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Hey everyone! I'm GM Choon, and I've gone insane. Hopefully in a good way but the jury's still out. Thus this recruitment.
I am seeking 4-6 players for a VERY homebrew game featuring the less used section of the Pathfinder Library: the Monsters.
The Setting: The world as you know it has ended. All nations anywhere near you have been crushed before an undead horde so powerful in the art of necromancy even the Whispering Tyrant and the Whispering Way have bent their boney knees. What's left of civilization has holed up far from you and for practical purposes might as well not exist. No one is even thinking about you anyway with the exception of a few exotic zoo keepers. You're the monsters, after all.
And who could be so powerful as to force the de facto ruler of the Whispering Way to heel. They are known only as the Cabal, a shadowy and yet very real organization seemingly bent on the death of... well everything that hasn't experienced death yet. Needless to say, this was met with some resistance.
But that doesn't matter now. What matters is Haven. Or Safety. Or Nexus. Or Glorious Garbage Pile. Or The Great Maze. Or any of the other hundreds of names the hundreds of different monsters call the sanctuary established by the Great Worm Sovereign Dragon named Lungarfiliax. Or the Savior Worm. Or Great Good Lizard That We Must Never Ever Eat. Having so many people with so many cognitive levels and languages has led to a bit of a problem with proper nouns.
Anyway...
All that is left of the monstrous races in this region have retreated to a large, heavily fortified, easily defended enclave on the ocean. Using their ability to cast Wish, Lungarfiliax and his dragon followers have crafted a nearly impregnable fortress. The Cabal found this little refuge in it's early stages and basically herded the remaining monsters throughout the entire region into the thing just to see what would happen. To their apparent surprise, everyone settled in and got along. Under the radiant glory that is the golden scales and majestic horns of Lungarfiliax all the myriad beasties actually came together and formed something approaching a coherent fighting force. They then proceeded to dig in like a burned tick.
You are one of them. Herded from your home, your families, tribes, clans, loved ones, etc, you were lucky to make it out before the horde of the Cabal. Sometimes entire clans made it in. Sometimes it was just a few ragged survivors of a once great species. Now, you are fighting for your existence in a bubble of life among the dead.
1) You may choose any Paizo published monster of CR5 and below that does not have a published stat block making it playable as a 0 racial HD PC character. So Drow is a no and Minotaur is a yes in spite of the former being the more monstrous of the two. You do not change anything about your stat block at this time. Just choose your beast. The "In the company of..." books from Rite are allowed for this campaign.
2) Choose two 1RP modifiers from Paizo's Race Builder to modify your monstrosity. Because what's a recruitment without choices, right!
3)If your chosen race is below CR5, you may choose one (1) template to bring it up to muster. Note that templates that change CR modifier with HD such as Celestial count as their highest CR modifier for this step. So a Celestial template would be a +1, even on a 4 HD creature.
4) Explain yourself! How did you come to this sanctuary? Did your family, tribe, whatever (if any) survive and come with you? If you have a template, how did you get it? What does your life in this green space under constant siege look like? What kind of life have you taken up? What does your home space in the refuge look like? (Basics on the structure of the refuge are given below)
5) A word on leveling: It's still in flux a bit. We will probably be "leveling" rather unconventionally with me granting HD advances, the occasional RP reward for you to go pick something shiny, or, if you're something like a Dragon, I'll grant an age category when the group reaches the appropriate CR for you to advance. This is going to be a very "by the feel" kind of system, so I'll be working with players in this to keep things relatively even.
While the setting is dark, I am not aiming for a super gritty, gunmetal and smoke world. I aim to keep this moderately light to contrast with the heaviness of your setting.
The safe harbor created by Lungarfiliax and his cadre of dragons can be described as three spheres of protection emanating through all materials out to a distance of about five miles. They are situated near the shore of what used to be Lake Encarthan and extends out into the water, up into the sky, out into the surrounding woods and costal grasslands, and down into the earth (though the stone and dirt limit it's reach to only a few miles downward). This provides a myriad of micro-biomes in which the many monsters have made their homes. The outer boundary of this place of safety from the Cabal is under constant assault, keeping most of the Dragons busy in maintenance. This is especially true of the Sky Shell, a magical barrier that is under constant artillery assault from Cabal forces.
Even with this mighty menagerie of magical mechanics the actual borders of the sanctuary and the Sky Shell vary by a few hundred yards daily. Once re-established, the undead that advanced into sanctuary territory are not immediately and magically ejected ("Because Reasons" is the actual, official reason given). This is where the monsters of the Haven earn their keep. Every day the shield is pushed back somewhere, and every day the monsters fight back the tide of undead.
The second layer of defence is the unique abilities of the monsters themselves. Each grouping of creatures has generally fortified their own areas to a large degree. The Minotarus have built a vast maze in their area, the Centaurs patrol the edges of the woods and plains, the gargoyles have taken up a part of the high, rocky hill that passes for a mountain and built stone mausoleums upon which they sit until needed. Some races have banded together to build small monster fortresses.
The third and final layer is the heart of the Haven. This is where the monsters that had young or mates that need protecting brought their vulnerable ones and it enjoys the strongest of protections. The war isn't even visible here unless the attack happens very high up or at night. Here is where one sees the wonder of the power Lungarfiliax holds in this place. Monsterous offspring play together and the stress and fear of the war seem to melt away. Farms dominate this inner region and raise all manner of crops like grasses, molds, and even some livestock like humans and gnomes. At the center of it all is the Dragonthrone. Or the Glowy Rock of Destiny. Or the Thing We Must Never Ever Eat. It is here that Lungarfiliax personally rules and governs in an effort to keep everyone alive.
No one is buried here. If the fallen can be eaten, they are. If they cannot, they are burned. If they cannot burn, they are brought before the dragons who summarily Disintegrate them. Resurrection does not work. Neither does Teleportaion for more than a handful of yards. The Cabal have cut off both from the world. Anyone buried inevitably rises again in the Cabal's service no matter how holy the ground.
So, who wants to come and play?
Well, this is super interesting(moreso than even the interest check made it seem).
Question, just for curiosity sake: Are the various powers that be(gods, archdevils, demon lords, etc) silent? Dead? Missing?
The gods are still granting spells, but divination has gone a bit wonky like they're distracted or something. Also, you're monsters so there aren't many of you who can participate in the "how are the gods these days" poll.
I'm trying to come up with ways to produce a Moonlight Butterly-esque creature that looks like a giant butterfly and is physically weak as can be, but has powerful magics. Just, you know, not as much of a joke as the actual moonlight butterfly.
This begs the question about the Hellknight template. Where they become undead, but refuse to submit to a "patron" but are instead fueled by their own motivations. Just wondering since we're talking about adding templates.
Good point.
YOU CANNOT BE UNDEAD. OF ANY KIND.
Any undead are inevitably, within a day, controlled by the Cabal regardless of how they came into that undeath. No exceptions to this rule have been documented or even observed.
Does the monster have to be on d20pfsrd? There are a few that I am considering that only exist in the back of AP books. The Mirror Man construct is one of them, a CR5 intelligent construct.
Thinking pixie.
I also accept monsters on the Arrives of Nethys or Paizo's own PRD. Remember that you need to concoct a compelling reason for your creature to be there, so being naturally and unchangingly loyal to a Jadwiga might pose a problem.
I'll be doing the Half-Celestial Blink Dog I discussed in the interest check.
shout out to Vrog Skyreaver, still interested in collaborating?
@GMChoon: the 'static feat' racial add on says 'picl a feat with no pre-requisites' - would you bend that to allow a Blink Dog to take Dimensional Agility with that? It has a prerequisite (that you be able to use DDoor or something equivalent) and since every Blink Dog ever can do that it seems quite logical... would that be ok or shall I just take more natural armor? :)
Still interested, tentatively thinking of a Hive Warrior. The whole "can't speak" thing is going to be interesting.
Do the options extend to outsiders like Angels, Archons, Devils, etc? That might make advancement easier, since they’re explicitly capable of being transformed inton higher-ranking celestials as they gain power. Starting as a Kuribu angel then advancing to Choral, then Balisse, etc would be pretty cool.
But In the Company of Unicorns is also an idea I’m strongly considering.
Yes, outsiders are available and will advance like dragons, but they still have very little to do with each other and live on (and defend) opposite sides of the refuge.
Keep in mind that, if you choose to pick something that advances into different forms or ages, you will probably not get much between one form and another, making it more and more dangerous for you up until you grow.
If I pick the elemental assault racial trait for my dragon, which (if any) of my natural attacks does it apply to?
If I pick the elemental assault racial trait for my dragon, which (if any) of my natural attacks does it apply to?
It would apply to your claw or unarmed attacks.
Hmm, I guess Flail Snail hasn't been done by paizo, so Ill work up a Kamadan (displacer beast knockoff).
This looks like fun.
My idea so far is for a Lichen Leshy with the advanced template (cheesy but I want to remain a Plant). He'd have developed a taste for undead flesh.
Also, how long has the current situation in Haven existed? Could a wyrmling conceivably have hatched since Haven was put under siege, or do that happen recently?
This looks like an excellent time to play a bugbear
Also, how long has the current situation in Haven existed? Could a wyrmling conceivably have hatched since Haven was put under siege, or do that happen recently?
The current status quo has lasted 7 years, so yes, sure!
Can the 1 RP modifiers be used for ability scores?
Yes. Just be sure to explain why you're the best of the bunch at that thing!
Would you be willing to entertain the gelatinous cube idea using the texts we were discussing?
Yup!
I am considering submitting an old treat of mine that has been redone with the ' In the Company of Treants' material. Believe it or not, I think I can actually give him a good backstory, something that I have yet to see for a treant! He will definitely have a desire for vengeance against the Cabal but, even moreso, a desire to protect what little remains of his beloved grove.
I will be going with a blighted fey quickling. Working up a reason for being with the group.
I am an Advanced Dark Stalker. Backstory coming soon.
I'm a little bit disappointed. I got most of Mossbeard's massive backstory typed up and when I hit submit, it went poof. :( I think that's a sign to give it a rest for tonight and finish up on the character tomorrow.
Long story short on Mossbeard: he was the guardian of a grove of dryads and was on patrol when the Cabal came. When the screams began, he ran as fast as a treant can back to the grove, only to find the dryads bound to their trees and burnt alive. A vampire used some dark magic and brought them back to unholy life, which made Mossbeard fly into a rage. He wiped out most of the undead, but could not kill the vampire, who scorched him with flames. Instead, he impaled the vampire with a piece of one of the dryads trees. As more undead approached from the distance, he hastily tried digging up the dryad children's trees, in whom the young ones had hid. He managed to get three of them dug up before the undead appeared and fled with them through the burning forest, shielding them with his body. Once he reached the edge of the forest, he could go no further and promptly fell unconscious.
When he awoke, he and the dryad saplings were at the sanctuary. One of the dryad children by the name of Moonblossom was perfectly fine and her tree had acclimated to the soil in the sanctuary. The others were not so lucky. The one known as Violet was burnt beyond all recognition due to her tree catching on fire and perished soon after they arrived. And the last, known as Dawnpetal, was sickened by her tree being unable to acclimate to the soil. Mossbeard remained by her side until the last leaf fell from her tree. Since that day, the treant known as Mossbeard has been torn. He craves vengeance, to grind the undead to dust and to find and finish the vampire who destroyed all he knew by staking him and watching him burn as the tree-mothers did. At the same time, he knows that it is folly and his inevitable death would mean one less defender keeping the tide of darkness from sweeping in towards his Moonblossom, whom he loves above all other things, the sole piece of his life from before. So he chooses to stand vigil.
That's a very condensed, poorly-written synopsis of Mossbeard, but I hope the basic idea appeals to you, GM! If it pleases you, do give me some feedback on him. I should have his actual backstory, told from his perspective, up later. For now, I have stayed awake about 3 hours too long and am about to retire to bed after I finish this snack.
Can we take levels instead of hit dice?
That's a conversation I'm gong to have with my party. My initial thought is no. If you take class levels you pretty quickly become a, let's say, rogue first and a monster second instead of primarily a more powerful monster.
This seems like an fun idea. Dot : )
Hmm, I guess Flail Snail hasn't been done by paizo, so Ill work up a Kamadan (displacer beast knockoff).
I would like to submit Imixallan, a very young brass dragon working for Lungarfilliax. Her job is to be an interpreter and scribe, as she speaks many languages. She has been tasked with liaising with various groups in Sanctuary and keeping track of their resources, needs and capabilities. She is very fond of clever puns and retorts, which often leave her mouth before she has time to think whether or not they would be appropriate. For that reason, some people find her obnoxious. When she's not working in her official capacity, she spends her time poking her snout in other people's business, or sketching various scenes she comes across throughout her day.
Half-Umbral Dragon Wolf (Dire?) is calling my name, or maybe a Unicorn with the same template? Shadow-corn? I think I can do this...
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Here's the submission for Vito, Alacritous Quickling! He'll be the super- fast scout who can hold his own in a fight- I think! I do have one question: I'm going to keep this Template regardless (because who doesnt want to play the quickest Quickling to ever live?), but the Template does grant me 3 feats that the base Quickling creature already has (Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack). Is it possible for me to swap those out with other feats? Just let me know. Thanks!
links in the character page
Sorry, Vito, but your template is not from Paizo or the "In the Company Of..." books and is therefore not allowed. I'm sorry if I didn't make that clear before, but I am restricting Resources to those sources.
*Cough* Bestiary 3 *Cough*
Oh nice, thanks. I was looking at the 3pp one stupidly.
Use the stats of the monster you choose modified by your chosen template applied after the race builder points have been applied.
So race -> RP -> template
I was thinking about a Church Grim who carries a little pouch of dirt from his yard around his neck as that would be exceedingly flavorful but Church Grims are from Tome of Horrors and thus 3pp.
Ive nearly gotten my Flail Snail built, but was wondering about languages. How are we going to handle that? Can we take the standard language quality which grants common for 0 RP, or are we all just going to be roleplaying communicating by other means?
I'll assuming you all have developed a way to at least basically communicate with each other.
GM Choon, I present to you Gladis, a sea hag with a mean streak the size of Conquer's Bay, and reluctant protector of The Sanctuary's waterways.
Thanks for submitting! However, you need to change your RP. The requirement is 2 1-point alterations.
Seems fun! Will have to consider what monster I like. Obviously, I want something with intelligence, since playing an animal with only instincts, or an ooze, would be strange (though, I have to admit, maybe fun).
Thanks for submitting! However, you need to change your RP. The requirement is 2 1-point alterations.
I will fix Gladis tonight.