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Gold is OK but fire has the most resistances and immunities, acid does not. The elemental was earth. This gives the ability to switch elemental spells to acid and add more damage based on the amount of dice I roll. Destined would be fine, but I am going to assume undead is a huge no no in this campaign.
Sorry that I've been AWOL on this discussion. Work has been a bit busy. I'll throw out a couple of thoughts.
There are a lot of elemental heritage folks running around Osirion, ifrits, sulis, etc. This part of the reason that my PFS Contessa character is from there.
Taking the earth elemental bloodline to able to switch to acid for blast spells would be a good idea. You could take the Primal wildblood bloodline and get a +1 per die with acid AND the 1st level bloodline mutation Blood Havoc to get another +1 with evocation spells (assuming you take Spell Focus (evocation). At 4th level, you'd be able to do a 4d6+8 Burning Arc of acid.
As I think I've written before, I'd strongly advise against crossblooded. The will save penalty is a pain but even worse is how you'll be limited in spell selection.
Suli would be an interesting race option, though the -2 Int penalty hurts if you wanted to do Spell Specialization.
I've never really looked into the Undead bloodline but it seems like it's only virtue is an ability to charm/suggest/etc. undead. That sounds nice, but it doesn't impress me all that much. Plus, I think RPing a "good" undead bloodline sorcerer could get tricky.
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Overall, I feel like mechanics should be a secondary concern to the story at this point.
Here's what I came up with for Alex:
ORIGINS
What is your name? Alex Traza
Do you have any aliases and/or titles? Unknown
Where were you born (City/Town/Village/Country)? Mechitar, Capital of the undead nation of Geb
Describe your parents and childhood experience. Do you have any existing family or equivalent? Alex had a reclusive and strict childhood. No meaningful connections to others. Mother is dead (or close enough). Status of father unknown.
Do you have any existing enemies or rivals? Undead. Necromancers.
Are you a member of any known organization/s? Temporary member of the Pathfinder Society in Sothis.
Describe sentimental possessions (if any) such as jewelry, clothing, tools, books, weapons etc. Alex keeps a journal of her travels closely guarded. She uses it to document her budding magical discoveries as well as recount fanciful stories of her experiences.
RELIGION
What god/gods (if any) do you worship? Nethys mostly. More admiration than formal worship.
Explain any relationship/experiences you have with organized religion/s. Alex was raised on the histories of Urgathoa, Nethys & Zon-Kuthon while imprisoned in Yled. She learned to idolize their power but did not succumb to their doctrines.
MAGIC
What is your understanding of magic and how it affects you? Magic is a wild and powerful force. It takes years of practice to learn to control it… or unleash it when necessary.
How do you feel about creatures that use magic? They are to be both feared and respected. The greatest powers in the world are born from magic.
Do you have magic in your family? Yes. Father & Mother.
PERSONALITY
What is your alignment? Chaotic Good
What are your character's views on the concept of law vs choas? Alex has little regard for the laws of most civilizations as she’s spent her whole life running from the rules of those who seek to imprison her or harm her.
What are your character's views on the concept of good vs evil? Alex values her personal freedom and that of her companion above all else. Having been born into a world of evil, she finds the prospect of performing acts of goodness delightful, even empowering.
How does your character view themselves and their place in the world? Alex feels a close bond to the morals of her ghoran companion and that his words of wisdom are directly tied to the revelations of her destiny. She is unsure of what power is lies within her but she aims to discover what she is capable of.
TIMELINE
How old are you? 21 years old (human or aasimar)
The current game year is 4714.
What events happened to your character between now and then?
4693 – Alex is born.
4694 – Mother transformed into undead minion.
4699 – Alex is banished by her father to the Moritorium of Yled.
4709 – Nexian siege on Yled fails but results in Alex’s emancipation.
4710 – Alex crosses the Mana Wastes to Quantium and plants the ghoran seed.
4710 – Alex and Bambara escape aboard a ship bound for Sothis.
4712 – Alex and Bambara work for the Pathfinder Society briefly
4714 – Alex and Bambara travel to Wati in search of their destiny.
Alex Traza’s mother was a captive celestial (gold or other) dragon by the name of Ysera. Alex’s father was a gifted mortal necromancer also enslaved by the ancient Osirion vampire, Kemnebi, chancellor of the Blood Lords. This was both an auspicious and unwilling union that produced an uncharacteristically radiant (human or aasimar) offspring in the capital of Geb, Mechitar. Ysera’s soul was consumed by her transformation into undeath shortly after Alex’s birth. She exists now only as a mere shadow of her former self and under the full control of her undead overlords. Alex has no memory or knowledge of her mother and her father treated her more as a pet than a daughter, a curious fragile trinket at best. When she ceased to amuse him, he banished her to the Moritorium of Yled to live under the tutelage of his necromantic thralls until such a time as she could endure her own transformation ritual taking her rightful place in an eternity of servitude.
Many morbid years passed and even though the “Dead Laws” protected her from any premature physical harm, Alex witnessed a great many atrocities at the hands of her new masters. Droves of corpses were wheeled in daily for reanimation, an army of the dead haunted her cold, tower window. Her education consisted mainly of reciting bizarre necromantic incantations, extoling the destructive virtues of Nethys, the painful raptures of Zon-Kuthon and the undying gifts of Urgathoa. She learned many languages and the ancient histories as well: including the foundations of Geb from Osirion colonies and the great War of the Wizard-Kings. Of these stories, Nethys intrigued her the most. How can one being contain the potential for such beautiful creations and simultaneously embody a force of annihilation? Delusions of grandeur put her to sleep most nights, silent wishes to be anyone else but her or anywhere else but here.
On the eve of Alex’s sixteenth birthday, she was deemed ready to shed her mortal coils. However, near the crescendo of the ritual, catastrophe struck the city. An army of Nexian soldiers, battlemages and a host of ghoran warriors managed to punch a hole through the outer defenses, an animated barricade called The Bonewall. The necromancers fled the chamber quickly as the chaotic sounds of battle drew closer and closer and Alex lost consciousness, her last vision bearing the image of an unusual face.
Alex awoke the next day in the midst of a very strange environment known to most as the Mana Wastes and even stranger company. Before her stood a towering plant-like creature basking in the fresh light of the morning sun. Burning questions immediately began to flood her mind: “Who or what are you? What happened?” The grizzled old creature responded kindly in a fragmented Sylvan dialect “Bambara the Fierce is Ghoran: Great warrior. Protect life. Protect you.” Several of the creatures’ battle-worn leaves and twigs fell to the ground as he recounted his story. “Living came. Undead came. Undead are dead. Living are dead too. Ghoran and girl are alive.” Alex seemed to understand after a few moments of sadness. “My name is Alex, Alex Traza. What are we supposed to do now?” “Bambara’s time has come. Girl’s time to grow.” At that moment, a giant cavity opened up the ghoran’s chest revealing what appeared to be a large, fist-sized seed. “Ghoran are cursed. Bambara is cursed. Old Osirion is hope. Seed is life… Protect Life.” Before Alex could respond, the plant-like creature’s from crumbled to the ground in front of her leaving only a single sparkling orb behind. For the first time in Alex’s life, she began to feel a sense of purpose and direction. She had to take this seed somewhere safe, far away from here.
Despite the harsh terrain of the Spellscar Desert, Alex proved quite resourceful in surviving its many challenges. Her unearthly beauty and wily charm enabled her to secure safe passage all the way to Quantium in the company of a band of rugged gunslingers from the Grand Duchy of Alkenstar. She used her mistaken identity to her advantage for a dangerous amount of time to get by in this strange new city. In her newly donned guise as a Nexian diplomat, Alex managed to keep her secret treasure hidden long enough to find a safe place to plant it. She also found that she possessed a magical power to influence others as well as powerful arcane energies swelling within her body (fear, charm, damage). Several weeks later, she discovered a quickly growing ghoran sprout where she had once planted the seed. In addition, several angry house guards soon followed her. “Party’s over, princess. We know yer a fake... Who are you really? Ha! Won’t matter once the fleshcrafters are done with ya!” they shouted. To everyone’s shock and amazement, the little plant responded violently “Alex is friend!” as he attacked the guards at the knees, disabling them momentarily. “Bam!?” Alex shouted “We can’t stay here anymore, we’ve got to go!” Narrowly escaping their inevitable arrest, the pair stowed away on a ship in the stinking, toxic port of Quantium bound for the Osirian capital city of Sothis.
As the years passed, Alex and Bambara found the city of Sothis much richer in opportunity and far more sustaining than their previous accommodations in Quantium or Geb. Alex earned coin here and there spinning fantastic tales at the marketplace and temples, always keeping Bambara close by her side for protection. The duo even did some work for the Pathfinder Society Lodge operating out of Sandswept Hall. Despite a falling out with Norden Balentiir over a botched smuggling mission involving some stolen Osirian artifacts, the two still remain amicable with several other members of the local group. Through thick and thin, Alex and Bambara looked out for each other and protected one another from the dangers of city life.
After a time, Alex began having strange dreams: Dreams of flying and (fire or acid), dreams of dragons and vampires. Mummies and pharaohs. She would wake with a fierce hunger and even fiercer thirst for knowledge “Who am I really? She wondered. She remembered the ghoran she first met and what it said to her before it died “Old Osirion is hope. Protect Life.” Alex also recalled her captive research into Osirion history and the ancient people that traveled so far, just like herself and even Nethys before that. “They must’ve had great power to have lived and ruled for so long? What power is awakening in my blood? Is it a blessing from the gods or something far worse… What also is to become of the ghoran?” For days, Bambara repeated the word “Wa-ti” before Alex finally realized what the now fully-grown seedling was trying to say. The ancient Necropolis in Wati was finally open to outsiders. She then remembered what little she could of her father. Knowing a small measure of what great horrors and great secrets could be revealed by ancient necromancy, Alex felt that it was worth investigating. Knowing she could never safely return to homeland, it might even provide a better glimpse into her unnatural urges or her mysterious past. At the very least, she still knows a good fence in Sothis for moving any ill-gotten gains out of the country. Once more, a new hope dawned in her, not just for herself but her enigmatic companion as well.
1. Alex can be a sorc as close to a dragon (dragon disciple) as intended.
2. Alex can alter the race to either Human or Aasimar and it still fits.
3. Alex can alter the bloodlines and it still fits (draconic, undead, destined, imperious (human only) or elemental). Any bloodline mutations can be explained by her time spent in the Mana Wastes. (I actually recommend crossblooded but you do as you wish here).
4. Alex can alter the religion and it still fits (at least for 3 core deities, my recommendation remains Nethys).
5. Alex can alter the alignment to some extent and it still fits (my recommendation remains CG).
6. Alex and Bam can alter the details of their relationship as they want and it still fits (my understanding is a sort of familial type bond, a bit stronger than just friends).
Just let me know what you all think. Thanks.
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Oh Matt, you nailed it. My god you nailed it. The story is great. The idea is perfect. It all comes together so well and it seems effortless but I know better. This took a lot of time and for that I am grateful.
Now on to the details. I don't mind being human and with the back story I think it makes sense to do it. The undead bloodline is very cool if I am from Geb but in a place that is run by Pharasmins being part undead could get tricky. Being able to charm undead is also a really interesting idea, but it is a creature that I can't very well take back to town with me, that's just not a good idea. Overall its an awesome plan but maybe instead of taking on my father's nature I could instead reject it and go with draconic and elemental, my mother's nature. (Although imperious is very interesting, I'll need to check if it is PFS legal.) I'm not saying that an undead bloodline couldn't work, but at this point I'd rather not risk messing things up and there would be too many opportunities to do so and given where we are it could get very bad very fast. I do not trust myself that much.
Changing my deity works given my new class. I like the idea of having my main god be Nethys while exploring the god of my mother, Apsu, who I never had a chance to meet.
Pete, while I understand why you don't like crossblooded, the spell selection nerf is terrible, I do like it. Your suggestion makes sense and is very strong but I want to stay away from "powergaming" in this AP from now on. My feats were going to be: Point Blank, Precise Shot, Spell Focus, Improved Familiar(my first and only flavor feat), Spell Pen, Spell Specialization, Greater Spell Focus, Greater Spell Pen. Did I NEED these feats? Arguably yes. There is a pattern of the monsters in this AP having every conceivable barrier possible to keep us from eliminating them. But these feats are not fun or interesting. They will, at best, bring me to where I would be normally. This class choice and the different feats are part of me trying to cool it down a bit. Will Alex be much weaker because of these decisions? Yes. Will there be a situation where Alex needs to get something done but can't because the monster is too strong? I would hope not but that is possible. I am willing to see where I go with this new character. I know you disagree but I want you to trust me on this. And if it doesn't work out, Chui can always stealth away, hah!
So now its up to Jeremy. What do you think of this? Is this OK? How would this play out in the AP? Am I going to become this when we unpause or will I need to wait until level 3? When we unpause will we need to finish up this area or should we just search the place and then we leave? I would actually like it if we just fast fowarded through the rest of this basement (as long as there are no more big fights) and start fresh. To me it makes the most sense but if you want to keep going down here, I can fade into the background until we are done then pick it back up at 3.
Again, I think we should skip the ton of RP needed to make Alex's changes make sense, this is how I always was.
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Thank you to Mat for the assist on this.
All of this is fine. If you are okay with this, go for it. The mechanics will go into effect during downtime but the story elements can be immediate. We can gloss over a lot of the RP changes and continue with the action.
Bill, please add a write up of both the new mechanics and the new story elements on your character sheet for me to look over.
Matt i like how you tied alex and bambara and the story as a whole. Great work on the retooling of alex.
It is a very nice backstory. Very cool, Matt.
Jeremy, I had offered to drop Chui's Cruelty drawback and the associated Reactionary trait in order to make him a less sociopathic and more party-friendly PC. Are you good with me doing that?
And yes, Chui is fine either way. So far I have not had an issue with Chui's behavior so this is your call, not mine.
I'll go ahead and drop them in the spirit of turning over a new leaf (note the plant reference for Bam).
Lol.
So im just gonna put this here to get the groups opinion. Through talking to jeremy i had been looking at ideas to make bambara more useful out of combat he came up with the idea of taking a few levels of oracle and going into rage prophet. I have the mystery and curse set out as solar and tounges. I cant really start this path until level 5 though as id need to swap out my 4th level bloodrage power a +2 nat armor that grows by 1 every 4 levels for moment of clarity and one other. I would pick astral caravan as my revelation.
Just curious to what you all think as this would come with some issues and be slow to attain it given my smarts.
Let me know what you all think
One more thing i absolutely love the banter between chui and bam
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I think a Rage Prophet is a fine idea for Bambara.
Pros:
1. Good fit for the story. I always envisioned Bam as being somewhat vague and prophetic (similar to characters like Groot & Yoda). He's been a guiding star for Alex since they met and tends to keep her on the good side of things so a spark of divinity is not out of character. Solar mystery fits as well.
2. Primalist archetype for Bloodragers gives you 2 rage powers at 4th lvl so qualifying for the prestige class is simple.
3. Current stats support the prestige class. Also having access to both Divine & Arcane magic could be useful.
Cons (these are really just mechanical drawbacks):
Qualifications:
1. You'll need 5 ranks of Knowledge (Religion) to qualify for Rage Prophet.
2. You'll need BAB +5 to qualify (5 lvls Bloodrager/1 lvl Oracle) so you're looking at first lvl of Rage Prophet at 7 HD (while still only +5 BAB).
Ability stacking:
3. Primalist Bloodragers do not qualify for the Extra Rage Power feat.
4. Bloodrager lvls do not stack with Rage Prophet abilities that add barbarian lvls to effects (Bloodragers are not Barbarians sadly). Savage Seer and the first half of Ragecaster.
Limitations:
5. You're stuck with 3 lvl 1 Arcane spells forever (w/o items). Additionally, your arcane caster level will never increase beyond CL5 (w/o items/feats).
6. You will have very few rounds of Bloodrage as you level up (lvls in Oracle & Rage Prophet do not increase your rounds of rage/day).
I was planning on taking multiple levels of oracle. And the extra rage feat. My spells wouldnt be offensive as the dc probably wont be very high either
The rage powers id take are moment of clarity(prereq) and some other one havent figured it out yet. Jeremy and i also talked about fractiional/incremental?(not sure exactly what its called) multiclassing to see if thats better for me.
Like i said though im still on the fence with this as i dont want to weaken the party
The other thing i was thinking about was being a big scary plant taking the appropriate rage powers and intimidating prowess
What were you trying to accomplish outside of combat that would require additional mechanics/multi-classing?
Just want something to do in addition to being a beatstick meatsheild
Other than that not exactly sure that be ta reason im on the fence
What were you trying to accomplish outside of combat that would require additional mechanics/multi-classing?Just want something to do in addition to being a beatstick meatsheild
Other than that not exactly sure that be ta reason im on the fence
Remember that you'll start to get some spells and other bloodrager stuff as you level up. Also, I'm firm believer in the notion that you're only as much of a "beatstick meatshield" as you want to be. Take Candi for example, I have a lot of fun with her in non-combat situations due to the whole "paladin of Calistria" schtick.
Would the Ladies please go shopping with Bambara during downtime maybe try to haggle the prices of things if that's not out of the realm of possibility. there are a couple of things I need a new blunt instrument of forceful persuasion (bludg weapon) and to maybe have a new longslash made of some cold iron stuff. and possibly to sell that scale mail we found and buy a breast plate for me?
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Would the Ladies please go shopping with Bambara during downtime maybe try to haggle the prices of things if that's not out of the realm of possibility. there are a couple of things I need a new blunt instrument of forceful persuasion (bludg weapon) and to maybe have a new longslash made of some cold iron stuff. and possibly to sell that scale mail we found and buy a breast plate for me?
While I like the concept of the RP element of this request, it bogs down the game play if we RP simple transactions. I've seen this before, trust me. There may be moments where some RP may come up like this but buying a simple mace or warhammer will not be one of them. Sorry.
No need to be sorry. Though there would be no rp to it id still like to have either or both come with me as i dont think my character has any real concept of what money is other than you trade shineys for things. (Alex probably helped bam get his gear)
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No need to be sorry. Though there would be no rp to it id still like to have either or both come with me as i dont think my character has any real concept of what money is other than you trade shineys for things. (Alex probably helped bam get his gear)
Yeah. I think the general assumption can be made that we all work together on buying & selling items. There are "Bargaining" rules in Ultimate Campaign but I don't recommend them unless you guys are really interested in a sub-game of economic warfare with unnamed NPCs. Honestly, 50% sell back is perfectly fine and we don't have to worry about it or RP anything. Wati is a large enough settlement that we can procure anything we can afford at the moment without difficulty.
If you like, you can briefly recount the epic story of Bambara the Fierce buying a mace at the market when we regroup after downtime ;).
Sounds good to me
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FYI. I removed Harmini's Condescending drawback trait and replaced it w/ Vain. This should rectify the nasty comments and still keep the original flavor of the character intact.
Vain: You are sensitive about the way others perceive you. Whenever you fail an opposed Charisma-based check, you take a —2 penalty on all Charisma-based checks for the next 24 hours.
I have no wway to deal with swarms so i delay
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A swarm is a collection of Fine, Diminutive, or Tiny creatures that acts as a single creature. A swarm has the characteristics of its type, except as noted here. A swarm has a single pool of Hit Dice and hit points, a single initiative modifier, a single speed, and a single Armor Class. A swarm makes saving throws as a single creature. A single swarm occupies a square (if it is made up of nonflying creatures) or a cube (of flying creatures) 10 feet on a side, but its reach is 0 feet, like its component creatures. In order to attack, it moves into an opponent's space, which provokes an attack of opportunity. It can occupy the same space as a creature of any size, since it crawls all over its prey. A swarm can move through squares occupied by enemies and vice versa without impediment, although the swarm provokes an attack of opportunity if it does so. A swarm can move through cracks or holes large enough for its component creatures.
A swarm of Tiny creatures consists of 300 nonflying creatures or 1,000 flying creatures. A swarm of Diminutive creatures consists of 1,500 nonflying creatures or 5,000 flying creatures. A swarm of Fine creatures consists of 10,000 creatures, whether they are flying or not. Swarms of nonflying creatures include many more creatures than could normally fit in a 10-foot square based on their normal space, because creatures in a swarm are packed tightly together and generally crawl over each other and their prey when moving or attacking. Larger swarms are represented by multiples of single swarms. The area occupied by a large swarm is completely shapeable, though the swarm usually remains in contiguous squares.
Swarm Traits: A swarm has no clear front or back and no discernable anatomy, so it is not subject to critical hits or flanking. A swarm made up of Tiny creatures takes half damage from slashing and piercing weapons. A swarm composed of Fine or Diminutive creatures is immune to all weapon damage. Reducing a swarm to 0 hit points or less causes it to break up, though damage taken until that point does not degrade its ability to attack or resist attack. Swarms are never staggered or reduced to a dying state by damage. Also, they cannot be tripped, grappled, or bull rushed, and they cannot grapple an opponent.
A swarm is immune to any spell or effect that targets a specific number of creatures (including single-target spells such as disintegrate), with the exception of mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms) if the swarm has an Intelligence score and a hive mind. A swarm takes half again as much damage (+50%) from spells or effects that affect an area, such as splash weapons and many evocation spells.
Swarms made up of Diminutive or Fine creatures are susceptible to high winds, such as those created by a gust of wind spell. For purposes of determining the effects of wind on a swarm, treat the swarm as a creature of the same size as its constituent creatures. A swarm rendered unconscious by means of nonlethal damage becomes disorganized and dispersed, and does not reform until its hit points exceed its nonlethal damage.
Swarm Attack: Creatures with the swarm subtype don't make standard melee attacks. Instead, they deal automatic damage to any creature whose space they occupy at the end of their move, with no attack roll needed. Swarm attacks are not subject to a miss chance for concealment or cover. A swarm's statistics block has "swarm" in the Melee entry, with no attack bonus given. The amount of damage a swarm deals is based on its Hit Dice, as shown below.
A swarm's attacks are nonmagical, unless the swarm's description states otherwise. Damage reduction sufficient to reduce a swarm attack's damage to 0, being incorporeal, or other special abilities usually give a creature immunity (or at least resistance) to damage from a swarm. Some swarms also have acid, blood drain, poison, or other special attacks in addition to normal damage.
Swarms do not threaten creatures, and do not make attacks of opportunity with their swarm attack. However, they distract foes whose squares they occupy, as described below.
Swarms possess the distraction universal monster rule. Spellcasting or concentrating on spells within the area of a swarm requires a caster level check (DC 20 + spell level). Using skills that involve patience and concentration requires a DC 20 Will save.
Whis turn is it?
Chui my turn partially depends on your ok so please read spoiler and post here if its ok by you