Fatespinner's Darkness Rising

Game Master Fatespinner

For my part, I have no trouble working with others, as long as I can find a way to have them advance the goals of Hell.

Perhaps, similar to Way of the Wicked, we share a collective persecution? Or maybe we all worked together, perhaps as part of a bigger group, to take down some force of good? In fact, both could work. First we were persecuted, than we gather together to destroy our persecuter.

Kamau isn't likely to have been persecuted. He's essentially on something like a vision quest. I realize I haven't put many details up so far, though.

Kamau Navarre is something like a bounty hunter, currently. He's currently hiding out in Caliphas due to a mission that went a little sideways on him. Kamau is disciplined and more than capable of just shrugging off small inconsistencies in the group dynamic, so long as people aren't actively trying to kill or convert him. What he's looking for right now is either a larger group to band with for the sake of improving his skills and testing himself, or (if the group happens to be going his way) to travel with and get back to somewhere more southerly.

As for the 'vision quest,' it's mostly to do with his theology and his belief in "destiny," which is probably better discerned in-game through conversation.

To be honest like any self serving group of adventurers - the main reason we could be drawn together is the opportunity of coin and power...

We don't need a WOTW style unifying bond as such, merely were your standard party albeit the other side of the coin.

While the standard hero may save the kitten stuck up a tree because its an innocent creature in peril etc, we may save said kitten only to eat it, because "kitten mittens" are the latest fashion, or out of pure spite...

(BTW not advocating kittenocide here :)

Recognise we need a common lure, but given most parties are made of hugely disperate heroes; the same can work for this nefarious gang nei?

My 2 runes worth

To be honest like any self serving group of adventurers - the main reason we could be drawn together is the opportunity of coin and power...

We don't need a WOTW style unifying bond as such, merely were your standard party albeit the other side of the coin.

While the standard hero may save the kitten stuck up a tree because its an innocent creature in peril etc, we may save said kitten only to eat it, because "kitten mittens" are the latest fashion, or out of pure spite...

(BTW not advocating kittenocide here :)

Recognise we need a common lure, but given most parties are made of hugely disperate heroes; the same can work for this nefarious gang nei?

My 2 runes worth

I do still think that we should all design characters with the basic intent of working together, whatever the reasons might be, if only because it'll be cool to see what "brothers in arms" looks like for the Evil side.

Is there any specific role the party is currently lacking?

Is there any specific role the party is currently lacking?

Right now, the party lineup is:

An Infernal Sorcerer
A Cleric of Urgathoa (Summoning/controlling undead)
A Barbarian/Antipaladin (Fulfilling the role of tank and hate-machine)
A stealthy warrior-type (d10 HD, Full BAB)

What we really need most, in my opinion, would be a skill-heavy class. A rogue --> Assassin would find a good home here, I think.

Again, this is just my opinion, but I think the key to it would be to find a way for the character to actively value her companions. Not necessarily to love, or even like them, but certainly to "trust" them at least as far as things like combat are concerned. Ideally, I would like to see something like "friendship" generated amongst this group. We aren't all psychotic sociopaths (although... the Antipaladin of Rovagug? ...probably a psychotic sociopath. >.>) and if we all play "dark and scary uber-loners," we're gonna have a bad time.

The Cleric and Antipaladin have already found a story-niche. I'd be up for finding common story-ground for your character to bring you more fully into the group if you'd like. Alternately, if your character is more arcane-related, maybe the sorcerer is your better bet? :D

Welcome to the thread!

I was debating a gravewalker witch, but was wondering how well that would fit in with the group. If you need skills though, I could do rogue or bard instead.

I was debating a gravewalker witch, but was wondering how well that would fit in with the group. If you need skills though, I could do rogue or bard instead.

I suggested a rogue solely because it would connect up well to Kamau, if story-mixing is something you wanted. I'm a firm believer in the idea that you should do what would be fun for you first, and worry about 'group composition' second. Fatespinner is a very clever man - he'll put things together that make it interesting. There won't be any "Yup, that's a death trap, should've made a rogue, huh?" moments.

It would be personally cool to have a fellow worshiper/follower of Hell/Asmodeous.

A Gravewalker Witch may or may not be redundant with the Cleric of Urgathoa.

Play what's gonna be fun and interesting.

Gravewalker Witch would/could still fit nicely with Venter and Albrekt's planned pathway? A spell poppet that delivers touch spells is just plain manky as we say in Scotland!

Perhaps she's the third part of this rather nasty triumvate?

Oh and Albrekt is a pure antipaladin... class is nails without anything else muddying the murky water lol.

You guys need Knowledges badly. You have no hard INT-based characters and, without the bard now, no one to know the histories and greater secrets of the artifacts and lost places that I have mentioned (several times now) will play heavily into the overall plot of this campaign. :)

In that respect, I recommend any of the following:

Magus, Witch, Wizard, Bard

This is a hurdle that I can overcome if you decide that none of these particularly interest you. If your group ends up relatively Knowledge-less, I can always litter some ruins with tomes that indicate (or at least suggest) the histories and properties in question. However, that takes the discovery aspect away from the characters a bit and places it in deus ex machina territory, which I generally like to avoid if possible.

Also, if you head down the witch/wizard path, the idea of an evil Loremaster (prestige class) does sound kind of cool to me. Especially one affiliated (and/or aligned) with the church of Urgathoa pursuing a path to lichdom. :)

This is of course, merely a thought. Do what you want, not what I want.

Evil Loremaster pursuing the road to lichdom? Yeah, sounds like a plan to me.

I'll go with the Gravewalker Witch then. Next question will be what race do I want to play.

Oh man!, I wanted a fellow follower of Hell :(

Guess I'll just have to convert you all

Also, if you head down the witch/wizard path, the idea of an evil Loremaster (prestige class) does sound kind of cool to me. Especially one affiliated (and/or aligned) with the church of Urgathoa pursuing a path to lichdom. :)

@ Joy, Welcome! If you head down this path, I'd be happy to work with you on a background story as it would seem to easily tie in with Albrekt and Ventars...

@Haruk, As a follower of Asmodeus "You seek knowledge, wealth, treasures, respect, and above all, power".

Recognizing that we stand a better chance of obtaining knowledge, wealth, etc as a group of like-minded, competent individuals is all that is needed really. Both for Haruk and Ex LEge

Evil Loremaster pursuing the road to lichdom? Yeah, sounds like a plan to me.

I'll go with the Gravewalker Witch then. Next question will be what race do I want to play.

Heh, race is entirely up to you, so long as it's one of the ones I allowed. The party is currently 100% human, though, so a little diversity wouldn't hurt.

That said, remember that Ustalav is a superstitious place, however, so non-humans will generally be regarded somewhat negatively... and tieflings/aasimars perhaps moreso than others if their heritage is evident.

Anyone who ever played the old Ravenloft stuff should be familiar with this phenomenon as the 'Outsider Rating' of a race. I'm not using that system in a mechanical sense, but the attitude of the populace is certainly there.

EDIT: A half-elf would give you the Skill Focus needed for the Loremaster PrC for free. :)

I am taking a Wand of Shield as one of two wands, to provide me with extra defense.

Does anybody have a suggestion as to the second?

Also, jewelery/expensive clothing: Can I get a reasonable amount for free? or should I deduct from the 900g for non-mundane equipment?

Heh, I already picked half-elf for my race. I also took the cauldron hex for the brew potion feat. :)

This is the alias I'm building my character behind.

Also, jewelery/expensive clothing: Can I get a reasonable amount for free? or should I deduct from the 900g for non-mundane equipment?

You can have a reasonable amount for free. Anything particularly extravagant (more than 100gp or so) will need to come out of your 900gp.

Joy/Solace: Eeeeeeexcellent. I like what I see already! And the Plague patron? Ventar is going to love you.

Oh, and since you need divination spells, this one isn't on the Witch spell list, but it damn well ought to be... so for the purposes of this game, it is. Consider it 3rd level, like it is for sorc/wiz.

Yes, it should be. :)

Solace: If you want to use some of your 900gp on items that you are capable of crafting yourself (meaning you have the required spell in your poppet and have the relevant crafting feat for it), you may buy them at half price to reflect the fact that you made them yourself from raw materials as long as the crafting DC is under whatever you can make while taking 10.

Some cure light wounds potions would be good then. Maybe an enlarge person one to give to the anti-pally? I'd be using my craft alchemy skill to make the potions and it's a +14 so I should be fine.

I'll work on the equipment list tomorrow, about to head to bed now.

Since we're all putting up our finalized bits, here's Kamau. Anyone see anything I'm missing? I want to have it all ready to go when we start.

Albrekt, btw, your total HP seems to be off.

14 CON = +2, x3 levels. 6.
3 more for three levels of favored class.
3d10 HD = 10 + 6 + 6, 22.

22 + 3 + 6 should be 31, not 29. Yes? :D

Yup your right - cheers :)

Albrekt don't math...

Joy: You neglected to include the +1 trait bonus from Scholar of the Great Beyond in your Knowledge (History) skill. It should be +14, not +13. Also, don't forget to include your patron spell from 2nd level in your "spellbook."

Ex Lege: You neglected to include your Trapfinding ability on your sheet. It's an urban ranger alternative ability that replaces Endurance at level 3. You get +1/2 your level (round down) to Perception and Disable Device checks related to traps and (most importantly, and certain to come up OFTEN) you are able to locate and disable magical traps. You also do not appear to have spent any of your 900gp. If you'd like to just have it all as cash on hand at the beginning, that's fine. Otherwise, feel free to buy yourself some potions, scrolls, wand, etc. Make sure you note any leftover cash somewhere on the sheet. You might also want to add a set of thieves' tools to your kit, or spend 100gp of your money on the masterwork tools.

Black Dow: The armored kilt is not permitted. I realize that I didn't explictly call this out (I'm just used to it being banned in PFS). You can have a full suit of masterwork full plate or breastplate if you want it, though. I did say "masterwork armor." I didn't specify that there was a limit to what kind of armors were permitted, though perhaps your armor might also have the broken condition. Also be sure to note how much of your 900gp you have remaining as cash on hand somewhere.

Monkeygod: It would help me to see your skill totals broken out somehow (ranks, class bonus, stat modifier, etc.). It looks like you still need to fill out your traveling gear, clothing, kits, and so on. Be sure to note how much cash you have on hand somewhere on your sheet. Also, it says the familiar is a viper named ____________. You might want to finish that sentence. :)

Glade: Looks like you're all set!

For the record, I've decided against Obsidian Portal. There wasn't a whole lot of interest when I asked about it and frankly I'm not sure I would be able to commit the additional work it would require to make it worth the effort anyway. I've got a good enough idea of everyone's attitudes and ambitions at this point that I'm ready to go ahead and kick this thing off. Assuming I can find the time this morning, that should be happening in the next few hours. If not, look for the first post tomorrow night.

Ventar is going to love you.

@Solace: You know.... I think I do :)

Given enough time I think we should have a reasonable chance of discovering a few necrotic secrets between the three of us, an arcane caster, a divine caster and an anti-paladin who is already on the path to becoming an undead...

And I like the idea of peer-reviewing the mechanics of the characters as well. If you have the time and the inclination, please give Ventar the once over and comment on any errors that might have snuck in.

@Fate: Made a small change, the lvl 3 feat is now Craft Wondrous Items, unless you have objections...

@Fate: Made a small change, the lvl 3 feat is now Craft Wondrous Items, unless you have objections...

That's fine. As I mentioned to Joy, any items you are capable of crafting yourself can be had at half cost.

Fair warning: You will not necessarily have an abundance of free time available for crafting throughout the campaign, nor will the "magical reagents" required for such crafting be readily available in smaller communities. That said, I expect you will all be able to get a satisfactory amount of value from taking these feats and should not feel like I am cheating you on it. :)

I am taking a Wand of Shield as one of two wands, to provide me with extra defense.

Does anybody have a suggestion as to the second?

Also, jewelery/expensive clothing: Can I get a reasonable amount for free? or should I deduct from the 900g for non-mundane equipment?

Hard to say as I don't know which spells you have in the arsenal already, but these spells from the 1st lvl Sor/Wiz list can be useful:

Protection from Good/Evil
Vanish
Expeditious retreat

Hard to say as I don't know which spells you have in the arsenal already, but these spells from the 1st lvl Sor/Wiz list can be useful:

Protection from Good/Evil
Vanish
Expeditious retreat

In my opinion, vanish from a wand is terrible. It lasts only a single round (caster level 1st). You may want to consider protection from evil, though. After all, just because you're evil doesn't mean everything you fight will be good. :)

In fact, I'd lay odds that MOST of what you fight WON'T be.

In light of recent developments at work, the first post is definitely not going to be up before tonight. Hang in there for another 18 hours or so. :)

All good - gives me time to complete Albrekt's backstory and sort out the coin & armour sitation...

Fatespinner what we're your thoughts on Albrekt's perchance for Skull Cup potion holders?

Plan for him to be a headtaker of worthy foes... Mayhap one of my necromatic friends may be able to reanimate them down the line.

Fatespinner what we're your thoughts on Albrekt's perchance for Skull Cup potion holders?

Plan for him to be a headtaker of worthy foes... Mayhap one of my necromatic friends may be able to reanimate them down the line.

I think that's a very good way to find yourself targeted and attacked by pretty much every armed person in civilization. Being a trophy collector is all fine and good, but you should probably carry them in a sack rather than out in the open.

Albrekt Wreth wrote:

Fatespinner what we're your thoughts on Albrekt's perchance for Skull Cup potion holders?

Plan for him to be a headtaker of worthy foes... Mayhap one of my necromatic friends may be able to reanimate them down the line.

I think that's a very good way to find yourself targeted and attacked by pretty much every armed person in civilization. Being a trophy collector is all fine and good, but you should probably carry them in a sack rather than out in the open.

Alrighty then my head-taking will be curtailed...

Ears and noses will be the trophies of the day

Does anyone have any requests for scrolls or potions for me to make pregame? I at least plan for some clw pots and comp language scroll. For my own selection of languages I thinking of taking: Draconic, Abyssal, Orc and Sylvan. Any other suggestions based on what we might be dealing with?

Does anyone have any requests for scrolls or potions for me to make pregame? I at least plan for some clw pots and comp language scroll. For my own selection of languages I thinking of taking: Draconic, Abyssal, Orc and Sylvan. Any other suggestions based on what we might be dealing with?

Are there regional languages to be concerned about? It seems like there would be...

Kamau would definitely make use of some CLW pots.

If I take just a couple pots and scrolls, I can also fit in a CLW wand to pair with my burning hands wand. Should I bother with giving the party a second CLW wand since I think Ventar has one already?

Hope I'm not asking too many questions on what to do, but I like to plan out equipment as a party so we have everything covered without being too redundant.

If I take just a couple pots and scrolls, I can also fit in a CLW wand to pair with my burning hands wand. Should I bother with giving the party a second CLW wand since I think Ventar has one already?

Hope I'm not asking too many questions on what to do, but I like to plan out equipment as a party so we have everything covered without being too redundant.

You're not asking too many questions. All this work for others implies that we've all got at least the basis of a functional relationship going. I suppose I ought to figure out where Kamau fits into the group dynamic. Is he just someone you all know to be competent, so that when work shows up, he's on your go-to list? That seems easiest, and most likely to fit with his character.

Fatespinner - regards armour is Eastern types permissable? I'm torn somewhat as I truly like Albrekt geared in Hide, but the image of rusted and rent (broken condition) Iron or Horn Lamellar is also quite striking...

Albrekt has some potions upon him, the 2 x CLW could easily have come from Solace previously nei?

His others; Enlarge Person, Magic Weapon and Darkvision were flavour loot scavenged from the Hold and Lastwall bodies that he "came across"...

But potentially will change some of above depending on armour selected (Rovagug anti-pallys tend to wear hide/furs... although this could be worn over traditional armour I supposes...)

If so will probably go for MW Broken Breastplate...

(his greatsword is a gorumite priests weapon and the breastplate would be from a Lastwall Crusader...)

@Kamau; See him very much like the surgical strike compared to Albrekt's Shock & Awe approach...

I don't really have a problem with Eastern armor per se, but such an item would certainly stand out in a place like Ustalav... and it's not likely easy to find a smith who can service it if needed.

Any starting gear you are buying should be assumed to be purchased at full cost, unless you can craft it personally. Solace can choose to give you half-price potions if she wants to spend her money on making them to distribute if she wants, but any potions you want to start the game with should be bought at regular cost.

All systems are go! The game thread is now live.

Ventar might agree to producing wondrous items on demand at a slightly reduced cost as well.

Will get myself together and nail down Albrekt tonight folks; have posted but his background and equipment are to be finalised.

Any comments/views on his kit/potions etc before I finish him up?

As an Ulfen blooded human, I'll touch on his heritage with some pseudo Germanic accenting...

Woot for start of gameplay thread! :)

As we are now underway, I have a question on background and how we all know each other. Now Ventar and Albrekt have a history, what about Kamau, Solace and Haruk? Or maybe we don't know each other at all at the beginning of the campaign?

Being as we didn't set any hard facts about their relationships, I think it likely that they know *of* one another, but don't necessarily know each other personally. Maybe they recognize each others' competence, have heard names passed around, that kind of thing?

It's unlikely that any of you would have a very long-standing relationship with Kamau as Albrekt and Ventar do, given how far from home Kamau is and the circumstances of his arrival. Still, he's been in Caliphas for at least eight months now, so there's time enough to have developed a professional relationship if at any point there was need of an assassin.

Either way, Kamau is a powerfully built Garundi man with a very distinctive dressing style. He'd be hard to miss, and it would take someone practically deaf not to have heard a comment about him at one point or another in the city.

Also, as an aside, Kamau does not look like the avatar I've picked for the character. Unfortunately, nothing really fit the image of a Garundi warrior in the way I was hoping for, so I picked this one for the sole purpose of making my posts distinctive.

I'll be putting links to various visual aids for the character into his profile, so make sure to glance there. There's already a picture of the actor stand-in I've chosen to use, so that you can get a sense of what the character looks like.

I'm hoping to at least get an introductory post from Joy before proceeding. I don't want her to get swept away in the tide of plot.

Also, Albrekt has remained inside the Raven's Nest. Over all the commotion outside, it is highly unlikely he will be able to make out Ventar's shouting.

Alright, in the interest of not holding things up during a very high-tension moment, I've gone ahead and kept the ball rolling. Hopefully Joy will catch wind of it before long.

Alright, in the interest of not holding things up during a very high-tension moment, I've gone ahead and kept the ball rolling. Hopefully Joy will catch wind of it before long.

We've now moved to an entirely new scene/location. Let's wait for Solace and Haruk to catch up before we move the timeline too far forward.

Sorry, was asleep when all that went on. I'm on Eastern Standard Time, so its almost 2pm for me.

Will post in a bit, out getting a haircut. Also, tis my bday today n I might be goin out later.

Congrats!!!

Sorry, having internet problems and the service Guy is now an hour late so i am trying to post with my phone bit get crappy reception here.