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Alright, let's try this again; didn't get enough interest at recruitment last time.
Among your small town, you were the strongest, the wisest, the swiftest, the most loved. A single tie bound you disparate people all together- a love of the theatre. Your performances were a shining light in the region. Now you have all been taken by a shadowy drow noble on a journey deep, deep underground to play for your most dangerous audience ever- High Ilvarandin. Survive, escape or rule; the choice is yours. On with the show.
Theatre of the Mind will involve a party of 4 PCs being captured by Drow and taken deep underground to High Ilvarandin, city of the abominations known as Intellect Devourers, where they will be required to put on plays to entertain their brainy patrons. From this I envisage several possibilities such as the PCs engineering an escape, destroying or ruling the city by joining one of several present factions, or setting up a new theatrical college to train promising Devourer actors. I'd like to leave the choice of which up to the group. For themes I'd go definite on Horror, Adventure and Comedy, with Survival and Intruigue as possibilities. I intend to play the Devourers... differently than traditionally done.
23 point-buy, I'm feeling whimsical.
Level 6
Core races
Any Paizo + Path of War + my homebrew
Two traits, one can be any relevant campaign trait from any AP, no drawbacks
Standard WBL
Max HP for all levels
Aside from putting points in Profession: Actor and the like, it would be nice if your class abilities somehow interacted with your stage performance. Obviously easier for casting classes, but I leave it to your system-mastery.
I will be recruiting 4 PCs. I will end recruitment as soon as I have 4 good applications.
I will require a minimum of three lines of backstory, a line and a half of personality, and a line of description. Please make those lines content-rich rather than poor.
No need to complete a sheet; however, a rough description of what it would look like would be nice. Class, race, likely feat choices, archetype(s).
It'd be nice to develop a little group backstory, but that can probably be developed best once playes are chosen.
I may have missed some things, ask questions if you have them.
Things will get too NSFW Intellect Devourers are by their nature creatures with interests in sex and torture. I plan to mention these things, but not dwell on them; indeed, it will be the purpose of the PCs to introduce more cerebral pleasures to the devourers.
The game will die early Aside from the normal PBP mortality rate, I am starting the game without a complete campaign and an intention to 'make it up as I go'. All I can say is that I have a decent record of keeping up with games I GM, and believe I can avoid this risk.
The PCs will lose agency Part of this campaign is going to be capturing a group of relatively low-level PCs and throwing them into a feeding-ground of high CR monsters and NPCs. There is a risk that doing this will cause the PCs to feel as if they never get to do anything, as if my NPCs are more likely DMPCs, as if nothing they do matters. I hope to avoid this by giving the party a fair bit of autonomy within certain boundaries. The party will be allowed free reign throughout Ilvarandin, subject to a few 'go to this spot and CR 15 monsters will eat your face' restrictions. There should also be plenty of CR-appropriate foes and encounters. The party will be given a number of side-quests to pursue independently.
I'm in love with this concept. I grew up a theatre kid.
Currently batting around the idea of a circus acrobat or synth summoner that does crazy performances with his eidolon.
Edited the post, remembered to link to my homebrew.
Or straight bard. Had a character I wanted to play for years.
Arkwright- Background skills?
No background skills, no unchained.
Ohh you came back. If I am able to I will submit something. And for now this is my dot.
Intriguing. Not something I would usually wanna play in, but the concept is super interesting.
I may put together a Promethean Alchemist and his Homunculus 'daughter' for this. Are you willing to let me use the Construct Modification Rules on her?
Han, sure.
Given the heavy RP nature of this game, I'm a lil shocked background skills aren't in play.
I have a few different concepts in mind, trying to decide which I like best.
My character concept is rapidly turning into the stage manager/props department. How do you feel about me taking Master Craftsman for Craft Wondrous Item and Craft Magic Arms and Armor as well?
The long view is an eccentric fellow who can make just about anything the crew needs and is assisted by a small army of animated objects.
Edit: Also, I'm getting powerful Ghibli vibes from this weird little family... a bizarre mustache may be in order
@Monkey- alright, one bonus skill point per level.
@Han- If you like, though I'm not sure how much crafting time you'll get. You can spend up to half of your gold in pre-game crafting.
I'll make it work. This character concept is in no way optimized but should still be amusing.
"I wasn't even supposed to be here (today)."
I want to make a character who is explicitly not-an-actor, well not-one-of-these-actors. She's an illusionist/diviner who was hired to cover for one of the troupe. I'll probably aim for veiled illusionist?
The best part of this hook is that it lets the group fiat things about this missing member as appropriate. For example, if I'm covering for "Eliza", then the reason we don't have the script to the operetta is that "Eliza borrowed it to study lines, she was going to bring it back." It also gives a very open ended hook for later on for the GM, and something for all of us to contribute ideas towards.
I don't know how I'll get into veiled illusionist, but it'll be something like heaven's oracle, fey witch/sorcerer, or a wizard for 5 levels, veiled illusionist 1. The obvious race is human for skill focus but I'm open to shifting it around if the group has a gimmick that works well. We could all be kitsune.
Stage show entertainers?
I have wanted to play a Mesmerist. Is that allowed?
Also, your concerns on alignment?
Appreciate your response.
Is Psionics permitted? I am asking because Path of War is.
Also, is Spheres of Power permitted? An awesome system by the way. I think it handles magic the way it should be.
Hello.
How are you handling our equipment?
Will we have access to what we purchase?
I would like to offer up this character. I believe that I adjusted as per your parameters.
Any questions or comments are appreciated.
He is a natural showman.
-Virgil; Mesmerist allowed. With alignment, the idea is you start the campaign all being close-ish friends, so the priority is going to be on ability to work with the party. If you can convince me of that, alignment shouldn't matter much. Backstory needs to be changed to Golarion. Class seems alright. I'll note that I haven't done much with darkness regularly in the past, you may not end up frequently using Moonlight Stalker without prompting me.
-Anderlon; no Psionics, no Spheres of Power.
Thank you for responding. I will convert his background. Any place in Galorian that you prefer?
Also that is why he has tricks. Wont be a problem getting Moonlight off..lol.
Also he isnt evil for evils sake. He just isnt overly concerned on the details of how he gets his....
Mmm; good question about Golarion. I seem to remember deciding that the group would decide where on Golarion they lived and would incorporate it into their backstories after everyone get's chosen. Will probably do that.
I will make those changes then if chosen. I appreciate the opportunity. I like this character concept. I have been itching to try the Mesmerist and i am thinking this would be a good game to do so...
If his alignment is an issue he can take undetectable alignment as a spell or i can change it to LN?
He is a team player although his interest are forfront on his agenda...
You can change it, or take Undetectable, up to you.
Oh rats, thank you.
This is Nen's character, still don't know mechanically what to make.
is the game going to be combat heavy or more with intrigue.
I have always want to get to play a Bard the opportunity has just never presented itself. I could also very easily go Cleric. Both are classes I have always wanted to try.
Mechanically for the bard I want the archetype Lotus Geisha or the Steer Performer. Which ever one would fit better.
The Street Performer would have been a street rat who dreamed of working in the theater. Eventually he found his way into a group. He would be their for acting and an instrument I have yet to decide on. Never picky about what ever roll his is given, just happy to be there and on the stage.
While the Lotus Geisha was a lady of the night and would moonlight in the theater. She would dance defiantly and love to be on stage playing a role, preferably one very different than the life she actually lives. Always shooting for the hero or comic relief in which ever play is being done.
While the Cleric would probably be a Scroll Scholar. A devotee of Shelyn. Always fascinated with the beauty of the performance arts and the history of the arts. Perfectly happy among dusty scrolls or singing on stage.
Probably a balance.
Alright, recruitment's gone on to the point where I'm happy to make some selections. Death's Adorable Apprentice, Virgil, Ash, Han Del, please report to the Discussion thread I'm to make up imminently and start chatting about characters.
Everyone else, if I decide to expand the party or we have drop-outs, I'll let you know.
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Had a drop-out, need a new recruit.
Same build rules as above; your character will either be ret-conned in as replacing the drop-out, or you'll be one of the group of NPCs also taken by the drow who suddenly turn out to be PCs.
Party is Fighter, Mesmerist, Bard, Oracle.
Oh, yes. So much yes. Not sure what I want but it's definitely something I do want to do. Do you guys have a props manager or a scene shop, maybe? Could do someone who's a rogue because he knows how a lot of things go together and pull apart. Maybe a kitsune who got started because he could understudy for literally anyone. Sounds fun.
No props/scene manager thought of yet, go for it.
Behold, Meisha Ko'rin, the Kitsune Scene Manager and Understudy Extraordinare!
I haven't done a lot of work on the backstory because I'm not sure what I need to write up for it. This is just the general idea, I can flesh it out and modify it as needed.
Also I figured climbing on walls was a Really Good Thing for a scenery manager to be able to do because rigging.
Oh, I just thought of something before bed because I just looked at fox form in more detail and realized it was tiny; how do you adjudicate flanking with tiny creatures? Meisha has to get in someone's square in fox form if she wants to bite them. Can she flank with people outside of the square somehow? Or will I be needing to engineer flat-footedness through creative means if I want my sneak attacks? Either one is fine, I can pick up some feinting goodness if I get picked and live through level 6.
EDIT: Wow, I just read the gameplay thread and it'd be the funniest thing to slip the cuffs by turning into a little fox please let that be a thing XD
A tiny creature can't flank, barring some feat that explicitly says otherwise.
Alright. We'll just have to be creative until we get some feinting support at level 7.
Otherwise, character approved; say hello in discussion, decide whether you want to be ret-conned or whether you want to be one of the other captured NPCs.