GM Mason's Rise of the Goblin General : The Ironfang Invasion

Game Master Eminem80

In the war-torn nation of Nirmathas, far from the battlefront, the sleepy little town of Phaendar is rocked by the sudden appearance of an overwhelming foe! The heroes must flee their homes, saving whatever friends and supplies they can, as the monstrous Ironfang Legion and their insidious General Azaersi begin carving out an empire of monsters from the dregs of Nirmathas and Molthune alike. The heroes must guard their band of survivors in the wilderness, challenge a troglodyte tribe for safe haven, and face the brutal bounty hunters dispatched to end their flight to freedom!

CLOSED RECRUITMENT - INVITATION ONLY

Character Creation Guidelines:
-20pt buy
-3 traits, one should be a campaign trait
-900 starting gold plus the gear you currently have should transfer a character from Hollow's Last Hope. 1000 starting gold if you start over.
-Classes: All except Summoner or gunslinger. No Psionics. Please avoid "broken" combinations.
-Races: I would prefer core races. If you have another race that you are interested in, let's talk about it.
-Alignment: Preference goes to good and neutrals. You should be motivated to help people.
-Level 2
-Hp max on lvl 1. On gain, half +1.
-Let's talk should you want to use 3rd party content.

RP is encouraged! As a GM, I reward RPing and creativity!

I'm looking at a 1 post minimum a day even on the weekend if possible (more is encouraged if you are able). Please post in discussion if you will be out of pocket for a bit. Real life happens, but it takes 5 minutes to let your fellow players and GM know not to wait. I will DMPC during combat after 24 hours.

Background:
Please submit a crunch and a developed backstory. Adding a physical description and motivations would be nice. I highly recommend the Player's Guide. Briefly detail who you are, why you're in Phaendar (if you transfer from Hollow's that will be established), and what you want from life.

Here are some archetypes the guide recommends, but they are just a suggestion:
• Archer (fighter) from Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player’s Guide
• Bandit (rogue) from Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Combat
• Beast rider (cavalier) from Ultimate Combat
• Green Faith marshal (inquisitor) from Pathfinder Player Companion: Heroes of the Wild
• Guerrilla (rogue) from Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Intrigue
• Herb witch (witch) from Heroes of the Wild
• Holy guide (paladin) from Pathfinder RPG Advanced Class Guide
• Nirmathi irregular (ranger) from Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Magic
• Scout (rogue) from Advanced Player’s Guide
• Skirmisher (ranger) from Advanced Player’s Guide
• Trapper (ranger) from Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Magic
• Voice of the wild (bard) from Advanced Class Guide
• Wild child (brawler) from Advanced Class Guide

Just double-checking...are you okay with unchained rogue?

Just double-checking...are you okay with unchained rogue?

This is invitation only. If we have someone decide not to join, I will open up recruitment. Thanks for your interest! I will let you know.

PS: I actually love unchained rogue, so I am open to it should things work out!

Nazard wrote:

Just double-checking...are you okay with unchained rogue?

This is invitation only. If we have someone decide not to join, I will open up recruitment. Thanks for your interest! I will let you know.

PS: I actually love unchained rogue, so I am open to it should things work out!

Sorry. I read everything twice but still missed the blue text. PM me if you do get a spot. Been wanting to play this one character in this one AP.

From your other campaign: Khaz Dourblade, upgraded to lvl 2:

From your other campaign: Khaz Dourblade, upgraded to lvl 2:

** spoiler omitted **...

How do you get to 23 HP?

1st:
10+2+1
2nd:
5+2+1
Total = 21 (I am probably missing something) Nevermind...It is the unstoppable Dwarf trait (toughness). You had it as listed as unbreakable... You should actually have 25 HP right? 21+3+1?

Abilities: 10+2+3+2+5-2=20 Check!

You can add a campaign trait. We can tweak the fluff if it doesn't fit the current character.

Who is carrying the partial wand of CLW? Fergal?

How do you still have so much gold (470) if you bought a MW Weapon (+600) and Armor (+150)? I know the tools were from the boon. By the way, we will RP out finding the tools in the mines!!!! There is also another nice Torag deal for you coming soon!

I like the way you have organized everything. Let me know about the above. I am probably missing stuff. Cheers!!!

GM Mason wrote:

Nazard wrote:

Just double-checking...are you okay with unchained rogue?

This is invitation only. If we have someone decide not to join, I will open up recruitment. Thanks for your interest! I will let you know.

PS: I actually love unchained rogue, so I am open to it should things work out!

Sorry. I read everything twice but still missed the blue text. PM me if you do get a spot. Been wanting to play this one character in this one AP.

No problem. Will do!

From your other campaign; here's some thoughts:

I enjoy Arun from an RP perspective and I'd like to keep him thematically similar to how he is today, although he'd benefit from some tweaking to make him more relevant to the AP we are about to start.

I have in mind to shift him from an illusionist to an Enchanter with the Animal Whisperer campaign trait. This means he'd bring some useful skills to the team (Handle Animal, Kn Nature, future crafting ability) plus the ability to use charm and compulsion spells on animals. I'd plan to keep his blacksmith background intact - I like the way it synchs with Khaz.

Secondly, looking afresh at his current profile I see I somehow screwed up his ability point total when I changed it before. Sorry about this - it'll be in line with a 20-point build for our existing module when I finish tonight. I'll post a level 2 Arun here as well, assuming he survives the Dwarven ruins...

MW weapon is only +300, right? I'll also update the HP, thanks for catching that

Also I'll take frontier healer for the campaign trait. Will make up for some of the lost casting ability, and I've updated that in my profile. I'll also double check the numbers on gold.

MW weapon is only +300, right? I'll also update the HP, thanks for catching that

Also I'll take frontier healer for the campaign trait. Will make up for some of the lost casting ability, and I've updated that in my profile. I'll also double check the numbers on gold.

Dooh! I was thinking double weapon. Sorry!

Perfect trait for Khaz!!

Ta da!

Basics completed. Spells, kit, and a mount yet to be entered.

All comments gratefully received.

Looks good. If you go sin magic (enchanter), you have to give up necromancy and transmutation. I'm not sure if you have already decided to do that or not.

Sorry for the delay, horrific sickness bug today, I'll spare you the details.

I was planning on shelving Av to be honest, he's turning into something I didn't necessarily intend and I fear its a one way street. That said a plan is just a plan, if everyone is so very keen on him I'll give it a try.

My new plan was a cavalier, luring cavalier to be specific, a LN scout type, maybe with a beast rider or emissary archetype, order tbc. He is a Kellish soldier operating as a vanguard to an advanced force (maybe take leadership later) investigating a military threat. He would be a man of few words but not surly, he is a very strong team player that I think would fit well with this group. I thing trapfinder would fit on him in his capacity as scout so that would open up options for others.

Let me know what you think?

Matt

So, I'd considered possibly making Fergal into a hunter, but I am not sure. I think I might just remain as a plain old Druid and see how it goes. I like his personality and what I want to do with that, but I am less tied to the mechanics. That said, I do want to make sure he's properly able to contribute to the group, so if anyone has any suggestions or feelings on the matter, I am open to them.

Well, we have a wizard for arcane. And we have 1.5 front liners. A luring cavalier would give us some ranged firepower, and if he could handle traps then all the better. That works for me.

As for Fergal, both hunter and druid would work. Especially as this module will have us outdoors alot. I don't know the mechanics of either well enough to give any good advice though, besides go with whatever feels better to you. I'd lean towards druid, if for no other reason than consistency, though.

If you go sin magic (enchanter), you have to give up necromancy and transmutation. I'm not sure if you have already decided to do that or not.

Already noted. I'll miss the 'mend' and 'message' cantrips, but little else.

A question on kit. You said 900gp plus existing kit for carried over characters, 1000gp otherwise. I've redone Aren, and he's exactly the same apart from his speciality, his spellbook, some ability scores, some skills, his learnt spells, his traits, and one feat. And I tweaked his background. And his beard's a bit shorter. Is he still the same Arun?

He's a bit like 'Trigger's broom' .

GM Mason wrote:

If you go sin magic (enchanter), you have to give up necromancy and transmutation. I'm not sure if you have already decided to do that or not.

Already noted. I'll miss the 'mend' and 'message' cantrips, but little else.

A question on kit. You said 900gp plus existing kit for carried over characters, 1000gp otherwise. I've redone Aren, and he's exactly the same apart from his speciality, his spellbook, some ability scores, some skills, his learnt spells, his traits, and one feat. And I tweaked his background. And his beard's a bit shorter. Is he still the same Arun?

He's a bit like 'Trigger's broom' .

Yes. Just add 900 to what you already had. We will purchase the new gear at the start of the AP.

Thanks for tweaking the background! That works perfect!

Hi Marshall - I have a paizo-forum question for you...

How do you get a particular campaign to appear in the 'campaign' tab of a character's page? I ask because otherwise it's a pain to track through the 'posts' tab to find the campaign pages.

Until yesterday I used to have 'GM Mason's Hollow's Last Hope' as a campaign on the page of 'Arun Smithson', but it seems to have dropped off.

Also, I'd like to add 'GM Mason's Rise of the Goblin General : The Ironfang Invasion' to the page of 'Arun Smithsen', the second level iteration of Arun.

Is this something I can do, or is it only you who can do this for your campaign?

Thanks
Tim

For the new campaign, i need to add a gameplay thread and let you dot it. I'll do that tonight if possible.

For Hollow last hope, just dot the gameplay thread with the new character once. I.e. Just post "." in the thread.

It should be automatic, when an alias posts in a certain campaign gameplay thread then that campaign is added to their individual campaign tab. The campaign tab for your main profile (so AbyssDancer for you) should list all the campaigns that any of your aliases are involved in. This is how I used to keep track of my campaigns.

That said the system is not bug free. I say 'used to' because a few of my characters simply dropped out of campaigns, the campaigns were not listed in their campaign tab, nor in my main profile.

Now I use the online campaigns main page (paizo/community/onlinecampaigns) you can 'focus' this so that only threads you have read or posted in are shown.

The forums are quite complex if you've not been using them long, I'm surprised no-one has made a how-to guide somewhere.

Sorry if that got a bit wordy...

Well that's annoying. No listing of the 'GM Mason's Hollow's Last Hope' campaign on the page of my main avatar, or that of Arun (despite 'dotting'), or even of a new character, Arin, after he dotted too.

I'm no further forward and I've made it look like my PC has a terrible stammer.

Presenting Bahram Alhazred, noble Kelishite

Need to pick a teamwork feat and decide if he's LN or LG

He'll stick to the outskirts of fights, moving at full speed whilst loosing arrows. Stabbing anyone who gets too close with those same arrows. He switches to sword and board when ranged is not available.

I'm still working on typing out his story.

Let rip...

[edit]GM, I've taken the liberty of taking the Trap Finder trait as a campaign trait. Let me know if this is ok to take, and if so can it count as my campaign trait.[/edit]

Presenting Bahram Alhazred, noble Kelishite

Need to pick a teamwork feat and decide if he's LN or LG

He'll stick to the outskirts of fights, moving at full speed whilst loosing arrows. Stabbing anyone who gets too close with those same arrows. He switches to sword and board when ranged is not available.

I'm still working on typing out his story.

Let rip...

[edit]GM, I've taken the liberty of taking the Trap Finder trait as a campaign trait. Let me know if this is ok to take, and if so can it count as my campaign trait.[/edit]

Nice build Louxman - like it. So we have a Cleric/Bloodrager, an Enchanter, a Druid, a ranged Cavalier: just Sariel and JP yet to chip in...

Hey GM I've finished my build. Let me know what you think.

I assume that we will have some downtime between Falcon's Hollow and Phaedenar to level up and equip. During that time, Arun will spend his time and money buying and copying scrolls: 200gp on purchasing scrolls, some time and 90gp copying them to his spellbook (taking 10 on the spellcraft rolls), and 300 gp scribing some fresh new scrolls.

At the end of all this, he's much more sinful, has a horse to ride, and a sash full of scrolls ready for all challenges...

Hey GM I've finished my build. Let me know what you think.

I assume that we will have some downtime between Falcon's Hollow and Phaedenar to level up and equip. During that time, Arun will spend his time and money buying and copying scrolls: 200gp on purchasing scrolls, some time and 90gp copying them to his spellbook (taking 10 on the spellcraft rolls), and 300 gp scribing some fresh new scrolls.

At the end of all this, he's much more sinful, has a horse to ride, and a sash full of scrolls ready for all challenges...

Sounds good, but somehow y'all are going to have to convince the crazy Dwarf that the ghost didn't want him to explore the vault!

Or, could we just leave it that Khaz insisted in going off alone, and came back...changed? I think that's what he was hoping for, from a charactr dev perspective. It need not spoil the vault for later, if we might return there - maybe he took a different turning? If that is what Khaz had in mind, it's a cool way to segway into 'new Khaz'. Whatya say?

Whatever you prefer.

So Paladin + Druid + Khaz up front, Zen Archer + Cavalier raining arrows from behind, squishy mage in the middle? Sounds good. Thanks for being flexible Sariel.

Is there anything else we're missing? I think we're ok on most things now.
Let's go!

Bahram is not a back line archer so much, he'll be hooning around at full pelt on his horse.

Any thoughts on what I should grab for my tactician trait?

Distracting Charge/Intercept Charge/Ferocious Loyalty

Tough choice. The first two seem very situational. Does the third have a racial prerequisite you don't have?

If you are to be circling the action, firing into it, then I would suggest swap places. This would enable the whole party to maneauver in melee to our advantage eg protecting injured or immobilised PCs, protecting non-melee PCs from threat etc.

Given that we have two archers and your class feature grants the teamwork feat to all of us, the best would be Coordinated Shot, but you don't have Point Blank Shot.

On that note though, doesn't the absence of Point Blank Shot + Precise Shot limit your effectiveness as an archer? After round one, if everyone is in melee, you'll be at -4 to all attacks for the entire combat.

On that note though, doesn't the absence of Point Blank Shot + Precise Shot limit your effectiveness as an archer? After round one, if everyone is in melee, you'll be at -4 to all attacks for the entire combat.

And you won't be able to rectify that until fourth level. That's a lot of arrows at -4...

Fergal is all set for level 2.

Mason, just FYI, with his 900gp, I bought a suit of leaf armor, and a darkwood light wooden shield, with some left over. If you have an issue with that, let me know and I'll adjust.

Fergal is all set for level 2.

Mason, just FYI, with his 900gp, I bought a suit of leaf armor, and a darkwood light wooden shield, with some left over. If you have an issue with that, let me know and I'll adjust.

No problem. Check into the discussion thread on the AP please!