Checking in! The prevalence of 3pp suggests it might be a good idea to summarize what everyone can do.
A few notes:
-Anders, have you looked at Crossbow Mastery at all? Bolt Ace + Rapid Shot means you'll be running those repeating crossbows out of ammo really fast. (Rapid Reload with light crossbows could also do the trick).
-None of us seem to have overlapping spheres. Asim's going to be responsible for unusual movement forms for now, but Barion might be able to help out later. Anders looks like our only significant healer.
What Barion does:
-Barion is a "Katamari mage." He powers up by affecting enemies or allies with his magic, which makes his other spells slightly stronger. I can drop a free totem (allies' buff) when starting a bardic performance, and start a free bardic performance by using a PoW martial strike, so he'll probably mostly open up combat with single attacks that then power up spells.
-Time effects. I've got mediocre haste, it'll get better later (though anyone with real haste has an advantage). Momentum lets me give three free attacks to party members; it's probably worth figuring out who hits hardest, to make them count.
-Ranged attacker. I can shoot arrows at people with my mind. I can also shoot daggers, chairs, tables, goblins, and people. If I can affect enough enemies with my magic, I can also shoot horses and small trees. By level 10, I'll be able to quadruple-wield halberds or giants or horses or whatever.
-Terrain shenanigans. I got lots of telekinesis; this lets me throw objects around the room whenever I attack. You want tables flipped? I can flip tables. Currently, I've got a few abilities that also slow or stop anyone passing through a space. If I get my hands on some polearms, I can also flank anything with anyone in the party who wants it.
-Sorcerer's apprentice. I can turn pretty much anything into a mobile attack-table/chair/whatever. This is my only ability that's significantly expensive, so don't expect to see it too much, but for 2 SP, I can turn four medium-sized objects into mobile attackers, to better control and confuse the battlefield.
-Ranged maneuvers. This is pretty limited right now, but eventually I'll be able to grapple/dirty trick multiple weak enemies at the same time.
-Weirdo tank. Also I can sort of block attacks, if I get the timing right with my masterwork castanets to warp reality through music.
A few quick things:
Oh dang! Forgot endless ammunition was a thing, whoops.
Oh, and @Will: I may be wrong, but IIRC Rednal runs games such that Trap Spotter doesn't actually do anything.
For discussing things!
...One thing to note, Zayne, is that your dwarf friend Rodzin Silverbeard is not the only non-caster who can make magic items in Bard's Gate. It's a wealthy metropolis with an abnormally high number of people with high character class levels. It's not like there's a master craftsman on every street, but there's certainly a fair few present.
Clarification, character is Will Erland. Also still used to level 5 anything being the maximum you find in most cities. Obviously Bard's Gate is very different being a trade city but you are saying there are several crafters of level 7? That's the minimum level. I just want to get a feel for how strong even the mundane NPC's are.
On Social Status: This may not have been written as clearly as it could have, so... your "real" social status is whatever you're willing to pay for, basically. The city cares about money. XD Your "modified" social status is the result after you apply your racial and class adjustments, and it's what people will actually treat you as. So, pick a social status you want to live at, and a district that's appropriate, and I'll give you your housing options.
How much is Lower Middle. I think we established that North Wall would be his residence. Race is Wanderer so -2. Class is an Investigator and Mystic. Mystic is probably on par with magus for a +1 and Investigator is a 0. So I guess that would be an overall -1? Treated as Lower Class.
Oh, and @Will: I may be wrong, but IIRC Rednal runs games such that Trap Spotter doesn't actually do anything.
Does that mean its automatically rolled regardless of the ability or not available? The other option I was thinking of was Quick Study.
Guess I'll add what Will can do:
-No slouch in knowledge. On par with Brother Barion and might be able to eek him out thanks to Inspiration. Aside from that, decent stealth and the ability to Disable Magical Traps. I think I am the only one that can. Not quite on par with a rogue but he certainly has a decent chance. Zero social talents though. 8 Cha really hampers them.
-In combat he will almost always open with Glyphs and Studied Target. I think I will take Quick Study since I can only cover 3 of the 4 of us in one use of the Glyphs. I'd like to hit everyone in a round for two move actions. Options are 10ft extra movement, 20% miss chance, +3 CMD, +1 attack, ignore miss chance less than total concealment, +1 AC, or +3 to CMB and Swim. Lots of options. Studied Target just increase my attack and damage by +2.
-I start with Arcane Shield, Fluctuation Movement, and Clockwatcher. They are all defense or utility. After that, the dice will decide what I can do. I get the rest of my maneuvers randomly and most are short range. Relying on elemental damage for most of my damage. If we run across something with blanket resistance I am pretty screwed.
-Stances are extremely variable thanks to the active element. Main stance provides 2d6 energy damage to all attacks and 10 resistance plus some extra ability. But between the two elemental flux stances I can glow like a torch, constant endure elements, +4 AC, deflect arrows as the feat, increase CMD, DR 5/Adamantium, 1 fast healing.
-Also plan not to prepare any extracts until walking through the gates. 1 min per extract means I can be ready to go in 8 min. Also going to buy a few more once I know how much money I have left. They are also available for anyone. Thanks to Infusion.
What's available in the Market and Docks districts?
Is that for the whole building or just a room? Does apartment building mean I own the whole thing, and can charge rent, or just a room? If a room, why is a house the least expensive of the group? I would have figured a room at a tavern would be the cheapest.
I'll go with a simple, existing home in the Market District then. Makes sense for keeping costs down when short on work, keeps Anders where people and potential jobs are, and he's had no desire to live lavishly lately.
That said... I'm going to pay 600g for my half of a new 1200g home. Anders couldn't bear to stay there when the construction was complete, so he donated it to a family with young children whose home was destroyed during the siege, and he moved to a simple, if slightly run down home (another 800g).
So 1400g total, living in a simple existing home in the Market District if that sounds ok.
Is there anything else important to spend money on before I go buy equipment?
Daaaang, housing is way cheaper than I expected (I had written up as living in the East Docks, but I think I can spring for something fancier, considering I saved 3k for this). What's available in the Old Temple district? It would be cool to buy and refurbish an actual small shrine, so I can have my own real church, for the ambiance.
For the Soul Weaver Bound Nexus ability, is there any reason not to summon the full daily allotment of souls at the start of each day and just keep them invisible?
Sure, but like, his thing is claiming his house is a temple so he can throw up random religious decorations everywhere, not for praying. Also, he's one of the few mercenaries in the city who can tell people they're hiring an entire religious order.
How ruined would a 6k gp "temple ruin" be? (As in, are there generally walls and a ceiling?)
Finally back home from work. I'll set up a character Alias ASAP, likely later tonight.
Anyway as Housing I was thinking about an apartment building in North Wall or some other relatively lower class area. Another alternative would be for him to have used his adeventuring profits to buy some sort of activity in Stable Row, maybe a small tavern something like that, how are the prices there?
As for stuff Asem can do:
As utility shapeshifting he favors taking the form of various animals, from large feline, to small rodents or flying beasts when it suits the need. He can be stealthy by taking the shape of something inconspicuous if needed, he can turn into a large avian creature and hopefully carry someone elses on his back (assuming that someone isn't too heavy). He gets some extra senses that might help too. He can also study a creature he is not familiar with and gain the ability to assume its form, albeit the knowledge would only be temporary. He can't usually copy specific individuals though. He can also share most of those gifts with the rest of the party, but usually at the cost of SP and he doesn't have an huge lot of them.
In combat he is a melee fighter\damage dealer, his most usual battle form is a large feline, with full attack on the charge, rend and trip. He can also act in a sort of area control role, using a mix of trip, combat reflexes and the extra reach granted by the large size. In theory he can also turn into a huge creature, but I don't think it would ever be that practical.
He has some limited enhancement magic, but he is a low caster there, so the uses per day are very low. He can grant a creature its own 'alignment' descriptor, that can be useful to bypass the damage resistance of outsiders he can grant a +1 enhancement bonus to natural attacks or armor and he can make animals sentient for a short while, his buff lasts for roughly 30 minutes, but he won't be able to rely on them much during the day.
He can do some minor form of battlefield control, creating a cloud of dust, or a shaping the earth with the Nature sphere (the other effects would be mostly irrelevant as the save DC would be too easy).
Skillwise, he would have a decent perception, stealth and many nature-related abilities. He has somewhat decent charisma, but on the side of social ability he has no ranks. He can learn languages easily thought, that might help with communication.
I haven't spent money yet, but I think I'll invest what I have left mostly in some boost to his pretty low will save, some strength stat belt or amulet of mighty fists and perhaps some general utility stuff, by the way I'm open to suggestion about those. He would also likely buy a pet at home, perhaps a dog or two to train himself, but he is not going to bring them adventuring.
(Also, Master Craftsman only needs you to be Level 5, and quite a few of the local crafters are.)
But level 7 to get the first magic item creation feat as Master Crafter is the prereq.
So we own these places? I put aside 2500 before buying items to get a better picture of what I would have to work with. Thinking of going with "Storefront with Apartment: 800–1,600 gp ". Something out of the way so on the cheap end: 800. But some minor remodeling to make the "store" an work shop during down time: 1200. This will include a forge, hammer and anvil, desk, chair, writing stuff, test dummies, etc plus a lock on the door. He'll keep his MW artisan's tools here for all his crafts too. I payed for those separately. So half that is 600 plus 200 for the alchemist's lab (+2 to alchemy and like 80lbs so can't carry it). It's the only thing that has a mechanical benefit so I'll pay separately for that. 2500 minus 800 leaves 1700 left to spend. All this good?
Is it true Trap Spotter rogue talent is not used?
Depending on if I have the talents available, I may look into picking up the Conjuration sphere down the road, and gain the ability to more fully summon Kovin as a guardian spirit. With the right talents, he could even Smite Evil...
Also depends on how combats go and if we really need another warm body filling up space or if it's already crowded enough.
Okay, since I'm trying to focus on the "whimsy" part of my character's faith, how about a bar called "The Church of Yidhra?" I can get a two-story tavern in the Temple District, and shuffle a few background skills into bartending or brewing, with the upper floor as mostly personal and/or religious rooms.
Which uh... leaves me like 1.5k gp to spend on miscellaneous items to fit in my hammer-space.
Okay. Think I got all the changes and spent the rest of my money. 111 left. I don't think Will is going to be very frugal unless by accident.
Yeah, it's not exactly in a hopping neighborhood, and I don't think he's going to be a *talented* brewer. But "The Church of Yidhra" is a pretty great name for a bar, and it's probably more about the principle of the thing.
I wound up spending the last of my cash to get mithral armor, but I'm planning to pick up random attack objects everywhere we go.
EDIT: Annnd done, ready to start adventuring. If we need a generic mercenaries' tavern to start in, there are... probably better and more famous ones than The Church of Yidhra
Hehe buying a Ranch could be a nice plan with some extra adventuring money in the future. I like the idea that he would have invested in a small inn, nothing to fancy, but a resting place for traveling merchants (he was after all traveling with a merchant's caravan in his youth), perhaps let's say a 2500 investment (worth 5k right?) something like that.
BBB, for your bar, you could have a specialty drink called Yidhra's Courage or something, where you measure out several very precise quantities of water, put them in a drink mixer, say something very much like a blessing over it, and pour the new contents into a glass.
I expect Yidhra's faithful to end up with results a bit more varied than that spell usually provides, but if you order the drink, you're expected to drink the results, no matter what.
Ah, uh... I don't have access to that kind of spells, I just weapon I've physics. Potentially a special drink is one that's been animated, which sounds very unpleasant.
Well it is Yidhra, Goddess of paradoxes. I expect a lot of kookiness from Barion and, by the sound of it, your character is well on his way. Like this right? Beautiful. So a temple that's a bar and a bartender/owner that can't brew sounds about right. Also, non-divine caster as "High-Priest".
Well, sure. The thing about Barion is that being his own personal holy order means that he can reject any job that sounds unsavory over "religious conflicts," and know that Yidhra will probably be okay with it. I'm just focusing on the whimsy and freedom aspects, planning to play the alignment as "gnome," and hoping that this is the one lens through which I'll be able to get Rednal to let me play a CN character.
Barion's kind of a divine spellcaster! He needs to brandish a holy symbol to cast spells (or else it's a concentration check), he just doesn't actually care which deity it's a holy symbol of. I flavored his casting tradition as a spontaneous cleric, but all of his magic tries to warp properties that might vary from plane to plane (time, gravity, movement)
EDIT: I'm potentially one level away from being able to grapple, disarm, trip, blind or entangle people by telling really good jokes. (Twofold assault/following wake + comedy + rubato shenanigans + telekinetic maneuver). I've avoided this at start so I wouldn't tempt myself to exploit it, but that's how you get maximum slapstick: hit people with rubber chickens so hard they get grappled by their own laughter.
About ammunition: Rednal, how closely would you like me to track ammunition? Every shot? Or only special ammunition? I've added an ammunition tracker to my alias for the ammo currently loaded in my repeating crossbow. For special ammo, I'll probably add a section to my profile with what each ammo clip has loaded.
Do we start at the class of our neighborhood, or lower class? Because if it's by neighborhood, I seem to be starting out as a celebrity.
Okay! Well uh I guess people like me a lot then. Maybe I should flavor my race as a +0 or -1 due to having Arkaji and Drow blood.
Is crafting going to be a thing, then? As a spherecaster I'd need Forge Ring to make wondrous items, because uhhhh that's how it works for some reason, but I can worry about that later.
But do they look substantially different from half-elves? That's what I'm trying to figure out (mechanically, it's unclear).
Mmmk, different GMs treat simple ammo differently so I figured I'd check. I should have some time later tonight to get gear and a full ammo loadout.
That works! I actually went half-drow because I wanted to shore up my bad will save, but didn't want the social background of being from proper elves.
All right, profile is updated, and money is spent. Should be ready to start now, I believe.
Done
Changed my mind about the residence, I was thinking of a farm, with some space where he could use to house some strange beasts he might find during his adventures, maybe do some hound or horse training as a side activity. Would it be fine to spend let's say 4.000 for a large-ish farm, with some more living space plus let's say 5 acres of land (500)?
Anyway I'll think about gear with a 2.25k gold spent in housing and finish it later after work :) Most of the budget is already spent, but I want to see if I can find some nice utility magic trinket.
As far as social class, given that stable row is middle class, but that Asem is an Ashurian and Ranger-ish, he woould be considered Lower class right?
Blessed Brother Barion: SP MP TP PP BP? What are all of those? I am guessing SP is spell points and BP bardic performance but what are the other three?
Music points, Tempo points and Point points, obviously =P
TP: Tempo Points (gained at the beginning of every fight, function like animus, but can also be converted into extra performance rounds, which lets me use one of PoW's "all day"/"resources per fight instead of per day" mechanics to recharge my bardic performance)
PP: Power Points, from taking Sleeping Goddess access via a trait. Mostly, these exist to let me gain psionic focus and take 15 on a single concentration check per fight, which is pretty dang handy as a spheres caster when most of my spells rely on concentration. It also gives me access to psionic feats (which I don't have the free feats to afford) and psionic items, which I might pick up a few of later. If I want to go for "disarm enemies with my comedy" later, that trick will be powered through spending PP.
MP: Momentum Points. I can spend 1 SP to refill this pool (for 1 hour/level). Anyone in the party can spend 3 MP from my pool as a swift action to get a free attack at full BAB (a la haste, but stacks with haste), and I might gain more momentum abilities later. This will probably go in a "party buffs" sidebar later.
* * *
Also done with all the things, in case it wasn't obvious.