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The carriage sways slightly from side to side, and you shift in your seat as you turn to take in the view.
The locomotive you're travelling in has just passed onto another of the ricking-bridges, marvels of engineering that connect mountain peaks miles apart, and the last one you'll need to cross before reaching your destination. You've been moving by road and rail for days, maybe even weeks, but the end is finally in sight.
Jevenwist.
You can see the lower tiers of the city below you, snow-covered rooftops and walkways layered and tessellating up the sides of the Katterfein mountains, occasionally shadowed by large iron-strutted platforms serving to house larger structures. You've moved through some of the outlying districts on your journey but this is your first glimpse of the city-proper, thousands of buildings perched precariously on the side of the continent's largest mountain. You're too far away still to see people but you know they'll be covered by warm furs, sprinting between covered markets and personal dwellings to keep out of the biting cold.
You pull your own too-thin garments around you reflexively - even though you thought you'd packed warm, the temperature is far below what you expected.
Your reasons for heading to the spire-city are personal, and the duration of your stay unknown. One thing is for certain, however...
You're going to be damn cold.
This is the recruitment thread for a homebrew pathfinder campaign set within the densely-populated mountain peaks of Auvenkine.
I'm looking for between five and seven players that enjoy games driven more by roleplay and player-choice than combat, who enjoy building a character from first level and who aren't averse to gaming in a low-magic world.
As far as classes and races are concerned, I will consider any combination that has a good backstory attached - this includes third party, and there will most definitely be preference given to the current versions of the playtest classes (as I have yet to see thm played properly...). There are also a few homebrew races for those feeling a little adventurous. As stated above, it's low-magic world (more details on the setting in the spoilers below), but casters are potential character choices as long as you're aware that you'd have to have a really god backstory or hook to have them considered. I'm expecting the finished party to have no more than two at the most (alchemists are a slight exception to this rule, and aren't counted as casters for the purposes of this campaign).
So, if you're interested all you need to do is post a name, race, class and single-paragraph story hook - why are you travelling to the central district of Jevenwist, what are you like as a person and one goal or ideal that you hold above all others will be sufficient.
Don't roll up complete characters yet, definitely - a suggestion is more than enough. What would be worthwhile is to forge an alliance with other potential players here, try to work out some interpersonal relationships - anything from sitting in the same locomotive carriage and having had a brief conversation at some point during the journey to sharing a common goal or family relationship would be good. A closer-knit party normally runs better, in my experience.
The recruitment process will begin with basic character idea submission, then there will be a short roleplay test where players are encouraged to interact with eachother, and then I'll choose the 5-7 characters I think work best for the world, thy can draw up the crunch for their characters and the game will start.
For the main game, I'm looking for a 1-post-per-day absolute minimum, a few more than that encouraged.
Good luck, and be creative. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask! Gatsby
Auvenkine is a mountainous continent, isolated from even its closest neighbours by miles of storm-wracked sea. Although the continent itself is nominally peaceful, this is largely due to the precautions taken by its civilised residents. The cities, towns and villages are built on the easily defensible slopes of its major mountain range, leaving the badlands to tribes of orcs and savage humans and the mountaintops to the wolves. It is rare for travelers between cities to run into any kind of trouble more serious than bandits and highwaymen, and the roads and trade-canals between settlements are policed by well-intentioned amateur guards.
The mix of sentient species on the continent is reasonably even, with humans outnumbering the other core races but not by a huge amount. The non-core races are reasonably represented in towns and cities, but most keep themselves to villages and encampments on the fringes of society through choice, relishing their individuality and living by their own rules. Religions are tolerated but none has risen up to a position of dominance, and each major city is ruled by its own government (usually run in a vaguely democratic fashion, but there are exceptions). The average person would rarely stray more than a few miles from the place of their birth unless forced to, and existence is comfortable if sedentary.
Auvenkine's major cities are plunging into an industrial age, but the engineering fervour has yet to reach outside their walls. Apart from the presence of a few logging stations, smelting plants and sawmills the average township is rarely concerned with what advancements the cities are working on or incorporating into their daily lives.
Although the civilised areas of the continent are rarely troubled by unexpected violence, illnesses continue to take their toll. With little access to eldritch research or magical healing fast-spreading minor illnesses and plagues represent a real hazard, many of them brought by travelers who have frequented the badlands past the lower frontier. Town and village dwellers have built up immunities to many of the more infectious diseases over the years, but the strict policing of city borders has led to the populace being more susceptible to illnesses, and they thank the stars that such outbreaks are infrequent.
The cities and towns are surrounded mostly by forests and farmland, but there are occasional anomalies that most right-thinking people steer clear of. Underground networks of brass-coloured corridors are occasionally found and walled-up, and hard-to-reach monuments of an ancient civilisation can be seen jutting from the higher slopes of the mountains. These are seen as bad and unlucky places, the birth-holes of beasts best left undescribed. Every now and then a group of adventurers and restless souls will depart, stating that their intention is to make their way into one of these monuments – of those that can make the hard trek across the upper slopes and the unmapped regions few return, and those that do bring with them incredible riches to tempt their fellows, and even more incredible stories to keep them away.
As for the history of the region, it is a subject of debate for city-bound scholars all across the continent. Some evidence points strongly to the civilised nations being the remnants of a great purge conducted by unknown entities, a thinning of the ranks of sentience a thousand years in the past. Others hold that the elves are the true owners of Auvenkine's bountiful forests, and that the other races emerged from the badlands to bring industry, plague and a mixture of cultures to the mountain slopes, disrupting and co-opting a previously peaceful existence. An emergent theory is that the brass ruins that can be found dotted around the land are all that remains of a race of powerful Ifreeti, the last vestiges of the 'Smoldering Empire' mentioned in the oral traditions of the badland-dwellers to the far south. While it is rare that scholars can agree on exactly what the history of their continent is, they do settle on a single point – that Auvenkine is not truly theirs, and was once greater and more peaceful than it now stands.
High up above the snowline of the Katterfein mountain range lies the Jevenwist, a sprawling city with districts spread across several peaks and connected by walkways and trainlines. The city is one of the most technologically advanced places in the continent, mostly due to the lack of available rivers for water-powered machinery, and local engineers are both prolific and inventive. An under-street heating system keeps the harsh cold out of the richer districts, and the peaks of the mountains themselves are partially hollowed and have been adopted as additional housing for those not hardy enough to live on the frozen exterior. Certain districts of the Jevenwist are also noted for their high levels of reliance on the continually-refined technology of alchemical interaction, although for some residents these districts are seen as unstable or inherently unlucky due to the stigma associated with the arcane arts.
The cities of Auvenkine are places of great learning, but this rarely encompasses a study of the arcane arts. There are no official magical institutions to join and, although there are occasional noble houses who pride themselves on creating practitioners of the esoteric arts, the common citizen will often breeze through life with no magical interference. Magic-users are regarded with a mixture of apprehension, awe and pity, and most individuals who have skill with the arcane decline opportunities to demonstrate in public, preferring to live normal, every day lives.
However, the inhabitants of the badlands to the south of the frontier have no such compunctions. Legends and myths tell of powerful mages and keen-minded alchemists who carve out petty fiefdoms amongst the sickly trees and hills of the badlands, marshaling small armies of magical beasts with which they hope to gain entry to the verdant mountain slopes. Few people believe these tales, or at least admit to believing them, yet the number of individuals who volunteer to help shore up the defences of the frontier towns are still markedly low.
With the inherent lack of high level magic in the setting, traditional ‘divine action’ based religions do not have much of a foothold in Auvenkine. The lack of miracles, martyrs and, particularly, divine-channeled magical cures for illnesses or injuries means that although the majority of the population believes in the gods, they do so in a somewhat relaxed fashion. Auvenkine citizens are rarely supporters of the fervent worship seen in other parts of the world, although it's true that some individuals of that type certainly exist.
This does not mean that clerics or paladins are particularly rare, however, simply that they are more likely to devote themselves to the strengthening or reinforcement of an ideal over the whims of a deific being. It is more common to find a monument constructed to honour the abstract concepts of 'purity', 'bravery' or 'beauty' than a shrine devoted to Sarenrae or Calistria. Foreign visitors to the continent of Auvenkine often find this vaguely unsettling at first, although strong adherence to religious principles is only the subject of negative stereotyping when the doctrines of said religions clash with local laws.
Different places experience these pockets of darkness at different times, and they can be dangerous for travelers who are moving alone or in small groups and don't know the local schedules, as the forests and slopes become progressively more dangerous to move around in throughout the night. Local legends (with more than a little truth to them) in many places describe the sink-hours especially as the favoured time for many savage creatures to hunt larger prey caught unaware by the sudden change in light conditions.
The forests, slopes and cities of the Auvenkine region are home to a diverse mix of cultures and peoples, and a similarly diverse set of regional languages also exist. The list that follow details the most important...
Common Languages: Unsurprisingly, Common is the most usually-heard language throughout the region, spoken by just about everybody that belongs to some kind of recognisable social group. Dwarven is the language of choice in the dwarf-owned hill forts around the region, and it's common knowledge that the ability to speak it greatly increases your chances of entry. Those who commonly deal with elvish settlements often pick up a smattering of the Elven language, and it is seen as essential for a non-elf to know if they want to attempt to trade with such communities.
Religious Languages: Abyssal, Celestial and similar languages are very rarely spoken in Auvenkine due to the general lack of organised religion. However, the region does have its own historical 'religious' language in the form of Low Targiss, an ancient language very small amount of extremely out-of-the-way communities. It is written with a modified form of the elven runic alphabet and is most often found on extremely old relics and monuments out in the depths of the forest.
Planar Languages: Of the four planar languages the only one that is anywhere near common on the continent is Ignan, which is often found scribed across the interiors of the brass ruins near the lowlands and mountain peaks.
Bestial Languages: Gnoll and Goblin are most commonly spoken by the savage tribes of the badlands (whether the members of the tribe belong to those species or not) and by some individuals in frontier towns. Most other 'bestial' languages are very rarely heard.
Unusual Languages: Brass-tongue is the traditional language of bargemen and travelling tinkers, although it is rarely used for anything other than trading or insults. Hunter's Cant is an unspoken language of hand gestures used by trappers and woodsmen out in the forests to communicate without startling nearby animals, and finally Gearish is an emergent variation on common used by inner-city engineers, although they see such a name as an insult to what they hold is simply the obvious language of blueprints and new technology.
A race hailing from the sunward side of the Nasurai Water (known locally as the Orphansea), the Tsykera rarely journey to the lowlands and are spoken about with the same lack of knowledge and speculation as the durahjan. A typical Tsykera has fragile elf-like features and a slim upper torso, and could pass for elves if it weren't for the glistening darkness of their eyes – and their extremities, an unsettling parody of human limbs but thickly-plated with dark chitin that runs from shoulder to elbow and from upper thigh to the end of their over-long legs. Although their hands are human enough the Tsykera have no feet, instead balancing adeptly on two blade-like jags of chitin, giving them a slow but graceful 'dancer's step'.
The Tyskera habitually live in small communities below the snowline on the far eastern slopes of the Katterfein range, and although they rarely leave their homes and are protective of their culture they are more than tolerant of outsiders, relying on them for produce from above the snowline and past the swamps and marshes that run into the orphan sea (two places they feel particularly uncomfortable in). It is rare to find a Tsykera not fluent in Brasstongue, the language of travelling traders and their ilk.
A Tyskera has the following features...
Tyskera are Medium-sized Humanoids with the Insectoid subtype
A Tyskera has a a base speed of 20ft. This speed is not modified by armour or encumbrance.
A Tyskera gains a +2 bonus to its Dexterity and Intelligence scores but takes a -2 penalty to its Strength score. Tyskera are graceful and incisive, but despite their powerful legs have comparatively low muscle mass in their upper bodies.
Tyskera speak Common and Brasstongue, and Tyskera with a high intelligence score can learn any additional languages with the exception of druidic (and any other 'secret' languages).
Tyskera benefit from the following racial traits...
Mountain-Born: Tyskera gain a +2 racial bonus on Acrobatics checks made to cross narrow ledges and on saving throws against altitude fatigue and sickness.
Natural Armor: Tyskera gain a +1 natural armour bonus to their Armour Class.
Chemical Sense: Tyskera are particularly sensitive to minute changes in the body chemistry and pheromone output of those around them, helping them to see when certain topics of conversation or various actions anger, disturb or please those they are in contact with. Sense Motive and Diplomacy are always considered class skills for the Tyskera.
Nimble Faller: Tyskera land on their feet even when they take lethal damage from a fall. Furthermore, they gain a +1 bonus to their CMD against trip attempts.
Weapon Familiarity: Tyskera learn the traditional ways of hunting before they reach adulthood, and how to use the weapons of their ancestors effectively, though many do not practice the art after their childhood. Tyskera treat any weapon with the word "tyskera" in its name as a martial weapon.
Darkvision 60 Feet: Tyskera can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
Meiharo
The meiharo are a race not native to Auvenkine, coming originally from a jungle-choked archipelago a few miles past the southern tip of the continent. Unlike many of the Auvenkinian races the meiharo have a talent for natural magic, and a biology completely unlike any of the more traditional races. Meiharo are comprised of rocks and metal deposits, their bodies humanoid in shape but stocky and strong. Although to an uninformed outsider they resemble vague descriptions of earth elementals the meiharo are a different breed entirely, and have a heart, circulatory system and other organs just like material races.
A Meiharo has the following features...
Meiharo are Medium-sized Outsiders, originally native to the plane of earth, and thus have Darkvision extending out to 60ft and eat, sleep and breathe as normal.
A Meiharo has a a base speed of 30ft.
A Meiharo gains a +4 bonus to its Constitution score but takes a -2 penalty to its dexterity and wisdom scores. Meiharo are strong and difficult to seriously damage, but their weight makes it hard for them to manoeuvre.
Meiharo speak Common, and Meiharo with a high intelligence score can learn any of the following additional languages: Dwarven, Goblin, Ignan, Terran, Gnoll, Orcish or Brasstongue.
Meiharo benefit from the following racial traits...
Stability: Meiharo receive a +4 racial bonus to their CMD when resisting bull rush or trip attempts while standing on the ground.
Camouflage: Meiharo gain a +4 racial bonus on Stealth checks while in rocky or mountainous terrain.
Stonecunning: Meiharo receive a +2 bonus on Perception checks to notice unusual stonework, such as traps and hidden doors located in stone walls or floors. They receive a check to notice such features whenever they pass within 10 feet of them, whether or not they are actively looking.
Natural Armour: Meiharo gain a +1 natural armour bonus to their Armour Class.
Light Sensitivity : Meiharo evolved in the humid shadows of a great jungle, and are dazzled as long as they remain in an area of bright light.
Ravkha
The ravkha were human once, but those times are long past. Native to the southern badlands past the frontier, the Ravkha live alongside savage tribes of gnolls and their flind overlords, and through close living and interbreeding have taken on several of the traits of savage humanoids.
A Ravkha has the following features...
Ravkha are Medium-sized humans and thus eat, sleep and breathe as normal.
A Ravkha has a a base speed of 30ft.
A Ravkha gains a +2 bonus to its Strength and Dexterity scores but takes a -2 penalty to its Charisma score. The Ravkha are savage and fast, but also ill-tempered and impatient.
Ravkha speak Gnoll. Ravkha with a high intelligence score can learn any of the following additional languages: Common, Terran, Orcish or Brasstongue.
Fearless: Ravkha gain a +2 racial bonus on all saving throws against fear effects.
Scavenger: Ravkha gain a +2 racial bonus on Appraise and Perception checks to find hidden objects (including traps and secret doors), determine whether food is spoiled, or identify a potion by taste.
Sprinter: Ravkha gain a +10 foot racial bonus to their speed when using the charge, run, or withdraw actions.
Carrion Sense: Ravkha have a natural ability to sniff out carrion. This functions like the scent ability, but only for corpses and badly wounded creatures (creatures with 25% or fewer hit points).
Weapon Familiarity: Ravkha are proficient with spears, and treat the flindbar as a martial weapon. .
Scavenger Empathy: Ravkha gain a +4 bonus on Handle Animal checks made to influence hyenas.
Low-Light Vision: Ravkha can see twice as far as a race with normal vision in conditions of dim light.
Hekajin
The hekajin are the offspring of a pairing between a human and a shapechanged hekajoto, the hekajin look almost entirely human... save for a single unmistakeably aberrant feature. The hekajin have an unfortunate lot in life – although their physical form bears unmistakeable marks of their aberrant parentage their mental processes are far more akin to the humans that fear them (although still slightly askew).
A hekajin has the following features...
Hekajin are Medium-sized aberrations and thus eat, sleep and breathe as normal, but have Darkvision out to 60ft.
A hekajin has a a base speed of 30ft.
A hekajin gains a +2 bonus to its Strength score and a +2 bonus to its Wisdom score but takes a -2 penalty to its Constitution score. The hekajin are strong and have a skewed world-view, but their bodies are a battleground of the normal and aberrant.
Hekajin speak Hunter's Cant and Common. Hekajin with a high intelligence score can learn any additional languages (with the exception of 'secret' languages).
Abstract Tentacle: A hekajin has a disembodied tentacle that floats several inches behind their shoulderblades, a clear indicator of their heritage. Their tentacles can be used to carry objects but not to wield weapons, and can retrieve small, stowed objects carried on their persons as a swift action. It can be hidden by bulky clothing and a decent disguise check (DC 15), but does detect as slightly magical when in motion.
Hekajin can also make melee attacks with their tentacle. This is a secondary attack. A creature hit by this attack cannot move more than 10 feet away from the attacker and takes a –2 penalty to AC as long as they are ensnared by this tentacle (this penalty does not stack if multiple tentacles are ensnaring a target). The tentacle can be removed by the target or an adjacent ally by making an opposed Strength check against the attacking creature as a standard action or by dealing 2 points of damage to the tentacle (AC 11, damage does not reduce the hekajin's hit points). A Hekajin cannot move more than 10 feet away from a creature ensnared by its tentacle, but it can release the tentacle from the target as a free action. A hekajin can only ensnare one creature at a time.
Skewed Mindset: Hekajin gain a +2 bonus on all Will saving throws.
I might be interested, but I do have a couple of questions!
(1) Would what you have in mind be okay for a PbP newbie or are you looking for players with more online RP experience?
(2) How do the spontaneous casters (sorcerer and oracle) factor in to the low-magic setting? Same question for witches since flavor implies that they can be "chosen" by their patron instead of actively seeking out magical power. What about bards and the magus? Not trying to nitpick, but just trying to figure out how these classes could potentially fit in (or not) with the setting for a PC -or- for RP interactions with other characters/NPCs who *do* have such powers :)
*Edited because it's late night and I can't read, apparently :P
Lady Ladile, I have no problem with people new to play by post - I was new to it not so long ago, and I seemed to pick it up reasonably fast. :)
As for the casters, there are no mechanical differences to them, but the attitude of people in the world to them is very different. Whilst a witch may indeed be chosen by their patron others would highly question whether that was really what happened, and would assume a dark past or a dabbling in arts best left alone. As for bards, especially bardic song, most people in the world would be completely unaware that there was even a magical component to many of their abilities. Along with low magic comes a low presence of 'detect magic', and an unfamiliarity with some of the effects of such powers. One of my campaigns set in the same world has a character who has effectively hidden all of his spellcasting and even his familiar from everybody, to the point that they (in character) believe him to be nothing more than an eccentric modern doctor.
As for NPCs who have such abilities, they are both rare and revered/feared. There are legendary heroes who could sling spells at their opponents, and most people 'know a guy who knows a guy' who can light a fire with the snap of his fingers or claims to be able to read minds, but there's a heavy dose of skepticism in the npcs see magic in the world, to the point that some city-dwellers don't even really believe that it exists at all.
Talking about one of the other campaigns briefly, one of the players is RPing a foreigner cleric. They are completely flagrant with their magical ability, but also RP it as something incredibly visual - a literal momentary manifestation of their goddess. It awes other PCs, and has already earned her something of a minor reputation in the locality.
Basically, as long as you make the flavour interesting, the world can generally accommodate.
Tis was long ago when the world was formed, it was chaotic and maddening yet a "pattern" lurked in the eternal tumult. For it was not the gods who crafted the world but it was the fey and the four courts of Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. Each court was ruled by one queen. Emotional, Free Spirited Spring was ruled by the Queen Eveldvin who was said to the be the most emotional of all the fey. She will give a little drizzle of rain one moment and howling thunderstorm the next. Bountiful and Lazy Summer is ruled by the Queen Tithania who gives the world the hot and sweltering days of Summer in which food grows quickly and men grow fat and lazy from the bounty of Summer. Sad, Fading Fall is ruled by Queen Ivelsiv, the Eternal Widow. Where as Eveldvin is the incarnation (more often then not) of the free spirited and joyful fey Queen Ivelsiv is the incarnation of Fey sadness and grief. Finally Dour and Haughty Winter is ruled by Queen Malivia, under her dour and cruel stare the harsh aegis of Winter strikes. Yet she is called the most beautiful of all the fey and indeed she is, for Winter is both savage and beautiful and Queen Malivia is the incarnation of both.
When the gods looked upon the world that the Fey had in their chaos crafted they contrived to trick the Queen's into a great slumber so that the gods would not invoke their wrath when they put the mortal races upon the world. Yet the great slumber is starting to end...the seasons grow more and more wild. Spring once that beautiful and welcomed affair of thaw and joy is now a tempest of rain that brings floods and tears to many. Summer has become so sweltering that men fall asleep in the fields and in their fishing boats. In Fall emotions turn towards grief and sadness as folk seem to embrace the great melancholy of the season. While Winter looms ominously in the clouds and in the beasts, sheep actively attempt to kill those who try to shear them as Winter closes in and many a wild beast invade the farms and houses seeking warmth... This is the only the beginning, for the Queens have only begun to stir, they have not yet truly awoken form their deep slumber...
still deciding the story details of my character primarily which Court to pick, so tell me gm do you like the Queens as patrons?
Awesome, thank you for answering my questions! One other question: you said you'd entertain pretty much any race/class combo if the back story is good, but are there any potential hurdles or complications that certain races would have to deal with?
I think I know what race I'll likely go with, still working on which class :)
*edit* Also, it might take me a day or two to finalize my entry since I'll be sleeping all day/working all night tomorrow and then playing PF in one of my regular groups on Sunday. I'll definitely be thinking about it, though.
Viluki, no problem with the queens - and winter would certainly suit the setting, but the final choice is of course yours!
And Lady Ladile, no problem - I'm not envisaging an insanely quick start, so there will be a few days at least for people to post submissions and ask questions. As for races, the more 'monstrous' races are a little rare in some parts of the world, but Jevenwist is something of a melting pot - there are too many small factional disputes, problems with the weather and opportunities for manual labour for people to worry much about the colour (or texture, or size, or liminality, or monstrous...ness) of your skin or whether you have to get your jackets made to order.
Seldlon is a knight of winter, a mortal who has signed on with the Winter Court as a mortal champion of a Winter Court fey noble. Seldlon was originally a human Untouchable from the city state of Rariva to the north east which was ruled by a strict caste system and Seldlon was naturally born in the lowest caste, the Untouchable. Like many others of his caste he would have labored in the harshest of labor conditions and died by the age of thirty if he was lucky.
However one day he escaped from the Hell that was Rariva and after many days of wondering in the frozen snows he encountered the Baroness. She was a regal figure clad in a blue and white dress that was lined with the finest of furs. Her eyes were cold, icy blue and her hair was as black as midnight. Her face was haughty and proud, she looked upon him and proffered a small tray of food and wine the likes of which he had never even heard of. Then the offer of knighthood came and being a man in his position he naturally accepted the offer...
By accepting the offer he transformed into a form akin to an elf...yet he is clearly different. The fey power which flows through his veins is far more pronounced then it is in an elf and it lends him a primal, majestic appearance that is far different from the man he once was.
later on I will add the "Duties of a Winter Knight" and "personality" sections. This is just a small sampling of the character.
It's okay for now, Viluki - keep it bare-bones until there are more characters for you to build potential relationships with.
Props on the Tyskera and Ravkha, and the Hekajin are fabulous. Not sure I'll make this party Gatsby...
Don't worry wolf - I'm sure it'll still be around if you change your mind. :)
How big is Jevenwist? What will we be doing in this campaign, is it a total sandbox, or will there be a patron/plot line? Can you say more about the elves of Auvenkine? I'm assuming they are not aliens with all black eyes like they are in Golarion. Where do they come from? You mention theories about them being the true owners of the forests. Are they just like forest dwelling hippies? What are they like physically? Are they immortal? Do they sleep? What kinds of work do the elves of Jevenwist normally do? What are they like religiously, or philosophically?
I might be interested in playing, but obviously I'm after more info.
How big is Jevenwist? What will we be doing in this campaign, is it a total sandbox, or will there be a patron/plot line? Can you say more about the elves of Auvenkine? I'm assuming they are not aliens with all black eyes like they are in Golarion. Where do they come from? You mention theories about them being the true owners of the forests. Are they just like forest dwelling hippies? What are they like physically? Are they immortal? Do they sleep? What kinds of work do the elves of Jevenwist normally do? What are they like religiously, or philosophically?
I might be interested in playing, but obviously I'm after more info.
Jevenwist is a network of large city districts spread between various mountain peaks and home to almost a hundred thousand people of various races, the largest central district (Ingenspire) holding roughly half the population. There will be several potential major plotlines presented that you could follow or the group could choose to strike out on their own and I'll re-plan the campaign around their chosen direction.
As for Elves, they run the gamut of physical appearance just like humans do, depending on parentage and environment. Their history and attitudes are shaped by personal choice and local traditions, most of the lower plains- and forest-dwelling elves tending towards communal isolationism but certainly not exclusively. Elves in Jevenwist are as likely to be hunters on the lower mountain slopes as they are scholars or engineers, and equally likely to be beggars, inventors or black-market traders. They are long-lived but not immortal, and sleep just as other races do. Religiously the majority of them tend towards stoic agnosticism, but in terms of philosophy and general outlook they often value aestheticism and a logical consistency of form and function, with elven engineers in particular striving where possible to bring those two elements into harmony. Historically speaking the first elves on the continent arrived thousands of years in the past, spreading through the lush lowland forests and living in uneasy harmony with half-orcs until the arrival of humans and the advent of factional warfare, long since consigned to the history books rather than the forefront of the mind.
And, in Jevenwist especially, there'll be nary a forest-dwelling hippie in sight.
What about crime in Jevenwist? Is it organized? Prevalent? How would you feel about an assassin for hire as a player character?
Jevenwist has crime like any other large city has crime - more than is publicised, and far more than even the paranoid expect... but it's not prevalent. Different schools of engineering and manufacturing are more prone to industrial sabotage than they are hiring contract-killers, but that's not to say hat such opportunities don't exist for an 'enterprising' individual. I have no problems with an assassin as a player character, as long as said assassin is prepared to face the consequences of being caught whilst on the job if they screw up.
I want to play an elven white haired witch, who hides his spellcasting and familiar, as well as his hair abilities, but I'm not sure where to take the story aspects.
I could have a boring normal job, but that doesn't lend itself well to adventuring.
I've never seen a white-haired witch archetype played before, so that's pretty interesting for me.
And if you're thinking of a local job but don't want something boring or normal, there are various jobs in a city of split districts spread over the mountaintops and linked by terrifyingly long bridges and walkways that most citizens wouldn't consider boring...
If you think of anything job wise that appeals to you, let me know and I'll do my best to incorporate.
Well, would people consider his hair abilities as magic? Would you allow him to use his hair to lift/move objects?
He'd be genius level intellect, so he could be an engineer or something, but the witch skill list isn't necessarily geared for that.
I'd have no problems with you swapping a class skill or two if it fit the concept better if/when you decide to build the character. As for the hair, if it was useful in the workplace then friends and colleagues would most likely turn a blind eye, but using it in public with no warning would doubtless provoke comment and garner a lot of attention. And if it can grab people it could be used to move objects, though the idea of mixing hair and running machinery sounds a little dangerous...
I will think about it some more and let you know if something clicks.
No problem, Jelani - looking forward to it.
im interested dotting for now but will work on a character when i get time. How do you feel about gunslingers?
im interested dotting for now but will work on a character when i get time. How do you feel about gunslingers?
Absolutely no problem with them - in fact, I quite like them.
Glad to hear been wanting to run one for a while. Already have one made with 20 point buy for a different game will tweak him up when i get home from work.
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Questions: is multi-classing okay?
Can we have our characters be born originally elsewhere and then travel here or move here at some point, especially since you said the continent is comfortable, like the character moved here for a better opportunity or whatever?
You said our characters must have goals. Are our characters allowed to have weird goals in addition to real goals? For example, the character has goal of climbing Mt. Everest someday, or the equivalent thereof in this world, whatever that mountain would be called, though the character would probably have other real world goals in mind.
Alignment Restrictions?
Also, I don't want to be a gunslinger, but I am thinking about guns? Are they emerging? Or what are the rules...
Yes, characters can be born in other places and have moved to Auvenkine for one reason or another. It'll certainly give the character a fresh set of eyes with which to look at the world, and they may see things differently to natives too.
And outlandish goals are fine too - I can't promise to work them straight into the story, but if the opportunity to arises I'll certainly do my best.
As for alignment it rarely seems to play a massive part in the games I run, most NPCs (including 'villains') being sketched out as neutral characters who occasionally veer into non-neutral actions, but I tend to look unfavourably on chaotic evil player characters, if only because the actions they are generally attracted to have a habit of hindering the rest of the party in most games, and can really decrease the amount of options available.
Not always, of course - but, in my experience, often.
Emerging guns for prices, but treat them as any other ranged martial weapon in terms of the required feats.
And I have no problems with multi-classing, as long as it fits the narrative of the character.
Now the races that you created? Would it be uncommon for those races to you know... be that way with humans or elves? They sound good, if they ladies like me of course.
If you're talking about what I think you're talking about, the hekajin are already half-human half-aberration. As for the others... one is essentially human, one biologically insect and one made of stone... you may be out of luck.
Are you ok with things like Goblins? Ravboom here is a character I made for a game where it didn't work out. He's an interesting little gobby. :) His current backstory (which I could change if you feel it doesn't work for your world, or just Tweak to fit your world) is that he was a goblin baby that was the sole survivor of his tribe when his tribe was attacked by humans intent on exterminating goblins from the area (this actually might work really well given your statement that non-core races tended to stay off by themselves, some humans wanting the territory committing genocide to get the territory).
He then grew up feral, surviving by his own wits, until he was an adolescent. He accidentally saved a tiefling Monster Hunter who had been contracted by a village to kill off some giant snakes who'd been menacing the area. The tiefling managed to take the goblin under his wing, and teach him to be a Monster Hunter. The goblin is tough, but still a bit feral (barbarian class). He's not your average gobby, though, and has lots of strange ideas about goblins (that whole barely learning the language before he went feral). But he cna get along fairly well with most folks.
So heres the basics of my gunslinger.
Half-Elf. Father was raised by dwarfs after he was orphaned. Was taught gunsmithing by his father who learned it from his dwarven father. Going to go the mysterious stranger archtype type. thats what i got so far. im willing to combine stories if anyone has ideas.
Hello again Ravboom.
Hiya Willy, better luck this time.
, I have no problem with fetchlings (although anyone that witnesses you change shape unexpectedly would be incredibly shocked), and time thief seems like an interesting class. If you wanted to come from Auvenkine that would be fine, but you'd certainly be a rare breed - not many people would be able to classify your race at a glance, and even some that could wouldn't believe it.
, goblin's not a problem either, but there's a slight hitch with the backstory. The factional warfare that shook the continent is a long time past, and there is little friction between races for the most part. However, there are still some tribes of humans who are slightly... degenerate, shall we say, and they could easily have wiped out your society for some paltry slight. They're clustered around the far east of the continent, which is all lowland forests and marshes - you would have travelled a long way to get to the mountains.
And , no problems at all.
I don't mind having traveled a long distance, and it makes sense he originated around the marshes with the giant snakes. And degenerate humans are just dandy. :)
I'll tweak the background a bit. If you give me a name/city for the background, and even a tribe name for degenerate humans, I'd be fine with that. I think he's on a quest to find his Sensei? The man left him in town while he traveled west due to a letter from his family. Couldn't bring Ravboom due to family constraints? After he hadn't come back for 6 months beyond how long he was supposed to be gone, Ravboom headed off to find him?
EDIT : And fetchlings don't change shape? They're humans from the shadow plane.
EDIT : And fetchlings don't change shape? They're humans from the shadow plane.
Nope, but they can 'disguise self', and the citizens in general wouldn't know the difference.
As for backstory, Ravboom, give me half an hour to grab some food and I'll shoot you a few ideas.
Gatsby
Ah, ok, Disguise Self, yeah, forgot about that. :)
Don't worry Ravboom, I probably should have been clearer. :)
Now, as for the character...
The humans that killed your tribe would most probably have been part of a nameless group of separate savage tribes united under a single ogre patriarch and various half-ogre lieutenants, distinguished by their propensity for wearing fox-faced masks and their reputation for unpredictability. Living wild in the woods around the city of Ikarida (essentially the cradle of humanity in Auvenkine), they are as likely to share a meal with you as they are to rob and murder you, and are seen as a scourge best wiped out sooner rather than later.
And your personal sensei-finding goal? He could easily have been heading for Jevenwist in response to his letter, and your search could be very easily tied in to an existing planned plot thread. So it looks good from my end of the table.
Background updated. Still have to spend all the extra gold though. :)
Speaking of which, is it double what we roll, or double max, or double average?
Ok so here is what i came up with so far. Jacks father was raise by a dwarf who taught him how to make and use guns. Jacks father left home to start his own practice somewhere. It was during this time he met jacks mother, a traveling Elf. Jacks father taught him how to use and make firearms. His father was killed during a robbery while both him and his mother were out. his mother sent jack to live with his dwarven grandfather and she disappeared looking for the killer. once jack was old enough he left looking for both his mother and the killer of his father.
Double what you roll is fine for gold - but remember, you don't have to build yet if you don't want to. Inter-character relationships are more important for the moment.
And Willy, that sounds good to me.
Got two different concepts here but since I think I'd have a good time playing either one and can't quite decide, I thought I'd toss them both up and see what people think. Both Catfolk, but from different areas and with different personalities and outlooks on life; I'll do more fleshing out on whichever one people would be more interested in seeing :)
Miri Lisileo
Catfolk
Wild Wanderer
Joza Fersig
Catfolk
Investigator (ACG playtest class)
Ladile, I like both concepts but am leaning towards investigator, having not seen one played before and thinking the flavour might work well within the city.
Well, honestly he's already built, so it's just equipment that needs to be done.
* 10 * 2 = 140 * 2 = 280
Investigators are very good for RP & Mystery, less so in combat. That's not a bad thing, just a 'to be aware of' thing.
I don't mind that - I'm a firm believer in encounters tailored by more than just recommended CR. In fact, I enjoy it - like many GMs, there's a serious gamey-designery streak in me. ;)
So, how are we doing relationships? Are we going to have like a 'phase 2' RP session in the recruitment thread? Or even the gameplay thread? Some of us are on the train, and some are from the city, yes? So, it might make senses for those of us arriving on the train to have a separate RP/background fit from those from the city, yes? Especially those of us who rode the train VERY far (like Ravboom).
That's kinda what I wasn't sure about, if this would be mainly an urban campaign, if we'd be spending most of our time in the wilderness or if it's something that really depends on how things play out once the game starts. Considering the nature of the world and where we'd be starting, I figured that characters who could function in a city setting might be more appropriate - but I thought I'd better come up with a more outdoorsy option too, just in case :)
*EDIT* @Ravboom: I tend to play characters that are more supportive anyway, whether by being a skill monkey, party face, or healer/buffer since many of the players in my RL groups tend to go for martial classes and characters suited for delivering apocalyptic beatdowns. So the Investigator being more appropriate for support rather than combat is okay with me :)
Good question, Rav.
From some time tomorrow I'll open up an rp section for you to build relationships - everyone will be on the train, as it does pass between several districts of the city, meaning that city-dwellers would have reason to be on there as well (and for ease of relationship-building, even incidental ones...). But for now, if people are closer to readiness, it would be a good idea to talk amongst yourselves out of character in case there are any of you who would like to have a 'long-term friendship' thing going on before said rp session begins.
Sounds good. :)
@Ladile - No problem, nothing wrong with that sort of build. Just wanted to point it out because one of my players is playing one, and loves him for mystery type stuff, but hates him for combat.
Anyone else planning on having ridden the train from WAY far east of the city prior to arriving? If so, it would make sense for them to have met Ravboom on the ride. Otherwise there'd be no one Ravboom would have had a 'long' relationship with other than his Teacher. A couple of months on the train, possibly fighting off a bandit assault or a wild animal attack....
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I'm up for it. we could have even met before the train. meeting my character as he Traveled.