Maybe he'll run a couple of tablesSeems like some really quality entries with still more time to go. It'll be interesting to see the final result"Aye. I'm afraid I'm with Owl on that one. There's TOO many quality entries."
If I have learned anything by this thread, its that a week is too long of a recruitment window for these boards. XD
20+ applicants is much to sift through.
It is not bad. When I did recruitment for the Temple of Elemental Evil a few years ago, I think the recruitment was less than a week and I had over 40 applications. It really depends on the campaign, some are in great demand (Way of the Wicked for instance), others not so much (perhaps a 15 point build homebrew from a newbie DM).
I have not read all the submissions, but usually there are a few that get axed immediately, poor spelling/grammar, bizarre ideas, characters whose background would be fitting for level 10, not level 1, things like that. There are usually 2-3 that just stand out. So, it comes down to perhaps 10 for the last 2-3 slots and as a DM you try to create a cohesive party and characters that you think you will be able to work with, and who will be around, for several years, hopefully. It is these last few that are hard.
Any pbp DM knows that even the best submissions and players can turn out to be duds, or end up having to leave, that is just the nature of the game unless you have sufficient players to make your own party with people you actually know.
As far as running 2 tables goes, with 1 or 2 exceptions, I have rarely seen a single recruitment split into 2 tables work well. Usually the DM gets burned out, or he is selecting characters that he would otherwise have dropped, usually for good reason, as the players/characters do not work in the party or end up going AWOL.
you have a point
As far as running 2 tables goes, with 1 or 2 exceptions, I have rarely seen a single recruitment split into 2 tables work well. Usually the DM gets burned out, or he is selecting characters that he would otherwise have dropped, usually for good reason, as the players/characters do not work in the party or end up going AWOL.
Totally true. hence why I suggested that if the DM gives his ok, someone else who may be interested in running a game could also open a Savage-Tide game, as it seems to be in high enough demand to warrant it, and he already did plenty of work adapting it to pathfinder and gestalt.
(Basically I was just trying to say: If there's so much interest in it, it's a pity all that work was done and only a small group will get to enjoy it)Naturally, if someone else gets to open a table with this, they would run their own recruitment phase, but possible allowing people from here to carry over their applications as the specifics stay the same(campaign, gestalt, etc.).
But as said, I am aware it's wishful thinking to hope for a second table, no big illusions there.
Will
Not sure if i made my Will Save to disbelief.
I would 100% be willing for someone to snap up any of the characters that I wasn't able to fit in because of party size or major role overlap. I would love to run a second table, but I am currently rather busy, and I think anything more than one table as GM and one PbP as a player might be a bit much for me. I suppose I could see how time intensive the single table is, but I wouldn't hold out too much hope.
About 9.5 hours left! Once the submission period ends (midnight central), I would like for everyone who has submitted to PM me 4 names; your characters name, and your top 3 favorite other characters. While the final choices will still be my decision, I would like your input on which characters you would choose to bring with you. It may influence me if I'm on the fence between two characters.
Almost at the finish line, folks!
So as to not confuse anyone, Pazzel S'Ninikoff is going to be a monk/rogue. He is only starting with monk/swashbuckler for background and mechanical purposes.
Current Subbmisions:
Angelena Chillfist Monk(Four winds monk)/sorceror(elementalist sorcerer-water)
Illyan Sobachesky Magus(Bladebound)/Bard(Arcane duelist)
Abroshtor Zazzle Gunslinger(Experimental Gunsmith)/Alchemist
Ingo Hawker Hunter/Shaman
Flynn Arionne Fighter(lore warden)/Swashbuckler
Pick me
Owl Bard (Archeologist)/Slayer
Ila Indigo Shaman/Arcanist
Xoruk Ironmaw Bloodrager (Primalist)/Oracle (Spirit Guide)
Yago, Pit-Dog barbarian (wild rager/Drunken Brute)/alchemist (vivisectionist, ragechemist)
Taryk Tarkanon Sorcerer/Wizard?
Jinji Nobaru Alchemist/Wizard (Universalist)
Abraham Maedrhos brawler/investigator (empiricist)
Zog Blood Drinker Brawler/Summoner(Blood God Disciple, Synthesist)
Vanessa Stronghart paladin (oath of vengeance, warrior of the holy light)warpriest of Iomedae
Rabi Wizard/Rogue
Tolas Answith rogue (knife master, scout)/summoner (first worlder)
Saria Adura Monk (Zen Archer)/Inquisitor
Flynn Rampant Swashbuckler/Magus
Gerhard Dorn Alchemist (beastmorph, vivisectionist)/Fighter
Malzii Oracle (Stargazer)/Summoner (Spirit Summoner)
Pazzel S'Ninikoff monk(underfoot adept/maneuver master)/rogue(filcher)
Abroshtor Zazzle Gunslinger (Experimental Gunsmith)/Alchemist
Durr, forgot I could hit reply and get all the url's.
Lots of good characters. Really looking forward to seeing who gets chosen. :)
Submitting my character before the final bell. :)
I have all the flavor and 'why me' on the sheet and will put spoilers for ease of viewing. Feel free to PM me with any questions!
Zaeos is a sanctified slayer / zen archer, with a touch of heresy.
Zaeos is typical for an elf, standing roughly 6 and a half feet high and thin as elves tend to be. His hair is fair colored, and his eyes are an emerald green. What makes Zaeos unusual is the demeanor by which he carries himself. Those green eyes twinkle with cold cruelty and judgement, the youthful face marred by a constant sneer, or sometimes a smirk. He excudes pride, but also confidence and experience. A simple cloak, hood drawn over his head, is the only notable clothing. His hand, bearing what looks to be a birthmark embellished into a life-like hawk, rests on the well-polished and large bow hung over his back.
Zaeos is renowned for his relentless (and successful) pursuit of his prey. His drive to hunt for sport has soured his love of others and made him a cruel and cold man, but no one will dismiss the efficiency with which the hunter does his work. Once good, Zaeos is now decidedly evil, obsessed and consumed by his need to conquer another challenge in the hunt. Secretly, he desires to hunt his own kind, but has yet to sink to such a low. Perhaps there has simply not been an opportunity. Regardless, the hunter has taken to hiring himself out as both a tracker and a killer. His unnerving skill at stalking his quarry has already earned him some attention, and his pride causes him to continue unceasingly until the job is done and the prey is snared.
Being just past middle-aged, Zaeos has lived over 175 years already, and seen and done much in that time. Once, he was married to a beautiful woman. He sired two children later in his adulthood with her. His life was spent hunting, caring for his family, and working for the priests of Ketephys. Always he was bound to Ketephys through the symbol that branded the back of his hand: the hawk. However, a new love grew in Zaeos breast alongside his god of the hunt, and that was the hunt itself. Giving in to that desire to be victor of the slain prey, he became colder, more absent, and eventually without love.
His beliefs grew into a heresy so profound that Zaeos spent more and more time alone. His disgust for what he saw as his own kind's weakness of character became hatred. Eventually, as all things do, it came to light when he abandoned his children, his wife, and his homeland. He must seek more challenging prey elsewhere, he must perfect the draw of the bow, and he must be the best.
Zaeos, having been pursued from his homeland, has come to make a new home for the time being. Recently, he has done several marvelous deeds that have made him stand out. One boy of 4 years old had been taken by cultists into the nearby wilds. Zaeos managed to lead a group to their location, and the boy was saved, by the skin of his teeth, from some dark occult ritual. Zaeos and his bow personally slew three of the cultists, supposedly with what could only be elven precision. There was also the case of a rare stag, which had been roaming and evading capture for years. Prized by a nobleman from the Lidus family, Zaeos earned a part of his current funds by tracking and slaying the animal. Both of these things, much to Zaeos' pride, have already begun spreading rumors about the hunter. More fame will hopefully lead to a more impressive challenge.
Submission period is officially over! Please send me your top 3 picks for the final party. I will post up my final decision tomorrow, and hopefully start the game tomorrow as well.
What do you mean by top three picks, GM Red Ruin?
"Once the submission period ends (midnight central), I would like for everyone who has submitted to PM me 4 names; your characters name, and your top 3 favorite other characters. While the final choices will still be my decision, I would like your input on which characters you would choose to bring with you. It may influence me if I'm on the fence between two characters."
So, basically send me your 3 favorite characters; this will help me get a feel for how everyone else is viewing the other potential PCs.
I got too excited and sent mine earlier today. My bad. D:
I got too excited and sent mine earlier today. My bad. D:
INSTANT DISQUALIFICATION!
Seriously, though, no worries. A couple of others did as well. I do want to encourage everyone who sent in their choices early to consider Pazzell and Zaeos, as they were both submitted prior to the deadline but after my "hey send me things" message. Of course, consider the early and middle submissions, too.
I have work followed by an exam tomorrow, so I will likely not post anything until 6pm if I finish the test with enough time to whip up a post or two, 8pm if I don't.
I do want to encourage everyone who sent in their choices early to consider Pazzell and Zaeos, as they were both submitted prior to the deadline but after my "hey send me things" message.
I did. Nothing changes from my prospective. ^_^
Right, gotcha. Thanks so much!
I did. Nothing changes from my prospective. ^_^
I do want to encourage everyone who sent in their choices early to consider Pazzell and Zaeos, as they were both submitted prior to the deadline but after my "hey send me things" message.
same here.
Best of luck to everybody!
PM sent!
I did look at the last two. Pazzel was interesting until I saw that he was freakishly hawkless. While I've seen people play characters with such huge handicaps, it's a difficult roleplaying challenge.
My choices stand, though the newbies are ok characters.
Good luck all.
PM sent.
Also sent.
That's actually a fair point, Philo. In the week since I apped and read over everything, I forgot that like everyone chose to have an Osprey familiar! Can I change my votes to include everyone that had Osprey familiars?
I mostly jest. Although I did vote for someone who had an Osprey familiar...
I'd included the halfling, but I don't think my character would get along with someone who 'hunts for sport', much less does other evil things. It won't cause an OOC hiccup, but it'd definitely be a point of contention in character. :)
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Man, I spent half the morning wondering what exactly was "freakishly hawkless" and how this was a handicap. Now I feel really foolish as I had forgotten we had at least one character striving to be both a hawker and a roc(k)er.
This is what happens when you read all the applications way too late at night.
sent
@Hotaru, I think I missed who was hunting for sport. Ingo only hunts for food. After all, he's got three mouths to feed.
Zaeos is a twist on the stereotypical elf in that he is evil and hunts for sport, but should not be an indication of anything else. He's not a fan of abusing children, torturing for fun, or any other typical 'evil' stuff. He is more of a self-interested character which I consider to be an overlooked kind of evil. He is also lawful and his pride won't let him do whatever he feels like if it jeopardizes his reputation or a job.
Yes, he's not going to work well with Ingo either.
From what I see, Zaeos is barely evil at all. More like LN. Love of the hunt and hatred of his own kind doesn't make him evil unless he acts upon those urges without regard for damage caused. The "Why Me" in your profile shows that he is fully in control of himself and doesn't step outside the bounds of law. He isn't indiscriminately hunting animals just because he likes to. He appears to do it as a challenge and doesn't limit himself to creatures. Sure he takes a brutal, shot first ask later, approach but that isn't evil to me.
Too evil for some, not enough evil for others - the thing is, my mind was pretty much made up, considering utility, activity, and "sympathy".
Really wonder who will be the lucky ones.
That's the funny thing with RPG alignments, everyone has a different perspective.
Personally, about acting without regards to damage caused, I am lawful evil not lawful stupid. And that also sounds a bit more chaotic to me.
Good luck everyone!
When allowed, chaotic evil can be terrific fun. Evil only game is about all you can get into though. Unless easily-distracted is a character flaw. Distract the evil Halfling, alchemist, bomber with something shiny until the big people are done talking. Just don't tell him that. He doesn't like being called short.
That's the funny thing with RPG alignments, everyone has a different perspective.
Personally, about acting without regards to damage caused, I am lawful evil not lawful stupid. And that also sounds a bit more chaotic to me.
Good luck everyone!
aye...i took part in this monster project back then...
told me plenty about how alignments and player knowledge are seen in a massively different way from table to table.
Since then, I see it as "if thats evil to him and cute to me, then maybe it's not that he's not evil enough". :)
live and let live, so to say.
When allowed, chaotic evil can be terrific fun. Evil only game is about all you can get into though. Unless easily-distracted is a character flaw. Distract the evil Halfling, alchemist, bomber with something shiny until the big people are done talking. Just don't tell him that. He doesn't like being called short.
or, you have an overarching goal as evil character. Much like a Paladin that will accept questionable party members to achieve "the greater good".
It's quite possible for a Chaotic Evil Character to BE a team player with a non-evil group, if he has sufficient motivation to stay around.
Chaotic Evil is not stupid or suicidal by default, just takes a lot of effort.
Really I think CE get a bad rap. If you are evil you have a high level of self interest. Being chaotic doesn't mean you are compelled to do something when the consequences outweigh the benefit. Killing some dude in the middle of town might be OK if you have a 6 intelligence, otherwise maybe wait until you don't have 100 witnesses and guards that have more levels than you. :)
In my view, evil is enjoying causing harm to others, or at least not caring how your actions harm others. It does not matter whether it is murder, slavery or torture, it is evil.
Law/Chaos is as it sounds. Either you follow the rules, or your don't. You may not agree with the laws of the land, and choose your own code of conduct, but that would be lawful. Simply disregarding the laws because you do not like them is non-lawful. Whether it is a minor affront showing some neutrality on the law/chaos spectrum, or is a regular disobedience, is dependent upon the situation.
Being a hired killer, whether it is stags or more intelligent marks, is evil. If you are hunting for food, then this is normal and non-evil. If you are just out killing for fun or because you enjoy watching the bear stumble around with an arrow in its hind leg, you are evil.
In other words, a LG person is going to follow the rules, and if the rules are causing problems, will most likely work within the system to have the rules changed. A CG person will ignore the laws, if necessary, to help another. A LE character is going to use the laws to benefit himself and could care less whether the loophole being exploited is going to cause a village to go hungry. And, a CE player could care less about how his actions affect others, or whether there is a law. If he can accomplish it with his sword or magic, then he can do it, this does not mean he will do something stupid, only that when he does move, he has no moral or ethical constraints on how he acts.
PM sent. I did chose on background and possible group composition, in that order.
:) I wasn't worried about you being evil in my eyes. I don't even think that. But to a person who hunts for the survival of many others (using her spells and skills to fill many mouths), working alongside someone who only wants a deer for the antlers is going to be... frictiony. :)
Unless, you know, he doesn't mind her using the rest of it for an actually good purpose. She doesn't need to be the killer to see it used for good. She'll just think he's silly for only using a small part of the animal. :)
.... If he can accomplish it with his sword or magic, then he can do it, this does not mean he will do something stupid, only that when he does move, he has no moral or ethical constraints on how he acts.
I agree with the first part, evil is not just enjoying harming others but also simply not caring if you harm others. You don't have to enjoy every evil thing either. Enjoying say, murder for sport, is evil, but the murderer may abhor slavery at the same time. Or maybe they don't condone evil when done to someone they care about, but don't mind it being done to others. Its what makes each character unique. Even good alignments should have that kind of variance.
I've found that player attitude is more important than alignment. If somebody is committed to the game, then they'll make choices that only lead to dramatic character friction and not destructive friction. I find that good ooc discussion helps calibrate this for a group.
I've found that player attitude is more important than alignment. If somebody is committed to the game, then they'll make choices that only lead to dramatic character friction and not destructive friction. I find that good ooc discussion helps calibrate this for a group.
Amen to that.
Very true. That's why I made Zaeos the way he is. Very easy for some occasional dramatic effect without disrupting the game or party cohesion.
Very true. That's why I made Zaeos the way he is. Very easy for some occasional dramatic effect without disrupting the game or party cohesion.
aye, but don't forget thats a two-bladed sword. Not every player is a fan of in-party friction, be it dramatic or otherwise. Some would do away with it completely, some only like it in specific settings, and others yet think it's something essential to each party.
For me, it completely depends on the party and the setting. Meaning any friction that develops should come as part of the shared experience of the party. So I have to admit, a character BUILT for easily causing some drama/friction effect was not appealing to me, because if it's designed that way, I feel the designer may be too eager to use it that way.
I know nothing about you or the way you play, so please don't take it the wrong way. But it's just that, i know nothing. You could be someone that pulls if off brilliantly, hitting the right buttons, enriching the in-party social interactions. But the person behind that character could just as well be a drama queen gunning for spotlight. Not knowing what it's gonna be because you don't know anything about the person behind makes things risky. Know what I mean?
I am just trying to say, after this talk I may understand what you were aiming for, but when I read it before sending recommendations, it made me wary.
Not that I would have choosen you anyway, seeing how I am a Zen Archer/Inquisitor myself. ;)
Yes, I don't blame you since I didn't choose you either lol.
But I did NOT mean that I built the character to be easy at causing drama. I built him to not disrupt the game or party cohesion. It can be a source of 'dramatic effect', if the group goes that way, but Zaeos can smoothly fit into any 'no paladin smiting evil party members' group with zero drama.
Of course I always found paladins more offensive to party dynamic than evil characters :P
Yes, I don't blame you since I didn't choose you either lol.
But I did NOT mean that I built the character to be easy at causing drama. I built him to not disrupt the game or party cohesion. It can be a source of 'dramatic effect', if the group goes that way, but Zaeos can smoothly fit into any 'no paladin smiting evil party members' group with zero drama.
Of course I always found paladins more offensive to party dynamic than evil characters :P
Well, I'd have to say, that depended on group, for me-
A player that can't handle it can be as destructive being a Paladin as being Evil.
It seems it's just the reason that differs.
If Paladin, he feels justified in it by his code, and feels the game demands him to act that way.=>Feels he has less freedom than he really has
If evil, he feels justified doing whatever he wants, and feels the game does not restrict him in any way.=>Feels he has more freedom than he really has
And in both cases, they tend to argue if you call them out as GM.
But honestly, I have seen more well-played Paladins in mixed-alignment groups than evil characters in mixed-alignement groups. YMMV, of course.
What you are referring to is the immaturity of the players. Which unfortunately spans all alignments and classes. And there is no cure.
What you are referring to is the immaturity of the players. Which unfortunately spans all alignments and classes. And there is no cure.
Aye. It's just that the symptoms of this illness become especially emergent with specific combinations, as those we reviewed above.
either way, it was nice chatting with you a bit. Sorry to GM for highjacking the thread for this, but i'm off to bed now, busy day tomorrow.
So in closing, let me say it again: Best of luck to everybody.
@billybrainpan: you are right, of course. As said, sorry for highjacking the thread, I would not have done it if i had expected it to turn into a conversation, just one thing led to another. Apologies.
This is a very juicy conversation, and an important one, however I think it's crowding up the recruitment thread. Could I direct you all here to continue your discussion.