GM Jacob's E6 - Everyday Heroes

Game Master Jacob DeCourcey

Hello, ladies and gentlemen. I've been researching Pathfinder E6 lately, and I'd like to start a game. Here are some links to give you an idea of what this game will look like:

Calibrating Your Expectations

Link to Pathfinder E6 Rules

As you can see, the E6 documentation only supports core classes so far, but I'm fine with using others. More material is supposed to be coming out soon, and will probably be released by the time it's pertinent to us.

Now, here's a brief shot of what the campaign will look like:

The town of Rush is under attack!

It was just a regular day in Rush, until the emergency horn sounded. After that, balls of fire began raining down. Amidst the chaos, the sounds of war rose over the wooden ramparts. The militia was called up, and civilians are quickly mustered to evacuate. You have decided to volunteer to stay and defend the town, some of you even watching your families leave you behind. The captain of the guard rallies the volunteers and delivers a quick speech.

An army of Hobgoblins is at our doorstep, and they've arrived in greater numbers than we've ever seen. They even have siege engines. There are bands of orc mercenaries, goblin suicide troopers, and even a troll. We've dealt with hobgoblins before, but never more than warbands and highway thugs. We've certainly never seen them join forces with the other monstrous creatures. We're completely under prepared, and it'll be days before reinforcements arrive. We're not going to win, but we can delay long enough for our families to get to safety. If we're lucky, some of us may even get away.

With that, the battle begins...

Interested!

Interesting. I hadn't heard of the E/P6 before this post.

I suppose this is your own adventure? Is Rush in Golarion somewhere? Can you tell us more about the town?

@Sinvel - I had heard of it, but am just now starting to understand the nuances and draws of it. I've always liked my characters and games to me "realistic." Reading some articles on the subject has helped me "calibrate my expectations" and see that, once you get into the higher levels, there's really no mortal comparison. One of my favorite things about older editions of DnD is that the big capstone ability of each class was some sort of leadership role or structure. E6 ends at right about the place where a character would be considered "world renowned," so it fits well with the idea that the pinnacle of a character's accomplishment is something incredible, but still mortal.

I've seriously considered using E6 or similar rules for a campaign I cooked up years ago that starts out in an amazingly similar way... So I'm definitely interested in trying it out as a player!

Have you got any preferences regarding race/class?

Yeah, this is a homebrew adventure. I've got the basic plot points, but I'm leaving a lot of undefined space right now. Rush is in a basic fantasy world (not Golarion, but no reason why it couldn't be) and is a small town in the middle of the small nation of Perham. The Perham family of nobles is respected, but has little military or economic power. The town itself started as a mining outpost, but grew up as a bit of a trading hub. The entrance to the mines is a few miles away, and most of the surrounding land is farmland. The next closest villages are about 15 miles to the East and North, and the closest major city is about 40 miles north. Rush is not a border town, nor does it house any nobles or great leaders, so the motivation for the attack is unclear for now.

I'm sure you can tell, but I'm fleshing this out as I go along. Any ideas are welcome, and you can feel free to just make things up for character purposes.

@Derek - Races and classes are wide open, and I'll tailor the game to the characters, so don't feel the need to optimize or fill certain roles. Just fire away with ideas and concepts and we'll go from there.

SO very interested! I'm fascinated by E6 games! I'll start working on a worthy character concept!

Although I think some of this game is escapism (or fantasy), and the top tier characters should be able to become beyond what we can envision on our world, I also think the E6 format will be good for PbP games.

Building a character now.
About to start GMing a p6 campaign myself...

@Sinvel - I absolutely agree that having the top tiers be superhuman is great. That's just not the game I'm looking for right now. Basically, when an E6 character is at maximum advancement, he is beyond what any human has ever been, but not by so much that a whole army couldn't still pose a threat to him.

Definitely interested, I'll try and have a concept up before the night's done!

Thank you! Even if I don't get in (and I'm definitely interested), thank you. This concept and viewpoint needs more exposure.

A number of people believe where E6 tops out (level-wise) is also where the most enjoyment's to be had. And while playing in a campaign where you rocket to double-digit levels might be a rush in the short term, that leaves the problem of... well, "where do you go from 'up'?"

Personally, I've always enjoyed the growth process, the journey versus than the destination. Right now I'm in a sandbox game that was opened to starting characters of up to 15th level (we had three tens and a nine right out of the gate) and 25 point buys. I went with a 20 point buy and started my character at first level... and after very modest equipping there was a whole gold and five silvers left in the money pouch.

Why? Because I want my PC to be an "average Joe" and grow into the role. (And I'm happy to say I'm not alone in that; we have a barely 2nd level Oracle as well.) When one has to struggle and fight for every bit of success and recognition -- or even for the next meal -- there's more appreciation of the accomplishments.

What's your stance on third-party material, specifically Dreamscarred Psionics? I've found that a Vitalist Mender is a workable alternative to Clerics for healing, offering less "oomph" but more variety in capabilities. I believe it would be a good fit for an E6 campaign since their capabilities are more "reeled in".

Regardless, color me interested!

Thanks,
Dux

Interested, and Dot.

Thanks for the kind words, Dux. I'm afraid I can't go for 3pp, simply because I can't afford to buy much of anything right now. As a general rule, if it's on d20pfsrd.com, then it's allowed.

Here's a tad more background information for you. This stuff would all be general knowledge to those who live in Rush. Again, a reminder that you're welcome to invent things about the world for purposes of characterization. For example, if you would like to fill in details about any of the other nations mentioned, go right ahead.

Map of Perham

My first idea is for a transmuter wizard. Assuming the re-calibration effect of E6, stats in the 14-16 range should be considered exceptional, no?

I must confess that I've never played a character above 3rd level before. My Society ranger just hit 4th, but I haven't played him at that level yet. Anyway, here's the basic crunch for the wiz:

Guilford Bernhold

Str 11
Dex 14
Con 14
Int 14
Wis 12
Cha 10

Feats: Improved Initiative; Spell Focus (Evocation)

Traits:Focused Mind (+2 to concentration checks); Indomitable Faith (+1 to Will Saves)

Transmutation School

Opposition Schools: Enchantment, Necromancy

I can fill in spells and gear later as needed. With a level cap of 6, we'e only getting 3rd level spells, and with a caster who's not totally dependent on save DC's a 14 Int should be very workable. Also, a 14 Int would be considered quite bright, or gifted, in the real world, and it's not so far above my own RL intelligence to make playing that part of my character accurately too difficult. I like the idea that he's definitely above average in some ways, but not so much that he would always stand out.

I like your approach, Derek. Guilford looks like a fine adventurer. What would he do as a day job in Rush? It doesn't have to be a mundane job, but I'm just curious as to what he does for food money.

How common are guns?

I offer ... Qorinae. Though he features a pretty traditional rogue set of abilities, he is not a thief. He's either a reconnaissance specialist in Rush's army or a scout for hire, whichever is more suitable for the adventure.

I'm thinking that Gil works as a clerk/scribe for a local merchant. He'd probably be learning magic in his spare time, perhaps apprenticing to a local mage during evenings, paying for lessons from traveling wizards, studying any spellbook he can, that sort of thing.

As a general rule, if it's on d20pfsrd.com, then it's allowed.

Your call as to whether you want to leave it that open of course, but Dreamscarred Psionics in general and Vitalists in particular are covered in depth there (it's our local group's "go-to" reference and what I used to build my Mender PC).

I have to dash to work (this is a crunch week for me) but I'll drop you a PM later with an alternate concept for your consideration. I don't want to burn thread space on worthless things, but if you think it's workable then I'll put the build info here.

Thanks,
Dux

I figure I'll start off with some basics and continue on with it as I learn more. He's basically a melee ranger in the town militia. I wrote up a short thing in a new format I'm trying out.

Oh! I do have more interest! I somehow managed to make it so that new posts don't show on my campaign page...I thought no one loved me and I would die alone, but now I see that I'm popular. I feel like the prettiest girl at the prom. Anyway...

@Void Dragon - You can be a gun-user class, but you'll have to have a way to acquire guns and ammo on your own. They're not even yet emergent. It would be a completely unique weapon, and you'd never find anyone else using them. That said, I'm, more than up for having enemies cower in fear before the mighty thunder tube.

@Qorinae - Looks good. Rush doesn't have an army, per se. That's a lot of Perham's difficulty with its neighbor is that it can't field a real army yet. All of the towns and cities are young and fragile, and Rush, being a central town, is even more defenseless. The paltry militia is all they have. As such, you could make a fine living as a traveling scout for hire, since a lot of land is still not fully charted or subdued.

@Derek - Excellent

@Dux - Indeed, they are on d20. Shows what I know. I'm open to psionics, but I don't know squat about them. If you are confident is your mastery of the rules and promise to behave yourself and not exploit my ignorance, I'd be happy to learn more about them for this game. Like guns, however, they would be almost totally unique. You wouldn't really encounter other psions, except maybe later on if I find myself comfortable enough with them to use them for enemies.

@Magnum - Crunch looks good. If I may offer a bit of clarification on the fluff, there is no formal military. The militia has had basic training, but Rush has never actually been attacked other than marauders picking off caravans. That's why everyone is so panicked. The hobgoblins kind of came out of nowhere and starting sieging the place up, so now the militia officers are trying to rustle up anyone who is willing to fight in addition to the militiamen. So, the bit about being drafted and trained is fine, but Rush wasn't a warzone until just now. Just a slight shift is all that's needed.

Now, a summary of completed submissions:

Guilford Bernhold - Wizard
Qorinae - Rogue
Belved Fogharn - Ranger

That sounds perfect, gm Jacob. Q would probably seem far more mercenary than he really is, and tends to favor the wilderness because he doesn't really get people. He comes off as aloof in that elvish way, but people in Rush know he's the one you go to when you don't know what you're getting into. They also know that while he won't work with the law to bring criminals in, he also has his own code of ethics and is not above dispensing his own kind of justice.

How do you feel about a Cavalier? I'm really interested in a halfling cavalier, but want to make sure you're ok with a non-core class.

PMs sent, most honorable GM Jacob.

("Geez, suck up much?" "Can it, Tooley...")

Dux

@kdtompos - Sure thing. We'll have to figure out what to do with you for a capstone ability and such, but that's a ways down the road.

I think I would like to use these alternate rules, if no one objects. They were essentially made for E6 play.

Ah tink it be a great idea. Ah wuld love tae use 'em. I be Void Dragon. Ah am almost done joost a wee bit longah.

Likewise, I should have a strong background up for the cavalier later today.

And I really like the conviction rules and death flag; conviction rules especially as it allows for out of the box thinking if you're willing to take the risk! Very excited about the prospect!

How would you feel about a Mad Dog barbarian from some primitive land, with a spinosaurus companion?

The death flag sounds great.
I vote aye on those rules.

Alright, I think I'll close up recruitment at this point. We've got plenty of players.

Guilford - Wizard
Qorinae - Rogue
Belved - Ranger - Never heard back?
Ralf - Vitalist - Dux's character from a PM
Malakai - Gunslinger
Cavalier - kdtompos - I'm assuming I can count on you to finish up since you've been active thus far.

Even if we lose 2 or 3, there's still plenty to go with, especially since this is homebrew and doesn't assume any particular power level.

Everyone can head over to the discussion page and finish up your character sheets. I'll also open the gameplay thread so that you can dot it and have it show up on your campaigns page.

Whoa! I left that page open for a long time. Jelani, you snuck it in there. Go ahead and put your character together, if you like. I've played in pretty big groups before and they tend to work out pretty well.

This is kdtompos' cavalier. Let me at least get up some of the crunch before the background.

Polo Lochsbrook
Lvl 1 Halfling Cavalier/Beast Rider
Order of the Paw

---Attributes---
Str 14
Dex 14
Con 14
Int 10
Wis 10
Cha 10

---Feats/Traits---
Mounted Combat [lvl 1 feat]

Armor Expert, Indomitable Faith

Ahh, on second thought, nevermind! Have fun guys :)

Aw, I was looking forward to seeing what a Mad Dog could do!

Hi GM_Jacob, I'm a friend of "Ralf", please check your Paizo email for something I sent about the possibility of joining this game. Didn't know about this thread until just now.

Hello all -

As mentioned, I'm a "real-life" friend of the guy previously known (to y'all) as Ralf. I've been involved in RPG's for 30+ years (sheesh - now I feel old!), but don't know anything about PbP. I'd say I'm "somewhat" familiar with D&D/Pathfinder, having played or DM'd in maybe 80 nights of games over the last 3 years. However, that's only 5 campaigns and 3 classes in terms of PC's that I've run.

But I'm familiar with E6 and like the concept, have the time to invest in the longer posts, and like Jacob's attitude "alignment is dumb", "screw the rules!". :)

And from reading just the Discussion banter so far, I like the player's attitudes, too.

"Ralf" (I'll call the player that from now on) suggested that I might enjoy this, so I asked Jacob and he graciously said yes to this late addition.

[This part here is actually a re-edit, made as I was typing all this in. After describing the following PC concept, I looked some stuff up and wasn't very satisfied with the results. So after presenting my initial concept, I have some new comments.]

I haven't gotten any farther with the PC than the basic race/class : a Half-Elf who will be evenly split between Sorcerer and Oracle. I can't take credit for the idea, it was suggested by another friend of mine and it sounded really cool, and I thought that since he isn't in this game...

This will give me incentive to (personally) learn both Arcane and Divine spells, which as DM of a Pathfinder d20Pro-and-Mumble game (which Ralf is in) I desperately need to get up to speed on!

[Actually, I may not want to do the above, having just spent a few minutes looking in to it. I do want a PC that is a primary spellcaster, but the above concept really does only work better as it gets into higher levels - it may be too limited for E6. Neither class would get above 1st level spells (barring E6 mods)!

My other thoughts are : not a Cleric, don't want to step on Ralf's role as healer; not a Wizard, I saw there's one already in the group; not a Sorcerer because he'll never get 3rd level spells with E6. So I find myself a little bit lost, now. Any suggestions?]

[[Re-re-edit : scratch that about the Sorcerer, maybe that's what I'll do! (Thanks Ralf) But still open to other suggestions...]]

Regardless, I'm thinking male, and so young (16?) that he doesn't really *have* an alignment yet. He'll figure out what he is as he makes his decisions.

It might take up to 3-7 (real-time) days for me to figure everything out and get up to speed. Whenever/however Jacob can work him in will be fine with me.

Anyway, I wanted to introduce myself and the PC concept [such as it is now], and get the OK from all the other players as well.

Whatdayathink?

Can't re-edit the last post now, also toying with a Magus. Any opinions one way or the other about this class?

Sounds good to me. I say you should play whatever sounds like fun to you!

Since you're looking at casters, you could still check out the oracle. You wouldn't have to spec it as a healer, per se, but would still have access to healing if it's needed. And oracles can actually be built as powerful front line fighters if need be, or back row boosters. The biggest struggle with an oracle however is the curse, which in E6 would never progress to the point of being a benefit without the drawback.

Saw your update as well, and Magus could fit along the same lines of being able to pack some melee punch but have access to spells as well. To be honest, I've never even played with a Magus before, so it could be interesting to see how that works out.

Again, just throwing around ideas. I have the feeling that Jacob will make this challenging and exciting regardless of party composition, and you should play something that really grabs you conceptually as E6 is far more about building the character than reaching the next tier of class abilities.

Good observations on the oracle class, Polo. Some of the mysteries seem particularly well-suited to combat; metal for example allows you to create a steel weapon with a 30' strike range and 1d8+Lvl/2 damage... at first level! Not too shabby.

As to the curses, some are workable. Lame for example merely takes a human's base speed down to that of a dwarf (and for joint maneuvers that's often the limiting factor anyway). Plus you gain fatigue immunity at L5.

A lot of people dislike Haunted, but I've had a lot of fun with it in the other PbP I'm in. Downsides are: an SA minimum to retrieve a stored item (mostly only an issue in melee), if you drop something it's going to land ten feet away (ditto), and random breezes/sounds/moving objects (which can either be great flavor or a major hindrance -- think "sneak-breaker" -- depending on the GM). For that, you get gobs: Mage Hand and Ghost Sound straight away, and Levitate plus Minor Image at L5.

So I think with careful forethought the curse isn't necessarily a killer, even if you never get to double-digit levels.

(Disclaimer: Tuich is my first oracle ever and she's only into her second week of play, so what do I know...)

Ha, exactly. I play a low level oracle as well with a bit of melee favor, but also opted for the Haunted curse. It's a blast to roleplay, but I dread getting disarmed!

Hrm. Weapon Cord or a Locked Gauntlet, perhaps?

I've been working hard to break myself of the oracle habit lately. They're fairly awesome at any role, and can usually manage a couple of secondary roles pretty competently.

But if you're looking for a full caster (with 3rd level spells in e6), the list is:

Cleric*
Druid
Oracle
Sorcerer
Witch
Wizard*

*These you said no about.
Oracle and Sorcerer are extremely similar to Cleric and Wizard, sharing spell lists as they do. This leaves druid and witch. I'd vote for witch purely because they look cool and I want to see how one actually works in play.

Indeed, a witch could be very flavorful. I've always wanted to play one with prehensile hair hex so that I could whip people around with a wicked mustache.

And yeah, a weapon cord or gauntlet would be a super simple fix. The campaign is in a "stone age" setting, so those wouldn't be available as is, though I suppose it wouldn't take much to fasten a chord from his wrist to his club as long as he's willing to take the time to do so. It's a fun class :)

Will Save: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7    Grumble.

Dude! What is it with you and facial hair, anyway? ;o)

Hah, I hadn't noticed the theme... but yeah, it's a preference now that you point it out.

But can you imagine a curled handlebar mustache that unfurls like a whip when you want to use it as a weapon? That's crazy.

And anyone who runs around with a bear need a beard and flannel, even if he's a halfling. ;)

Thanks for the ideas everyone, but while y'all were typing them, I've been looking into the Magus (which a couple of people have said they'd thought of and/or would like to see how they play). Since I've run a fighter-type (barbarian) and a spellcaster-type (psion [which rocks!!]) before, I was thinking it might be fun to combine the two.

But I'm seriously bummed that the act of casting as part of the Spell Combat package (the Magus' primary ability to attack with a weapon and a spell) provokes an Attack of Opportunity, since you're (automatically) threatened!

I do realize you can make a Concentration check, but missing it wastes the spell completely. And I just crunched some numbers - AT BEST, I'd have a 50% chance or less of *succeeding*, on average! Yuk!

I suppose I could take to casting OR fighting as needed, but he's not great at either one by itself. Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see the point in that class.

So, I guess now I'm leaning toward Sorcerer. Sorry, not interested in the witch right now...

Thanks for the opinions and suggestions, please keep them coming!

I will commit to a class within a day and let you know.