Franti's Strange Aeons

Game Master Goldstool Shroomshine

Information to be announced.

Thinking about using Horror Adventure's Sanity Rules, tell me what you think of them.

Won't be starting for a little bit, my In Search of Sanity book isn't arriving until the 16th. Feel free to use this space to discuss what kind of characters you might want to play, the vague recollections of past memories you might have, what you'd like to see in this adventure.

Ooo sounds neat. Like I said in the earlier thread I want to play a psychic, even though it's not recommended. An amnesiac psychic have been my thoughts since the AP was announced. I suspect all of his/her memories will never come back all the way!

I'm totally in for a spiritualist. I just have to work out the details :)

I'm all-in on a paladin.

My idea is that after the fugue took hold, she latched onto the idea that she is a reincarnated villain has been given a chance to atone for misdeeds in a past life (would definitely take the True Devotion campaign trait). Maybe do Chosen One and have the familiar play into things somehow. I also like the idea of taking an oracle level for the Haunted curse to represent memories of her past life that are either real or imagined.

Let's see, as far as character creation goes, how does this all sound?

• 15 point buy. It might hurt, but this is a horror game. Might bump to 20 however with those Sanity rules.
  
• Core races, would be preferred, though races such as Changeling and Dhampir may fit as well. Willing to not be strict on this one, depending on how we are feeling.
  
• Unchained variants over their core counterparts. I feel most are either improvements or more balanced.
  
• Two traits, one of which must be a Campaign trait. In addition, you may take a third trait so long as you balance it with a drawback trait. I suggest taking a drawback and RPing it, your character should have weaknesses and flaws.
  
• No evil. Though who knows, maybe you'll get that madness that changes your alignment.
  
• No hero points.
  

Though I consider you all my pals, and am willing to shift things up a bit for you all. We got plenty of time to work something out for all of us.

Those rules sound fine to me, DM. Anytime someone is nice enough to run a game for me, I am fine with their rules!

Is there an official list of drawbacks somewhere?

My only argument is for 20pt buy but I'm good with whatever :)

This is fairly comprehensive, and seems to be all first party. So long as it fits with an amnesiac person, it works for me. Like, Lovesick would be weird to have, but Doubt would work fine.

Noted on the point buy. I would like to look over that first book before I finalize that however.

Dotting for now. Still very interested. I have a lot of brainstorming to do on a character! I second the motion for 20 PB - 15 eliminates certain classes from being effective.

Approved! 20 Point buy it is. I realize a paladin would suffer immensely, so your skin was saved, Hroth. I'll adjust things as we see necessary. Seems like we are the full five players which is wonderful!

My book is expected to arrive on Friday, which means I'll have the weekend to pour through it! Should there be anything important to note that perhaps the player's guide didn't cover, I'll be alerting you all here.

I'll be reviewing my copy of Rule of Fear (got for Franti!) to familiarize myself more deeply with Ustalav. When we get to the nitty gritty character creations, I'll bring things up such as regional languages.

Would Oath Against Corruption be appropriate for this AP? I know that Oath Against Fiends is actually not recommended for WotR because it can cause issues, so I figure I should ask.

I say go for it if you'd like. It is rather useful when facing aberrations, but losing Aura of Courage may be quite brutal earlier on. In addition, the code will be hard to follow at times, especially as you may find it much wiser at times to flee from such creatures than to face them head on.

You can always consider not having the Oath to begin with and retraining into it upon exiting the asylum or at a later date. It may fit thematically to train to hunt aberrations after facing them a few times, but ultimately it is up to you.

Just began sinking my teeth into the book, I like how the first book seems to entirely be a thematic dungeon.

When the Adventure Path begins, you have no memory of who you are, but you have a vague recollection of your childhood and a hazy grasp on your early memories. What’s most disconcerting is that the last few years of your life are beyond your ability to recall, as if they never happened.

As the story starts with limited knowledge of character's histories, I wouldn't advise making too detailed backstories. Know that everyone is a stranger to another at the start of the AP, outside ac "vague sense of kinship" for unknown reasons.

It appears the everyone DOES share some degree of backstory in recent years, most likely in that area you have no recollection of, but you can share childhoods you don't quite remember, foggy ideas of places you've both been.

It never mentions in either book whether you remember your name. Names are important. You all don't remember most aspects of your life. Does your name scare people and you don't know why? Are people happy when they hear your name and intent to help, but terrified when they see you? Do acquaintances and friends from a time you don't remember call you by your name when you see them the first time, or do they insist on calling you a name you don't recall? If you learn your past and you remembered your name, do you keep your old name if that isn't who you are anymore? If you learn your past and you live with a different name now, do you honor the person you were and the people they knew and adopt their name?

Everyone should share the same kind of fugue state. One person shouldn't recall nothing while the others recall all but the details.

How do you all want to do your names? Do you want to remember them? To you want to have one that feels right, natural and fitting even, though not your character's birth name? Do you want to start with nothing, not even a name to yourself, and cling to whatever people call you? Whatever we decide on will have some interesting RP down the line, especially as you encounter people who knew you.

I'd say we just give ourselves random names during the story telling and decide if we want to use our "real" names if we ever learn them. That'd be good for the story for the characters to have to decide how they treat that when it happens.

I'd say we just give ourselves random names during the story telling and decide if we want to use our "real" names if we ever learn them. That'd be good for the story for the characters to have to decide how they treat that when it happens.

I think this is the most interesting option as well.

So I've now given the whole first book a brief read and am re-reading things and taking notes in a google doc for how I might present things, or what I may adjust.

Might adjust how it recommends the starting scene to be a bit more PbP friendly, might add some more of a some certain types of creatures to be more thematic to the Asylum, adjust some combat encounters to allow for stronger RP elements.

If you are all concerned about a lack of healer, there is a supporting NPC cleric for the first/second book. If no one wants to play support, we can extend her role a bit in the story.

I'm fairly good for letting the GM have at my background for this one. playing a spiritualist it should allow for some fun. I'm actually fairly ok with going in blind save for a personality lol.

I'm fairly good for letting the GM have at my background for this one. playing a spiritualist it should allow for some fun. I'm actually fairly ok with going in blind save for a personality lol.

Certainly an option, one I am willing to work with as well! It requires a fair amount of trust (you may not like who/what I make you, after all), but could have interesting pay-offs.

The only thing I'd need from you is a visual description of your character, race, and nationality. That'll help with some later events like past acquaintances and for determining your character's birth name. Your languages you start with might slightly impact your backstory (like how would you know Aklo or Celestial without some reason to?), regional languages you start with (like Varisian or Skald) might determine some lineage, or places you've been, people you've interacted with.

Feel free to have any distinct visual features from your earlier life. This could include scars of varying degrees, tattoos, piercings, why even missing limbs if you'd like to go that far.

That's a very interesting idea. I think I might be into that as well, if you are up for it, DM. That would be a blast to have things revealed to us over time.

I'll have something up by the weekend then :)

I'll let Guru post a sheet first, so I can steal his format when I'm putting together the psychic.

I still am a whirlwind of different ideas, but... I think it might be cool to be a mooncursed barbarian. It's a fantastic way to play a lycanthrope without all the hassle of templates that aren't appropriate for player characters.

I'll have to think on that idea. Could I be a Skinwalker, since that would very appropriately represent the idea of a lycanthrope?

I've seen those in action, it's pretty cool :)

I still am a whirlwind of different ideas, but... I think it might be cool to be a mooncursed barbarian. It's a fantastic way to play a lycanthrope without all the hassle of templates that aren't appropriate for player characters.

I'll have to think on that idea. Could I be a Skinwalker, since that would very appropriately represent the idea of a lycanthrope?

Skinwalker and the Mooncursed barbarian together present an odd combination of effects between Shifting Rage, Hybrid Rage and the skinwalker's Change Shape. I'll certainly allow it, just keep in mind how the combination of those might work.

I'm be interested to see how you use the amnesiac state with lycanthropy and bestial transformation. Like, would you remember how to change at first? Would it be instinct driven like adrenaline mid-fight, or a response to fear? A development of control over the powers could be interesting to consider.

A thought has come to mind in the development of this character - I'd like to do a little homebrewing. Obviously, the one thing that comes to mind when people think of werewolves and other lycanthropes is their vulnerability to silver. Unfortunately, there's no way that I know of to get DR/silver as a barbarian. There is the Invulnerable Rager archetype, which offers considerable damage reduction, but it is of the unbeatable DR/- variety, not DR/silver.

I'd like to take a homebrewed variant of Invulnerable Rager whose DR can be bypassed with silver weapons. Since this is a pure drawback, though (I gain nothing from this change), I'd like to be an exception to the rule that +3 weapons or better count as silver. Your weapon has to be actual silver or mithral to beat my DR (which normally would be unbeatable anyway, so nothing changes about me except if atracked with an actual silver weapon.)

Thoughts, Franti?

The Morphling wrote:

I still am a whirlwind of different ideas, but... I think it might be cool to be a mooncursed barbarian. It's a fantastic way to play a lycanthrope without all the hassle of templates that aren't appropriate for player characters.

I'll have to think on that idea. Could I be a Skinwalker, since that would very appropriately represent the idea of a lycanthrope?

Skinwalker and the Mooncursed barbarian together present an odd combination of effects between Shifting Rage, Hybrid Rage and the skinwalker's Change Shape. I'll certainly allow it, just keep in mind how the combination of those might work.

I'm be interested to see how you use the amnesiac state with lycanthropy and bestial transformation. Like, would you remember how to change at first? Would it be instinct driven like adrenaline mid-fight, or a response to fear? A development of control over the powers could be interesting to consider.

Oh, at first I would have no idea I was a lycanthrope. The first time I change would be unintentional and terrifying. During whatever period of time I lost my memories of, I somehow gained this "curse" (being bitten, perhaps). I wake up and discover I can't remember large swathes of time, and then the next time I fight I turn into a beast. Frightening stuff!

So I hate to p[lace more on Franti's plate but I think this could be neat if you're up for it.

As a spiritualist I would have to select a manifestation emotion for my phantom. But, since I have no memory and therefore may just be meeting this being for the first time I can remember. I feel like it would be fun to have it as a surprise and a plot point potentially if you were to select the emotion. It would also add even more creepiness to the voice in his head.

If that is too much thats cool its just a thought :)

Stuff

Is this still with Mooncursed? Both replace improved Uncanny Dodge, so the two of them together don't match up. Skinwalker Invulnreable Rager could still be flavored like lycanthropy. Always feel free to take penalties with your builds!

But, since I have no memory and therefore may just be meeting this being for the first time I can remember. I feel like it would be fun to have it as a surprise and a plot point potentially if you were to select the emotion.

And you may just be meeting it for the first time! Who would know! I am fine with selecting the Phantom, I'll need to give a proper look over the Phantoms to decide on one. A lot of them appear fitting, such as Remorse, Fear, and Despair. I'll also need your planned alignment as the Phantom has the same as yours.

There may be a VERY interesting opportunity for this Phantom that I need to look into game-history wise. It could make for a good event, or it may be rather jarring. If I run it by you, it could ruin the surprise, but if it doesn't work as planned, it might be a rather lackluster revelation. I'll keep you posted, Silver.

This is shaping up to be extra groovy, I think!

Morph wrote:

Stuff

Is this still with Mooncursed? Both replace improved Uncanny Dodge, so the two of them together don't match up. Skinwalker Invulnreable Rager could still be flavored like lycanthropy. Always feel free to take penalties with your builds!

They do? Dammit... How the hell did I not see that...?

Dropping invuln then, mooncursed is the point of the build. That's demoralizing and I feel like an idiot for not reading the two archetypes, apparently. Seriously, how did I miss that?

It happens to the best of us, especially when we get excited about a build.

Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of methods to get DR outside a Rage Powers and some lesser DR at 7th level.

You can feel free to take 1.5x damage from silver, however ;)

Important things in this adventure, both in "In Search of Sanity" and Strange Aeons as a whole:

Research, detailed in Ultimate Intrigue, plays some role within the first book, and the game seems to indicate that there will be future research endeavors. These are often time consuming events that grant the player's knowledge otherwise unobtainable.

On this, let's talk about time. There are MANY time related events in this book, such as spending X amount of time searching through desks, moving rubble, looking for clues, et cetera. Research takes eight hours, various events you can do to help people has specified times. Some story events are on a timer, and there seems to be a limited supply of food in the asylum and no clear way out.

In addition, Sanity damage takes a LONG TIME to cure without magic. Like, a week of rest cures 1 or your Charisma Modifier of points of Sanity damage. With someone to consult, you can also restore their WIS/INT modifier in addition to this. There are quite a few monsters which will add sanity damage as the game goes on, and I'm just looking at book one.

Horror Adventures even says the following:

In a particularly horror-themed game, the GM may consider removing some or all of the magical options to reduce sanity damage, relying on rest alone to recover sanity. For the most terror, she could even make sanity damage irrecoverable. In these cases, the GM should consider increasing the characters’ sanity scores and sanity edges to ensure the heroes can make it through enough of the adventure before they snap.

Lastly, I sugguest you familiarize yourself with Haunt rules, it may come in handy a few times. I count at least three haunts in this book from memory alone.

Ugh, I hate haunts!

Anyone fancy playing a cleric, lol?

Guru here.

So I will have to continue working on this tomorrow as i have run out of time for tonight but my template is in there and partially filled out.

It is so hard for me not to refer to you all by your WotR names...

Current Roster:

• Rivas Cartwright, Human Spiritualist, played by Guru.
  
• ??? Paladin?, played by Hrothdane
  
• ??? Psychic?, played by Gerald
  
• Skinwalker Mooncursed Barbarian?, played by Morphling

There is a cleric NPC to help you all out, but isn't half the fun of horror not being able to heal that damage you take?

I'll have a character outlined by next Monday, if that's okay.

I'm torn about the amnesiac archetype. I keep thinking I'll just be going too far into the amnesiac rabbit hole to keep everything straight. I've been thinking of going another direction, still a psychic, though.

I'm very excited to see a spiritualist in action, though!

How does starting gear work?

How does starting gear work?

I was hoping no one would ask ;)

Either roll your starting wealth, take your average, or take a flat 150gp amount. If you roll, even just a preview to see if it is better, please take that.

You WILL NOT start with all your items. All your CLASS ESSENTIAL ITEMS (spellbook, spell pouch, holy symbols, firearm, animal companions/familiars) will be given to you almost at the very start of the adventure. The others I am going to sprinkle into the initial rooms among their regular loot. The remainder will probably be gifted to you by those that still are alive in the asylum, if the item's appearance among crates and the dead don't make sense.

I'll have a character outlined by next Monday, if that's okay.

I'm torn about the amnesiac archetype. I keep thinking I'll just be going too far into the amnesiac rabbit hole to keep everything straight. I've been thinking of going another direction, still a psychic, though

Missed this before. Take your time, no rush in the slightest.

Hey, I just saw Franti's post in the WotR game. I'm sorry; I missed where this thread had been set up.

Franti, did you want to keep it small with four players, or were you willing to go larger?

Larger of course! Meant it as a game for all of us! I'll need to adjust some encounters, but there are already guides and suggestions for that.

Dotting for interest. I did not realize this board was up. I'm interested in playing a character, probably a rogue type. There is a 3rd party class I might want to try called a Time Thief. While I'm usually leery of 3rd Party material, Rogue Genius is founded by someone who has worked for Pathfinder at Paizo and his original material seems well balanced with standard Pathfinder classes and races. This class has rogue-like abilities but the special abilities are versatile and should allow one to develop a capable fighter as well as a rogue. Doesn't seem overpowering.

There are lots of other rogue options I could pursue if the GM doesn't want to allow this class.

I had another idea for an Infiltrator archetype of the Inquisitor class. The concept is that this character had been working under cover prior to whatever put him/her into the asylum, so when he/she starts getting back his/her memories, he/she may believe he/she was a member of the cult he/she was trying to infiltrate.

But I usually don't have a problem developing ideas for characters, so I can fill a gap if any exists in the lineup that is developing.

I'll look over what people have posted above as I get time today and start developing a character in earnest.

Having read through the posts, if it looks like we will need someone with some divine magic, I'll go with the inquisitor. I've never played one before, so I'll have to read class closely. I can keep an eye out for archetypes or options that can help deal with haunts.

But if the Time Thief is available, I think I'd love to go with that as my first choice. If I play a rogue, I thought it would be fun to play someone who is a con artist who is always pretending to be something he's not. That way, memories might imply he is an aristocrat but really he is not. Might even play the character to pretend to remember his past right from the start, hoping to get an edge on the others or just because it's second nature to assume an identity to get what he wants.

I'll have more time late tonight to begin working and should be able to get something rough by weekend. Sounds like a fun ride.

I don't have an opinion on the sanity rules yet. Could play it by the book to start and modify things if/when it seems to require it.

I could work with not remembering my name but names are pretty basic to one's identity and if we can still remember how to do spells and skills and general knowledge, it would not seem odd to remember one's name but have no memory of family or relatives.

Will the players eventually be able to make up the details of the PC's background or will the GM dictate that? Or maybe we could write out a brief set of possible backgrounds we'd be interested in having and let the GM pick which one is correct.

Posting this profile as a placeholder. Details will be added as I work it out.

Stuff

I actually have a player as a Time Thief now in a desert based game I am running. Perhaps because it is a Mythic game and someone else is the archmage, but the class is actually rather tame. I am comfortable with you playing this, so long as we don't find any terrible exploits.

The sanity rules listed on the d20pfsrd page are basically the entirety of what Horror Adventures has on the subject. I may look into alternative rulesets or additions to the rules as we test the waters.

Onto memory things, the post I started writing grew long. I will post it in full later tonight. The issue is complicated due to the limited information about the fugue state I currently have.

Looking over the sanity rules I predict characters with high wisdom and charisma plus high will saves. It seems necessary in this system to give yourself the best chance of survival. I guess it's like having a high constitution and reflex save are important for someone who will be in a lot of brutal fights. But it might mean that the party is somewhat weaker than average when it comes to dealing with things physical.

One thought on the question of names: after you've posted ten times with a given name, it can't be changed, so we'll need to have a operative name for the profile early on. Otherwise it will have to be some generic place-holder name. Maybe this is a name the character decides to use as his name early and later it's realized that he has another name, but the profile will still have the earlier name at the top.

I would be willing to fill in any gaps. If we need someone to bring the divine, I can do that so Clebsch can play a rogue, Time Thief or otherwise. Let me know what you decide and I'll cover the other way. I am thinking a cleric or investigator, depending on the everyone's choices. Honestly, I am not entirely sure what psychics and spiritualist cover. I'll have to see what those class types will bring to the table.

A psychic is basically a reskinned sorcerer. At least how I play them. I plan to focus on the Mind Thrust line of spells, taking that as my first spell known at every new spell level and replacing the prior version.

I think I've decided that my character will be ethnically half-Shoanti, half-Chelaxian. I am leaning toward their animal form being a bear. When they first discover that they are 'cursed' with Lycanthropy, they will be horrified, but might eventually grow to become proud of their connection with the spirit of the bear, which is a powerful and important totem for both the Lyrune-Quah and the Shadde-Quah tribes.

Their interaction with insanity will be closely tied to their gradual transformation into more of a savage, animalistic creature. If they are mentally strong, they will grow into the honorable and proud bear totem warrior of the Shadde-Quah of their heritage. If their will fails them, they will degenerate into a feral animal, unable to control the urges of their wild instincts.

@Gerald If you want any recommendations on how to optimize Mind Thrust, I can give you some pointers. You've played with my mind thrust specialized psychic :3

As for my character, I'm still tossing around ideas for personality, deity, and so forth. Mechanically, I have a solid idea, so maybe I'll get started on that.

I could work with not remembering my name but names are pretty basic to one's identity and if we can still remember how to do spells and skills and general knowledge, it would not seem odd to remember one's name but have no memory of family or relatives.

Will the players eventually be able to make up the details of the PC's background or will the GM dictate that? Or maybe we could write out a brief set of possible backgrounds we'd be interested in having and let the GM pick which one is correct.

Okay, so I actually subscribed to the Adventure Path subscription so I could get these books fairly quick to learn as much as I can about this fugue state. I have the second book now in PDF form, and have very quickly gleamed through it for some info on the players.

Things I have learned from Reading Book 1, PDF Skimming Book 2:

• Despite having faint recollections and scattered somewhat-memories, you do not appear to be the same person you were before. The personality for your character is not analogous with their personality prior to this adventure.
  
• On the above, I am not sure if any vestige of your personality has survived. It mentions that mannerisms have changed, in addition to behavior, and attitudes. For all intents and purposes, you may as well be a different person inhabiting your old-self’s body.
  
• You can pass knowledge checks, meaning that you can recall things, even not well known things, such as monster trivia, historic rulers, location history. This seems to indicate that these are things you learned in your past life which are just “recalled” when you first hear about it. So you might remember what a nightgaunt is when you see it or read its name, but until then likely not. So here is where it gets fun...
  
• It seems that at least the last five years have prior story events for the PCs. Three of which you cannot remember in the slightest, even when talking to someone you knew, going to places you've been. That said, the memories do seem to return at times for particularly influential moments.

There is the following line in book two, I’ve removed it from context:

The last entries in the notebook detail the PCs, identified by name and accurate data about race, gender, height, and weight.

While I’ve found nothing of remembering your names, this would at least be proof confirming your present identity to your previous one.

Another direct quote says the following about you all form a character’s journal:

[REDACTED STORY EVENT] put them into “a fugue state, but they lived, unable to remember their lives or react to outside stimuli.”

Despite this condition, you are still capable of performing all tasks normally. You discover that you still know how to use your class abilities. Access to your skills and feats are not hindered in the slightest, and you can inexplicably recall trivial information about the world that you knew before this condition took hold of you.

The above quote seems to indicate that your class features, skills, and training are all from your forgotten self. This works for the most part.

Some of the suggested bloodlines and archetypes seem to be more related than your condition than your past, and make me believe that such a player didn't have their magical talents UNTIL the start of the campaign. This makes sense with the Dreamspun and Destined bloodlines, the proposed Oracles mysteries of Lore and Dark Tapestry, a couple witch patrons.

If you worship a deity and draw power from your god, you awake with an understanding of that faith and can feel your divine connection. If you venerate a good deity, you might awaken with a vague sense of guilt or shame that you can’t quite put your finger on. Regardless of this lingering doubt, you feel that your god has granted you a second chance to redeem

any misdeeds.

So, onto religion. You have a god, you can feel their presence, same old gods thing. Trouble is, and they allude to this, if you worship a good god. Knowing what I know about this campaign, I can say that I cannot see a Good God being involved with the players prior to the start of the game.

This makes me believe the for gods, your new "self" is given a chance by a god you either long-ago followed or never have, rather than being a worshipper prior to this. For neutral gods, perhaps it is a second chance - a second opportunity with your blank slate.

Hroth expressed an earlier interest in being a paladin, that is fine, but know there is NO WAY they were a paladin prior the the EXACT moment this adventure starts. Strange things are at work here, remember that.