Welcome to the Lonely Coast!
First order of business is for you guys to create a profile and finish off your characters. Feel free to ask me anything thing you have questions about on this thread. We'll be starting in the village of Swallowfeld in early winter. This is also a chance for you to make any changes to your character’s background and talk to each other about how your characters might know each other prior to the start of the game.
For example:
Wilf, Mitran and Wulfric are all local, and likely know of each other or even grew up together.
How long has Tomi been here? How ingrained in the local culture is he? Has he been welcomed into the mainsteam, or is he on the fringes?
Lomenvilesse, the rumours of the lady all pre date your “fall”? How much do you remember of your life as a fey? Any specific thoughts about how you contracted zombie rot? My one concern with your background as written is that it doesn’t read like a 1st level character. Any thoughts? I’m fine with you not knowing any of the PCs initially – I’ve got a good “in” for you once the game starts.
Those of you with animal companions etc. nows the time to flesh them out a bit.
Finally, I’d like to take a vote on how you want to handle level advancement. I like using pre-set levelling points, with hero points used to replace story xp awards, or we could use regular the regular xp system.
I'm thinking I need to change at least one of my feats. Flanking Foil isn't as good as I had thought, and if others are interested, I will make it a Teamwork Feat.
What options (unusual in nature I mean) do we have for animal companions? I was going to do standard bear, but if there is something more fitting, I'd be interested.
As for level advancement, I'm a fan of not using XP, as it tends to be to abstract anyways. If we're doing hero points, how many do you want us to start with?
Likely start with 1 - your characters are marked by fate, but haven't done anything heroic at this point.
Edit: As for animal companions, given Mitran's rural background I wasn't considering anything outside the norm. How unusual did you have in mind?
How do you feel about additional traits at the expense of a drawback (non-negating).
EDIT: Should I make an alias for my bear?
huzzah and hello!
in my imagination at least, Tomi has been on the lonely coast for only a short period of time, say 6 weeks at most. though he has come in the most part for his own pilgrimage into the wild, he will have spent some time in town and is friendly, likable, and generally helpful so is probably reasonably well tolerated, if not completely accepted yet.
he spends extended periods in the woods, a wonderful new phenomenon for him (all the trees that is) so woodland characters may have come across him there.
you may recall i had proposed taking the pilgrim trait, but he has come to discover more about his spirit guide rather than to worship at an altar - not sure how attached to the fluff on that trait you were :)
mitran, i had said previously i was interested in teamwork feats, but this character needs a couple of basics to get off the ground so im not sure i'll have room for them in the first couple of levels. i dont often play non-humans and im missing the bonus feat already!
as for xp, or lack of - im not fussed either way.
Hey, Wulfric reporting for duty, I should be able to complete my alias tmrw pm (gmt). I'm easy about xp or whatever, however you prefer. I will have a think about how I might know the others. I might be up for some teamwork feats as it would definitely suit the character, but mine is quite a feat heavy build. Certainly not quite yet anyway.
Ok, let's put the Teamwork feats on hiatus, at least for now. I kinda need feats for Dodge to up my AC, anyhow.
Mitran is 20 (or about if we need to change that). How old is everyone else? I ask, because if Wilhelm is 40 or something, it's unlikely that they would know each other.
Howdy. I'll stand pat on the build. I have Wilf down as 18 years old. It suits him as the lone shepherd who mostly avoid the town folk. We'll need to decide if the characters who he knows were nice or mean to him in his youth. He's not one to hold a huge grudge, but he won't be talkative to people he has no reason to like.
I think it would be feasible for Mitran and Wilf to be friends. Mitran would actually be proud to be friends with a shepherd, a person who must live off the land and actually do work to survive.
Hi guys
Re: Drawbacks: I'm not a fan - won't be using them.
Mitran, if you want to create an alias for your bear go for it, but its not necessary. Its really just a style choice. Regarding your background, I'd like to switch the murderers of your father from goblins to half-goblins (a setting specific humanoid) if that's okay with you.
Tomi, reflavouring of "Pilgrim" is fine. Something like: Tomi's totem guide had led him on a circuitous path to the Lonely Coast, then fell silent. He has spent the last couple of months meandering through the region, directionless, until he heard mention of the priory of Cymar. His totem guide soared once more and Tomi knew that must be the next step of his journey.
Wilf, I like the idea of you, Mitran and Wulfric having a positive pre-existing relationship ( its one of the reasons I chose you three). There will be plenty of NPCs that could have been less than kind for you to meet, plus the other two party members will have to earn Wilf's respect from the ground up. But this at least establishes a baseline of trust to establish a group around.
I'd like to start game play on Monday if everybody's ready by then.
sounds good to me, on all counts.
Half-goblins is fine, I think I actually meant them anyways.
Ready when you are.
Like having some small group of people he actually liked.
Here is my alias for Wulfric (not all filled in yet, by a long shot), sorry for any confusion with my other alias.
I have demoted him down to corporal as that seems more realistic at 18. So yeah perfect age to already know Wilf and Mitran.
I figure he hasn't been in Swallowfeld for a couple of years due to his soldier training, but would know them from early childhood. I see him as the sort of kid that would have been popular because of his strength and confidence, but always prepared to stick up for the right thing. Maybe Wilf and Wulfric could have had a bit of a fight at some point, Wilf won (Stronger and more close in fighter) and they have since become good friends/sporting rivals. What do you reckon?
Not sure about Mitran, I think my lack of knowledge nature, survival and handle animal probably rules me out of the childhood friend role, maybe Wilf? And I know Mitran through Wilf?
Anyway I will fill up my alias tonight and should be ready for tmrw.
P.S. is there a way to favourite this thread so I can find it easily?
I just made a bookmark in my browser.
Forgot to comment on XP method- I tend to favor leveling when it suits the story. It saves on accounting trouble. It's what I do when I GM.
I could see Wilf being the sort to become friends with a rival. He's not really a very proud sort, more humble really.
Click the little "+" in the top right corner of any post to favorite it.
Also, once I create the gameplay thread tomorrow and you post in it, that thread will automatically appear in the "Campaigns" tab of your profile page.
Which reminds me, for those new to this format - once gamplay is up and running please only post there with your character's alias... it keeps the characters tab less cluttered.
Updated my equipment a bit. Got him some hide armor (likely a bear he killed) and a few basic things he'd need to be a shepherd.
I've been meaning to ask. Do you have a preferred story telling method? i.e. Third person narrative, or first person, etc.
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Ha, funny you should ask! Third person present tense seems to be the norm around here so I'll be GMing in that( but I find myself slipping back into past tense regularly).
Use whichever you find most expressive.
Also, I want to use roll20.net for maps. Anybody already have an account or experience using it? Anyone have concerns?
Personally I like to use google docs for my maps. It's much easier than roll20 (which I also use for when I have to run my home game online sometimes). Roll20 is rather harder to get everything set up IMO. It also has a lot more functionality, but that is stuff you won't need for just doing maps.
This is an example of the maps in google docs.
Ok cool, that should make things easier.
No ideas about the map software, I have never used either.
Alias now completed I think, although I left the year of the raid that inspired Wulfric blank.
Wulfric is all good to go!
Sorry, it's been a hectic couple of days. On her being level 1, depending on DM plot I could see her having been weakened by whatever corruption is out in the wilderness. Or, or maybe combined with, long absence from the Primal World has slowly been robbing her of her powers over the years. As in, the tales of her abilities are mostly based on the early years (or decades or centuries, even) but now she's little more than a normal mortal. That would give her even more reason to adventure, trying to recover a fraction of her old power.
Awesome, we've got everyone on board! Some house keeping points:
* Just waiting on completed profiles from Tomi and Lomenvilesse.
* I'd like players to update their alias's so that character info is displayed under their character name. This makes it easier for me to find oft used character details very quickly. You can include it in the race or class field of your alias' profile
Info should include:
Race|Class|HP ?/?| AC ?(T?/FF?)|CMB +?; CMD ?| Saves Fort , Ref , Will| Initiative +?, Perception +?, Sense motive +?, Bluff +?
*Here's the link for our roll20 maps: MAPS N' STUFF
If you don't already have one, go ahead and create a roll20.net acct, and check in there to make sure everything's working.
*Regarding skill checks: Sometimes I'll call for specific skill checks, other times I'll make them in secret to mask results, others I'll make for the group to keep things moving along ( no need to lose a whole day or two waiting for someone to make a Knowledge: plumbing check). Similarly, I'll make a bulk initiative check for all involved at the outset of any encounter.
Other than that I think we're ready to begin. I'll connect gamplay and put up the first post this evening.
All sounds good, roll20 account set up. I can't change my alias until Wednesday as a bit difficult from my phone, but will do then.
Her sheet is in progress here. I'll get a profile up for her asap. She's nowhere near done, but she's got stats, skills, feats, and spells. As long as the first scene isn't a fight she should be okay to play.
This is Lomenvilesse's alias.
Is there a reasonable way to at least view the map from a smart phone? I've used roll20 a bit, but usually have access to a computer. That said, I should be fine even if it's not possible to view it on my phone, it'd just be convenient.
Sorry I couldn't see a map either, I just thought that was the account area and no map was set up yet.
As I understand it, if you want to use roll20 on a mobile device, you need to pay for it (I know my buddy had to pay for it to work on his iPad).
Yeah read their site, $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year for use of roll20 site on a mobile. Reckon I can get away without paying for it, but if I start slowing the game I will.
No, no, I don't expect anyone to have to pay. Let's try it but if it's slowing things down ill switch to google docs
Okay, gameplay is now active
5 on diplomacy, hah. no doubt the mayor will struggle to take a halfling seriously :)
Heh, that's it Tomi, get the bad rolls all out of the way early :>
Forgot to mention earlier; if I move on from a scene before you're done with it, just preface your post with Earlier or some such, and we'll work it in.
And that is from the guy, who as a wannabe summoner should have the highest charisma! Oh dear!
I hope throwing names in as needed is ok, just trying to make it fit.
Also guys hope I'm not stepping on any toes, I just figure that Wulfric would start taking charge and trying to get the problem sorted. I can always tone it down if you think it needs it.
Doesn't bother me. Wilf is certainly no leader, unless you folk happen to be sheep.
I keep imagining Wulfric as Sturm of Solamnia.
I'm fine with your character taking charge, just Mitran might find being ordered around frustrating. Though, I don't think you meant that.
I'm assuming that Mitran has known/known of Wulfric well enough that trusting him with some gold is a good idea. If that wouldn't be the case, let me know. Either way, I'd just assume let him handle the money.
Pirsma
Epithets: The Wanderer, The Librarian, Emerald Queen
Symbol: Open Book set in a Wreath
I like the comparison, but I hope to try and play him a little more, ends justify the means. Might even have to have Wulfric grow (or try to grow) some moustaches! As for the frustration I think that could get interesting, although I kind of figure that Wulfric, would just as easily take orders, he is only a corporal after all.
How do we want to keep track of gold? Divide it up evenly? Or 1 person hang on to it? Or some form of communal pot and share the rest? I knew I should have pushed for more! ;)
Have I got that right? The tracks led west and Cymer is west too, right?
Yes, Teague tracked the culprit to the western edge of town, then lost the trail as it entered the woods, in the same general direction as Cymer.
Tomi, the retcon is fine.. So, is the party purchasing Biscuit the mule or saving their 10 gp and sticking with Chaser the pony?
Mitran, thanks for the extra info on Pirsma. I'm surprised you noticed that was up there! I still want to do a little domain tweaking so that Pirsma and Magni don't overlap quite so much, but mostly because I'm a completest and like to tinker, not because I expect it to affect the game in any way. :>
Will will skip buying the mule since he's really quite cheap by nature. They don't really need both, and he can so go with a backpack.
I will have only limited internet until Sunday night, so bot me as needed.
The domains aren't really important for my character, just as long as Pirsma doesn't become the god of terror... hehe