For Discussion!
Howdy, and thanks for choosing my character. I'm just popping in to let you know I'll be around a lot today.
I just saw the update to the thread when I was about to take a brief nap, so I'll be looking here again in ~two hours, roughly. (EDIT: Actually, more like an hour and a half, now that I look at the time.)
One thing I did want to note briefly: I chose Kelish as a language, but if you don't plan on having the adventure take us near Qadira or the like, I'd be alright with changing it. And generally speaking, if there's anything you'd change or suggest, let me know. I've got 105 gold left for mundane supplies, so I can start buying those as needed.
Hello, no problem, it was a good character.
First off, don't worry about telling me when you are on and such. I have about 12 games running so I check at all hours of the day and night. Don't put that extra pressure on yourself, post when you can.
Secondly, feel free to buy that gear!
Thirdly, Languages...something more 'northern' might suit the game better. But anything you pick I'll fit in!
So I do have some questions for you....
1. How involved do you want travel to be? As you may have gathered, much of the game is going to exotic places and finding/gathering/freeing/convincing these former Band members. Going from exotic place to exotic place, how much detail do you like?
2. Are there any topics, issues that you don't want used?
3. How do you feel about random encounters?
4. Any hopes for things, ideas, themes you want mentioned? I can't promise, but I will try my hardest!
I'll pick out a different language. I suppose... Hm. It's a toss up for me between Hallit, Skald, and Varisian. I think I'll go with Skald, since it uses the Dwarven alphabet and my character already speaks Dwarven.
1. How involved do you want travel to be? As you may have gathered, much of the game is going to exotic places and finding/gathering/freeing/convincing these former Band members. Going from exotic place to exotic place, how much detail do you like?
This might sound like a cop-out answer, but my response to this one is "Whatever amount of detail you prefer." My reasoning: I'm getting the feeling that you've been thinking about this campaign for a while, so I'll partake in however much sightseeing, exploration, Oregon Trial shenanigans, and scenic description as floats your boat.
If you feel like a certain part of the road should be glossed over rather quickly, that's fine with me. And if you feel as if a journey through the desert or what-have-you should feel arduous and like a struggle - that's cool, too. In this regard, do what you feel is best.
2. Are there any topics, issues that you don't want used?
As a general rule of thumb, I'm fine with most topics being present, but it's their presentation that matters.
For instance: let's say there was a torture scene. I don't necessarily want to know all the nitty gritty of that, but making it clear when my character walks into a room that a friend was tortured is... Yeah, that's fine. Gore is fine, but gore for gore's sake is not-so-fine.
The one thing I'm really averse to reading about is sexual violence. Making it known that it happened to a character is one thing - but pretty please don't turn into GRRM. (I don't think you'd be allowed to on these forums anyway, but this is a topic/issue that definitely stands out to me.) It could come up though - half-orcs with a human parent and an orc parent aren't generally born from happy unions, for instance. Basically, if it comes up for some reason, acknowledge the gravity of the matter, be tactful, and I think that'll be alright.
Other than that, I can't really think of anything that I would outright not want seen in this roleplay.
3. How do you feel about random encounters?
They add more risk and uncertainty to a campaign. I like them. I like knowing that not every battle I walk into is going to necessarily match my CR (could be too high to win at all, or so low that it's not worth XP to just kill the things). So long as I generally have an answer available to a monster (even if that answer is just "AAAAAAH RUN AWAY!") I'm cool.
As an aside: if there are scenes where my character would die but you want to make sure they survive (so as not to end the story), feel free to make consequences of some kind happen for her defeat: items taken from her, maimed during the fight (which can usually be fixed with Heal or Regeneration), pressganged by pirates, a drawback gained... If you think a consequence of that nature should occur, I understand. And if you don't want to do anything like that, that's fine too.
4. Any hopes for things, ideas, themes you want mentioned? I can't promise, but I will try my hardest!
I'll make a brief list of my own.
1. Firstly, I'd like to see Tatalia's faith and paladinhood challenged. Being a paladin means staying true to a set of ideals in the face of adversity and an at times cruel world, being the light in the dark, etc. If you want to thrust hard decisions on my character that could even lead to the paladin falling, I'm cool with that so long as there's a good narrative reason. (I'm not saying "be as mean to her as you can," but I am saying "Don't hold back punches if you think you can get a really fun scene out of doing something rude.")
Generally speaking, I like having a real chance of failure, and I'd love to see Tatalia and the other characters develop and grow as the story progresses.
2. Likewise, I'd be happy to play toward the strengths of my character. Themes of redemption (as a worshiper of Sarenrae), opportunities to be an example to others... So long as she has opportunities to play out those strengths along with her weaknesses, I'm happy.
3. I would enjoy being able to interact with monstrous races on a level beyond "Kill it, kill it with fire." This isn't to say that ALL monsters should be negotiated with or what-not, but I wouldn't mind the occasional opportunity for Tatalia to find a solution that doesn't involve putting them all to the sword.
4. Feel free to take creative license with her backstory. For instance, you can name a friend of hers that she knew as a child, and tell me how she knew them. You can have her meet a former love interest from when they were both teens. You can decide more details about Ulric or the other priests from the temple she was raised in. I'd enjoy any of those things, I think.
5. I like themes of adventure and exploration, but it seems like you've already got that covered.
6. As a lifelong fan of The Hobbit (great book), I'd be happy to see dragons involved in the roleplay in all their intelligent, probably evil glory. Doesn't need to be more than one dragon, but nor should it necessarily happen early on, but having to deal with a dragon at some point in some form would be cool.
7. If the story ever permits... I've never tried out the mass combat system. If there's a situation where briefly using that would make sense, I'd be very interested in seeing how it works. This is far from necessary; just a thought.
8. I'd love to be thrown on a boat at some point. Yes, I know you've got a whole backlog of nasty ocean encounters awaiting me. Every GM does. I know you've been waiting for the perfect time to unleash those terrible things on an unsuspecting player. DO YOUR WORST!
9. And... Since this will involve adventures in exotic locales and the like, I wouldn't mind having my character explore the Mwangi Expanse or Arcadia at some point.
Everything else is up to you. I don't want to be too specific because, again, I feel like you've probably been thinking about this campaign for a while, and I'm pretty eager to see what you've got cooked up.
Also, as a list minute change I think I'm gonna take away 2 HP from Tatalia (favored class bonus) and give her 2 more skill points. I think I'll alternate between HP and SP every level.
Okay, finished buying equipment. It's all on Tatalia's alias page. There's no price for towels in Pathfinder, so I decided it was 2 copper and made the towel weigh 1/2 a pound.
She's ready to go now. The only things I need to move to her alias page from her Myth-weavers page are her statblock and special abilities, but everything is visible on Myth-weavers.
You can open the spoiler for her defenses/stats/resources to see things like HP, perception, etc. really quickly.
Also, do you want to roll my Perception and Sense Motive in secret (so I don't know what the results are), or should I go ahead and roll them myself?
Lots of great stuff to read. I am glad you are excited about this game, so am I.
I will have the first post up tomorrow.
Thanks for the spoiler with the stats. Makes running the game much easier, and that is good when I run more then one. Thank you for being thoughtful.
My general thoughts on rolling are...you roll whenever you think you need to, that way I can use your rolls when I can. When I need a roll I'll often roll it myself to keep things moving but I always prefer you to do (just feels right).
That you like random encounters and combat is rare in a PBP player since it takes so long sometimes. That is cool. I can flex my encounter muscles a bit!
I mostly play tabletop, but the way I see it: I like combat and roleplay both, and since this is a solo game I don't have to worry about other players being bored by dragged-out combat encounters on PbP. So, random encounters are good for this. I figure that depending on the situation I may have knowledge of them beforehand and could potentially avoid or defuse them by various means, though violence is probably going to used a lot.
(And really, some of my most awesome memories involve random encounters that were above party level. Just out of the blue there's a pair of owlbears, or the party hears the sound of orcish war drums in the distance, etc.)
On rolls: sounds good. I'll throw them out there when I think they're relevant.
I'll probably post tomorrow night after work. As a general rule of thumb, I work between 3-5 days a week, usually 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. Central. So I'll generally post either in the mornings or at night.
(Today was a day off.)
Back from work - I had to stay a little later than usual, so I'll post in the morning.
One quick question: would Tatalia know the significance of Connac's burial in Cyremium? Was he born there, or did the Band meet there, etc.? (I listed Augustana as where he lived is why I ask.)
Anyway, I'm gonna hit the sack and post in the morrow.
This is where Connac retired to. Tatlia knows no special significance as to why he spent his retired life in this small humble village.
Just making a test dice roll before I post. Also, is it alright if I type in the past tense? Past tense comes more naturally to me.
Um. That wasn't what I intended. I don't know how THAT happened.
Okay, figured it out, but I'm still very confused by what initially happened with that... weird dice roll.
EDIT: Also, this initial post is a short one, but if the situation allows I'll have Tatalia doing more. I also bought a journal for her during character creation, so I intend to make the occasional journal entry as she travels.
Whatever tense works for you.
If you have any other formatting questions, feel free to ask.
Also, goes without saying, if you have any questions, concerns, issues just share them here. if a fight is too hard, a side quest bogging down, a problem with your build, share it!
Fair enough. I'll roll with present tense since you're rolling with present tense. I just find it easiest mentally to pick a tense and stick with it.
And I'll bring stuff up as it comes up.
I realized while writing that post that I forgot to buy a holy symbol. So, uh, I bought it. Tatalia literally has 2 copper left.
A good simple combat but now I know what Tatalia can do.
Also, I made Bronwen fun to play, let me know if you think she starts to over shadow you or anything.
Also, you had that memory for a reason...*mysterious GM face*
Also, you had that memory for a reason...*mysterious GM face*
I wasn't sure if that memory was there for a reason or not. Thanks for the note.
HMMM.
Also, Bronwen isn't overshadowing Tatalia, and if she were that'd mean you were having fun too. I reckon you deserve an opportunity to have fun roleplaying a character you designed in this too.
Anyway, posting now.
Nicely done!
I'll post when I get home from work tonight (11 p.m. Central). That was a good letter - I'll try to do it justice with the response.
Why thank you!
How you find these people will be pretty open-ended. While I have in mind where/what they are doing, how you get them is up to you. Should be fun for creative problem solving!
They're having me work another late night. If I don't reply tonight, I WILL reply in the morning, as I've been given a three day weekend (Sat/Sun/Mon) and won't have to worry about waking up late / being too tired upon getting home.
I apologize for the inconvenience. I had time to post either here or in another thread, and the other thread could leave me behind whereas we're moving at whatever pace works.
Again, don't worry about it. As you said, we will go at the pace that fits. Life happens!
Hello?
Sorry about that. Back - had some stuff to do IRL. Writing post now.
It happens, just wanted to make sure. Don't know you very well, not sure what is normal posting rate for you!
Oh, by the way:
If at any point you think Tatalia is stretching her oaths or the like, I won't be mad if you wield the narrative power of the Fall. I think she's within her bounds right now, but since harder choices could come up in the future, I figure I'd better go ahead and make sure you know I'm cool with it.
We will save that. Such things can be fun and character building but also derail adventures. I'm running another game where I a druid went off alignment and lost his class abilities...I'll never get that game back on track.
Totally understandable. But I reckon that since you're the GM, you are the final arbiter in what sort of actions fall outside her code. Her code's pretty lenient in regards to who she can associate with and such (Sarenrae IS the goddess of redemption), but she still has the base Paladin code to live by as well.
At the least, feel free to let me know via dream or a gut feeling when she's doing something that her goddess would disapprove of in her paladins.
By the way, like you told me before: there's no rush. Post at the pace that suits you. I'm able to post every day, but that doesn't mean I'll be bothered if you miss a day. Your pace.
I try to update daily. I find longer gaps make me (and the player) loose the thread of the story.
Do you want a map if this comes to combat?
It's up to you. A map might help because of how large this fight could end up being.
I wouldn't mind knowing a bit more about the other ship at this point - my understanding is it teleported right next to ours after a ray of magic went into the air, right?
Sorry if I was unclear.
The pirate ship sent a bolt of magic into the sky (probably at Bronwen) and they then sailed closer to you, non-magical means.
Clearer?
Okay, that makes sense. I'll post today (probably just once since today's a weird day for me).
Just bumping this to remind you about it. No rush - still waiting on the map, and I know that can take some time to set up. Plus, the weekend's coming up, so I suspect you'll be busy.
I'll be working tomorrow, so while I might be able to post a bit before work, I'll be unable to post again until late at night.
Actually, for me, it is easier to make maps on the weekend. I mostly post at work, when I can't make maps. I do apologize, maps slow these games down.
It's fine! This is just one of those situations where it helps to have one. We can refer to cells by D1, C3, E17, etc. once you've made the first map for the battle, if that helps (meaning less mapmaking). I could even update the map myself using Paint.Net (placing red circles or the like where enemies are), if you'd want me to. I enjoy using Paint.Net.
So yeah, no rush. And let me know if you want me to do the editing of the map after the first turn. Again, you can just tell me what squares everything's moved to and I'll quickly place things where they belong.
I'll use Roll 20 for our maps. So if you want to go and make an account...
Map made!
Sure, I'll jump on and take a look. I have a Roll20 account. But I can make a new one if you'd like.
Sorry, the map isn't great but I figured sooner was better then never...
It's fine! It's good enough to convey the message.
Thoughts, comments, complaints about the first big battle?
Thoughts - the fight seemed a bit easy, but I suspect that's because Tatalia hasn't actually done any delving yet (I.E. been in a situation where she's NOT fully rested). My gut says that the difficulty will ramp up once Tatalia is forced to start rationing her daily resources (Lay on Hands, her spells, Bardic Performance) and when the enemy has a home field advantage.
I will admit that I vastly overestimated the threat the pirate ship was going to pose.
You ended it in a fine way, I think: the Barbarian did as Barbarians do, and while Tatalia's call for a surrender worked, she needs to actually follow it up with proper words and perhaps a couple skill checks. Seems fair to me.
The pace moved just fine, by the way. I think with 1-3 combat-related posts a day during battles, we'll be in good shape.
I DO have one question: are you doing some rolls off-screen, or in the case of the pirates and smugglers fighting each other in the background did you make a narrative decision? It's no big deal to me - in fact, I'd be perfectly fine with you making all your GM rolls off screen so that I don't know what the attack bonus of an enemy is. But I figured I'd ask.
(And yeah, on that note: PLEASE feel free to hide whatever rolls you think you should. And as far as rolls go, don't pull punches: in the case of defeat, I know that a lot of things could happen, such as my character being taken prisoner or being dismembered but not slain, etc. That's fine.)
It takes time to dial in a new character. The first few fights are always too easy or too hard. This is the second one, so I think I'm getting it the hang of your abilities now. Paladins are a strong class.
As for the GM rolls, sometimes I make them off screen, and sometimes I just narrate something happening. Gm fiat and all that (but that never involves you. If it involves you, dice get rolled).
I'll try to have the maps ready ahead of time in the future.
How strongly do you want/need hints/plans to get in the city and around? Every player likes different levels of GM advice and such.
Do you want to come up with it on your own, do you want NPCs to offer a good deal? I know this is a tough challenge but I don't want to steal from you by providing an easy paved road to walk down.
In this particular case, I have a few ideas but none of them are really sticking in my head. Tatalia being a paladin really complicates things in this matter: you can't just waltz in and Smite a whole city (and that would be unethical), but as Bronwen noted, a Halfling Paladin of Sarenrae is going to turn a Hell of a lot of heads in the city.
I like coming up with my own ideas ("what if I SAVE the pirates?") but if I get stumped I'm cool with the GM helping out. The story has to progress, after all - but maybe when I can't devise a good idea by myself there are unforeseen consequences to following someone else's advice? (To encourage me to think outside the box.)
So... I think I'll take hints - unless it would be in character for Bronwen to have an idea. And if you want to make sure the story stays interesting by making it harder than initially believed, feel free.
The ideas I have in mind:
1) Disguise as a servant or slave of Bronwen's. But Tatalia doesn't have Disguise trained, and this is a highly unattractive option to Tatalia.
2) Acquire a Hat of Disguise. Put a skill rank into Disguise. Make self appear to be a gnome instead of a halfling, or perhaps a human child. This makes her way more acceptable to the public - but she still doesn't have the gold to procure that, and while that's a common enough item, it may not be readily available... AND Tatalia doesn't have Knowledge: Arcana, so would she even know such an item exists?
3) Wait outside the city, let Bronwen do some hunting for information, then act on that information afterwards.
Option 2 is the most attractive to me, but the conditions I mentioned ("how does she know that item exists?" "we still need to sidequest for the gold") are pretty rough. But we ARE in the right place to get a hat like that - a smuggler's cove should have access to magical items of duplicitous nature...
Thoughts?
By the way: I was wondering how leveling will work in this game. I'm assuming levels arrive at points that fit the plot.
I do want to go ahead and make it clear that I'm cool with any pace of leveling - including instituting a level cap at any level you choose (even the current one, though I doubt that's your intent). Heck, if you wanted to run this as an E6 or E8 game, I'd be fine with that as well; and I'd be just as fine leveling all the way to 20.
What were your plans?
I already planned on Bronwen suggesting both 1 and 2. I have an idea that may be #4 but it'll be dangerous...
As for leveling, I plan to level you after each member of the Band you mange to recruit. Simple narrative based.