I have updated, I do hope I did it justice. I may have been a little vague as I was having a really hard time finding towns near Trunau.
I gotta say, I really enjoy the return to the tavern aspect of this recruitment. It really helps you flesh out the character before the game starts and helps you answer a lot of things that you wouldn't normally have thought of due to the questions the other characters pose. Plus all the back and forth is delightful to better understanding the relationships and each other.
You're right, this really does help. Getting a sense for the character is VERY important; for example, playing a high charisma character tends to be easy enough when your other mental stats are up to par... but playing a high charisma character who is not only a divine character, but has below average wisdom, and only average intelligence is hard. I'm glad I'm fitting a bit into the style more: someone really idealistic and well-intentioned, but clueless when it comes to complexities of life, and easily swayed by others and their opinions.
It also gives me a reason why she believes her powers come from Ragathiel, and she doesn't realize why she is evil. Planned genocide of a race or two never crossed her as something even her "god" wouldn't do.
EDIT: Added a wand of CLW to my inventory. I KNEW that I was missing something.
Indeed, though in a manner Wulfrum is into genocide to a degree. He ain't gonna kill no babies or those who can't fight back. Still though if they are goading everyone into killing and capturing he'd probably kill them as well. Though I still consider him good as he won't just kill them at first sight unless there has been a call for it. I plan on taking a rank in linguistics or two to learn Giant and Orc so that he can try and talk them down in a manner if he can.
Interestingly enough, I took plenty of linguistics/other social skills for that reason. Although Keltza WANTS to cause harm to the monstrous races, she understands that sometimes tact is required. Her code is first and foremost: Make sure my companions are safe. If she could do her dirty deeds without causing harm, then by golly she will do so, but when her allies want a diplomatic route, she can do so as well.
Ah, Wulfrum believes that most people when threatened with their life will speak the truth so I didn't take any sense motive and he really doesn't think the people he talks to around town would lie to him either. The more he has fought and lived the more he believes that he hasn't seen everything there is to orcs and giantfolk and that maybe it wouldn't hurt to understand them better...rather then just understanding how to kill em.
Skalds have a wonderful class feature that allows them to have 3 skills in one. I've taken perform + sense motive + diplomacy. Thought it was a cool fit too with the Viking epics that Beltzer would've learned in Ulfen lands.
Another thing I've done as a GM that is similar to this tavern scene, I ask players to choose two other characters and right backstories about those characters and how you are connected to them. Ends up being this big loop amongst the characters about previous adventures. Of course it won't work for this bit because there are all the applicants so some will be cut out likely but there are many cool ways to make sure parties stay together. One issue I've seen in games sometimes is some characters don't have much of a reason to work together. Being childhood friends definitely helps in this case!
Ah yes, Versatile Performance. It is a lovely gift from the Bard class but you have to plan ahead. I recommend planning into about three different performances. Pull a theme like Oratory, Acting, and Comedy. You jump up in your skills in the long run but bah, I always feel weird when you suddenly become famously good at something.
That's like a bard's versatile performance, eh?
~~~
"So you all meet at a tavern..."
"Okay... *points at five of the most oddly dressed people in the room* Hey you guys, want to adventure together?"
*The five people look at each other, shrug their shoulders, stop whatever they are currently doing and decide to join the sixth person*
Introductions are always the hardest. I do like that second idea though, so I might take that next time I run a game. At this point I am curious about setting up a Falcon's Hollow type ordeal with a bit of worldbuilding, but I need time to finish some IRL things before I think about that.
Lys doesn't like being bogged down in doing the same thing over and over again, so she only has max ranks in the things that you learn to depend on, mainly Stealth, Knowledge(Local), Survival and Sense Motive. I've dashed some skill points left and right to where it made sense.
Although, I do prefer the tavern start to 'You're all in jail. Let me railroad you for a bit. Please, don't show initiative.'
Thing I did on my last campaign that I ran is, gave a quick 15 minute face to face background freeform session for each of my players, to justify them ending up where they did, which was a caster academy.
If you're familiar with Fiasco, which is a pretty fun board game/free form RPG, it was essentially the same thing. The 15 minutes did all the difference in the world, based on previous games with the same people. I've decided to do it for all my games, it's essentially a character's CV for a game, and you just need to ask the right questions.
Interestingly enough, a prisonbreak is great in the right circumstances. The Elder Scrolls games show us that. Okay, different medium, but it isn't too much of a stretch to extend that to the table. WotW is pretty good for a start too, but the party sort of fell apart there.
Ugh, WotW gives me a bad taste in my mouth. I had a good group, a good gm, and then suddenly boom...dead game.
Same! It was such a shame too. I have one game that seems to be going on well enough, but I think that has to do with the PbP format. I think when I start my Falcon's Hollow campaign, I am going to put a post in the forums for a weekly or biweekly Roll20 game. That way, we all have something to look forward to but it isn't too time consuming.
...
Then again, I AM off to college. I might be able to gather an in person group there.
I was in an awesome WotW game and had such an enjoyable party and character and now I can't play any more either. Moved from where I was living to three hours away so kinda can't make sessions any more. It is a pain. Book one was so damn good. I feel your pain Wulf!
It isn't too bad a thing, I got a group that I meet with every week that we're currently playing the new star wars stuff and I'd hate to give that group up. We shuffle about what we play every six months or so to keep the gms fresh as we have a couple in the group and every so often one of us guest GMs for a session or two.
Yea it's versatile performance, being that Skald is mix of the bard/barbarian. I still like the ability though, 3 skill points for the price of 1. Makes up for the 4+int bit.
Games dying always sucks. I've almost gone through the whole of savage tide now (one of the pf devs games from 3.5), hopefully that doesn't crash and die as we're on book 11.
The IC thread has three full pages of us role-playing to get to know each other. That is awesome. This definitely has been one of the more fun and in-depth PbP recruitment threads I have been a part of. I think more games should be structured like this when able. Though I imagine it is going to suck a little if/when I am not chosen to carry on. Still, I have enjoyed it. I can see why so many people jumped onboard.
I kinda hope at least maybe if I don't get chose I can at least be a background NPC. I really like the idea of Wulfrum in this setting and kinda with these "kids" around him.
Oh I am hoping the same thing. If Varin does not make it in, I'd like him to fade in to the background and take up his smithing again.
I could see Wulfrum taking up the Orphanage and possibly a higher listing in the Militia.
Aye, aye. Keltza would be happy just to be a town healer.
That would be cool, I do hope that a decent portion of the books has the party coming back to Traunau so that they can interact with some of the PCs that weren't chosen. I can see Beltzer just spinning tales around campfires until Hagra tells him to go defend something and hoping he'll take over from her spot one day.
Well Nerak can help out in the House of Wonder. He is more then an apprentice these days. A little retraining and he could be a good wonderous item crafter with his high spellcraft. ;)
Games dying always sucks. I've almost gone through the whole of savage tide now (one of the pf devs games from 3.5), hopefully that doesn't crash and die as we're on book 11.
Yeah me and my old group have a long running Savage Tide game. We play it rarely but when we get together we usually game for a good 12-14 hours straight. It is a fun campaign, that is for sure.
*Goes to check alignments* Three neutral goods. Tone it down, Keltza, tone it down.
Hahaha Aye, we are all goody two-shoes!
The funny thing is that Keltza has the mindset of one of my buddies old Paladin PCs. "Well civilization could make an omelet... if you break a few thousand evil eggs first." I tried to tell him, "you are Lawful EVIL!" But he didn't believe me. I kid you not, his paladin suggested, "Why not do that thing from Dragonlance, and just try to KILL all the evil people."
It was funny. He took to ensuring he was in the right by becoming a law enforcement official that was allowed to order executions on the spot.
Hahaha Thaaat sounds Lawful Evil yeah. Less of a Paladin thing to do and more of a Hellknight thing to do. "We can have order, if we murder all of the dissenters!"
It's great. Interestingly, I am PLAYING a Lawful Good Hellknight Inquisitor. She is actually the sort you might call a Paladin. "Hm... Order must come... but not if we must compromise our morals. There must be another solution."
Lol, I feel there is a fine line between doing evil and doing good and a lot of it is why you are doing it and the rest is how you go about doing it. But yeah, just having someone with detect evil walking around wholesale slaughtering people that ping, not so good.
I could see Keltza having an alignment change or two in the future depending on how everything goes roleplay wise.
Oh, she is likely going to shift into Neutral or Chaotic Good once she realizes "My god, I am completely Evil." Actually, that was my plan when I made this character; to have a redemption arc. For now though, she is definitely lawful evil.
Yeah the only Hellknight I played was a LG Hellknight, through Paladin. Hahaha He was an a$%*#$&, but in that way where he just didnt get it. Like he was not evil but he would regularly cast Detect Evil on people as they were speaking, not understanding that A) It is crazy terrifying for normal people to have a hulking man in huge spiky armour cast magic on them, or B) That it is just crazy impolite to do such a thing. He just figured that any good, upstanding citizen wouldnt mind it so did it all of the time.
EDIT: What language are you guys using for Orc? I am using Irish for Giant. Haha
I don't know bout the rest of you but I ended up with a lot of extra gold for my character. But I did figure on spending that much on other characters in some way form or fashion and I assume the GM wouldn't look down on you guys getting a 5gp sentimental item.
I have gold left somewhere in the 600 GPs. I was holding off spending it just so I have an emergency store just in case we need specific supplies when we go off on the adventure. Never want to be caught off guard, and I'm sure we have at least one shopping opportunity in Trunau. Otherwise... why would we be here?
From a non-metagaming perspective, no one would spend all their gold so that they only have a couple of GP left.
Hmm..I keep looking at my profile and trying to see if there is anything background or otherwise I might have missed that I should freshen up or delve into further...bah the joys of overthinking things.
From reading the comments DM Jubal has made on other characters, I would suggest cutting down on the Spoilers.
Yeah, I saw that he did ask that, but I tend to type out a fair bit sometimes so I wasn't sure if I should or not. I went ahead and made the crunch unspoiled so that it's easier to reference. But all the rest of the stuff, I'm not sure if it shouldn't be set up as a spoiler just to keep the page cleaner and such. Idk....
So far we're going Irish for Giant, Mongolian for Orc and German for Dwarven. I was being pretty inventive when I did the dwarven one.
Also, the rings are appreciated, I was actually considering spending the 200-odd GP I got in the beginning for gifts for everyone, but now that we got 20-odd people, I didn't have the time to go shopping for everyone based on their backstory. Sorry!
Also, yeah, spoilers are probably a bit too much in most of the character sheets. Varin being naughty and peeking in all of them!
Yeah, I saw that he did ask that, but I tend to type out a fair bit sometimes so I wasn't sure if I should or not. I went ahead and made the crunch unspoiled so that it's easier to reference. But all the rest of the stuff, I'm not sure if it shouldn't be set up as a spoiler just to keep the page cleaner and such. Idk....
That looks pretty good to me anyway. I dunno what Jubal will think about it though.
So far we're going Irish for Giant, Mongolian for Orc and German for Dwarven. I was being pretty inventive when I did the dwarven one.
Also, yeah, spoilers are probably a bit too much in most of the character sheets. Varin being naughty and peeking in all of them!
Haha I only went with Irish because I am semi fluent from being Irish and could type it.
Hahaha I have been looking at all of the character sheets and critiques, trying to see what needs to be changed so I can keep a handle on my own sheet. :)
Calistrian Nuns? :3
Yeah their Habits are vinyl corsets with assless leather chaps. Good ol Calistria! :P
I'm enjoying this as well. You guys' rp in the game thread inspired me to try this pbp after about a year of lurking. I created a profile and everything. I suppose I'm not as old fashioned as I imagined myself to be.
Glad we could help drag you in to the light. Mohs is a great addition to our little family. :)
Way to late for me to actually try to write up a quick couple of verses.. maybe in the morning I'll try.
I've got only about a quarter hour in me as well, I just wanted to check in after rehearsal to see what's going on.
I would like to start my final review of applicants in the order that I first reviewed them. If you are still tinkering with your character, please let me know, so I can delay.
I would prefer to not wait until the last minute for the final review. On the other hand, if everyone wants to take all the time to the deadline, that's fine, too. Just selection will take me longer after that.
cheers
Time to have a quick look over character planning stuff then, haven't looked at it since I made him.
Edit: Okay, only changed two small things. I freed up a feat because I realized I don't need a feat to gain a familiar if I sacrifice the level 1 ability (which I have now done) and I am now using the fated champion skald, it just changes my well-versed into watcher of the weave.
As it turns out, I need to choose one more spell. I didn't realize oracles either gain either all cure spells or all inflict spells. I will choose... murderous command.
I am still working in tandem with a friend on creating linked characters. I'm unsure as to when we will finish, so it may be better not to wait. I've written up the majority of my stuff, but still need to format and edit in the important bits of the companionship.
At this point, if we have not already joined the tavern, how damaged are our chances of getting in?