Grande Temple of Jing (Inactive)

Game Master GM-Gathrix

You Are Hereby Invited/To Plunder
(Or Die Horribly Within)
The Grande Temple of Jing/As My Honored Guest
Follow the Map-Come to the Front Door
And Take What You Can Carry
(For As Long As You Survive)
Doors Close 3 Jing Days After Entry
Happy Looting!
(Unless I Loot You First)
PS: Please Bring a Donation and Remember:
Donate Generously and Often.
(On Entry Please Make Your Way Straight To the Welcoming Chamber or Else Risk Being Marked As A Trespasser)

Recruitment for Grande Temple of Jing This will be presented Theatre of the mind style with no maps. I have decided to place the temple in Jalmeray in the Segang jungle in the south part of the island.

I will close recruitment Feb 25th. Jing will allow 6 characters into the temple at that time.

So... It's sort of like Rappan Athuk, maybe?

Regarding alignment, I don't really see any imperative to be Good. It seems like we're mostly supposed to be in this for the loot? Evil alignments might work well here, so long as we can work together.

So... It's sort of like Rappan Athuk, maybe?

Regarding alignment, I don't really see any imperative to be Good. It seems like we're mostly supposed to be in this for the loot? Evil alignments might work well here, so long as we can work together.

I have a link to the youtube teaser up if that helps. Don't know Rappan Athuk. The loot, discovery, religion, all could be motivators. Evil is allowed so long as you understand teamwork and do not intentionally screw over your fellow players.

I saw this massive tome in the LGS almost purchased it. Let me give some thought. Thinking a Cleric of Jing if that is appropiate. If not maybe some other god (Golarion?) here for a test.

I saw this massive tome in the LGS almost purchased it. Let me give some thought. Thinking a Cleric of Jing if that is appropiate. If not maybe some other god (Golarion?) here for a test.

Cleric of Jing is fine. One of the reasons I placed him in a Vudrani setting is because they have supposedly 1000 gods I figure he could be one

Hmm. I kind of want to run a sorcerer, I think. Hmm. Or a magus.

I am doing this one for my home group so thought I would offer it as PbP, but mega dungeons might not be as appealing as APs

Holy crap, did this kickstarter finally deliver? I was sure it was never going to happen.

Holy crap, did this kickstarter finally deliver? I was sure it was never going to happen.

I actually found it in my local store, I was not aware of the kickstarter.

Come on people sign up. A mega dungeon that's not Rappen Athuk or Temple of Elemental Evil???

What level do you start at?

Level 1 is the starting level.

Here is scranford's basic idea / entry. I'll finish in detail if we get enough victims... I mean players.

Silent Magni

Silent Magni looks good. I was hoping we would see a Cleric of Jing, I could definably see a were-kin worshiping such a god.

Are prestige classes Ok?

Dot. I'll work on a good monk
Tengu,monk good?

It's all on the wall

Prestige classes will be ok once you meet the prereqs for them. Offical Paizo stuff.

If tengu is 12 rp or less I will check

No Tengus are 13, you can create a 12 rp version. To check how many RPs a race has look at the Advanced Race guide on the Paizo PRD.

Grigor is a mercenary who loves his gambling. I will update once there are more applicants.

So no investigators allowed then. Hmm.. was thinking one would be good for this. I may have to go with a straight up rogue then.

I'm not sure how fast this game will progress but I also have a dwarven zen archer monk that could use a home. He's not going to be all that great at his job until he hits L3 and gets enough money to afford his weapon of choice.
How big of a focus are you going to have on performance combat?

@Trawets
Great minds eh? I saw this and figured investigator would be a lovely addition.
A shame.

Feel like doing a team thing? I feel like playing a ratfolk, was thinking a ratfolk inquisitor could be enjoyable.
ratfolk Swarming and teamwork feats could make for some enjoyable combinations. Free flanking is always a good trick as well.

There will be a good amount of times to use performance combat, but it wont be required. Jing likes to hold tournaments and has a lot of arenas in his temple.

They hybrid classes are a bit much and I am not familiar with them. There is an investigator archetype for bard or rogue that work nice.

I ask because the Performance combat feats are interesting things to play with but effectively dead weight in any instances where performance combat is not allowed.

As to your concerns on the hybrids, I disagree on hybrids being any better than traditional classes but keeping the game to where you feel most comfortable is always a wise decision.

the investigator rogue archetype is nice in a social campaign but losing trap finding in a dungeon crawl is not going to be fun.

How do you feel about the trait that gives you Proto trap finding?
I mean it doesn't much matter at our level because even a fully devoted rogue has next to no chance against a magic trap for a long time.
DC25 + spell level is not an easy roll to make for a long time after all.

I'd be personally interested as I find the idea of my dwarf monk also being a capable disabler of traps amusing.

@Trawets
Great minds eh? I saw this and figured investigator would be a lovely addition.
A shame.

Feel like doing a team thing? I feel like playing a ratfolk, was thinking a ratfolk inquisitor could be enjoyable.
ratfolk Swarming and teamwork feats could make for some enjoyable combinations. Free flanking is always a good trick as well.

That sounds like fun. I'll stat up a ratfolk rogue. Any teamwork feats you recommend that I take? I know you'll get plenty of use from the ones you know but they don't get shared with the rest of us.

Is unchained rogue available or only the core rogue?

Eh, it will be a long term goal Your first level feat is likely going to be weapon finesse as it seems unchained rogue is off the table.
Heck if we wanted to go whole hog for this a Vivisectionist alchemist ratfolk would be a damn blender Bite/claw/claw/Tail blade would be pretty awesome.
They've pretty much got all the traditional rogue skills in their list as well. Traits would cover the other ones.

As to teamwork builds it would depend on what we want out of them.
Paired opportunists could work if we had something else to piggyback AOO's off of.
Amusingly if I'm standing next to someone and they get to do that then as long as you are in reach you'd also get to make an attack due to your ally (me) getting an attack from another team member that doesn't have the teamwork feat because while they don't I do.

Escape route would be great for movement and retreat, so long as we share initiative and move at the same time we don't provoke from movement.

Outflank is the gold standard by making flanking even better and letting us prop AOO's for each other by making critical hits.

I am going to say no to disabling magic traps as rogues do, but there are traits that give you the skill which is fine.

No unchained please.

Grigor seems fine.

Ok, I've put together a ratfolk rogue, Brivenz Glimttyv for this. I just need to fill in a backstory. Comments are always welcome.

Movin, if you're still interested, do you have any interest in tying a backstory together as well?

Brivenz looks good

So far we have Silent Magni a Cleric of Jing
Grigor a two handed fighter
Brivenz a Rogue

bump

@ Trawlets
Yeah I've still got an interest.
You want to do ratfolk twins? could tie in nicely with the Trait you picked up.
I'm thinking I'll pick a deity other than Jing just to keep the party from looking too monochromatic in alignment.
Think I'll worship one of the other gods of thieves, coming along on this journey mostly because of wanting to keep a sibling safe.
Well that and to try and one up Jing by stealing bunches of his stuff.

@GM-Gathrix

Would you permit the Scent of fear feat?
I'd been thinking it would be a fun thing for a follower of Lao Shu Po to have.

@ Trawlets

Yeah I've still got an interest.
You want to do ratfolk twins? could tie in nicely with the Trait you picked up.
I'm thinking I'll pick a deity other than Jing just to keep the party from looking too monochromatic in alignment.
Think I'll worship one of the other gods of thieves, coming along on this journey mostly because of wanting to keep a sibling safe.
Well that and to try and one up Jing by stealing bunches of his stuff.

Twins sound good. I'm assuming you're the older twin who has to watch out for me. :)

Only by five minutes and ill never let you forget it eh?
Perhaps you could have a hope that seek this place might convinced me to give up on the creepy rat god cult I've fallen in with.

Bickering all the time but close ranks when an outside threat or influence comes knocking.
We could do the Analytical/Free spirit divide thing.

Mechanics wise I'm thinking I'm going to have to go down the route of dexterity as the ratfolk' penalty to strength makes anything higher than a 14 painful and even if it is permitted the Guided weapon enhancement is a long way from affordable at level 1.

Think ill send you a PM with further backstory stuff to avoid filling up the recruitment thread. Next post here should be my base build.

@GM-Gathrix

Would you permit the Scent of fear feat?
I'd been thinking it would be a fun thing for a follower of Lao Shu Po to have.

No sorry.

Hey! I'm thinking of creating a character for this, but I wanted to ask if roleplay will be very involved here. I've never played through a super-dungeon before, and I don't know if there's time for character development within them. Considering that the characters themselves are what really draw me to a PbP, I just wanted to check.

The PbP format itself lends itself nicely to character development. The dungeon is designed with a bit more flavor than other mega dungeons I have dealt with in the past and I think their is a lot of character Role Play opportunity.

Typically this depends greatly on the players themselves. Do you read what your other players post and respond to them in character, or do you just react to what the GM posts and roll when needed. I can not promise that all my players will be the former, or the later even.

I think I'll throw my hat in the ring.

Idea for character is Suave Pete. A trickster and a charlatan, and most recently a pirate captain (for an hour before a mutiny and subsequent digestion of crew). Was going to role a rouge, but Unchained is off the table.

How does a Street Performer Bard, sound? Will make a silly caster if the need for a mage is great.

@Gm-Gathrix: Are alternate race traits ok. Specifically Comprehensive Knowledge and Focused Study in humans

Official Paizo racial traits yes, stuff off PSFRD no. I am not sure why that is so popular anyone can post random things on that. Official Human Alternate Race Traits

Dot for interest.

Actually, PFSRD isn't run by the community, it's run by one guy who doesn't let anyone else edit it. All of the information on PFSRD comes from Paizo books. Comprehensive Education, for example, comes from the new Inner Sea Races book. 3rd party content is clearly marked on the reference document.

Anyway, I was thinking of creating a very, very strong orc character from a nomadic orc tribe that often passes close to the Temple of Jing along their hunting routes. While none of the orcs have a strong enough sense of curiosity to actually enter the temple, the tribe generally tends to avoid it, as they've heard enough of the place to determine that it's dangerous.

Xicotencatl (SHEE-ko-tain-cot-l, meaning "angry bumblebee," though he normally goes by Xico) has been the lowest rung on the tribe's pecking order for years, but the tribe has never quite figured out how to make him leave. Xico, despite his physical strength, has been a constant burden on the tribe. He can kind of hunt, he can kind of fight, but he never has any motivation to do so. He is broken in the eyes of the tribe. He has none of an orc's typical malice, sadism, or destructive nature, and does not understand the urgency of fighting other Orcish tribes for territory. Instead, Xico spends most of his time foraging for food and wrestling with the massive wolverine that he found from lord-knows-where many years ago.

Xico himself can only be described as a giant, ferocious child. Though he appears outwardly to be extremely intimidating, he in actuality treats most living creatures with an incredible gentleness. When his wolverine friend grows tired after a bout of rough play, Xico can't stand to see him collapse on the ground, instead picking the massive beast up in his arms and petting him until the wolverine falls to sleep. While this has ended with Xico obtaining many a bite to his thick fingers, the orc still adores his wild companion.

This innocence, however, is soon to be Xico's downfall. After years of putting up with the burden of Xico in a tribe of warriors, the Orcish tribe has put together a "clever" plan to rid themselves of him and his troublemaking wolverine- tell Xico that his wolverine friend wants to see the Temple of Jing. As Xico is extraordinarily gullible, he'll end up leaving the tribe to see the temple right before they pack up and leave without him. Why not just beat him up, you may ask? They have. Xico, however, comes trotting back to the tribe's camp every time, as if forgetting that the act of violence ever occurred. And in reality, he probably has.

------

Xico, despite having an animal friend, isn't a hunter, ranger, or druid. He was always bred to be a fighter. He simply is kind enough to other creatures to instinctively know how to befriend the wolverine that he found. As a result of this, the wolverine is generally not a combat animal, though of course will defend itself if attacked. Xico thinks of the wolverine as most people might think of a housecat- a fluffy, lovable pet who has a bit of a wild side.

Xico may also learn to treat certain party members this way. As long as they don't try to kill him, he'll want nothing more than to be their loyal friend, and will defend them with the immense strength that he barely even knows he has.

------

Character-concept-wise, what do you think of Xico? What can I do to make him better?

Point Buy 25 points (No Score Less than 8 or Greater than 18 after racial)
• Races Allowed: Any Core Race, Any Paizo Race that is 12 RP or less.
• Classes Allowed: Any Core Class, Inquisitors, Witches, Oracles, Alchemists, Magus, and Cavaliers. Archetypes found in APG/UM/UC only.
• Traits- 3 traits, one is a campaign trait, no Drawbacks for traits.
• Alignment- I view alignment as a tool for players to RP their character. Unless you are taking something with an Alignment Restriction (Clerics, Paladins, Monks ect) than I probably will not come down on you too bad for alignment infractions. Let’s not have any evil alignments, unless you present a very good reason as to why and vow to be a team player.
• Starting Wealth 150gold

This is what I am allowing in this game, no exceptions, stop asking.

Eek, I'm sorry! I don't know what I did wrong! I wasn't asking for any sort of exception!

Orcs are an eight point race, Xico is a fighter, he would have eighteen strength and a high con. Xico is neutral, possibly chaotic but only in a minor way!

...Is everything okay? I just wanted some feedback on my character; I didn't think I made any sort of weird choices with him!

Edit: Oh shoot! This is about the wolverine! The wolverine is not a companion animal! It is Xico's friend, but not a companion animal. I will be paying 125 gold out of Xico's gold to buy it. Xico will have a high Handle Animal score and will have trained the wolverine tricks that he can then have the wolverine perform later using the Handle Animal skill. This creature does not have any special stats or abilities, unlike an animal that is a result of a class skill. It is literally an animal that knows the 'come,' 'stay,' and 'down' commands. It's just like any other PC buying a housecat with their gold, only this one has teeth and isn't as easy for most PCs to pick up. Xico, though, doesn't understand that the wolverine is actually a wild animal, and treats it like a cat anyway. All information on the Handle Animal skill can be found in the core rulebook under the skills section by looking at the handle animal skill.

The entire idea of this wolverine was for Xico to have an outlet for his childlike affection. Considering that most orcs wouldn't want to be hugged and cuddled, Xico chose the next best thing- a wild animal.

That wasn't directed at you specifically Sunstone, I am getting PMs about exceptions and its getting to be a bit much.

I actually missed your post because of that. I will go over your character soon.

@SunstonePhoenix The issue with your animal companion is that if you fail a handle animal check it is basically a wasted move/full action at best or at worst another combatant and I do not want there to be hard feelings if another character kills it defending himself. Jing will use it against you any chance he gets, so it can be a considerable liability mechanically. Flavor wise I do not mind the concept.

Is there a reason he couldn't be a druid? He sounds more interested in his animal companion than fighting.

I suppose this whole time, I'd been thinking of Xico as a martial character, but I think that you may be right. I'll be reevaluating his class choice and may end up just editing it into this post if I find something that fits him quickly enough. If I can find a druid archetype that places more emphasis on martial combat and a little less on spellcasting, I'll be taking it in a heartbeat. Otherwise, a vanilla druid still remains an option; I'll just have to consider how I'll be using it in conjunction with Xico's character.

Edit: I think I'm going vanilla druid. As for animal companions, what books are you wanting me to pull from? Just any official Paizo, or specific Paizo books?

I suppose this whole time, I'd been thinking of Xico as a martial character, but I think that you may be right. I'll be reevaluating his class choice and may end up just editing it into this post if I find something that fits him quickly enough. If I can find a druid archetype that places more emphasis on martial combat and a little less on spellcasting, I'll be taking it in a heartbeat. Otherwise, a vanilla druid still remains an option; I'll just have to consider how I'll be using it in conjunction with Xico's character.

Edit: I think I'm going vanilla druid. As for animal companions, what books are you wanting me to pull from? Just any official Paizo, or specific Paizo books?

You can take the Wolverine out of the Core rulebook. Badger (Wolverine) I think is how it is displayed

Here's the thing. When I originally planned Xico's character, he was a fighter, and the companion was strictly for flavor purposes. The wolverine was not to play a role in combat whatsoever. Now, the companion is one of the druid's most important class features, and I can't have a companion that will solely be a burden on the party or get killed as soon as we walk into the temple. While I truly wish that I could keep Xico's companion as a wolverine, badgers are notoriously poor choices for animal companions. The main draw of the badger is its burrow speed, and this game is going to be in a temple, meaning that the badger's main ability will be stifled due to the fact that burrow doesn't work on stone. While it can inflict a good amount of damage with its rage, the poor thing is more likely to get killed due to its low AC before it actually lands a hit.

TL;DR: Wolverines/badgers are awful fighters and are certainly going to be murdered instantly. Xico can't take that kind of emotional distress right now.

I suppose I just wanted to reiterate my original question: if wolverines aren't viable companions, where should I look to find an alternative? I'm no optimizer, but I also don't want a major part of Xico's backstory to immediately die.

You are the one that talked about a wolverine? The core rule book has other options, pick one.

I'm not finding myself terrifically interested in this now that I've set out to build a character.
I liked the idea but I just can't find the fire I need to be certain that I'd stick around for this.

So I believe I'll be withdrawing from this.

@Trawlets
Sorry my friend, I hate to let you down but I'd prefer to drop now than lose interest three months later and leave you in the lurch then.

you will likely find a race other than ratfolk more useful unless you can convince one of the other players to roll one.

I am going to withdraw from consideration as well.