GM Riatin's Rise of the Runelords

Game Master riatin

Ripnugget bats the blade of Garrok away and vaults the throne to land on the back of the oversized gecko. It hisses with menace as it heels to its masters call.

With the speed of a lizard the two shoot forward across the room, Ripnugget jerking hard on the creatures reigns to pull it around in a tight circle, turning to face the battle, he draws a shortsword and spurs the beast on.

Zaf up

Dropping the newly summoned dire rat before the goblin in the corner, Zafzalurg moves to face the closest goblin. The gnome steps up and hurls his dagger at the creature.

Attack: 1d20 + 1 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 1 + 1 + 2 = 19
Damage: 1d3 + 1 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 1 + 1 + 2 = 7

"Attack, Cauliflower!' the gnome shouts to the rat.

Dire Rat
Attack: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 1 = 16
Damage: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Zafzalurg moves to D5 and throws the returning cold iron dagger

Zaf's dagger flies through to slam into the chest of the goblin across the room only to pull itself free and zip back into his waiting hand. Cauliflower, the pet summoned rat flails menacingly at the warchanter still beating on his drum, but its teeth fail to find flesh.

The Chanter picks up the tempo of his drumming, adding in a goblin chant that sounds particularly bloody.

Ithrinniel up next

Nuala tightens her grip on Ithrinniel's shoulder and squawks with excitement as a wolf materializes on the far side of one of the goblins. The elf maneuvers into position opposite the monster. "Checkmate, vile miscreant!"

Flanking Attack: 1d20 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 1 + 2 = 16
Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 4

Wolf
Flanking Bite: 1d20 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 2 + 2 = 14
Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Wolf appears in C3, Ithri moves to E3. Both attack goblin D3. If the wolf's attack exceed's the goblin's CMD, he is tripped.

Hieronymous thrusts his spear in the general direction of the goblin to the north of him. (B-4)

Spear Power Attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11

Damage: 1d8 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14

I never hit nothin!

Ithrinniel and her wolf maneuver like a pack to surround one of the goblins but the little scrapper dodges faster than the wolf or the bookish witch can swing.

Hieronymous gives a powerful jab with his spear but this goblin seems just as wily as the other, dodging the attack and lunging back at his foe with a cut from its horsechopper, but he's able to block the blow with the haft of his spear.

Goblin2@hieronymous: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14

Surrounded, fear creeps into the eyes of the other goblin commando and he attempts to slink back to his comrades after taking a parting slice at Ithrinniel.

Goblin1@Ithrinniel: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15
Damage: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Ithrinniel takes 4 damage, Garrok up

Garrokmal eyes the leader in the corner... Coward. Yelling across the room, he speaks goblin to be sure he's understood. "Coward!"

He sees the wolf and sidles up to the opposite side of the nearby goblin. Like fish in a keg.

5-foot step to A5, attack gob in B4.

Raging Flanking Attack: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (6) + 11 = 17
Damage: 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9

Rage round 2/16. HP 41/45. Ripnugget is up.

Garrok steps forward and stabs his longsword into the goblin focused on Hieronymous and it jumps away from the sword with a scowl.

A second later, the chieftain levels his shortsword at Garrok and spurs the beast forward into a charge.

Ripnugget's Charge: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (2) + 12 = 14

Seeing the goblin chief bear down on him, Garrok ducks the vicious swipe at his head.

Zaf up

Zafzalurg is startled at first when his dagger returns unerringly to his open hand - he'd been quietly skeptical of a weapon actually possessing such abilities. But the shock only lasted a moment, and then he found himself grinning, stepping up for another throw.

Attack: 1d20 + 1 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 1 + 1 + 2 = 7
Damage: 1d3 + 1 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 1 + 1 + 2 = 6

The dire rat also continues its assault...
Attack: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20
Damage: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

"That's the way, Cauliflower!"

The gnome steps to D4 to throw the dagger.

Ready for the knife this time, the goblin ducks as it goes flying through where his head was. At the same time Cauliflower grabs hold of his opposition and shakes violently, ripping away chunks of goblin flesh.

The Warchanter continues to bang his drum but takes one of his bone drumsticks and swats at the attacking rat.

Warchanter's Attack: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17
Damage: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Ithrinniel then Hieronymous

Ithrinniel narrows her gaze and grimaces as she tries to focus her concentration on the Warchanter. "Go to sleep, you bonehead" she hisses, as she begins her hex...

Wolf
Flanking Attack: 1d20 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 1 + 2 = 21
Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 2

Ithrinniel (HP 15/19) performs slumber hex on A1 goblin, Wolf attacks B4 goblin. Hieronymous up.

Hieronymous Blinks his eyes, shakes his head, and gives it another try.

Takes yet another swing at the goblin in B4.

Power Attack Spear: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12

Damage: 1d8 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16

This is sad, even if I did normal attack, giving me a +6 to hit, I wouldn't hit.

The wolf grabs one of the goblin's shoulders and forces him to the ground, ripping back and forth with fang and claw.

Chanter's Save: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12

I have the Slumber save DC as 14? Just making sure

The drum's beat fades as the warchanter slumps to the floor, snoring loudly.

Hieronymous slams his spear through the heart of the goblin still thrashing on the ground. It ceases its struggling and lets out a final sigh.

Just knock em down first :)

The final goblin snarls at the wolf and attacks it.

Goblin attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18
Damage: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

Wolf takes 2 damage, Garrok up

Garrokmal looks Ripnuggest in the eye... "Your friends are dropping like flies. You're next!" he growls.

Intimidating Glare: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (18) + 12 = 30
DC=10+HitDice+WisMod, if successful, Shaken for 1d4 rounds plus 1 round for every 5 that G's roll beats the DC.

Just in case the goblin doesn't drop dead from fear, Garrok also slashes at Ripnugget with his sword.

Raging Attack: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23
Damage: 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12

The sword finds flesh and Garrok grins at the warchief, his teeth still stained red from the chew...

This is sad, even if I did normal attack, giving me a +6 to hit, I wouldn't hit.

I think we're on top of it now, but you're right - we probably could have used the +2 we've been missing from buffs earlier in the fight. All seems well now, though!

Rage round 3/16. HP 41/45. Ripnugget is up.

Garrok shouts his anger at the warchief and for the briefest second you see his jaw drop in fear, but then he grits his teeth for the incoming blow, taking him in the shoulder.

The warchief lashes back flailing his sword at the much larger orc.

Ripnugget's Attack: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19
Damage: 1d4 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7

Stickfoot's Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21
Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6
Grab: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19

The gecko's muzzle clamps down on Garrok's leg, then picks him up.

Sorry for my disappearance, back now. Garrok takes 13 and is grappled. Zaf up

With bodies and Wolves between himself and Garrok, the gnome cannot effectively help his friend, so decides to pursue the goblin before him. Zafzalurg takes another throw. The rat takes a bite at the goblin nearest it that still stands.

The Bard
Attack: 1d20 + 1 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 1 + 1 + 2 = 7
Damage: 1d3 + 1 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 1 + 1 + 2 = 5

The Rat
Attack: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
Damage: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

Zaf is still in D4, and I believe Cauliflower the Rat vanishes just before the start of my next turn (if not sooner). Also, are the electronic dice broken? 'Cause they are sucking for me.

Zaf flings the dagger again but hits one of the column spikes and is deflected into a wall, then darts back to his hand. Cauliflower lunges toward her enemy but disappears as her jaws clamp down.

The Warchanter continues to snore in the corner.

Ithrinniel then Hiero

Realizing that her wolf is going to follow Cauliflower's disappearing act, Ithrinniel turns her attention to the injured. She moves closer to Garrok to assess the gecko's damage, hoping that Garrok doesn't take this as a gesture of friendship.

"Oh, good, it's just a flesh wound." Ithrinniel mumbles, and she begins to speak softly in a strange, but soothing, language as a faint white glow radiates from her hands and envelopes Garrok.

Cure Moderate Wounds: 2d8 + 3 ⇒ (2, 7) + 3 = 12

Ithrinniel moves to B6 and casts cure moderate wounds on Garrok. Hiero up.

Hieronmymous raises his left eyebrow as Ithrinniel appears to heal Garrokmal, hmmm, good to know I am not the only healer, and then decides that the Gecko is the most important target.

I am assuming that Ripnugget is riding the Gecko in A-4. I move to B-4

Hieronymous steps over the goblin he finished off and takes a stab at the Gecko.

Power Attack Spear: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24

Damage: 1d8 + 9 ⇒ (1) + 9 = 10

Finally a hit, I suppose I will have to take what I can get as far as damage rolls...

Mounted Combat: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (12) + 10 = 22

Seeing the incoming spear thrust from Hieronymous, the Goblin warchief attempts to turn the gecko to avoid the blow, but the lizard reacts too slowly and takes the spear in the flank.

The goblin commando sneers and takes a bottle from his belt, downing the contents in a gulp, its stab wounds heal instantly. It smiles and takes a step toward Zaf.

I have the lizard in there now. Garrok up

"Argh!" Garrokmal grunts as the giant amphibian grabs hold of him. He is momentarily soothed with Ithrinniel's touch. Well, she doesn't dislike me enough to watch me die. She might be okay for an elf...

These thoughts are fleeting as he struggles to break free of the monster.

CM to break grapple: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15

Rage round 4/16. HP 40/45. Ripnugget is up.

Garrok pries the gecko's mouth open and removes the creatures maw from his leg. During the fracas, Ripnugget swings down at the occupied half orc.

Ripnugget's Attack: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15
I have your AC as 16, let me know if that's wrong.Also I forgot to roll for the duration of the shaken so here we go. Zaf up

The gnome continues to attack the goblin before him, the healed wounds galvanizing his resolve...

Attack: 1d20 + 1 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 1 + 1 + 2 = 12
Damage: 1d3 + 1 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 1 + 1 + 2 = 7

Not that a galvanized resolve did much to help him

The warchanter lies sleeping in the corner, oblivious to the melee around him.

Ithrinniel and Hieronymous up

Ithrinniel, impressed by the resolve of her new companions, begins placing a protective ward over Zaf. "I can't help much with attacking, Zaf, but I've got your back!"

Ithrinniel (HP 15/19) casts ward on Zaf. Hieronymous up :)

Hieronymous notices the sleeping warchanter, if only I were a bit closer, I'd finish him, but not with this monster so close...

He attacks the gecko again.

Power Attack Spear: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25

Damage: 1d8 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14

He then takes a 5 foot step to the left to B3.

Yep, that happened!

Ithrinniel raises her left eyebrow at Hieronymous...Impressive...I didn't realize the old man had it in him...

I have been informed that I should confirm for a crit after rolling a 20 and all, so let's see what happens. I think the dmaage modifier should be +15 if I read all things right, which I guess means that if I do crit my original damage roll will also have an addditional +3 damage, please correct me if I am wrong.

Crit confirm: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12

Crit damage: 1d8 + 15 ⇒ (8) + 15 = 23

All that typing and it looks like I missed anyway!

Seeing Hieronymous stab for his mount again, Ripnugget attempts to turn the blow.

Mounted Combat: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23

The sure blow of Hieronymous' spear is enough to punch through the creatures saddle and deep into the creatures chest. It shudders and bucks as it crashes to the floor, dead.

Yeah, natural 20 rolls (sometimes other numbers depending on the threat range of the weapon) are critical threats, and you get to roll again to see if its a critical hit. If the second roll is also enough to score a hit, then its a critical hit and the attack does double damage. You also roll your damage dice twice and add your bonuses (most but not all get doubled).

The remaining goblin trooper moves in on Zaf and brings his horsechopper down in a wicked swing.

Goblin Attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12

The sword clangs off the dirt floor as Zaf steps safely out of the way.

Garrok up

FYI, Riatin - looks like the encounter map was not updated for Hiero's new position (B3).

Garrokmal glances at the stout man beside him as the lizard falls to the ground. "A fine strike!"

Turning his attention to the now-standing goblin, he slashes at the chief with his sword.

Raging Attack: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (17) + 9 = 26
Damage: 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14

His sword hits home, and he is glad.

Rage round 5/16. HP 40/45. Ripnugget is up.

Ride check: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12

Ripnugget attempts to free himself from the dying lizard, but gets tangled up in one of the stirrups, he manages to free himself before a hole opens up in his defenses. Hate boils in his voice when turns to Hieronymous and shouts, "For that, I kill you, Longhshanks!"

He steps 5 feet to A3

Ripnugget: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18
damage: 1d4 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7

The shortsword bites into Hieronymous' armor and gouges a line in the metal.

Zaf up

"I guess I'll have to do this the old-fashioned way..." Zafzalurg adjusts his grip on the dagger and stabs at the goblin.

Attack: 1d20 + 1 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 1 + 1 + 1 = 21
Damage: 1d3 + 1 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 + 1 + 1 = 4

"I knick at thee!

Zaf stabs down into the shoulder of the goblin and it jumps back grabbing its wound.

The Warchanter stirs from his slumber and comes to his feet, clearing the grogginess from its stricken face. Immediately he starts banging his drum and chants out a spell then points at the rampaging half-orc.

Garrok needs to make a will save. Ithrinniel then Hieronymous

As the Warchanter gets back up, Garrok thinks I was afraid that would happen... Then the drum starts up again.

Will Save: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13

Eep.

Garrok feels a bout of laughter well up in his throat, but before it consumes him another wave of redness washes over him, his rage battering through the magic that threatened to overtake him.

You saved by 1, that's why I don't like to tell you what the save DC's are, its much more suspenseful not to know.

That was awesome.

WHEW! Nice!!

...I wonder if I can knock out another goblin as well as I did the Warchanter... Ithrinniel begins chanting "dîn..." with barely a whisper "dû..." as she aims a slumber hex at the chief "fuin..."

Ithrinniel performs a slumber hex on Ripnugget. Hieronymous up.

Going to wait and see if the mighty goblin sleeps before I do anything.

Ripnugget Save: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (1) + 0 = 1

Wow...

Focused on the fight with Garrok, the goblin warchief doesn't hear Ithrinniel release her spell. The magic slams into him and he falls face first into the dirt of the floor immediately unconscious.

Seeing their leader felled the other goblins show obvious signs of doubt.

Hieronymous up

Staring through the goblin as it falls sleeping at his feet, Hieronymous' clouded eyes are now unblinking, almost as if he is in a trance.

"The gods demand an end to your evil."

I administer a coup de grace on poor Ripnugget, three rolls because of the spear.

coup de grace crit: 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14
coup de grace crit: 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13
coup de grace crit: 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11

I didn't add the power attack damage, I wasn't sure if I could do one while administering a coup de grace. If I can, please add 9 points of damage (3 for each roll). Hopefully I did this right!

You cannot Power attack and Coup de Grace, but there's no way he'll survive that.

Seeing Ripnugget lying motionless on the ground, Hieronymous hauls back on his spear and rams it through the warchief's body, feeling the haft jar as the point scrapes the ground. A gurgle escapes the goblin's mouth and a black froth pours forth.

The remaining goblin soldier bolts for the door.

Zaf gets an Attack of Opportunity, and it's back to Garrok

G needs to see what happens with Zaf's AoO before reacting....

"Heytherewhatnow?" Caught off guard, the gnome lunges at his fleeing opponent.

Attack: 1d20 + 1 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 + 1 + 1 = 7
Damage: 1d3 + 1 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 + 1 + 1 = 5

"Coward!" he shouts at the things unscathed backside.

Seeing the soldier goblin break for the door, Garrokmal considers running him down, but the warchanter's drum is REALLY starting to bother him. "Don't let him escape!" he barks at his companions while his eyes lock onto the goblin banging the drum. He attacks with a burst of speed and a mighty bellow.

Charge Attack: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (6) + 11 = 17
Damage: 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8

Charge to A2. Thank Cayden for copious bonuses.

Rage round 6/16. HP 40/45. Back to Zaf!

Garrok rushes at the Warchanter, the point of his longsword leading the way. Drum, leather and goblin flesh part ways as the glowing tip of the sword penetrates them all to emerge out the back of the chanting goblin. It's eyes go wide, then it slumps to the floor.

Zaf again

Zafzalurg tries one last time - maybe he can slow the creature down - and throws the dagger.

Attack: 1d20 + 1 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 1 + 1 + 2 = 24
Damage: 1d3 + 1 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 1 + 1 + 2 = 6

I should have called the shot... Not sure if I need to roll damage twice, but just in case, I included that, too.

Critical Threat: 1d20 + 1 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 1 + 1 + 2 = 10
Damage: 1d3 + 1 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 1 + 1 + 2 = 7

Zaf flings the dagger at the goblin once more as it flees, striking it in the shoulder. Blood gushes from the wound as the dagger flies out and back into Zaf's hand, it grips the door handle with panick in its eyes.

Ithrinniel and Hiero up

Nuala squalks and looks to make a go for it when Ithrinniel holds up her hand "Shhh Nuala, keep calm!" and barks a spell at the Goblin with the hopes of dazing it before it can escape.

Nuala turns her piercing gaze toward Ithrinnel with a look that would strike fear in the hearts of many ravens, at least.

Ithrinniel casts Daze on Goblin, Hiero up!

I figure I'll do this whether the Daze lands or not...

Hieronymous pivots and runs after the goblin, his hair and beard flying wildly, and stabs at it with his blood encrusted spear.

Move to E3

Spear: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25

Damage: 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11

Goblin's Save: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (6) - 1 = 5

The goblin stops pulling at the door and stares, magically transfixed when Hieronymous hustles up behind him and skewers him with his spear. The monster falls to the floor and Hiero uses a boot to pry loose his weapon.

The combat ends and you hear the waves crashing on the rocks outside, but it sounds as if no alarms have been raised.

Character Generation rules:

The Adventure Path is Rise of the Runelords obviously:
Please look through the player's guide here

All of the info you'll need to create a character here

Character Generation
-20 point buy (No stat below 8 or over 20)
-Classes from any of the paizo books are approved
-Races are limited to Core Rules (Human, Elf, Half-Elf, Halfling, Gnome, Half-Orc, Dwarf), unless I get a really great story.
-You get 2 traits, 1 must be a campaign trait from the Rise of the Runelords player guide. (link forthcoming)
-We will use Hero Points
-Max HP for level 1
-Max starting gold

House Rules:

-Leadership is a not a legal feat
-Guns are Emerging (for any wannabe gunslingers)
-Coins do not count as weight toward encumbrance
-20/20/confirm is an instant death for any foe or PC
-Each character gains one additional weapon proficiency per iterative attack (ie, When a fighter goes up to level 6 and gains +6/+1 attacks, he also gains an additional weapon proficiency)

General Notes:

While tough, the AP is designed for 4 characters with a 15 point buy and general player skill and optimization, so don't feel that you need to over optimize to survive.

I'm more than happy to take any questions on anything. If you need help making a character, I can walk you through it.

Quick questions re: backstory & side quests, inspired by my previous experiences:

1. Can/should we include long-term character background-based quests in our backstory, or would that interfere withe the AP?

2. In Pathfinder Society organized play, the characters are each given a "secret" side quest based on their faction at the start of the scenario, for the purpose of gaining extra XP if they complete it during the session. Do those exist in campaign scenarios like RotR, and will we use them? There's no mention in the Player's Guide, but maybe it's just a GM thing.

This doesn't particularly effect character creation, but I'm just curious. Thanks, Riatin!

1) If you work it in and let me know which aspects of a backstory you'd like to pursue, I'll try my best to do something with it.

2) I know about the PFS secret side quests and they're not typically worked into the AP's since the PFS are a separate thing, so there's not set scenarios for them, but if you pick a faction and something comes up that you can capitalize on it for your faction, I'll give you some extra xp or treasure for roleplaying, sure. I dont plan to use the boons or prestige rewards system from PFS though.

Cool, thanks - I won't worry about those things then; I'll still use the backstory I've come up with, but it doesn't need to be anything game-effecting.

I've just about finished my character - I've never played a rogue before, so I'm going to try it now. Elf rogue, specifically.

Clarification: Since the RotR Player's Guide doesn't actually mention Traits anywhere, I'll assume you meant "You get 2 Feats, 1 must be a campaign Feat." Please confirm.

Just posting that I saw that I am a part of this, so am going to read up a ton and let you know if there are any questions.

Oh, wait, there's a question... does it matter what class I choose? I am willing to play whatever is needed.

Thanks!

I linked the wrong player's guide Rei, that's the old 3.5 edition one, here's the newly updated pathfinder version: here

I'm open to however you guys want to play it, but here's my recommendation on class makeup: Melee specialist, divine caster, arcane caster, and support. That could mean fighter, rogue, cleric, wizard or that could mean Summoner, druid, witch, bard or any combination that can do those things. All that I'd really say is that for new players I would steer away from the Summoner, Inquisitor, and probably the Magus because they have lots of options and wonky mechanics and would be more difficult to learn the system with.

Here's a relative rundown on class power levels as you progress:

(When I say melee, I usually mean melee or ranged)
Alchemist: Strong support through most levels can be very powerful (Spontaneous Caster)

Antipaladin: I should have noted that I probably wouldn't want anyone to play this class although I'd probably be okay with someone playing it like a WoW deathknight. Alternate class of the paladin.

Barbarian: Very strong melee up to 8th level then starts to trail off, then gets a boost again at 12th

Bard: Excellent support character 1-20.

Cavalier: Very strong melee and very strong mounted character, but mounted combat is not that common (Restrictive dungeon sizes, can work for small sized creatures). Challenge is a very strong ability.

Cleric: Powerful full level divine caster, great 1-20

Druid: Can be built as a strong caster or a strong melee-er but has a difficult time doing both. Has an animal companion.

Fighter: Great Melee character and the simplest mechanically

Gunslinger: Can be very strong but will be weaker in an emerging guns era, can be very expensive gold wise.

Inquisitor: Can be powerful, but has many options that can be difficult to master.

Magus: Can be very powerful, but has spells and melee going off at the same time and difficult mechanics.

Monk: Very Multiple Attribute Dependent (MAD) and difficult to make effective but there are good options out there.

Ninja: I'm playing one of these in a home campaign and having loads of fun, they're kind of fragile at lower levels but ramp up quickly. An alternate class of the rogue and more combat oriented less skill based.

Oracle: Cool class, can have a lot of story elements built into the class. Very similar to a cleric in power level except they are spontaneous casters (limited spell list to select from).

Paladin: Ok at melee until you meet a dragon, evil undead or evil outsider, then with smite they clean up. Good class all around.

Ranger: Good melee-er along with an animal companion, especially strong against chosen enemies.

Rogue: Very skill based support character.

Samurai: Alternate class of the Cavalier.

Sorcerer: A good class for having many arcane spells to cast each day, but is slower to raise in spell level and has fewer spell choices than a wizard (spontaneous caster) Powerful 1-20

Summoner: Very strong with a melee eidolon up through 12th level then trails off in power. (Spontaneous caster)

Witch: Very powerful support class that can have divine and arcane spells. Spontaneous caster.

Wizard: Powerful arcane caster 1-20.

The AP runs levels 1-15, so the classes that trail off around 12th or so wouldn't be noticed until very late in the game, and even then it wouldn't noticed much.

Ah, thanks - that new version makes more sense.

So I'll probably ditch the Rogue and come up with something else... I know Duane is researching this weekend, but he'd mentioned wanting to go Bard. If Bard is "excellent" support all the way to 20 (and Rogue is especially skill-dependent), then that might be a better fit for the group.

Plus, the Traits in the Anniversary Edition player's guide all conflict a lot more with my very specific character backstory than the Feats in the other version did... Starting a new character will allow me to use the more general backstories presented in those traits.

SO - all of that said - Thunder, do you have a preference for being a caster or a melee? I might enjoy being the meatshield, but arcane caster could work for me if you're keen on being stabby.

I have absolutely no preference, all the classes are interesting to me. It's been a long time since I played a game like this (since before THAC0), so anything will be a lot of fun for me.

I've rolled a half-Orc barbarian, a human fighter and a human wizard (man, I love Hero Lab) - I like my story for the Barbarian the best though, so I think my preference would be to play him. Once I've written out his story, I'll send him to you to check out, Riatin.

Any idea what T might be playing?. I guess it doesn't really matter actually, I can just make 2 characters, a divine caster and an arcane caster, and then whichever T bring's I will play the other. Works for me.

Sorry guys been on the road a bit too much to report in. Sent T a private message on the forums but I haven't heard back. I was hoping he would verify if he was in or out.

Has your friend made an account here rei?

I think what ill do is get us up to 5 by recruiting on this site. So make what you think youd like to play and then we can recruit 1 or 2(if t is out) to fill the needed roles. That sound good?

Sounds good to me!

I just missed DW today - we don't really work together on anything these days, so it's tough to connect. We'll talk in detail tomorrow and I'll make sure he gets sorted here.

I'm still a little iffy on the spellcasting rules, so I'll definitely go with the melee role... I like the versatility of the Fighter, but it seems like the Barbarian would be more interesting to play. Still leaning toward Barb, but until we lock in, I'm undecided.

I wrote up a little history for an Oracle and a Wizard and I like them both, but I think I like what I did with the Oracle a little more so I will go with that unless both T and whoever the 5th is are divine, then I will switch to the wizard.

Dwarf Oracle, yep, a dwarf.

Hmmm, maybe that wasn't such a good idea, taking a race that has a penalty to Charisma and making them a class where the primary stat is charisma. Maybe he wont be a dwarf? haha

So, this is what I am thinking about now, a Warrior Oracle with Clouded Vision, please let me know if that sounds like a bad idea. At first I was thinking I should be heal focused, but most of what I read says that in combat healing is not usually as necessary as helping to take out a foe. So, some sort of armor wearing guy summoning things and buffing allies while smacking things with a big weapon sounds like fun, and fits with choosing Clouded Vision, he can be right in the think of things where he can see what he is trying to hit.

Are we supposed to input our characters somewhere, or do we just keep track of them on a piece of paper at home?

This game is many times more complex than good old AD&D, pretty fun trying to wrap my brain around it all.

Yeah, Dwarves make great clerics but poor oracles, sorcerers, and ninja's. Although I have to say I think a stone, metal, or battle dwarven oracle would be very cool flavor wise.

Sounds like a great concept to me (one I've considered playing myself). Although one downside is that attacks coming from further away than your blindsight allows will leave you flat footed. So ranged attacks can be a big disadvantage for the clouded vision oracles, but I still like the concept.

I never played Ad&d having started with 2nd ed. Ad&d, but I was around for the transition from 2nd ed. to V3.0 then to 3.5 and now to Pathfinder (some people call it 3.75) and I like the d20 concept of having almost every roll be determined by a d20 roll. Percentiles never worked for me, and Thac0 was just a nightmare to determine to hits. Pathfinder made the skill system far more elegant than the 3.0-3.5 version so you're getting the 10 or so years of refinement.

There's character sheets built into the forum (another reason this place is cool). Here's how:

-Click on 'My Account' at the top
-It may have you log in
-On the left there is a box called 'Message Board Aliases'
-Click 'Create New Alias'
-Type the Avatar Name
-Pick an Avatar Image
-Click 'Submit Changes'
-Fill out the character sheet: Example
-Once you make an alias a 'Post As' drop down box will appear under the text box when you make a post, just change that to whichever character you want to post as.

Like so :)

So here's what our makeup looks like so far:

Rei- Barbarian or Fighter
DW - Bard?
Thunder - Oracle

Shaping up pretty well I think :)

Rei I sent you a test PM on the IC forums, I think i've been forgetting to add the name to the 'to' section in the PM section, would be why T hasn't answered me back. If you could just make sure that you received that, I'd be grateful.

Yeah, once I read about the Clouded Vision Curse, I couldn't get it out of my head. Wasn't originally going to go melee, but it just seemed to fit better with the blindness.

I figure I'll just wear a lot of armor and follow Rei into battle.

I will start adding the character this weekend then (not going to get much done tonight with Halloween I think).

Hi guys,

I'm around and still definetly interested in playing. I'm running behind -was side-tracked on the weekend and then would have had the wrong Player's anyway.

Thanks for the new link Riatin, and the great class summary. I think I'll take a Cleric, since we don't have a pure caster and Riatin indicates they're strong. I don't know what race yet, but I'll work on everything as fast a possible - by the weekend (Sunday night) at the latest.

I'll think on backstory after I decide on race. :D

...T

How about this?

Riatin - I emailed you my HeroLab portfolio just so you can see all his internals... Lemme know what you think.

Looks good to me Rei. Nice avatar pic too, dont think I had seen that one.

Cool - and I'm *really* sorry - I didn't see your comment above about the test PM; I did see it but I didn't log in to retrieve it or read it. I don't know why - just being stupid. My mistake!

Np, I was mainly just wanting to make sure that I was using the PM system right, and T received my message so that's all good.

New question, in the old players guide it talked about deities and weapons, but in the new one it doesn't. Is there another resource that I could use to learn relevant information about Varisia or can I just use the old player's guide?

Almost done with the oracle, I think...

Hopefully last question, will I be at a significant disadvantage if I spend most of my gold on gear (I will have less than 6 gold left, chainmail is pricey)?

The old players guide should have the same info so using that for deities weapons of choice should be fine.

As for spending gold on gear, I think be as well equipped as you think you need to be. Good Armor will never hurt you.

Ok, I think I have most of this done, probably some stats I still need to figure out, like how to find my BAB, forget what that stands for.

Hopefully my solution to wanting to play a dwarf Oracle is ok, went for the short stocky human born near dwarves with stone powers...

Let me know what you think.

I will probably also make a wizard or sorceror if I have time in case we need a ranged caster more than we need a mostly blind humandwarf!

Holy cats - that's a lot of detail, Thunder. The "Character sheet" is so basic... I wonder if I need to add a bunch of info in the description?

Excellent, really liking that character, for some reason I want to call him sparky. :)

So just waiting on the other two to finalize their class selection and I'll recruit a 5th and we can get this ball rolling.

I just sort of followed what Riatin did with Nami, but I suppose I went a bit nuts on the backstory. A lot of the abilities lent themselves to the story.

I wanted to write down everything I learned so that I would know what he can do when the time comes, no doubt a lot of the stuff I put in there wouldn't be needed by an experienced player.

Not sure where you got Sparky, his avatar is kind of gloomy (didn't really find one I wanted so went with the guy in the hood), but it made me laugh so feel free to call him that!

On re-reading my description, I see where Sparky came from.

Any word from your friend Rei? Was hoping he'd have dropped a message by now and I dont want to start a recruitment thread without knowing exactly who and what I need.

Yup - we spent a few minutes talking about this and going over resources and whatnot just before leaving work tonight; he's still debating between bard and monk, but will let us know shortly.

Do you want me to spam the IC forums one more time Riatin?

Oh no, I think we're pretty good off.

Looking over your character sheet in a bit more detail thunder, just some stuff that you probably aren't aware of mechanically.

Fort Save would be +1 for the same reason
Will Save would be +1 (You'd take a -1 from your Wisdom modifier)

You get one additional skill point for being human that I think you forgot.

Also at every level you get to choose to take either 1 additional skill point or 1 additional hit point. So you can have 6 total skills and 9 HP or 10 HP and 5 skills.

Not sure how you're calculating your skills but here's what I'm getting:
Intimidate: +7 (+1 Rank, +3 for Class Skill, +3 for Charisma Modifier)(+8 vs Giants)
Know Planes: +4 (+1 Rank, +3 for Class Skill, +0 for Intelligence)
Perception: +4 (+1 Rank, +3 for Class, -1 for Wisdom, +1 for seeker) (Against giants you get another +1)
Use Magic Device (abbrv UMD): +4 (+1 Rank, +3 for Charisma)

The feat Power Attack requires a +1 Base Attack bonus (you currently have a +0, but it will increase to +1 at level 2). So you'll need to pick another feat.

Your attacks would look like this:

Mace, Heavy: +4 to hit (+4 from strength modifier+0 from BAB) and +5 against giant subtype creatures, 1d8+4 to damage (+4 bonus from strength) x2 on a critical.

Spear: +4 to hit (+5 against giant subtype), 1d8+6 damage (+4 strength mod x 1.5 for wielding 2 handed) x3 on a critical.

Sorry to pick it apart, but its a complex game as you've said. Any questions or obvious mistakes that I've made, let me know. I basically just recreated your character in hero lab and compared it to your sheet.

I opened up the recruitment thread, so I hope to get you an arcaner by next friday, I'd love to start then!

Cool! FYI I'm headed to northern MI until Monday evening, so you probably won't hear from me again until Tuesday. Just wanted you to be aware. Have a good weekend!

Awesome, thanks Riatin, I wasn't entirely sure what I was doing, I will adjust things. Shouldn't I hang on to the Feat anyway so my dps will go up at level 2?

You get a feat at every odd level, so it would be level 3 before you could take it (I should have mentioned that above).

It's one of the best attack feats, that's for sure, and very much in line for melee characters.

Ok, I guess I will keep Power Attacks and be doing more damage at level 2, unless you think it would be better to grab another like maybe Enforcer or Toughness for now. I am ok either way.

I took Diplomacy with my 5th skill point since its a class skill and a CHA skill. I didn't realize that skills started at 1 + 3 or whatever if you have a bonus, I just assumed they started at 4... now it makes more sense.

Feats I'll suggest to replace Power Attack for first level would be: (these are just good feats, by no means what you have to take)

Armor Proficiency (Heavy) - Better armor

Combat Casting - Makes it easier to cast spells in combat

Extra Revelation - Another Revelation at 1st would be very handy

Intimidating Prowess - Lets you add your strength modifier to Intimidate as well (+11)

Fortified Armor Training - Lets you negate a critical but breaks your armor or shield (very nice feat for a shield user)

Iron Will, Great Fortitude, Lightning Reflexes - +2 to a save

Improved Shield Bash - Attack with a shield without losing its benefits (still applies a two weapon fighting penalty)

Saving Shield - Whenever an adjacent ally is attacked you can throw up your shield to help defend them, giving them a +2 shield bonus to their AC.

Scribe Scroll - Make scrolls you can save for later

Warrior Priest - +1 to initiative and +2 to concentration checks to cast in battle

Toughness - More hp is always more better.

Again just suggestions, there are many good things to choose that are not on this list and may work better flavor wise.

Ok, I dumped Power Attacks for now and took the Extra Revelation adding Stone Stability to my revelations, which is how I had him set up originally, so it all comes full circle.

Not sure if everyone saw it or not on the recruitment thread but I'd like to get this rolling next Friday when the recruitment period is up. Just a heads up.

Sparky is ready.

Garrok is ready to rumble... DW and I are going to put his guy together in Hero Lab either today or tomorrow. He's registered here and I keep hassling him to say hi, but he's shy... Canadians, AMIRITE? :)

T's had a busy couple of weeks so he's going to get his act together over the weekend and hopefully join us in a few days.

Katarina from the recruitment thread will be our lovely representative of the arcane.

So just waiting for your friend Rei, if he wants to join in a couple of days as well, I'm fine with that. My plan is to start the game in the gameplay thread tomorrow morning however. Any 11th hour questions?

Hi all, mere minutes from being ready to play. I'll introduce my character this evening...

Looking forward meeting, and hopefully not completely annoying, the group.

Hello everyone!

It's a pleasure to meet you all *offers a little bow*. If you allow me, I'll be delighted to offer my expertise on all matters arcane, from sharing obscure bits of knowledge, to empowering allies with inspiring incantations and afflicting enemies with terrible curses!

I can read your future too, if that's more to your liking! My trusty harrow deck never lies, but be warned... What you'll learn may not be something you wanted to... ;)

In all seriousness though I'm happy to be here and eager to play! And if you have any questions about me or Katarina fell free to ask. :)

@GM Riatin Thank you very much for choosing my character and for taking the time to run this AP!