GM Rednal's Mark of the Chosen (Inactive)

Game Master Rednal

@Rednal: I'm stepping out because of the "solo" thing of the campaign. I apologize, I didn't notice it before; I just prefer campaigns with other players. Have fun you all though :)

Hmmm, I think I see where you are coming from. I'm not really familiar with path of war in general so I may have underestimated...

Let's see:
I could drop Warder for a core replacement with an eye for flexibility over DPR. Maybe a Slayer switch hitter or Martial Master Fighter.
I could apply the True Professional archetype and restrict myself to non-combat feats from it. That might render some class features unusable but what I'm really after there are the Skill Unlocks and talents the provide more.
I could replace Investigator with a full caster or Promethean Alchemist, which would trim off some immediate combat skill for an interesting companion

So Rednal, any questions on Verthandi?

Whoops, looks like I mistyped sense motive. It's +5, not +56.

@Han Del: Path of War is basically "Wizard-style Martial Arts". You have a set number of powers ready at any given time and that determines what you can do, higher levels equal higher powers, the works. In general, Path of War classes are better than stuff like the Fighter, offering an excellent blend of power and flexibility. This is wholly intentional, by the way. The point is that any Path of War class should be ENTIRELY sufficient for combat damage, and I'd rather not see that added to with other class abilities. I WOULD accept a voluntary restriction if your build idea really wants those classes - for example, "I cannot use Sneak Attack the same round I use any Stances or Maneuvers."

@Philo: I keep thinking "Belldandy", for reasons people who already know will understand. XD Let's see... we won't be using Hero Points (you're Mythic, you don't need 'em), but other than that, seems pretty solid.

Rednal,

Are dragons a thing in this setting? Are they anything special and/or unique?

Asking specifically for historical reasons.

Reposting, cuz we literally posted a minute apart, and I'm sure you just missed this.

I'm glad somebody got the reference. :)

@Monkeygod: Yyyyes, I just missed that.

In general, dragons are rare and unique beings, with each race being quite small in number (probably no more than a dozen individuals at any given time). The huge majority of them live beyond the limits of civilization, but they occasionally visit the lands of lesser creatures for reasons of their own. (So, yeah, figure the maps read 'Here Be Dragons' at the edge. They're not kidding. XD)

They do not fall into the traditional 'chromatic is bad, metallic is good' format, either. Dragons can be any alignment, though most trend neutral.

The most public dragon is Garnet Verath, a very old red dragon who's claimed a kingdom, calls herself the Dragon Empress, and usually shapeshifts into a humanoid form because it's more convenient that way. XD She's actually pretty nice... uuuuuunless you try to seriously mess with her 'hoard' (i.e. her entire kingdom), in which case her usual response is to burn the offender until even the ashes are gone. o_O She's actually pretty fond of people otherwise, though. Especially kids.

Dragons in this game are not sleepy monsters waiting to get killed by adventurers. They're more mythological-level creatures. Don't expect to face any in random encounters, or to have a "go kill the dragon and protect the village" sidequest. The average person might see one fly overhead once or twice in their life, but that's about it. XD

(A PC, of course, will probably get at least one interesting meeting. Probably not a fight, though, unless you do something horrifically stupid.)

Are all the various types present? Chromatic, Metallic, Imperial, Primal, Outer, Esoteric?

Yup. Of course, Chromatic and Metallic are the ones that interact with human society the most. XD The others live even further away and generally have even less contact with people. Some flavor text may be reflavored - for example, there's really no Astral Plane or anything, so Astral Dragons wouldn't live there.

Also, how old is humankind as a race?

They have several thousand years of recorded history. Beyond that, only Anax knows for sure...

Alright, taking stock...

Martial:
Discipline and Maneuvers
Sneak Attack
Studied Combat/Strike

Skill:
8+int ranks
Inspiration
Skill Unlocks

Magic:
2/3 psychic magic

I am pretty front loaded on DPR at the moment... How about I drop Warder for a Lore Warden/Martial Master Fighter and apply the Eldritch Scoundrel rogue archetype?
That would replace the PoW stuff with increased combat versatility but not strictly DPR and add a second track of 2/3 casting while trimming off some sneak attack dice all while not losing my skill monkey stuff.

How much time is left? I am working on a dex based Wizard/Rogue/Fighter. Who 'left' his posh rich world to go adventuring and will join the emerald scarab. Still writing the backstory though.

@Eckart: At least a week, probably more.

@Han Del: It's your character. XD You decide.

Grr, I was hoping to force a decision out of you because I am too lazy to

"When son and father turn their blades against each other.. What promises still have meaning?"

Hoshi bears a family heirloom, a masterful kanata with a curious gem on its pommel, cricket inside amber. It is a blade he had always looked forward to having passed on to him, when he was ready. But now, Hoshi bears it only to seek for answers.

Hoshi had always thought his family honorable, of good standing, of great service to their lord. He was trained in the arts of war and the arts of peace so that he might uphold the family's name. He assumed the training in the arts of the ninja was so that he would not fall prey to those same arts.

But when he defended himself from a masked assailant in the middle of the night, a harrowing battle in which he just barely slew his attacker, Hoshi was shocked to find his father dead by his own hands. More mystifying to Hoshi than his father's attack was how he had won. Hoshi's father was far stronger than him by all accounts. Such a victory was no fluke of luck, but a purposeful sacrifice on his father's part. But why? Why didn't he say anything?

Throughout the house, Hoshi's retainers were dead, but the heirloom blade was not responsible for their deaths. Hoshi tracked the one responsible down, someone from the mainland, someone with the tattoo of a prisoner. This battle was similarly unenlightened. But now Hoshi had a lead, and the trail lead to Balareth Prison..

Classes- Something along the lines of Ninja (Skiiiiillll poiiiints...), Something Samurai/Warlord-ee (I think there was a Eastern flavored Warlord Archetype in the new thing) to have a combo of fighter-eeness and commanding allies, Something else. Was thinking maybe Kineticist flavoring it as an alternate type of ki powers. That'd provide a little bit of magic flexibility.

How Hoshi Handles Problems- He's currently in a state of shattered trust, a loner and outsider hunting answers. As such, he would be unlikely to take the mantle of a leader up until some dramatic moment pushes him. Hoshi is an honorable soul who seeks to preserve life and culture at heart, but he's really shook up at the moment, and trusts no one.

You stated you didn't like characters who just stealth past everything. That's fair. However, I always enjoy pulling a heist, outwitting superior foes, and maneuvering around environments in unexpected ways. I think of this character as a ninja first (at least until he has a triumphant return to form as a leader, which could happen sooner rather than later if I read the mood of your song inspiration well enough. :P). I was wondering if we could work together to do stealth as more than just "I roll my stealth check." or "I turn invisible and walk past them". Really make stealthing an interactive experience of "Alright, you hear someone opening the door in front of you, and you're in a featureless spiral staircase. How do you hide?" "Uuuuh, I press myself up against the wall beside the door. Then, as soon as I can, I slam the door into the someone, hopefully making them fall down the stairs!"

If you're not up for that, no probs, cool. But if the idea piques your interest, I can start on seriously attempting to stat/crunch and refine this first draft background.

@Illia: For reasons (yes, plural) that will become apparent in-game, stealth isn't a good thematic match for what's going on. It is useful enough to invest in for the occasional challenge that has using stealth as a way of resolving it, but a stealth-focused character simply won't work.

Development Update: I've completed the development of the game most of the way through Part Three (each Part is roughly a Level), and I know exactly what I'll be doing for the next part. I'm also trying to add multiple options as frequently as I can, which gives you (as the player) a real say in deciding how things turn out.

There's still an overall plotline to follow, of course, and some bits are a bit more linear than others... but if I wanted to control EVERYTHING, I'd play by myself. XD Player Agency is important.

(I'm also making heavy use of the Tome of Adventure Design, which is far more amazing than it has any right to be. o_O)

Sounds pretty awesome Rednal!!

Despite not being restricted to their official alignments, are the dragons more or less similar in personality and temperament?

Some are, some aren't. XD A lot of general interests remain the same (Time Dragons remain interested in Time, Bronze Dragons like the few righteous, adventurers they meet, and so on), but negative personality traits (those that'd lean them towards evil) tend to be toned down.

Except for the possessiveness when it comes to their hoards. O_o That's in full force.

How are you handling the favored class bonus? And would I gain anything different or extra if I took the Fast Learner feat?

Alright, I've got regular access to a good keyboard again, I'll be shaking out my builds soon enough.

Just to make the Dot official(and to get a post in here for quick referencing from my profile), I'll link up the current draft of my submission, Kassandra Medley. (And please note that I even took care to already put it into that format you like)

As I have mentioned, I still need to do all the backgrounds, I got the rough outline in my mind, but need to put it into writing, too.

One thing I have not seen asked(or failed to find the answer: Is drawback for extra trait a thing?)

PS: Regarding my capability and willingness towards Long-Term involvement, we already had that talk. I could simply link there, but yeah, I'm in for as long as it will run. :)

@Monkeygod: You get one FCB, as normal.

@Mordred: Yes, you may take a drawback for an extra trait, but it might not be wise - having ANY penalties can be more inconvenient in a solo game because nobody else can compensate for you.

Understood.
I was only looking to get a "cosmetic" drawback like Family-Ties for a equally "cosmetic" trait.
The one free trait, I felt necessary to spend on making Disable Device a class skill(I still maintain it's an oversight that Archeologist does not gain it...but then, the bonus to perception is unconditional, too, so I won't complain).

It's not a given I'll use the option, but it's good to know what one can work with, thanks for the quick response.

As an Archaeologist, I assure you, I'm crap with traps.

Would you allow the Weapon Expert Unchained Rogue with the Bloody Knuckled Rowdy and Urban Bloodrager, with a bit of Oracle. I was thinking the Clockwork revelation, if it's not thematically inappropriate for this game - you know I like my disabled characters who still kick ass.

Loose character idea so far is that they're a member of the Fifth Inqusition who a survivor of a previous, failed mission and has, through grit and faith, put themselves back together. Fighting style will be Unarmed Blows combined with throwing weapons for range.

Weapon Expert seems fine. The others should be permissible by default, so... XD

Cool. Is the Clockwork Revelation OK? Mostly in terms of it's theme.

Kobold Press'? Should be fine. Clockwork isn't super-prevalent in this world (unless I decide to make a nation filled with it or something - even I don't know EVERYTHING that's going to show up yet! XD), but it does exist.

Thanks. Now...back to the Inquisition Soundtrack. Thanks for getting me re-hooked on that, by the way. Just when I was getting clean I wanna go build a human warrior and romance Cassandra.

It IS a pretty inspiring song that way... XD

(Although I could never get into romance in the DA games. o_O The characters, while often fun, just don't appeal to me that way.)

And in other news, I'm about halfway through the last of the major sections of Part Three (so, about 90% done overall with that bit). My goal is to be finished through Part Four before recruitment ends. ^^

Oh, I love the romance options. They're a lot of fun.

Anyway, Delasoul is complete, bar a few possible tweaks.

Should have crunch done today or tomorrow as well as story.

I have a few quick questions.

Would you allow the piecemeal armor variant? If we're using ABP, the magical enhancements become less of an issue, and it's personally a flavor thing; I visualize your typical military field commander wearing something between chainmail and half plate.

Would it be reasonable to assume there is a fully-Elven metropolis, or at least a high population density in a human one?

Not (necessarily) related to the above, could we be from the kingdom "owned" by the dragon? You mentioned her possessiveness over her "hoard;" I could see her allowing people to come and go freely, or equally, locking down her borders save for trade.

I'm creating an Elf. As such, the character is older than the four organizations presented. Would you prefer the PC not have any interactions with them, save the minimal "just joined" feel given by the traits, or could she have been a member for decades, just having little in the way of advancement?

Thanks!!

1) I'd prefer to stick with standard armor, since piecemeal can get a bit weird. That said, you can visually flavor it however you'd like as long as the stats are the same. (If you say your armor is old and patched together with the odd mismatched part instead of being shiny and new, I'm cool with that.)

2) It is reasonable to assume there is an elven metropolis somewhere, yes. ^^

3) Yes, and if you're chosen and picked from there, I'll provide some extra notes to help you establish your character a bit better and understand the quirks of your ruler.

4) Your PC should have no more than four years of experience with any of the groups. Though, the latter two are older than you might realize... XD Notably, your chosen group is assigning you on a mission as their first major test for you - the idea is that you've somewhat proven yourself already (by not being Level 1), and this is your big chance to truly demonstrate your skill and commitment.

And honestly, if your character hadn't earned this chance in decades, they'd never be able to earn it. XD Advancement is tough, but not THAT tough.

Here is my finished (I think, a lot of new stuff in there, for me at least) submission. Warren Connery

Please let me know any thoughts you have or things I screwed up. I've tried to be ok at everything and not min max anything. I would probably end up with at least one rank in every skill as between all 3 classes I have every skill as a class skill.

I've been putting together something that's rather a bear on stat blocks, and thought I'd run it by you first.

Urban Barbarian-Archaic Mindchemist Alchemist-True Professional Glory uRogue.

My first area of concern (aside from generating blocks for each combination of ability score changes) is the Alchemist is only a mid-caster in the Spheres system; would you consider that too much a hindrance for a solo character?

Second, I personally don't see any reason why the Glory/TP Rogue archetypes couldn't be applied to the uRogue, as the modified abilities function identically between the two, but I understand archetypes aren't generally applied to unchained classes. Is this acceptable?

Rednal let me do so, so you should be fine.

Well, first of all, it would be more appropriate to say "There is no Sphere Alchemist". Their potion system is kinda sorta totally incompatible with Spheres' system, and I think they're not actually casters to begin with, so... Yeaaaaah. XD

Well, first of all, it would be more appropriate to say "There is no Sphere Alchemist". Their potion system is kinda sorta totally incompatible with Spheres' system, and I think they're not actually casters to begin with, so... Yeaaaaah. XD

Archaic Alchemist Archetype from the Wiki.

Yeah, the wiki recently got a fun-time update. I was tempted by the Monk variant, but it didn't mesh with my current archetpes.

Oh, right, that one. Forgot about it. XD It's newer, okay?

(Actually, in general, I encourage having one full caster, one non-caster, and then one anything-but-full-caster for tristalts. That usually results in a pretty good spread of powers, and stops you from feeling TOO cramped with what you'd like to do. It's ultimately your choice, of course, but this is my recommendation based on quite a bit of experience. It might indeed be a bit too much of a hindrance.)

...

And Jon, you do realize that's a totally different wiki, right? o wo Not an update to the one you saw before?

Yeah, the wiki recently got a fun-time update. I was tempted by the Monk variant, but it didn't mesh with my current archetpes.

This has been my first look at the SoP system. I gotta say, it sounds like I'll like it. If I'm not accepted here, I may seek out a different game that'll use it; I'd love to see how it functions in a game.

Quite well. XD Spheres is not a magic system that's about pure power - it's about ideas and letting you play the sort of caster you want to play. If your idea of a good start to the character-building process includes the phrase "It would be really cool if I could do X...", then Spheres is a good choice for you.

...I did not. Which begs the question - how did I end up on the one with more details?

...You clicked a link I provided?

Probably?

@GM Rednal - I definitely don't have your experience in this realm, so I'll take it into hearty consideration. I'm really rather in love with the idea of wildly-mutable ability scores, and passing up on 12+BG+Int SP per level seems, to me, to be almost as much a hindrance as the difference between mid- and high-caster Sphere magic. Not to mention Skill Unlocks, double feats, and stacking Uncanny Dodge...

Now that I type it out, that does seem a bit twinky. I think I will rework it a bit.

Would the Emerald Scorpion have low level people as 'debt collectors'? I am thinking this is how a not so powerful apprentice might start off once joining.

Still working on my wizard/fighter/unchained rogue. He will have low strength and charisma(12 each as the lowest stats) but high dex and int, average wis and con. As an elf he will use the elven curve blade for dex to damage. With rogue and high int he will have boatloads of skills and literally every skill as a class skill except for heal. The only problem I see is if strength is needed, but hopefully he can have a spell that will fill in. With ABP would you let armour attunement work with a bracer of armour? Or is there a better way I can keep AC good? Or just ignore it and go for displacement/mirror image etc.

Are you seeing any problems with this character?

EDIT: I am also wondering what you would think about reflavouring the swordlord fighter archetype from aldori swordlord to elven swordlord, and using a curve blade instead of a dueling sword (basically an elven version of dueling sword).