Haha I didn't see you making an Arcane Duelist as well! Indeed, we shall bring WAARRRR to Nirmathas!
However, my guy is anything but LG - he's LN, and a bit of an a&#&$&~, as one would expect a Commissar to be. I'll have his crunch up soon - his backstory will take longer.
I'm still uncertain on my actual alignment. I can visualize how I intend to play him, but as far as how it end's up being "on paper" I'm just not sure where it would end up.
He totally understands the need for social and military structure, and has nothing against slavery (as he was raised in a household that actually owns several). However, his family always treated them fairly, and so does he. That does not mean he regularly chooses to socialize with them. They are beneath him, and he understands that. Both of his current hired hands were actually once family slaves who earned their rights to citizenship and chose to remain under the families employ.
Despite his belief in structure, he likes to cut loose when he's off duty, share a few drinks with his friends (despite social class aside from slaves), and joke and prank with people in good natured fun. More than once, this has caused himself and his family some minor issues, but more often than not it's been but a minor inconvenience.
I figure he will end up still as "Lawful Good," but will have plenty of occasions where he will buck the norm of that alignment stereotype.
Edit: Oh, and he has totally been raised in a household that looks way WAY down on Nirmathas as well, and has seen his fair share of patrols along that border. So yes, those treacherous scum will be brought back into the fold soon enough.
@Crustypeanut & Vincent: Why do I hear the gears of a meat grinder when Eldred stands between you two?
I'm still working on my guy's personality, but he's an 'always on duty' type. He suckled on discipline as a baby and was raised by order - he had no family except the military. He is entirely focused on the betterment of his sovereign and nation - as a result, he is completely committed to the war effort with Nirmathas and beyond.
That being said, he's not a war junky and doesn't believe in war for war's sake - he believes that in order to protect Molthune, they must conquer. Enemies of the state are abound from within and without, and must be eliminated. Friends are something that someone of his station has no time for - allies, however, are a different story.
While he maintains a indomitable personality outwardly, making him seem brash, zealous, cruel, and arrogant, inwardly he's well aware of his own shortcomings and seeks to either overcome them or work around them. He's no coward, but he believes his survival is important in the long run - so although he would not callously sacrifice an ally or subordinate to save himself, he would do so if he believed it was for the best.
He's also quite xenophobic - he realizes that other races have their uses, but believes they are are wholly inferior to Humans, especially Molthuni. He believes that their place is to serve and has a hard time working with other races as equals - unless commanded to do so by his superiors. He would chafe greatly at the idea of serving under a non-human, though half-humans are more acceptable. Other cultures, meanwhile, are inferior to the Molthuni one.
Heres his profile and his (mostly done) crunch - now to formulate his background and other stuff!
I'm still working on my guy's personality, but he's an 'always on duty' type. He suckled on discipline as a baby and was raised by order - he had no family except the military. He is entirely focused on the betterment of his sovereign and nation - as a result, he is completely committed to the war effort with Nirmathas and beyond.
That being said, he's not a war junky and doesn't believe in war for war's sake - he believes that in order to protect Molthune, they must conquer. Enemies of the state are abound from within and without, and must be eliminated. Friends are something that someone of his station has no time for - allies, however, are a different story.
While he maintains a indomitable personality outwardly, making him seem brash, zealous, cruel, and arrogant, inwardly he's well aware of his own shortcomings and seeks to either overcome them or work around them. He's no coward, but he believes his survival is important in the long run - so although he would not callously sacrifice an ally or subordinate to save himself, he would do so if he believed it was for the best.
He's also quite xenophobic - he realizes that other races have their uses, but believes they are are wholly inferior to Humans, especially Molthuni. He believes that their place is to serve and has a hard time working with other races as equals - unless commanded to do so by his superiors. He would chafe greatly at the idea of serving under a non-human, though half-humans are more acceptable. Other cultures, meanwhile, are inferior to the Molthuni one.
That sounds like a clone of my character, just an emotional one. Who's from Molthune.
We three should get along swimmingly then.
Sampson doesn't have friends, but he'll allow you to bask in his magnificent presence if it profits him. The only way you'll get any sort of respect out of him is to prove yourself better with a blade, or to save his ass in battle.
Eldred salutes. Sending rounds down range,.sir. Let me know if I hit anything when you get there.
Going to do a brief run-through before bed. I'll do a more thorough sweep in the morning, I promises.
Sampson is coming along. Just need to write up his background. I have it outlined on paper, but I don't know how long it'll take me to get it out in a form I'm happy with.
Only thing I might add is that I need to see the traits pointed out in the backstory somewhere if you want to qualify for the Second Trait or Campaign Trait. You can either mention them after the paragraph, bold in parenthesis, or OOC-text it. Just enough to grab my attention.
To expand on the provided example;
Hard-Working: Emileah was born to a family of laborers, and knows what it means to put in a hard day’s work)
Lonely: Never quite fitting in due to her wicked heritage, Emileah finds herself often an unwilling lone wolf.
Proactive: Emileah doesn't let rest get in the way of a good adventure. When pickings are slim, she inevitably goes off looking for her own excitement.
Granted, this is only if you want to gun for maximum wealth. Don't feel pressured if that's not the intent.
|
@Brimleydower
I recall reading that Molthune makes use of lawful lycanthropes in highly specialized military units.
Thoughts on allowing a PC to have such a template? Or any specific thoughts on how they'd fit into the grand scheme of things?
Lawful lycanthropes, if we go by the Bestiary, are werebears and wererats. (Though I suppose it's up to you whether alignment is reinforced by the disease or not.)
IMOHH Wererats suggest infiltration, sabotage, etc. Werebears are some form of heavy infantry? Maybe? *shrug* Thoughts?
While lycanthropes in Molthune's armies do exist and are tolerated, I'd rather not juggle the relative character balance discrepancies that go along with it given that it's a Template and not a race.
@Brimleydower: Thanks for the notes! I'll make the updates you mentioned. if for anything gunslinger can use the scratch. Plus I'm sure the extra detail will help you in the long run for quick reference.
Is it okay for me to add the traits to my pc?
How does Saronian feel about Molthune's slavery laws? While they are generally regarded as the some of the most fairly treated slaves to be found, slavery is slavery.
I'd prefer if people and places were given more due in the backstory. Perfunctory descriptions ("the guide", "abolitionist", etc.) make it harder to invest into the story for me, personally.
Who was behind the assassination specifically? Is there an organization or nation that took particular offense?
What fortune is Ezekial seeking in Braganza? It's typically a boon to merchants and laborers.
I can qualify you for Superior Training on what's submitted; for Higher Grade Gear and the Traits, I'm going to need to see personality descriptors (as described in ooc-text in the original post) and some notes throughout the backstory or at the end explaining how you qualify for the specific traits therein.
I'm fine with tacking on the healer's kit.
I find it delightfully ironic that the freed slave seeks to further himself by following orders, hah! Nice.
In the story segment the name switches from Arzazel to Azazel. Assuming typos.
Looks good. I was hoping someone would jump on the Aspis option; it's an organization I really wanted to see represented in the story. Assuming an amendment to the Personality section, you hit all the points.
@Brimleydower: Thanks for the notes! I'll make the updates you mentioned. if for anything gunslinger can use the scratch. Plus I'm sure the extra detail will help you in the long run for quick reference.
Is it okay for me to add the traits to my pc?
Certainly. I likely won't be giving the stats/crunch/mechanics too much scrutiny until after I've made my selections, but everyone should feel free to update their stat blocks as they feel necessary.
Updated my character by including OOC lines in backstory to indicate the two traits I'd like (not going for a campaign trait), and added bullet points in the personality.
For the Personality section, I split it into Quick Reference and Fleshed Out segments. I'll add it here for your review to confirm I qualify for the Wealth. If this doesn't work, I'll hang it up. :)
Quiet Man: Eldred speaks little. When he does, it's usually a warning, or a "yes, sir" for his superiors. The rough childhood under his father, then the harder life in the military has thoroughly ground out his need for small talk. He learned early that you shut up and listen, lest you miss something important.
--------------------
Low Patience: Due to his upbringing, he has low tolerance for layabouts and people of low character. Accountability and responsibility is key. If he can't trust you to put one foot in front of the other and clean yourself up after you drop a "d", how can he trust you to watch his back in a fight? "Fancies/Dandies", sellswords and thieves usually fall into the category of better dead than alive.
---------------------
No Fear: Eldred's seen too much. From idiots losing their heads during gun training (see Quiet Man) to the horrors dredged up by the Nirmathi during his stint at Fort Ramgate...there's not room for fear.
---------------------
Dedicated: He knows to finish a task. Either he was beaten by his father or by his superiors during training or cut up on a mission, Eldred knows the power of follow-thru. More importantly, he knows the necessity of standing alongside your comrades when your in country. When given an objective, Eldred will not stop...ever.
---------------------
Closed Off: After losing all his friends at Ramgate, it's a difficult task to climb over the walls around Eldred's heart. He keeps most everyone at arm's length to make sure his head's screwed on straight. But he's been alone for so long, there's a chance he may have lost the ability to form new friendships. Time will tell.
He has one remaining "friend" in Sergeant Major Keppish (referenced in the story below). Leonid Keppish was his firearms drill instructor in Korhlom.
________________________________________
He’d spent too many years in the service of the Imperial Army to have a sweet disposition. In the days of his youth as a forester...to his days trying to not blow his own head off during training...to his stint at Ramgate...life had not forged a pleasant man. At least not with strangers. Eldred has a bit of patience for those in the service. But not a lot for those not willing to do more than sit back and let others do their work for them.
He doesn’t speak a lot. Most of his words were used up in the fighting. His kind words leastways were spent upon the dead bodies of his comrades. He has a few of the other words left. Mostly curses.
Eldred isn’t a merciful man, he showed that on the battlefield. And the Imperial Army needed men for the butcher’s bill, men willing to do what was necessary to see order in the land. Men willing to do what was necessary to ensure the country continued to grow. Eldred wants to be for the Imperial Army, otherwise why did he leave home? But the things he’d seen at Ramgate...the things he’d been ordered to do...and the things he’d been willing to do. What did it mean about his loyalties? Was he on the right side? Or was it only his resolve that was the center of the question?
He sees himself as a bullet. A smooth ball of lead aimed at the heart of each and every problem towards which his superiors aimed. But Eldred was slowly seeing himself as more. He was seeing himself as the gun.
@Brimleydower: This campaign really interests me. I, however, am fairly new to PbP gaming though I do have a fair amount of experience with tabletop roleplaying games. I have posted a character description, personality and background for your consideration.
I updated the Personality with some meat from the Background. Is that what you want? It might be easier to annotate the more detailed Background with the game mechanics, as you wish. If I get max gold, he would get a whole 25 gp more! Woot!
The following orders seemed like a fit with a slave not knowing what else to do. Unpracticed freedom, as I describe it. Also, it aligns with the Lawfulness of the monk. It might evolve over time as he practices freedom.
Azazel typos have been removed. Thank you to the Word Replace function. I thought about including that Arzazel was how the little girl pronounced Azazel, a popular devil name. I didn't, because I couldn't yet imagine an encounter where he would find out or make the connection. Maybe story 3?
I added another Story for his transition from slave to Braganza. You hinted about the possibility for more game mechanic bonuses.
I hope to play this guy. He's diametrically opposite to Ordrud in so many ways.
@Brimleydower: This campaign really interests me. I, however, am fairly new to PbP gaming though I do have a fair amount of experience with tabletop roleplaying games. I have posted a character description, personality and background for your consideration.
I would ask you clean it up a bit; just add a space between paragraphs since indentation isn't so much a thing on the paizo boards. Feel free to poke around at other submissions to maybe glean some common practices and formatting trends. I'm not terribly concerned with PbP history, just creativity and strong writing.
Going off the basic package, will upgrade as allowed. Thinking of an aasimar cleric of nethys if I qualify. Making rolls to see what I have to work with concerning my idea's. A little late to the party but will have something soon I hope. ;)
Upgrade if allowed
Money, 140 gp average (240 gp if upgraded)
Damn! Nice rolls, haha.
Yeah to bad I have to drop a roll and can't keep them all. xP
Added some backstory, let me know if I get anything or need to change something. More to come, have to read up on more stuff.
I can come up with a specific battle on the front lines with Nirmathas, though it would be hard to situate you therein without a formal attachment to their military. I can see Molthune funding mercenaries to skirmishes deeper in Nirmathas, though that would be some pretty dangerous work. If that's a route you'd be interested in taking that's fine, though I get the impression you'd rather be a bit of a vagabond than a conscripted soldier.
I was planning on having him join the Molthune army as a mercenary actually. Not that he'd have any allegiance to them beyond his pay, but at least they are fighting a real war. I don't know if it would be appropriate for someone of his dubious morality to join the Most Noble Order of the Exalted March, but he would definitely fight for Molthune. He basically just wants to be a famous swordsman, whether that's through duels or battles or both.
I am submitting Borgmurch, a goblin ranger.
I'm pretty sure I did a decent enough job explaining how a goblin can be in Braganza. For the rest, I have no idea if I qualify for any other "extra" so he is built with the basic package. Sheet is almost complete (it's lacking the gear and very little else).
I'll wait for some feedback to know what needs to be improved/expanded upon.
A short tale about him is probably coming soon, but I'll wait for the feedback before finalizing it.
For a coin some sewer rats!
Birds are two and so are bats!
If they bite I ask for more
Spiders cost you three or four!
A sneaky raccoon be a juicy fee
I barking dog I do for free!
Braganza is a big city, and always in expansion. The Prince-Archbanker has among his duties the one of making sure his city is healthy and prosperous, since letting a civilized settlement go to ruin and victim of nature’s dangers is a sin and possible cause for excommunication among the church of Abadar.
However, the constant expansion, not matched by a rising in population, has left many buildings empty for scavengers and other verminous infesting creatures to settle in and make their nest. This is of course unacceptable, and the Prince-Archbanker finds himself hiring more and more exterminators with every Season of Building it passes.
This is where Borgmurch found his niche in the big city.
Borgmurch was born among the Ratskinners, one of the lesser goblin tribes in Isger. Great Chief Ronk Earmuncher the Eleventieth often told him and the other younglings about his great deeds in the Goblinblood wars, where he rode a giant worg named Bloodfang and killed many Hobgoblins of the Bloody Gauntlet clan. Unfortunately, the Bloody Gauntlet clan had short memory, and had no recollection of how fearsome Chief Earmuncher was, and kept making raids on Ratskinners, on the Pondhoppers who lived down the hill and other smaller tribes that rose after the Wars.
Borgmurch didn’t quite like living in the Chitterwoods. It became pretty clear that Bloodfang, Chief Earmuncher’s worg, wasn’t coming back, and so the Chief could not defend them from the Hobgoblins. His others brothers and sisters were slow and dim-witted. Not at all like Borgmurch, who could in a single afternoon hunt up to eight rats! (once he hunted ten, actually. But goblins only have eight fingers so his record remained eight).
The young goblin decided to leave. Crossing the Menador Mountains honed his hunting skills and made him long for an easier and warmer life. When he finally ended up in Molthune, he was distraught at the sight of many hobgoblins there, too. However, these hobgoblins seemed to be taking orders from humans. Clearly they were weaker than the hated Bloody Gauntlet clan! It was time for a Ratskinner’s revenge!
A bar brawl later, he was proven wrong.
He kept wandering, his spirit never broken unlike his bones; finally he ended up in Braganza. He snuck in past the walls and settled down in an empty building.
Not knowing much about city life, to eat he started doing what he did best: hunting rats. City rats had different tails and lived in oddly large and regular tunnels underground with a very peculiar smell, but tasted a bit better than their countryside counterparts.
It took only a few weeks for the humans living near Borgmurch dwelling to notice a much welcome decrease in the rat problem around the neighbor. They thanked the Prince-Archbanker's administrators. They, a bit surprised, investigated and found Borgmurch happily feasting upon a dozen freshly captured rats.
It was easy to enlist him in the Exerminators of Braganza. Such a mighty title very much appealed to Borgmurch, who enjoyed his job and newfound sense of accomplishment. He was a proud goblin and a successful businessman now. While hobgoblins soldiers took orders from human officers, he was free to do his job on his own terms. He was the proud king of sewers and hidden corners of the city.
Beware, pests, for here comes the Exterminator!
Ah! Suck on that, Chief Earmuncher!
Borgmurch is as happy as a goblin can be. He now lives in a large mansion (he had to kill two stray dogs who were previously squatting there, and their skins now really tie the room together), and in addition to the shiny coins, food and equipment that the administration pays him, he also gets to keep what he hunts for his own meals! That is a great deal, if you ask him. Usually you have to give what you hunt to the one paying you, but humans aren’t quite as smart as everyone thinks, they still have to figure out how economy works.
He sees most goblins still living in the nature as poor underachievers who the mighty Barghest-gods didn’t bless as they did to him. He does not despise them nor hates them, but most likely pities them and acts condescending. He believes himself to be a part of society on even ground with humans, something that sometimes gets disputed by a human not quite happy with his manners.
He still does not like hobgoblins, but at least the ones in Barganza behave themselves and don’t try to enslave or kill him. Well, probably they won’t. He still hasn’t picked a fight with one.
He would stand around 3 feet tall… but he doesn’t stand very often, he usually squats, lurks or hunches over. He may be a bit fatter than his nature-dwelling counterparts, the result of a steady diet of sewer rats, vermin and plenty of high-quality garbage, but he is as fast as the best child of Lamashtu. With a nasty, never-quite-healed wound on his forehead (courtesy of many sewer tunnels just a bit too low) and big, pointy teeth with healthy chunks of previous meals comfortably lodged in there, he is the perfect portrait of a successful goblin.
His clothes are of better quality than the average goblin: most of them were designed for halflings or gnomes. Over the course of the years they completely lost their color under mud and dirt, but the tough fabric still keeps them more or less together. Borgmurch carries with himself a variety of weapons, notably a bow and several blades. He also usually sports a trophy from his last job, like a necklace of dire rats’ ears or a fox’s tail tucked in his belt. This trophies never last for long, he usually ends up losing or eating them during his next assignment.
Male Goblin Ranger 1
CN Small humanoid (goblinoid)
Initiative +4 ; Senses Perception +5, darkvision 60 feet
================
Defense
================
AC 18, touch 15, flat-footed 14 (+4 dex, +3 armor, +1 size)
HP 12 (1d10+2)
Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +1
================
Offense
================
Speed 30 feet
Melee horsechopper +3 (1d8+1, x3) or dogslicer +3 (1d4+1, 19/20x2)
Ranged shortbow +6 (1d4, x3)
Special attacks favored enemy (animals +2)
=================
Statistics
=================
Str 12, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 13, Cha 8
BA +1; CMB +1; CMD 15
Feats: Deadly aim
Skills: Climb +5, Craft (traps) +5, Knowledge (nature) +5, Perception +7, Stealth +12, Survival +7, Swim +5
Languages: Common, Goblin
Traits:
SQ: goblin traits (small size, darkvision, fast, city scavenger), wild empathy, track, favored enemy
===========
Gear:
===========
WIP
Any comments regarding my story, or the two NPC's included? I haven't said nearly as much about Adurus's rival in the recruiting two years ago, Manius Thrune, though he could show up again if you want to put him somewhere.
Sampson's backstory is coming along. I've got my real life game tonight, so it'll probably be another day or two until it's finished completely. They always end up being so long (~_~)*
11
14
12
11
14
13
11 xx
drop one of those three elevens... and it's a pretty average joe, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I was interested in playing a character on the side of the sympathizers, likely just a general pacifist opposed to war and suffering, a neutral good type. But I cant imagine a plot where such a character could co-exist or cooperate with Aspis agents who are probably under orders to extinguish such free thinkers from Molthune
hmmmm
|
|
For your consideration.
To save myself some headaches, I built him with the 25 points and additional traits. If you find any of the qualifying factors to be lacking, just let me know and I will expand, clarify, tweak, etc.
I'm certainly not married to the drawback, but I like the implications it has for the character.
More reviews to be had on the morrow! I will also be opening up the Gameplay thread tomorrow, hopefully around noon though we'll see how successful I am in that regard.
I'm hoping to get my backstory finished up tonight after work. We'll see how much the inspiration flows.
Need to finish up the description and personality spoilers but everything else is up. Let me know if you need me to make changes or add anything.
I was thinking a custom campaign trait sense none of the others really fit Nathmir or his intentions. Mechanically I leave it up to you but I would like something tied in with his desire to build a temple of Nethys, creating a following and presence for his god in Molthune.
Updating the Gameplay post then I'll make a sweep through for followup questions and new submissions.
Alright, Gameplay has officially been opened. Those of you feeling froggy, feel free to mosey on over and participate. I will not be requiring complete submissions for people to participate (crunch is irrelevant) as dice rollers are not going to be figuring into this phase at all. Just make sure you have a backstory, personality, and description set in place in and a profile and you're good to go.
I will be reserving the right to extend this phase a bit if I get the impression there are those wishing to participate who have not yet been able to, though this extension will not exceed three days. In other words, get in while the gettin's good.
Oh, a brief note on the Story bonuses; I will not be doling those out until selections have been finalized. While there may be some mechanical implications on a character's crunch there, I'm mostly going to be grounding them in backstory in some regard. Now I'm going to go clean a kitchen then make my rounds through the submissions I've not gotten to.
Hello again, sorry for the long absence. Yes, I am still very interested in this campaign. I've made some changes to the back-story of my character that will hopefully be to your liking. I've also changed his first name; this was done mostly to spare everyone the whole "not this Vincent, the other one" conversation. I am still working on the extra story that will hopefully showcase why my character is interested in going to Molthune and how he obtained the fake documents necessary to travel there.
That backstory is still going to need a lot of massaging to get a freeranging goblin into the area without a hitch. A non-citizen goblin unaffiliated with the military would likely be kill on sight without some fast talking and ingratiating. Which would culminate into an army conscription, of course. The incident with the hobgoblins is one I have trouble fathoming a goblin simply walking away from.
As to Braganza, that mostly works; it's still a goblin in their city though, which would likely be "enslaved" and allowed to continue his work. Moreso as a gesture to the local inhabitants to assuage concerns about one of the little buggers being so close.
Make sure to follow the submission guidelines as well if you wish to qualify for all the extras.
Looks good. I would recommend the Nemesis Story Feat if you wish him to figure into the game in some capacity, as it gives some ongoing incentives to cross paths.
Is there a connection with Theo and the foremost family in Cheliax (Thrune)? Didn't see anything alluding to that in the backstory. As to the Attached Drawback: it could be a disenfranchised once-sympathizer. While fighting for their freedom is always respectable, going to any lengths to secure freedom crosses over into those gray shades rather frequently. Sometimes putting a dent in the Molthuni war machine catches innocents in the cross-hairs, certainly.
While I encourage the idea of a sort of mole in the group, do bear in mind that this runs the risk of pitting you at cross purpose with some of the other party members. Personally, I love the implications and avenues the story can take from that sort of interaction, but I will caution nevertheless in case that's not your cup of tea.
Abadar has a pretty tight vice grip on Molthune as the dominant religion, and Prince-Archbanker Cole Ravnagask has some pretty big designs on expanding that influence. That's not to say Nethys is unwelcome or untenable, merely that you would likely have to ingratiate yourself to the Prince-Archbanker (you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours) in order to establish your church as a prominent one.
On the other hand, a church of Nethys willing to serve as both temple and academy for mages exclusively in service to Molthune's military would likely be well received by those higher up than the Prince-Archbanker. An academy churning out waves of war wizards to fight Nirmathas? Molthuni government is all about that kinda stuff.
I'll try to get back to second/third-round questions eventually as well. Want to make sure I cover everyone's initial entries first, though, and give them their due.
Story is in the profile, going in assuming a twenty five point build but can shift gears to twenty if you so desire. Tell me if I missed anything.