarf spiritualist, history professor); Hugnir is a dead-speaker. He often ventures into the Citadel's crypts to ask his ancestors for advice on certain problems or others' dilemnas. His phantom is something of a mystery. It looks more like an elf than a dwarf, and it's certainly more agile than most dwarves get. Hugnir refuses to explain its origin, but it has knowledge that no living dwarf has access to, so the pair often conduct lectures together. [Knowledge (history), necromancy, information-gathering]

- Goddi Goranzinsson (male shield dwarf druid, Darklands professor); People talk about the years that Goddi has spent, completely alone, in the Underdark. No one knows more about drow and duergar movements and locations than he does, but he's remarkably stubborn about sharing his information. His isolation in the Underdark was an accident, and a lot of his teaching is trying to teach his students what to do if they get caught in a similar situation. [tracking, wilderness survival, Underdark navigation]

Considering a gnome summoner or sorcerer--that's just a starter idea. The professors are all quite interesting.

Gnome alchemist sounds interesting to me.

Introducing the Faculty: Part 3

- Dorn Dunadarr (male shield dwarf expert, librarian); Dorn eschews the traditional dwarven stoicism for an excitement that borders on mania for any written knowledge. Visitors to his library will be peppered with questions according to what exactly they're interested in finding, and any information that Dorn has personally about that subject while he walks circles around them and leads them to the appropriate section. [Knowledge (any)]

- Elmore Megagrill (female tinker gnome rogue, medical professor); Elmore is a doctor, plain and simple. He can make medical supplies with the best of them, he can cut you apart, pull things out, and stitch you back together again, he can patch you up. Some say his medical expertise borders on magical. Of course, his medical expertise also means that he knows right where to poke you so that it hurts. [sneak attack, Heal, Craft (alchemy), Knowledge (nature)]

- Carlissa Nozzledazzle (female rock gnome celestial sorcerer, Socratic professor); Carlissa's got a really powerful, full voice and a strong personality. She also has a manipulative way of talking, and some magical tricks that help her pave the way. She happens to think that what one needs to get to the top is a powerful voice, a strong personality, a manipulative lexicon and a few persuasive magical tricks. These are the things she teaches. [Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Sense Motive]

- Zimwick Steamspark (male tinker gnome alchemist, crafts professor); Zimwick hardly has time for teaching. When he does take a class, he does so while working, and he just kind of mumbles his way through what he's doing. Anyone that gets close enough to hear and takes pretty good notes can learn a lot, but he's not a very attentive teacher. Of course, what he is is a genius inventor - his workshop is full of ticking clockworks, steaming beakers and preserved or reanimated creatures of all types. [Craft (any), anything involving fire damage]

Not entirely sure but I'm thinking either Ranger or Rogue.

I really like the detail that's gone into all of the faculty. I think Elmore Megagrill and Valddal Garakkak will be the two of my choosing.

One other thing, is Elmore a male or female Gnome? The initial description says female but the full description is male.

Elmore is meant to be a male, I'm sorry for the confusion.

Also, you may only choose one professor to be your primary contact. In addition, you get one trait of your choice to start. Not only the campaign traits, but you also get one PF trait.

Ah I misinterpreted. Okay then, Megagrill it will be!

I still need some time to think about a character. I know it will be a face character as I like Cha characters, but… Sylvan Sorcerer, Heavens Oracle, Vanilla Summoner, or Dirge Bard…lots to think about. I'm also open to ideas!

Remember that you start as a 1st-level NPC-classed character. And I want to ensure that you know when you retrain, you can't lose any class features. For example, you can't retrain a level of expert to a level of fighter, because you'd have to drop four skill ranks.

Axolotl, how can I help your character-generation process?

Out of curiosity, how do you feel about the Duergar? I have this idea for a Deep Dwarf raised by mountain kin, perhaps as an adopted brother to one of the other characters (would be amusing if it was the Gnome).

I have this idea for a stoic Bloodrager with a sort of Samurai outlook on life, who considers it his job to protect his adopted family and clan. He would not really be "good", but he'd be loyal above all things, and usually willing to let others make decisions for him.

I could do the character as a regular dwarf, but I kill the idea of him being something really inherently bad who's been "trained" to curtail his nature.

Thoughts?

Thinking more about a Gnome Dirge Bard with Fell Magic. Duergars are all grim and stuff! :D

So that would mean starting as an Expert, I reckon?

Out of curiosity, how do you feel about the Duergar? I have this idea for a Deep Dwarf raised by mountain kin, perhaps as an adopted brother to one of the other characters (would be amusing if it was the Gnome).

I have this idea for a stoic Bloodrager with a sort of Samurai outlook on life, who considers it his job to protect his adopted family and clan. He would not really be "good", but he'd be loyal above all things, and usually willing to let others make decisions for him.

I could do the character as a regular dwarf, but I kill the idea of him being something really inherently bad who's been "trained" to curtail his nature.

Thoughts?

My question for you would be how your duergar got from being birthed by another duergar to being in a surface dwarf Sky Citadel. Given that answer, my answer would totally be yes to playing a deep dwarf.

Honestly, I don't know. That seems like the kind of question I'd need to know a lot more about the setting and the local dwarven culture. Might be better for you to help me formulate an answer to that which suits the story.

It could be that no one has ever told my charecter exactly what happened. That would leave a story hook/mystery built in.

Well, it's Golarion. The setting is a Dwarven Sky Citadel that's under constant warfare with the drow that live very nearby. Abyssal threats are also quite common, because of the drow's penchant for diabolism.

Jormurdun is more LN than LG than most dwarf settlements, and is quickly devolving from a centre of dwarven culture to more of a military establishment, especially as more of the population is winnowed away by war.

Of dwarven establishments, it's one of the less accepting of non-dwarves, especially given its remote location high in the Wolfcrags. It's further dangerous due to its proximity to the swiftly-expanding Worldwound, and the surface is rarely visited anymore by the population of dwarves. It's very self-sufficient due to its lack of contact with the outside world, and has numerous underground fungus farms and carefully maintained animal flocks. Meat is somewhat of a luxury, although everybody gets some from time to time. It's actually pretty communist. The Academy, for example, is open only to specifically invited students who show promise in their fields but is otherwise completely provided for.

Any other questions? It's possible that the very aggressive military attacked a duergar settlement and destroyed the adults in Tarzan fashion, and the children (or child) were left behind. Killing children is a lot harder than killing armed adults, after all.

As a duergar, you'd definitely have a lower social status than most dwarves.

Also, duergar racial trait adjustment:

Ability scores adjusted to +2 Str, +2 Con, +2 Wis, -4 Cha
Duergar Immunities inclues the adjustment from the +2 bonus on saves vs. magic to rolling twice and taking the better result.

Your character would almost certainly have some sort of connection to Goddi Goranzinsson, considering his specialty in Duergar movements. Perhaps he found you abandoned at a young age on one of his tracks and took pity on you.

That's a good hook. I like it.

Ok, not much of a backstory, but I have my weakling Gnome Expert who will become a Dirge Bard after leveling up. Young + Gnome = Weak! I took Seeker of Knowledge and need to make Darkvision show up somehow.

Ah, I need to add one more trait! Decisions, decisions...

Did you look at the revised racial traits for the two races? Neither standard dwarf nor standard gnome have racial penalties in this game. Make sure you factor in the different ability score modifiers, and choose one of the two subraces (rock gnome or tinker gnome).

Yes, I adjusted those, I think, but STR for Young is still -4. Kwellin is a Rock Gnome.

Ability Score Adjustments: In the same way an adult character gains adjustments to her ability scores as she reaches middle, old, and venerable age, a young character occupies a new pre-adulthood age category, and therefore has altered physical ability scores, though the vigor of youth does grant some benefit. a young character has a +2 bonus to Dexterity and a –2 penalty to Strength, Constitution, and Wisdom.

Bolding mine. Please read carefully. Also, there is no size adjustment. Also, gnomes get no +2 to saves vs. illusion. Instead, they roll twice and take the better result.

bah, I blame Hero Lab. I may have to build a custom race...

Ha, I added Young Monster. :D Fixing it.

Here's Kwellin. Do gnomes lose low light vision? Are we recruiting anyone else?

Gnomes do not lose low-light vision. However, they only have darkvision 30ft.

I dunno. Do we want to recruit anyone else? My initial thought wasn't to.

I'm okay with just starting with the current group.

Same here.

I'll have my character ready to go tonight.

Checking in. I'm fine with just the three folks too.

Also checking in. Good to start whenever.

Alright, before we start anything, I want to double-check a couple of thing for your characters.

Your campaign trait!
Your preferred professor!
Two personality traits of your character!
Your NPC class, your current ability scores, and your intended PC classes at level 2!

by personality traits, you don't mean Traits, right? :D

-Campaign Trait: Seeker of Knowledge
-Preferred Professor: Carlissa Nozzledazzle
-Two Personality traits: Enthusiastic about many things (including the dead!), and Curious to the point of danger, always seeking to learn something (but changing his mind frequently).
-Expert 8 12 13 12 8 18
-Intended Class: Dirge Bard

I don't mean Traits, no. Thank you for the clarifying question. Also, Dirge Bard becomes a very appropriate class after the prologue.

And I want to add a thing! Each of you have a mutual friend (and this is how you could know each other). This friend is a mountain dwarf whose primary field of study is arcane conjuration magic. I haven't named him yet, but he's a very strong-willed and in many cases domineering friend, while at the same time being a complete genius at his field. He impressed his professors early by mastering basic arcane magic years before he was expected to (i.e. he is a wizard instead of an adept).

He is how I will introduce you to each other. Anyone have name suggestions?

Campaign Trait: Practiced Athlete
Preferred Professor: Elmore Megagrill
Two Personality Traits: Very outgoing and responsive to others, he also can't say no when someone asks him to do things.
Class: Expert
Stats: 12, 15, 13, 12, 12, 10,
Intended Class: Rogue

Possible Wizard names: Uzor Fieryhelm, Throndor Cavebasher, Bregan Trueiron, Astrophes Redforge, Kivril Icefoot.

anyone seen DH?

Sorry, I thought I was going to get some time to put my character together, but life rolled over on me.

Here's the alias I'm going to use. Most of it is done, it just needs a revision.

Campaign Trait: Scholar of the Arcane (abjuration)
Preferred Professor: Goddi Goranzinsson
Two Personality Traits: No moral compass, loyal and obedient
Class: Expert
Stats: 14, 10, 14, 9, 8, 12
Intended Class: Bloodrager

...Arcane Bloodrager? :D