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Hello my noble minions!
This is a closed discussion thread for those of you who have been slotted or recruited for Lords of Taldor: Ascending Majesty The counterpart game to Lords of Taldor: Reviving the Empire
Please ask unto the thread your questions regarding Character, Cohort, or Estate building. I will be happy to oblige, and as always, I'm happy to have you all help me work out the kinks in my planning stages!
I will formally announce here that, while I do have a difficult time saying the word "no" to my chosen players, I ask that you accept my ruling as final after any reasonable argument that we may have regarding this game... There are a LOT of of things to take into consideration on my part when moving all the cogs in a setting as large as an entire Empire (And perhaps even beyond that). Luckily I will not be moving those pieces alone. That being the case this is still a huge job with many watts of brainpower being expended to make sure that your manipulations are felt in the most proper of ways. It is a tiny thing for me to ask that when I give a final ruling, there is no rehash of said ruling.
Taldor is a land of lost glories, an empire teetering on the brink of ruin. The nation is stretched thin and threadbare, having lost several satrap states like Cheliax because of massive overreach. Taldor's courts, once bastions of civility, honor, and justice, have become diseased, filled with corrupt bureaucrats, backstabbing nobles, and a pampered emperor who symbolizes all the empty decadence and power-mongering of the elite. Whispers of a new war with Qadira echo in the nation's courts, threatening to bring the final blow to the ailing land if the desert kingdom decides to finally retake Taldor. The age is dark and the problems are many. It is clear that Taldor needs heroes. Will you step up and breathe life back into the nation? Or will your actions inadvertently snuff out the kingdom forever?
This particular game will be one of courtly intrigue and world shaking politics. While that may indicate to you that martial characters have a less dramatic role to play in this story, I assure you, Taldoran nobles LOVE their chivalric knights, and there will be the ability to venture forth in to the dark dungeon from time to time. Being aware that this is a more social-type game, please consider that you should have some ranks in social skills. Failing ranks in social skills, you should have the ability to compel me with your writing (I’m looking for your social skills to either reinforce your words or to help me overlook blunders).
I will also be including a special homebrew twist to this adventure. Please create your characters as follows, and then view the “Special Rules” spoiler for this additional information.
Level: 12
Ability Scores: 15 point build, 1-1 scale with a base of 10.
Race: While all Paizo approved are acceptable, Preference will be shown to the Standard Races (i.e. Human, Elf, Dwarf, Halfing, Gnome, and Half Orc).
Classes: Paizo, and Dreamscarred Psionc and Path of War classes only
HP: Max per level
Skills:+1 skill point per level
Traits 2 standard traits. You may receive a third trait if you take a drawback.
Fluff: This is the important part! Your Character is a 12th level noble of Taldor, you didn’t get to be that way by sitting on your thumb and spinning around. What makes your character particularly suited to being a Noble? Were you born this way or have you been ascended by right of the Emperor? Are you interested in playing the Grand Game, or do you sneer at the thought? Please give thought to this, I want interesting characters.
Things you should include in your fluff: At least 1 good standing relation; At least 1 sour relation; Why would you be interested in reviving the might of Taldor in the face of receiving such lucrative spoils just for being a noble?
Gold to purchase equipment with: 110,000gp.
Alignment No CE; the other Evils will not knock you out of contention, but your character MUST be civilized in your Scheming and plotting and must be capable of playing on a team without trying to murder their associates. This is will be a game of intrigue, not of “how many bodies can my carpets hold?”.
You will be receiving 10 “Pseudo-Gestalt” levels of Noble Scion to represent you noble heritage or the ascension to nobility. These levels will be in conjunction with your levels of chosen class. What I mean when I say “Pseudo-Gestalt” is that I will be giving you all of the class abilities of the Noble Scion, with none of the skills, saves, attack bonuses or HP gained from the class.
There are stipulations to these abilities, however!
As follows:
1) When selecting your Regional expertise, you can NOT select The Satrapy of the Desert
2) When selecting your Dilettante Studies you can NOT select Dilettante Scholar
3) Your Servitor is assumed to be your estate Steward, and will only be attending to your estate matters. Please give a description of how n depth you would like this to be, as I will be controlling your estate in the background while you are not there.
4) While money gained from Affluent can be spent on anything, I would like you to focus this spending primarily on your estate. This money comes to the whopping sum of 41250gp.
5) You have the option of gaining a free Cohort of your same level, because of the Noble Scion ability Greater Leadership. You do not NEED this cohort, but it is suggested that you use this option to supplement the things you can’t do . Your followers are assumed to be your estate servants and peasants
With those stipulations in mind
You are assumed to have a small Villa in Oppara whether or not you choose to purchase a large estate, this was either a gift from the Emperor or a Family Villa.
You do not have to purchase your estate or build your cohort prior to the end of recruitment if you don’t want to, though the effort will not go unnoticed. There will be a full week after recruitment to work with the other players to establish your history, reputation, estate, and other matters.
Your Cohort follows the same standard creation rules as listed above, and do not get the special rules.
First note I'd like to make before we start/continue our discussion:
With the fact that every player is essentially running 2 characters in this game, I have little concern about party balance.
Alright. We've still got the bonus feat, it looks like, so I guess I'll do something with that.
Could my cohort take a few item crafting feats (not all of them, just the master craftsman ones) with the extra wealth gained mostly going to him? Or should I give him standard NPC wealth (this appears to be ~21k gp)? Or something else?
Wait! I forgot to correct that! lol!
Treat your cohort with the same creation guidelines as your character, with the exception of the "Special Rules" bit. While they can be a member of your entourage and join you in court, they are not nobles and do not receive any benefits of being recognized as such.
Also, for your cohorts, add that 1st level bonus feat that I have now removed because they do not receive the uber-bonuses associated with the "Noble" side of your Noble characters.
The idea playing out is that while you are capable of pulling on the strings of power inside the court, your cohorts are able to do more "dirty" work that would be considered inappropriate for a Highborn to take part in.
I will work on a character sometime soon and submit it for your perusal soon, GM Leviathan!
Please, submit a general outline by Friday so I can get a grasp on what I would be looking for IF I open recruitment.
As it stands, I believe I've got 3, maybe 5 players if my personal friend and Commandodude join us on this side. I would like to keep it to a maximum of 5 (Remember that will be 10 characters to keep track of), but if it goes to recruitment and there is one that I simply can't live without, I may extend that to 6.
Right now:
T-Beard has submitted The Invincible Lord Inkwell
Mattastrophic is working on modifying Lady Gabrielle D'Apcher
CRFaye is still mulling about what she would like to do.
Also If I do go to recruitment, I will be asking for you guys' input on potential players/characters.
Huh... yeah, we might have enough characters already then.
Thought: If I went Sacred Huntmaster, I could get an animal companion. This would probably be used strictly for Diplomacy: "Oh, why don't we retire to my villa where you can meet my MAJESTIC TALDORIAN LION, he wears a coat of arms and everything"—but I'm not sure if it would actually make sense to keep a lion/giant snake/8-foot-owl or something similar on the outskirts of Oppara or it would just be too silly (especially already having a cohort and a servitor—in this case, Lord Inkwell would have a very modest house in Oppara, while his servitor aristocrat son manages the country estates several hundred miles away).
Also, ran up the crunch on the Cohort, Doctor Janus, and he's a pretty decent healer (although a noncombatant by personality).
So... Keeping in mind that, in Taldor, magic is common, having some sort of magical animal then is also not uncommon.
Much like the idea of the Emperor of China owning pet Lions (which are absurdly foreign to China, and did historically happen), owning your own exotic animal would not be unheard of, and COULD be chalked up to noble eccentricity... which as an 80+ year old man, you're likely to have.
On the topic of grabbing a class to do this... Why? you've got enough money to get a trained animal, and a handler for that animal. If you want the class/archtype because its in flavor, go for it, but if you're doing it simply to be able to mechanically do something that an amount of money could also do, I'd say don't waste the level.
Can you go into more detail about what the focus on each campaign is going to be/the end game? Because I'm not sensing too much difference, just from the blurbs you posted, I kinda created my character to do both.
I'm also wondering how much difference the...background? of our characters is in either case - I mean, this campaign is assuming we're going to have estates (which will be run with the downtime rules) and we're all nobles. The WBL of this campaign is also much higher.
The way that I see it being is this: the people in my thread will be the heroic, adventurer-type PCs who do the more typical hero stuff, just with some politics mixed in and a VERY hefty amount of roleplay. GM Leviathan's game, at least as far as I can tell, will be the inverse: the PCs are nobility who plot and do politics and likely have a dash of 'typical adventurer' stuff, such as stealing an incriminating document, fighting off assassins sent by a rival, ect. I am unsure if that is exactly how it will play on GM Leviathan's end, but that is how I imagine it.
Oh, yeah—Sacred Huntsman is an archetype that replaces a feature I'd never use (Inkwell doesn't have enough feats/swift actions to take advantage of Judgment, when he's busy with Style feats and Bane).
@Commando, yeah, the GMs are saying what I was expecting. A warlord who faces proper battlefields would probably have more fun in a more traditional campaign. I'd say it could be cool to play as Lexarius's brother... except that dude looks like a probably villain. Hmm.
This is going to be tons of fun. I'll have to familiarize myself with the downtime rules as well as de-Pathfinderize Lady Gabrielle's storyline going into this, and I look forward to it.
Since I seem to have yet to actually ask... can I do an Unchained Ninja? I would basically swap out the Unchained Rogue's Trapfinding, Evasion, and Danger Sense for the Ninja's Poison Use, Ki Pool, No Trace, and Light Steps. I ask because in play, the concept is too cool for school and I would love to revisit it.
-Matt
Since I seem to have yet to actually ask... can I do an Unchained Ninja?
A wealthy Taldan noblewoman trained by ninjas? Are you building Batwoman?
Lol! I think he's said as much in PMs with me.
The difference in games is that reviving the empire will be the legendary hero type game where you'll adventure for the purpose of revitalizing the empire. Battlefields and dungeons are high probability in that one.
ascending majesty will be deeply rooted in courtly intrigue, focusing on the political maneuvers that will shift the political landscape for both games. The characters in this game are not legendary heroes with stories written about their ability to slay the grand-demilich-toruasque, they are long lived, or experienced Nobles. (i.e. if Lexarius were to retire today from the queen's guard and focus on his personal estate.)
Being that Lex is the head of the queens guard, he'll likely have more cross-over than other characters, or at least more knowledge of Noble movements.
Blackhart being recently ascended to nobility will likely be prominent in the cross-over stuff too.
She originally got created in Season 3 of PFS, when Ultimate Combat first came out. The idea was centered around an armorless aristocrat who uses her ladies' fan as her primary weapon. Turns out the fan is a Monk weapon, and thus the rest. Also, Forgotten Trick as a toolbox power is tons of fun.
That being said, if Taldan Batman is what the city needs, then she does have a pretty good Disguise modifier.
-Matt
Blackhart looks to answer Opilio's question "Why is she running uncle? She didn't do anything wrong."
A sad look comes over his face as he begins to reassure himself more than answer his Nephew. "We have to chase her... She's the hero Oppara deserves, but not the one it needs right now... We'll hunt her because she can take it... Because she's not our hero... She's a silent guardian. A watchful protector. She's our Dark Lady..."
Too easy to make happen!
Is your lady going to have a hidden alter ego?
Hmm...
The more I think about, the more I imagine the Lady taking on different personas as needed. She's clever, she's capable, and she knows it, so if she can't get things done as Lady Gabrielle, she can just dress up as something else. She loves reading adventure novels, and she was an actress before our story begins, so she understands how to craft a narrative in the minds of her audience. She knows how to use theatrics in order to achieve the desired effect. Kinda like what Ra's al-Ghul talks about now that I think about it, to circle us back around to Batman.
So, if she were to take on the role of a caped crusader, it would be a persona tailored to the situation. Like... If she needs to inspire the underclasses, she'd dress up as a folk hero and make very public appearances. If she needs to scare a particular noble, she'd dress up as some nightmarish creature and stalk him as he travels around the city at night. If a costumed hero can get things done better than she can, she is able to make that change.
So I guess the question is... Does Oppara need a Dark Lady? And will the emergence of one further the party's desires?
-Matt
I have no idea, but it's a cool thing to play around with.
Specifically because there is a lot of highborn corruption. That'd be up to the party. Also note that you'll have a cohort who may also be able to make appearances as your alter while you are in the same room.
I Am going to say yes. Have an alter ego known as "The Dark Lady".
She's been stalking the nights and exposing crooked nobles and other such criminals.
I've been tossing around some ideas for characters, mostly Rubicon relatives (younger sister/maybe an uncle) but I'm not sure what class I should be thinking of. I was thinking some kind of arcane/melee type like a Bard or Magus. Maybe a multiclass character of some sort.
In my experience, Bards/Inquisitors/Summoners have the best social spell lists, though you could probably do okay with any class if you buy a few Rings of Spell Knowledge.
Magi (plural Magus) would be respected in court, as being able to study the Arcane is considered a show of opulence. While being a "knight" is the embodiment of honor. If you do both, you'd be considered a paragon of Taldoran excellence.
Bards would be more knowledgeable on the state of courtly affairs, and navigating the treacherous pitfalls of that environment by virtue of how they are trained (if they are trained).
Oppara is also home to Golarion's two most famous Bard colleges, although one of them is sort of a front for the Lion Blades, a secret organization of bardic spies (and a really lackluster prestige class).
Just a reminder, 2 days until I decide if I need to post a recruitment.
I will only have recruitment open for 1 week, then the week after we will using to iron out any details regarding your estate.
I would like you guys to use the recruitment week to get your cohorts up to par and make sure all the mechanics of both your characters are streamlined and accounted for.
And just to keep track:
T-beard - lord Inkwell -Huntsman inquisitor/Martial Artist monk with Medicae Cohort
Matt - lady D'Apcher - Unchained ninja/Sohei Monk with unknown Cohort
Sanguinus - unknown with Unknown Cohort
CRFaye - unknown with Unknown Cohort
Commandodude - Unknown with Unknown cohort
I think I'm definitely in, I'm just trying to decide on two concepts. What are the design stipulations for the cohorts? Any different from the players?
Same, just don't apply the special rules.
The Dark Lady, eh?
Challenge accepted. Let's have the persona be a black-clothed, hooded lady with some Calistrian iconography here and there. She is known for cruelly and publicly embarrassing her targets in all sorts of vicious and ironic manners. One time, when the sun rose over the city, her target was discovered hanging upside-down from the roof of the orphanage he was using as a front, tarred and feathered. Another time, she left her target so bewildered that she appeared at the autumn ball wearing all the jewelry she had stolen from the royal family. And another time, she smuggled the baron's secret mistress into his own birthday party by hiding her in the twenty-layer cake. The Dark Lady doesn't just bring the corrupt into the light; she goes as far as ruining her targets and everything they have ever accomplished. Those who have seen her quickly make note of her impossible agility, her mocking laugh, and her uncanny ability to strike in the moment of her target's triumph.
-Matt
I like it! Never killing though!
Also, you'll need to grab a Ring of sustenance to stay awake those later hours.
On the other hand... some say that at least one of her targets committed suicide after receiving cruel humiliation by the hand of the Dark Lady. She might avoid killing, but is her harsh treatment any better? It makes her a rather controversial figure, I would imagine.
-Matt
@Matt: You going to have a rescued orphan sidekick, too? (To be fair, I got one). Ring of Sustenance is great—on my end, there's a spell called Keep Watch that Lord Inkwell uses to never actually sleep (Always vigilant! Not paranoid enough! And... oh, just realized why I gave my character a peg leg).
I'm guessing our characters might already know each other through the general power structure of Oppara, as well as potentially a secret affiliation with the Sovereign Court faction.
As for estates: I've currently got
Main Characters:
-Lord "Inkwell" Rook, Level 12 Inquisitor/Monk (rich old nobleman)
-Doctor Janus, Level 12 Alchemist (wealthy physician who makes house calls around Oppara while secretly gathering intel)
-Solomon, the Doctor's trained monkey
Main Noncombatants:
-Snowball, white lion animal companion (lives with Lord Rook in his modest Opparan apartments)
-Sir Bellarius Rook, Level 12 Aristocrat (Lord Rook's eldest son, who runs his country estate)
Followers:
-Lady Green, Level 5 Adept/Aristocrat (Doctor Janus's slightly-highborn wife, lives in Oppara with two Level 1 servants)
-Mister Danuell, Level 4 Expert (Lord Rook's Ustalavian valet, sole servant at the Opparan manor)
-Family smiths and apprentices, at country estate (1xLevel 4 Adept/Expert, 3xLevel 1 Expert)
-Groundskeepers and huntmasters, at country estate (1xLevel 3 Expert, 3xLevel 2 Expert)
-Cooks, butlers, and general servants, at country estate (2xLevel 3 Expert, 10x Level 1 Expert, 30x Level 1 Commoner)
-Doctor Janus's apprentices, merchants, and children (2x Level 2 Expert, 2x Level 1 Expert, 2x Level 1 Adept)
Other Contacts:
-Lord Rook has an extended network of children and grandchildren, though most have left home to join armies or priesthoods
General Menagerie:
-One constrictor snake, two hunting hawks, twelve horses (at country estate)
@Matt: You probably want to be careful about that as you'd be making a lot of VERY powerful enemies very quickly. Rock the boat too much and you'll get a witch hunt.
I think my primary character will either be Kyra Rubicon, or a cousin - who is a Bard. I was/still am considering Wizard 3/Unchained Rogue 3/Arcane Trickster 6 multiclass (although with the current rules it would be possible to wizard 5/arcane trickster 7), but it seems like we got 'the sneaky one' covered. Just in case I do go for it, is it okay to take Dilettante Scholar to make up for lost casting levels as an exception? Her second will be an Imperial Battlemage (Magus) who is her personal guard. Is it okay if I use the Dervish Dance feat with a Falcata?
Also, just wondering. When you say "this is a cross over campaign" just how much is going to blur across stories? Can we ask for indirect help from our campaign counterparts? Borrow their followers/estates/abilities? Can we directly interact with them?
@Commando: Yeah, we really don't need to worry about balance in this one. Also, if Dervish Dance doesn't work out, 1 level in Daring Exemplar or Swashbuckler + Unchained Rogue + Slashing Grace (the other feats coming from Noble Scion) lets you treat a Falcata as a finesse weapon—but unlike Dervish Dance, you can dual-wield with it or wear a buckler. Add Magical Knack, and you're still close to a full caster.
You could also use Dilettante Scholar to qualify for Arcane Trickster with a single level of rogue, freeing up more levels for casting.
Commandodude: honestly, I'd take slashing grace instead for 3 reasons. 1) it gives Dex to damage in lieu of Strength and 2) the weapon you use counts as a "light" weapon if you intend to dual-wield any thing and 3) there are less prereqs. Also, yes, I will allow either feat to be used for the Falcata
Issue 2: if it is for your noble, I will allow you to use dilettante scholar to patch the hole in your spell casting created when you multi-classes or prestige. Thank you for asking.
Issue 3: your "heroes" will be making appearances at court on occasion, you may even know them intimately depending on how you create your characters. Asking for assistance from them will be treated as though you are asking for assistance from any other NPC. if you are on good terms, they may allow you to borrow their funds/friends/resources, if you are on bad terms, they will likely not do much for you, and may even attempt to hinder you (though nothing worthy of violence clearly). Same would apply to your "Nobles"and their cohorts in the other game. (i.e. I feel like Blackhart would assist or inform the Dark Lady while pretending to chase her, the way Gordon did batman, because their goals align). The timelines in both games will be congruent, if the city has a big fire in one game it'll happen the same night in the other.
Matt: there's a saying that Barman used in the comics/movie with Darkseid: "I'm not going to kill you, but I don't have to save you". what your victims do as a result of eexposing their corruption isn't your problem. And, yes, I'm sure that is quite controversial.
tbeard nice presentation of your estate! All approved (though nothing of note needing approval). Maybe that let lion is docile because it's so old? Maybe kind of a mirror for Inkwell? "In his day he was a lion, now though he h
Appears to be just another old man" (though we all know that old lion still has fight left in him).
Apologies for the typeos, I'm on my phone today and only on this site it likes to add letters and words, and un-correct my corrected mistakes.
So here are my mistakes:
*Batman not barman
*pet not let
And any extra letters added to words that look awkward.
I'm thinking everyone in this game should have medium to high knowledge nobility. Just because that's the life.
Heh, "Barman..." sounds like a fun guy to hang out with on a Saturday night.
I'm thinking that this "Dark Lady" doesn't show up very often. Only when Lady Gabrielle can't find any other clever way to inflict due suffering on her enemy will she resort to the costume. The reason being... Unlike, say, Bruce Wayne, she really likes being herself, and her primary motivation is to hold on to her freedom to be herself. Note that a lot of this is coming from a pretty elaborate backstory that I am in the process of de-PFSizing. The Dark Lady is a tool in the box, not her primary hobby.
As for a cohort, man... I'll figure that out next.
-Matt
Oh... lions only live like 10-20 years. I'm assuming he imports a new one from his Garundi friends every time an old one dies.
As for not getting caught... I'm assuming Lady Gabrielle has only gotten away with it by being very, very sneaky, in the same way that Lord Rook is very, very hard to kill, and Commando's character is exceptional at magic, etc.
Indeed! (to both comments)
It'd probably help that The Dark Lady has noble friends who are potentially aware of her identity that might want to assist her. *cough cough* you guys *cough cough* but that's an option you guys should decide on amongst yourself.
As per Ms. CRFaye, I'm currently discussing with her what she would like to do. She is new to PBP and is afraid of her time constraints. I will let you know if she will actually be joining us or not.
You guys do have time to develop your cohorts and estates, so don't be in a panic about that. It's most important to have your noble fleshed out (maybe not the details, but the general idea) by tomorrow afternoon.
Commandodude: I'm down with you taking charge of the "arcane noble house". that actually gives me some perspective on how to look as t noble families too actually.
That being said, I'm looking at the families in this fashion: each house has something they are known for. The Rooks are known for tactical genius, the D'Apchers for their tact at "the grand game", the Rubicons for their magical aptitude. While not all of you/the members of the houses may not be inclined this way, these are the stereotypes the greater court has of your families.
We could start with some sort of secret agreement between houses to try and restore glory/justice to the general government.
I would amend that to House Rook is known for always being on the right side of conflicts and refusing to get involved in the pettier squabbles that ruin many of Taldor's nobility (and maybe wisdom in general, with most of Lord Rook's younger children being clergymen). Lord Rook in particular has a reputation for tactics and espionage, but the rest of his family wants to just grow turnips and mind their own business and he's gotten bored of that.
I wonder if this book due out this month will have any interesting ideas for us:
As for the role of Lady Gabrielle's house, the backstory has her family estate being from Margeride, a province up the Sellen river from Cassomir, bordering both the Verduran Forest and the nation of Andoran. Her family lives about as far away from Oppara as possible, but Gabrielle's mother, Lady Florianne, manages to wield a large amount of influence by being the center of gossip, fashion, and funding for the arts. Gabrielle is constantly in her mother's shadow.
This is largely because Gabrielle has outright refused to be married off to the wealthy matches her mother has arranged for her. Lady Florianne has very expertly concealed the fact that Margeride is facing incredible debt, and intends to leverage her own popularity and influence into a joining of houses which would effectively end their debt problems. The only problem is that her rebellious daughter Gabrielle has no desire to go along with it.
Lady Gabrielle, though, is a clever individual herself. She knows that her family will not meaningfully punish her as long as she stays youthful and attractive enough to keep charming Florianne's choices of husband. Gabrielle's goal is to find a way to undermine her mother, get her older brother Gérard out of the way, and take the family title for herself. Then she'll be perfectly able to get Margeride back on track. Just how terrible can the debts be? It's not as if there were any infernal bargains or anything.
And then, worse comes to worse, she has the Dark Lady to eliminate her obstacles for her...
-Matt
P.S. As for how she picked up Ninja powers in the non-PFS environment, I'm still working on that one.
Why not give her a backstory in the Pathfinder Society? There's a faction that hangs out in Taldor and does a lot of courtly intrigue, and she's high enough level to be recently retired from the Society.
I am really enjoying the challenge, hehehe.
-Matt
This just in!
CRFaye will be joining us!
I am assisting her with her character creation, as she works 2 jobs during the weekdays. She will be playing a griffon riding Dame (Female Knight). She has yet to decided on her cohort, and will be doing her estate stuff at a later time.
If you see Sanguinus, please ask him if he's settled on a concept?
Traveling to Taldor? Here are some tips to make your trip memorable!
Taldans are decadent bon vivants, favouring rich foods, ornate attire, and jewelled accoutrements for even the most casual of affairs. To a Taldan, appearance is an expression of power, and a keen sense of fashion represents a keen mind. Their appreciation of the arts extends beyond fashion and painting, dabbling in sorcery, dueling, and the murky strategies of politics and war. A Taldan mind roused to ire is a dangerous thing, and the rest of the Inner Sea is about to receive a painful reminder of this timeless fact. (Paizo Blog, 2008)
The nobility of Taldor are incredibly fickle. But they support anything which will further their wealth and personal causes. It’s important to recognize this and work within that framework. If you give even the slightest disrespect to a Taldan Noble, you face steep punishment, up to and including death, depending on the perceived severity of the insult. So if gentility is not your strong suit, be quiet and allow your more diplomatic partners to deal with them.
Taldan’s are not against working their differences out rationally if it benefits them. But many are very well trained with the sword. The poor of Taldor, on the other hand, have very little to work with, but if made friendly can be some of your best allies.
There is A LOT of religious drama in Taldor, which can get an ignorant Pathfinder into trouble. In the beginning, Aroden was a big figure until he chose Cheliax as his patron nation. One of his temples still stands in Oppara, and many are still touchy about him. Sarenrae worshippers should take especial note, their faith is illegal in the country due to the many years the nobility fought zealots of Sarenrae during the centuries-long Great Campaign against Qadira. Also, the faith of Zyphus is not highly favoured in Taldor. In 4709, a few religious zealots of Zyphus attempted to kill many of the nobility of Taldor by trapping them in a theatre and unleashing an undead horde.
Items that will definitely help with monsters in the region: Cold Iron Weapons, Blunt Arrows, Neutralize Poison vials and Scrolls, vials of Lesser Restoration, Oils of Daylight and Align Weapon. Holy water is also recommended, especially if you are heading up to the World’s Edge Mountains and Fog Peaks. For more seasoned adventurers, I recommend scrolls of Restoration, Dispel Magic and Break Enchantment if you can acquire them.
Hmm... squires are always an easy choice, but maybe if your cohort is as leveled as you are. If she makes the Griffon a Cohort (instead of Monstrous Mount), she could give it five class levels and not have to worry about a cohort.
Meanwhile: the downtime rules seem very, very underpriced. If I only use my "bonus cash" on them, it probably makes sense on that end, but it looks like I could start out owning an entire castle town.
You could, though that might be considered a waste of your money for your level. PLUS! a Castle isn't unheard of for a noble to own. You'd still pay homage to the Emperor. I was still under the impression that you guys would be using only the affluent money on your estate, I guess I didn't think you'd want to use your creation money on that.
The affluent money itself is a ton of dough, which is what I meant. Country estates are really cheap, and Downtime lets you craft a small palace for under 10k gp. Hmm. I'm thinking something about the size of Downton Abbey, but with better walls. Should I be paying the "creation cost" for my followers, if they're doing general groundskeeping tasks?