Don't post here yet! If I have any changes or clarifications that should have been in the introduction post, they will be here.
First update!
Player numbers and posting rate: I will be selecting a total of Four PCs. As far as posting rate goes, once per day is fine, but more is gravy. I will definitely have days where I can only post once, but I plan to be fairly consistent about when I post. I would much rather see daily consistency in posting than quantity alone.
Campaign scale: First level all the way to twenty.
Deities not represented by a district: The deities associated with the districts are mostly guidelines to give an idea of the sort of life people live in those districts as well as the overall "feel" of said districts, and it is entirely possible for a worshiper of a deity not listed to live in Sasserine. It may even be a goal for said character to establish a church in Sasserine.
"The Cudgel District": The Cudgel District is the Enlightened District under the Campaign Feats, I just forgot to convert the name over.
Taking Linguistics as the required "social skill": Allowed, even when taken without the feat. The main intent is to ensure that even low skill characters can do more than sit there and look pretty when the talkin' starts; Linguistics will enhance the party's ability to talk to those that do not speak Common.
Combat vs. non-combat; creativity: I meant to mention this earlier, but sleep became a priority: I will be cutting out some of the unnecessary combats (ie, a dungeon that originally would have thrown 3 groups of 4 goblins at you would have one larger group of goblins), since combat can be exceptionally slow in PbP. This means there will be a slightly greater focus on roleplaying, and hopefully on creativity in general. If you can use a creative way to avoid or supplement combat, I'm inclined to at least give it a chance of success. An example:
Player: We're on a really craggy, rocky mountain where these guys are attacking us, right?
GM: Yes...?
Player: Are there any rocks stationed above the baddies? I want to use mage hand to start a rock slide.
GM: Oo, good idea; make a perception check OR a knowledge (geography) to find a suitable collection of rocks.
*Player makes roll, rocks fall, baddies die*
Such an example won't work every time, but this sort of thing, in my mind, should be encouraged. "There are no rocks" just kind of quashes any creativity, and the player is less likely to try to think of creative solutions in the future. Not all combats can be avoided, but some can be circumvented or made easier with this sort of thing.
New Feat: This feat is to replace the Cudgel/Enlightened District feat:
Enlightened Intuition
You get a +2 bonus on Sense Motive skill checks. Select any Strength-, Constitution-, or Dexterity-based skill. You may make checks with that skill using your Wisdom modifier instead of the skill's normal ability score. That skill is always a class skill for you.
Tiefling/Aasimar alternate trait chart: I'd like to avoid the alternate trait charts completely. There's just too much variability between the traits for me to want to leave it up to the dice ("get sick around evil" vs. "scaling spell resistence" is a fairly major power discrepancy), and picking and choosing seems unfair to the non-tiefimar characters. Please note that this is the roll 1-100 chart only; alternate racial traits such as Celestial Crusader and variant heritages such as Agathion-Blooded are still very much allowed.
On the use of the Player's Guide: Feel free to peruse the Player's Guide for the general "feel" of Sasserine, but be aware that I will not take it as gospel. I am a big fan of using "Blank Space" as a GM. Blank Space is essentially when an area that hasn't been addressed (ie, asked about by the players), or is non-story relevant is blank, to be filled in as needed. What's to the east of Sasserine? Currently, nothing. If I need to add in a mountain range to suit the campaign, I will. If I need to add in a sinister fey forest, I will. If the campaign would benefit from a unicyle-riding, tutu-wearing race of sentient giant polar bears living just outside the city, I will start trying to wrap my head around the movement speed of unicycles. Again, I will be using the skeleton of the Adventure Path and making alterations as needed to create a version of Savage Tide that is unique in its own ways.
Paladins, and Uncompromising Characters: Forewarning: characters that are unwilling to team up with lesser evils to take down more immediate threats will have a difficult time fitting the themes of the campaign. Characters with at least a touch of moral ambiguity will likely work out better in the long run. If you want to make a paladin, by all means make one! Just be aware that a pure, uncompromising, "kill all evil" character may be a burden on the party, at least in later chapters.
My Incredibly Easy-to-Understand Schedule: In Central Time: Week A I am always offline from 7am-8pm Monday and Tuesday (might have a short break to post around 3-4pm), from 2pm-11pm Wednesday and Thursday, from 11am-3pm on Friday, and from 7am-3pm on Saturday and Sunday. This week is a week A for me.
Week B I am always offline from 3pm-8pm on Monday, 7am-8pm on Tuesday, 2pm-11pm Wednesday and Thursday, and 7am-3pm on Saturday and Sunday. I am completely free on Friday.
So, I will generally try to post in the morning around 5-6am when I work, and at night 8pm-11pm depending on the day. This is somewhat variable, but I strive to always post at least once per day, often more frequently if possible. My schedule will also become a bit more tame in two weeks, when this semester's clinicals end.
Base Attack and Gestalt:Basically, you have two "sides" to gestalt; take the higher side, and that's your BAB. If you have a Fighter 1/Inquisitor 19;Rogue 20, for example, a non-gestalt Fighter 1/Inquisitor 19 would have a BAB of +15. A non-gestalt rogue also would have a +15. As a gestalt, this character has a +15 BAB. A Fighter 4/Inquisitor 16; Rogue 20 would have +16 BAB since Fighter 4/Inquisitor 16 has a +16 BAB.
Timekeeper, the Blind Fate:
Alignment: NG
Domains: Darkness, Good, Glory, and Travel
Timekeeper was once a samsaran by the name of Jishí Yuan. Although born with no sight, Jishí was given the gift of prognostication; his ability to see the future, at least to some small degree, made him immensely useful when he eventually joined the fight in the Worldwound. It is said that he and several other heroes gained power beyond mere mortal comprehension - the exact process of which is a topic of contention - and took the fight to Deskari. Yet, before the final fight against the demon lord, Timekeeper predicted a crushing defeat.
It is unclear what happened next. Some say that Jishí's prediction was simply mistaken, while a current popular myth claimes that the samsaran discovered the physical manifestation of the chain of the heroes' fate and broke off a link, severing the ill-omened prophecy from reality. The heroes met Deskari on the battlefield, and slew him on his home plane, killing him forever; the sealing of the Worldwound was a testament to their victory. It was at this moment that Jishí ascended to his status as a demi-god, and took the name Timekeeper.
In recent years, Timekeeper's worship has gained a small measure of traction among those who wish to escape from the shackles of fate, turning a blind eye to their supposedly-intended future. With followers ranging from nobles who desire an escape from arranged marriages to urchins who seek to escape life on the street, Timekeeper teaches that fate is not set in stone, and carving one's own path - even in the face of great adversity - is the way all living beings were meant to live.
Hiya! Welcome to the discussion section. Feel free to do whatever you want; if you want to make any minor character tweaks, now's the time to make 'em! I'm going to post up the opening scene/introduction in the gameplay thread and link it up over here. I'll post in discussion when it's ready, and you can dot to your heart's content.
^_^
Dotting and a hello to my new GM and fellow adventurers!
I need to fill in the basic information for my character on this profile for rapid access... and will work on the more indepth information later.
Thanks for choosing me :)
Finally. This is one of my favorite characters but has been looked over time and again in recruitment. This will be fun.
Hey guys. I am in GMT so my posting times might be little wonky compared with the rest of you but hopefully it won't be a problem. For example it is now.... 04:18 and my first alarm just went off to tell me to haul myself out of bed and get to work.
Wanted to pop in and say thanks for the pick before I hit the snooze button. Need to make some last minute adjustments to my profi-
Zzzzz
And this is the time I normally sleep. Well, off and on. Insomnia has been a friend of late.
Also, more like Superliminal than Subliminal, Owl.
Heh heh...
I'm PST although I've been a nightowl as of late. Also it looks like the gang's all here. ^_^
Also, more like Superliminal than Subliminal, Owl.
Yes?
Now is the time I should go to bed so I am.
Here is a fairly accurate portrayal of Ila. I found the image in my favorites looking for inspiration for something else... And it fit. :)
A lot less jewelry, and a bit more leather for her friend.
If anyone wants to post something that they would have said before or during any post that I make, feel free to do so! If I ever wind up interrupting a conversation, I have no qualms about going back to finish it. An easy format is this:
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.
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Jack finishes his conversation with Jill.
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Jack responds to the most recent post.
or spoiler the rest of the conversation.
I'm going to go with spoiler tags.
There is now a pictures link in the upper left hand corner, right above campaign info. I'll update it as you meet various characters, and possibly toss a few maps - general ones of large areas, not grid maps - and the like in there as the game goes on.
Neutral good sometimes means literally turning the other cheek. :3
Loving everyone's characters so far, just wanted to say.
Loving everyone's characters so far, just wanted to say.
I second that. XD
I love me!
:p I also am enjoying the interactions. Ila's more interested in watching, right now. While she's welcome most anywhere, she usually uses Diplomacy to fly under the radar for now. I plan to have her stray from that, down the line. :)
I'm afraid I might be a touch slow this weekend, as I have several projects, reports, and care plans due on Monday, coupled with a test. I still expect to post once per day, but may not be able to manage more than that.
Guys, I'm letting all my games know that I'm going on a three week holiday from the 12th May. The chances are I will be able to post periodically throughout that time but it's going to be a pretty packed holiday so it will be time-permitting.
Just giving you the heads up know while I'm booking trips online :)
While we're on the topic of holidays, I'll be at PaizoCon this year. I do not expect to have time to post for that weekend. Tuesday should be business as usual.
More for my own personal reference, but others are welcome to look. Here's the Player's Guide for Savage Tide.
Backup link just in case.
Will post up tomorrow. Exhausted, running on about 10 hours of sleep over 4 days.
In the interest of moving things along, Vanessa, assume that the church will express sympathy towards Vanderboren, but can do nothing. Islaran can legally bar boarding the vessel until payment is given. As there is no writ of proof of payment, it will be Lavinia's word against Vark's, which is not enough to force legal action.
Again, I'll post a more in-depth thinger tomorrow. Sleeeeeeeeep.
OK, I'll look forward to your post in the near future then. ^_^
Jesus how are still alive right now?
Jesus how are still alive right now?
I replaced my blood with caffeine.
In any case, a handful of updates:
Vanessa, you have a shiny new PM in your mailbox.
Three new pictures added to the link: Vark, Islaran, and an image of Sasserine from the sea. I think the last one really hits home with how close life in Sasserine is tied to the coast.
If anyone is waiting on me for something, please let me know! I think all questions are answered; when you are ready to move on, simply have your characters make the decision of where they wish to go next. It looks like the popular choices are Vark or Islaran. That said, feel free to RP to your heart's content before moving on if you have more to say! I certainly do not wish to cut short a roleplaying opportunity.
Had a busy Sunday and will likely be busy again today. I probably won't get around to posting until this afternoon. Sorry for the delay if you were waiting on me. ^_^
Hey folks! Quick update: some important family matters came up (minor hospitalization), and I will need to be away from any sort of computer and thus unable to post until Tuesday night. I'm truly sorry for the delay, especially in the middle of two various dialogues.
It's fine. Partner in crime needs some time off as well, so it looks like you're off the hook... this time. :3
Good luck with the sickness (or equivalent thereof).
So how is everyone doing?
-Posted with Wayfinder
I'm good. Swamped at work, and a bit stressed, but I'm always stressed, so that isn't really a change. You?
I am going to give the World's Largest Dungeon a shot IRL with friends tomorrow.
I'm gearing up for my first trip to the states, three weeks split across New York, San Francisco and Vegas. We fly Tuesday and v excited now :)
Incidentally I should be able to post when I'm away but it'll be occasional.
I'm OK. It's been a stressful week for me too capped off by failing a test by one flippin' question... I can try again on Monday. I'm about to head out to Friday night PFS soon.
@Abraham
Welcome to the States. I've been to two of the three places you'll be visiting. Don't get into too much trouble. ~_^
@Owl
Always wanted to give that one a shot but have been fearful of the potential for a Gygaxian bloodbath. XD
How do you feel about PFS? My group recently started doing it... and I haven't really been enjoying it. I mean, to be fair, the DM is new (and that's why he's using scenarios... plus he wants credit for when he goes to conventions).
Thus far, I feel like it has a lot of things I really don't like. 'Don't split the party' is annoying. Not getting to 'keep' loot just makes it feel so much less awesome. I don't like shopping. And that's the only way to do things with PFS. So... what do?
I think it didn't help that we ran Silverhex to start.
I have a delightfully complicated answer to this in which I will pull no punches.
First and foremost, I started doing PFS about 18 months ago purely for the purpose of achieving complete system mastery. Why? Its because I have aspirations of game design and I want to create content for Paizo. Some of the more prominent names in the business cut their teeth in organized play.
I am not a stranger to the 3.x derivative that we call Pathfinder today. D&D 3e was the very first experience I ever had with tabletop gaming. I've been hooked ever since. However this is the second organized play campaign I've been actively involved in. The first was for 4e, which I got to do some beta testing on occasion for.
Organized play is a different beast if all you're ever done is homebrew games. Understandably, in many ways it needs to be because there needs to be a modicum of standards across the board that all must adhere to. Some of these guidelines that appeal to one person won't necessarily appeal to another. Do I have things that bug me about PFS? Certainly, but my enjoyment of it greatly exceeds the quirks.
Much of that has to do with the awesome people I've met and gamed with with along the way from all corners of the world save for Asia. In my opinion, organized play is more about the people than the game itself.
In your case, it can be a challenge to find enjoyment of PFS with a new GM. It is a different way to game. You mentioned the loot system for starters. To say that you don't get to keep items you find isn't entirely accurate. Yes, everything get liquidated at the end. However, you can buy those items back from the Society coffers if you wish. In truth, you actually end up with double the value of wealth compared to a generated characters starting net worth progressively throughout the PFS characters career.
Although it saddens me a little that you don't like shopping, thus missing out on one of the best aspects of customization. Sure, there are items that are banned for balance reasons. Honestly though, these occurrences are few and far between.
PFS play is probably more technical than most have experienced in home play. I do see the struggle of starting out with new players. I see it almost every time I GM. Heck, it wasn't that long ago that I was doing the same. Things generally are by the book, but the best GMs can balance between being a system master and an improv specialist. Happened to me tonight with my players going beyond the plot. Rather than just saying no, I just changed the intended encounter on the fly. Players felt fulfilled with their decision making and the encounter still happened with none of them the wiser.
That goes into my next topic. Roleplay and continuity. At a glance, it looks like just a bunch of scattered adventures in Golarion. While sometimes that's true, veteran GMs and players are able to put together multiple storylines laden throughout the catalog. It's your story of how you experienced it. Sure, some are dungeon crawls, but there are ones where you need good RP skills too. So while its easy to build that DPR monster, you need to be able to contribute in other ways too. Character balance is key.
I've prattled on long enough. I'll just leave it here with the thought of keeping an open mind about it. I know its not for everyone, but I hate hearing about ruined experiences. If anyone here ever wanted to give PFS a shot, let me know. I'm happy to run games for anyone here.
EDIT: To be fair, The Silverhex Chronicles isn't exactly a very good representation of what PFS is IMO. The Confirmation or The Wounded Wisp are better for starter adventures. The former a little more combat oriented, the latter a little more investigative in regards of a comparison of the two. There's also In Service to Lore, which is good for getting to know some important people and is a balance between Confirmation and Wounded Wisp. It shows its age though in regards that some of the information within is a little dated and no longer relevant.
There is very little in my area in terms of organised play. I've been playing and GM'ing tabletop games for about the last 20 years since I was a kid.
3.x really got me hooked but 4e just diluted a lot of the stuff I love about the system so it was great when I discovered PF and even more so when I came across forum gaming. I'm running two Adventure Path's on these boards, one of which is nearly two years old and is likely going to end up as one of the very few games I am aware of on these boards that have actually run to completion - it's an awesome system for exploring RP which are the parts of the game I enjoy most.
PFS is still something of an unknown quantity for me though. I'd really like to get involved in it in my area but I'm a little wary of the time commitment.
I think I need to spend some time reading up on it because we are sorely in need of a VL or VC where I live.
If you don't mind my asking, where is it that you reside Abe?
South Wales, UK. As far as I know there's a decent PFS network in England but not so much around here.
There is. You've got six VO's in England. I remember spending some time gaming with Chris Manning within the past year before he stepped away for life reasons.
*scans the VO list*
Huh. That's a little surprising that there isn't something in Wales. South Wales to boot. You're right smack in the middle of a dead zone since you got Manchester to your north, Brighton to the south along the coast. London to the west, and there's Dublin, Ireland across the pond.
If you wanted to go the route of being a regional organizer, I could set you on the path. Or you could do like I do at times and go the VT route online. That's how I got my start. Didn't play much at first, just went straight to DMing. XD
It's strange that you should mention that we should be ahead of the curve in terms of money: We have -almost- third level gold and are one experience point away from fourth. The DM has told us we haven't missed anything, I've personally made excellent dayjob checks (diplo monkey with a caravan)... and I'm at 3800. Maybe he's just given us poor adventure paths for monetary income?
Anywho, not much time to post! See you guys around!
Just a reminder guys, I'm flying tomorrow and my posting will be erratic for the next three weeks.
It's strange that you should mention that we should be ahead of the curve in terms of money: We have -almost- third level gold and are one experience point away from fourth. The DM has told us we haven't missed anything, I've personally made excellent dayjob checks (diplo monkey with a caravan)... and I'm at 3800. Maybe he's just given us poor adventure paths for monetary income?
Anywho, not much time to post! See you guys around!
In theory, yes. Gold wise, if you earn normal progression, it nets you about 25% above starting wealth value. If you happen to get extra coin from doing tiers beyond your character level, you'll get more gold. You'll finish with about 40% more coin. If you do dayjob rolls on a regular basis, that will add about another 5% (although this figure depends alot on dayjob checks). There's also special boons that can give you discounted or free items available through select scenarios. Lastly, there's prestige points that you earn throughout the course of a character's career, which by themselves can literally save you thousands in spellcasting services and consumable items.
On a side note, has anyone heard from the GM lately?
Is the DM coming back. I don't think he's coming back.
Is the DM coming back. I don't think he's coming back.
lol
What did you do, Owl?
I am hurt madam. What makes you think it was me? Just because I look conniving doesn't mean I am. That's very close-minded of you.
I'm sure it's best to just give a bit of time. A hospital stint, plus their weighty schedule, means that they're probably incredibly pressed for time. (Though I wouldn't mind if they popped in and let us know what was up!)
Besides, who could abandon such a lovely group of hooligans? :) Our entire crew is far too interesting to just let the world end, yeah? :)