Gamemaster Kobolum's Way of the Wicked (Inactive)

Game Master Kobolum

Knowledge of the adventure is not a disqualifier for character submission.

The only player information that I feel I need to add is that wizards and monks don't have any specialized schools in Talingarde so they are either self-taught or had to learn from whoever was willing to teach them.

Background skills will see limited use but are in effect.

The only trait you're allowed is the crime you have committed, you'll receive plenty of power ups later.

No third-party content and Feat Tax is not in use. It would require me to go in and edit a bunch of stat blocks for characters which defeats the purpose of a pre-written adventure.

A completed character sheet is in no way required, I constantly ask if I can just submit a character backstory without a character sheet and I am not going to demand more from anyone else.

It is about the size of England in the real world. It is an isolated place far from any other nations and outsiders are something of a rarity. In the south it enjoys a temperate clime, but the north of the island is quite cold and often blanketed with snow. Most people avoid this part of the island because it is populated by monsters.

2. Talingarde is a lawful good nation.

Talingarde is a place of law and order. Violations of the law are punished severely but fairly. Talingarde is also a place that reveres the ideals of goodness. Clergy tend to the sick, often for no pay. Knights seek to protect the weak. Paladins are fabled individuals often featured in stories and songs. Talingarde might be, in all the world, the nation most committed ot the ideals of law and good.

3. Talingarde is a monarchy.

It is ruled by good kingMarkadian V called the Brave. Markadian is a much beloved ruler from a well established royal family known as the House of Darius.

4. The King has no son.

He does however have a daughter, the beautiful princess Bellinda who is twenty years old and still unmarried. The king and the princess are the only full-blooded members of the royal family, though they have lots and lots of cousins and more distant family. The King’s wife Lucinda died in child birth and he has never remarried.

5. The Victor was the first Darian king.

Markadian V is actually the great grandson of Markadian I called the Victor who established the House of Darius and defeated the former royal house, the House of Barca, at Battle of Tamberlyn. The Victor remains beloved in Talingarde even decades after his death and you still see statues of him everywhere.

6. The only god you are allowed to worship in Talingarde is Mitra.

Once other gods were worshipped, but that all came to an end under the House of Darius. Worship of Asmodeus, arch-enemy of Mitra, is outlawed and punishable by death by burning. Worshipping other non-evil gods is technically allowed but highly discouraged and very rarely seen.

7. Mitra is the Lord of Light.

Mitra is the god of light, healing, goodness and leadership. He is usually depicted as having three aspects – a king, a healer or a living flame. Mitra is benevolent god and the arch-enemy of the First
Tyrant, Asmodeus.

8. The Church of Mitra is everywhere.

No town in Talingarde lacks a church of Mitra. The priests are almost always important men in their community. The second most powerful man in the kingdom is the High Cardinal of the Church, Vitallian of Estyllis. There word is not law but it is heard and respected and ignored only infrequently. The House of Darius and the Church of Mitra are allies dedicated to keeping Talingarde the bastion of goodness, law and Mitran devotion that it is today.

9. Asmodeus is the enemy of Mitra and Talingarde.

Only one faith is banned and punishable by death within the kingdom of Talingarde – the faith of the devil-god Asmodeus, the lord of the Nine Hells. Before the House of Darius rose, Asmodeus was part of the pantheon of Talingarde. Asmodeus was not loved, but he was feared and respected alongside the other gods. Markadian IV called the Zealot outlawed the faith and unleashed the Inquisition against it. In the Asmodean Purges of the twenty years ago, every temple and high priest of Asmodeus was burned. The Temple of Asmodeus never recovered.

10. Talingarde is defended by the Knights of the Alerion.

The Knights are a storied and legendary order of warriors who uphold the right, protect the weak and work to see justice done. They are a religious order and everyone has sworn oaths to Mitra. Uniquely, they are not all nobles. Even those of common blood may become a knight if they are deemed worthy. Not every Knight is a paladin, but their order has produced more paladins than any other.

11. Talingarde has six regions.

The Island of Talingarde has six parts – The Cambrian Ports, The Heartland, the Borderlands, the Caer Bryr, the Savage North and the Lands of the Yutak. The Cambrian Ports are the three large cities of Talingarde that sit upon the Bay of Cambria. The Heartland is the farms and rural parts of Talingarde. The Borderlands are the northern reaches of the kingdom protected by the Watch Wall. The Caer Bryr
is a great forest inhabited by the savage Iraen. The Savage North is a wasteland of ice ruled by monsters. And the Lands of the Yutak are scattered small northern islands inhabited by strange men very different from the men of Talingarde (or Talireans as they are sometimes known).

12. Talingarde is protected by the Watch Wall.

Twelve fortresses mark the northern border of the kingdom of Talingarde. These fortresses control every point of access from the Savage North and defend the land from incursion by the bugbears and other monsters that live there. Markadian V called the Brave earned that name defending the Watch Wall.

13. Talingarde is at peace.

But will it last?

Any other race is too small or spread out to really have much of a presence in any one area that has any effect on your allowed character creation.

2) Be Asmodean, or at least be completely willing to swear yourself to the service of Asmodeus. That's one of the big plot hooks of the game. Don't fight it. Yes, it's a bit of a railroad, but it is also the central unifying plot of the whole story. Don't be the person trying to fight against the intended narrative. No one likes that person. (Remember that there are lots of Infernal Dukes who serve Asmodeus but offer different themes and domains)

3) This is a game for characters like The Operative (from Serenity) or Darth Vader characters. It is not a game for The Joker or Buffalo Bill (from Silence of the Lambs). Don't be the person to randomly go off the rails or try to squick everyone out.

4) Don't expect a lot of downtime. There are travel sequences between story arcs, but besides that you are going to be on a time crunch nearly every step of the way. Crafting feats will be limited in use unless you can figure out a way to craft while the rest of the party is resting or something.

Sneak Attack (Ex): +1d6
Finesse Training (Ex): At 1st level, a rogue gains Weapon Finesse as a bonus feat. In addition, starting at 3rd level, she can select any one type of weapon that can be used with Weapon Finesse (such as rapiers or daggers). Once this choice is made, it cannot be changed. Whenever she makes a successful melee attack with the selected weapon, she adds her Dexterity modifier instead of her Strength modifier to the damage roll. If any effect would prevent the rogue from adding her Strength modifier to the damage roll, she does not add her Dexterity modifier. The rogue can select a second weapon at 11th level and a third at 19th level.
Trapfinding: A rogue adds 1/2 her level on Perception checks to locate traps and on Disable Device checks (minimum +1). A rogue can use Disable Device to disarm magic traps.
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When Araton was just a child, he was given to the Ordo Sanguis to cover a debt and to keep the wrath of the group of assassins from falling upon his mother and father's heads. The order of killers was no place for weakness, compassion, or mercy; many of the uninitiated children would wind up dead from poison, murdered in their sleep, or slain during the multitude of testing they had to endure to ensure their place within it. Yet if there was ever a child that was born to be an assassin, it was Araton.

Cold, methodical, his elven grace gave him more of an alien allure rather than the usual graceful beauty. To stare into those cold eyes were to stare into a thing without mercy or care, a thing that the Ordos Sanguis cultured and raised. No tactic was too underhanded, no murder too sacrosanct, and there was never hesitation in what he did. Honorable but vicious, Araton was raised into a machine of murder. On the mainland, he was guilty of countless assassinations among the criminal underworld and the elite of nobility. All of it was done for a fair bit of coin, a simple transaction. He knew damn well what he
was good at and he played his part perfectly...until he was sent to Talingarde to kill the leader of the Church of Mitra.

Sent by his order's elders, he reconvened with a number of cutthroats and other killers. To kill so prolific a leader would require tact, sensibility, and numbers. Yet there had to have been a traitor within the group, for the night before they were to enact their plan to kill the priest on one of their holy days, the guards stormed the windmill they had been using as a place of operations. Most escaped into the night but Araton was not so fortunate. He would rather accept death than betray his tenants of silence, killing a nobleman's son who was leading the charge without mercy or hesitation. Due to that man's connections and family's power, his death would not be so simple of an affair. Instead, he was sentenced to go to Brandenscar and to have his head separated from his body. Such was the fate of a killer.

Now Araton sits quietly, reminiscing about his life of violence and awaiting his fate. There was to be no escape from this place, no mercy to be found. He would be scarred, imprisoned, and then justly hanged for his crimes. What he'd give to find the traitor that gave his crew up to the guard, but such anger had no place if there was no hope. The world would be spared from the merciless nature that was Araton Fal in just three day's time.

Then that stupid cleric stepped in and pointed out that it was, in fact, well within his capability if he happened to serve a certain little known demon prince named Lorcan. One Zone of Truth spell and some very pointed questions from a very preterbed paladin later and the gig was up. He was the first man convicted for five murders of the same individual. Too bad he wouldn't survive to break his own record...

His parents weren’t sure what to do with him at that point. They had no idea what they could do to fix their baby boy. So they were overcome with joy when they were approached by a group that had heard of the incident. They explained that they were part of a group that helped rehabilitate troubled youth. They told his parents a half dozen amazing seeming success stories. They were friendly and charming and within a week Silas was on his way to stay with them. As soon as they were outside of town the man laughed and gave him a smile, not the friendly personable smile he had shown Silas’ father and mother. Instead there was something feral to that smile, something powerful and intoxicating. That was the first time that Silas was told the name of the group he would be staying with, the Apostles of Asmodeus.

The Apostles, the shortened name they have given to Silas’ parents, were a group founded by a small number of the surviving members of the Church of Asmodeus before it had been driven out of Talingarde. They had overheard stories of a young boy who liked cutting up animals and after the barely aborted attack on another young boy. To most people that was a horror story and a cautionary tale. To the Apostles it was a calling to their newest member a tool they would hope to hone. They encouraged his interested, they taught him that his talents were something worthy of praise and practice.

Over the next several years he practiced and perfected his skills with a blade. His trainers also taught him how to better blend in with society at large. They showed him how to hide those things which the fine and upstanding men and women of Talingarde found intolerable. He was being groomed to an important task. He would be the blade which was driven deep into the heart of Talingarde, directly into the chest of the King himself. The Apostles of Asmodeus sought revenge on the Kingdom that had driven them out and killed them off. So they were training Silas to be a slayer of those that would stand in their way. Unfortunately they were discovered before they could implement their plan. They fought, because they knew what awaited them should they fail. Most of the Apostles were killed during their resistance. Silas crippled two and killed one guardsman before he was finally taken down. Since he was the only member of his enclave to survive they decided to make an example of him. He was tried for High Treason and sentenced to death by drawing and quartering. While awaiting his sentence he was sent to Branderscar.

(B) Skills:
Linguistics +0 (1 rank, -1 Int)
Sleight of hand +3 (1 rank, +2 Dex)
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Racial Abilities
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Undead Resistance: +2 racial bonus on saving throws against disease and mind-affecting effects.
Resist Level Drain (Ex): A dhampir takes no penalties from energy drain effects, though he can still be killed if he accrues more negative levels then he has Hit Dice. After 24 hours, any negative levels a dhampir takes are removed without the need for an additional saving throw.
Manipulative: Dhampir gain a +2 racial bonus on Bluff and Perception checks.
Fangs: On occasion, a dhampir may inherit his father’s lengthy canines. Whenever the dhampir makes a grapple combat maneuver check to damage an opponent, he can choose to bite his opponent, dealing 1d3 points of damage as if using a natural bite attack. As a standard action, the dhampir can bite a creature that is bound, helpless, paralyzed, or similarly unable to defend itself. This racial trait replaces the spell-like ability racial trait.
Darkvision: Dhampir see perfectly in the dark up to 60 feet.
Low-light vision: In addition to their ability to see perfectly in the dark up to 60 ft, dhampir have low-light vision, allowing them to see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.
Light Sensitivity: Dhampirs are dazzled in areas of bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell.
Negative Energy Affinity: Though a living creature, a dhampir reacts to positive and negative energy as if it were undead—positive energy harms it, while negative energy heals it.
Favorite Class: +1 HP
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Special Abilities
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Bloodrage 6 rounds
Bloodline (Abyssal/Elemental)
Bloodline power (Claws)
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Equipment
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Loin cloth

Skills (4/lvl):
Bluff +9 (1 rank, +3 Cha, +2 trait, +3 class)
Diplomacy +7 (1 rank, +3 Cha, +3 class)
Knowledge Religion +6 (1 rank, +2 Int, +3 class)
Perception +9 (1 rank, +4 wis +3 class)
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Racial Abilities
+2 to One Ability Score (cha): Human characters gain a +2 racial bonus to one ability score of their choice at creation to represent their varied nature.
Medium: Humans are Medium creatures and receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Humans have a base speed of 30 feet.
Bonus Feat: Humans select one extra feat at 1st level.
Skilled: Humans gain an additional skill rank at first level and one additional rank whenever they gain a level.
Languages: Humans begin play speaking Common. Humans with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages, such as Druidic).
Favorite Class: +1 skill
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Special Abilities
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: An ecclesitheurge is proficient with the club, dagger, heavy crossbow, light crossbow, and quarterstaff, but he’s not proficient with any type of armor or shield. This replaces the cleric’s weapon and armor proficiencies.
Ecclesitheurge’s Vow: At 1st level, an ecclesitheurge makes a vow to his deity to be protected solely by his faith, not by armor or shields. An ecclesitheurge who wears armor or uses a shield is unable to use his blessing of the faithful ability, use cleric domain powers, or cast cleric spells.
Blessing of the Faithful (Su): As a standard action, the ecclesitheurge can bless one ally within close range (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels). A blessed ally gains a +2 sacred or profane bonus (depending on whether the ecclesitheurge channels positive or negative energy) on attack rolls, skill checks, ability checks, or saving throws or to AC until the ecclesitheurge’s next turn. The ecclesitheurge can expend 1 use of channel energy when activating this ability to increase the duration to a number of rounds equal to the number of dice of his channel energy.
Domain Mastery: At 1st level, when an ecclesitheurge chooses his cleric domains, he designates one as his primary domain and the other as his secondary domain. An ecclesitheurge can use his non-domain spell slots to prepare spells from his primary domain’s spell list.
Each day when he prepares spells, an ecclesitheurge can select a different domain granted by his deity to gain access to that domain’s spell list instead of his secondary domain spell list. He does not lose access to his actual secondary domain’s granted powers or gain access to the other domain’s granted powers. For example, an ecclesitheurge of Sarenrae with Glory and his primary domain and Good as his secondary domain can choose to gain access to the Healing domain; until the next time he prepares spells, he uses the Healing domain spell list as his secondary domain spell list instead of the Good domain spell list, but still keeps the granted powers of the Good domain and does not gain the granted powers of the Healing domain.
This ability alters the normal domain ability.
Aura (Ex): A cleric of a chaotic, evil, good, or lawful deity has a particularly powerful aura corresponding to the deity's alignment (see the detect evil spell for details).
Domains:
Primary: Healing (Resurrection)
Healer's Blessing (Su): At 6th level, all of your cure spells are treated as if they were empowered, increasing the amount of damage healed by half (+50%). This does not apply to damage dealt to undead with a cure spell. This does not stack with the Empower Spell metamagic feat.
Domain Spells: 1st—cure light wounds, 2nd—cure moderate wounds, 3rd—cure serious wounds, 4th—cure critical wounds, 5th—breath of life, 6th—heal, 7th—regenerate, 8th—mass cure critical wounds, 9th—mass heal.
Resurrection:
Gift of Life (Su): At 8th level, you can touch a creature that has died within the past minute to grant it a few moments of life. The dead creature returns to life for a number of rounds equal to your cleric level. Creatures returned to life in this way have a number of hit points equal to half your cleric level, and continue to be affected by any still-active spells, conditions, or afflictions present at the time of their death. At the end of this time, the creature dies again. The creature is free to act as it sees fit during this time. You are granted no control over it. You can use this power once per day at 8th level, plus one additional time per day for every four levels beyond 8th.
Replacement Domain Spells: 5th—raise dead, 7th—resurrection, 9th—true resurrection.
Shifting base: Evil
Hell’s Corruption (Su): You can cause a creature to become more susceptible to corruption as a melee touch attack. Creatures touched take a –2 penalty on all saving throws and must roll all opposed skill checks twice, taking the worse result. This effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your cleric level (minimum 1). You can use this ability for a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Wisdom modifier.
Replacement Domain Spells: 1st—command, 3rd—suggestion, 6th—planar binding (devils only).
Scythe of Evil (Su): At 8th level, you can give a weapon touched the unholy special weapon quality for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your cleric level. You can use this ability once per day at 8th level, and an additional time per day for every four levels beyond 8th.

Shifting Domain Spells: 1st—protection from good, 2nd—align weapon (evil only), 3rd—magic circle against good, 4th—unholy blight, 5th—dispel good, 6th—create undead, 7th—blasphemy, 8th—unholy aura, 9th—summon monster IX (evil spell only).

Spontaneous Casting: An evil cleric can't convert prepared spells to cure spells but can convert them to inflict spells (an inflict spell is one with “inflict” in its name).
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Spells
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Orisons (3): Create Water, Mending, empty
1st (1+1/1): empty, Command /cure light
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Equipment
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Loin cloth