Here we will discuss anything outside of the game that is too long for short OOC comments in the game play thread.
Please use this to get to know one another as well as interacting together outside of our characters.
Any questions/comments/criticisms/suggestions about the game feel free to post here as well. Or PM me.
Hi all... first of all.. thanks DM for selecting me!... I will do my best to be a highly interactive and regular poster.
A bit about me:
I am a long time player (been playing rpg's since OD&D in 1974) and I've been playing PBP games for about 4 years now. I do so look forward to meeting each of you ic and ooc too.
ooc, I am an artist, and an archaeologist (retired). I still do textile art though. You can see my work at my webpage (click on 'gallery')... or my blog at Confessions of a Serial Quilter .
I have a regular Saturday Pathfinder game which I DM from my home from about 10-4 pst (during which time I won't be posting here, of course).
I do so look forward to playing this game with you all!
Ha well then, I actually thought that I may have not gotten picked (there is a lot of hate going around the forums for rogues) so I was actually making a PFS version of this character, and was making him an Archaeologist bard Halfling, essentially he does the same thing, just has a few spells to back him up, also was going to multiclass with the Filcher Rogue archetype i think. Role-wise he will be exactly the same, even the backstory can be kept the same (just change the parents to halflings) would you allow me apply the changes to this character?
Also just want to put it out there, I usually can't post anything during work (usually between 3-9pm CST) I have mondays off and can post freely on those days usually, unless I have errands to run, but those never last all day.
Ha well then, I actually thought that I may have not gotten picked (there is a lot of hate going around the forums for rogues) so I was actually making a PFS version of this character, and was making him an Archaeologist bard Halfling, essentially he does the same thing, just has a few spells to back him up, also was going to multiclass with the Filcher Rogue archetype i think. Role-wise he will be exactly the same, even the backstory can be kept the same (just change the parents to halflings) would you allow me apply the changes to this character?
I'd rather Jarvek stay half-elf as there are no halfling houses in Brevoy. Nor do I really want any at this time. Plus, one of the reasons he was chosen was because he was a rogue. I had another archaeologist bard submitted that I could have chosen but I didn't. :)
Hello, Stolen Lands!
Just to let you all know, my work is sending me out of town for an emergency this weekend for a week. I fly out late Sunday night. Just means that next week I will do most of my posting in the evening (CST) where the normal pattern will be during the day.
I will try very hard to get the first post out Sunday evening, but if not it will be there Monday.
Congrats to you all, I look forward to some fun adventures together!
Hello fellow adventurers. I hope we'll get along well!
I'm a youngin at age 22 in Western Canada. I've played pathfinder for two years, but it seems that we've been homebrewing things that we weren't even aware of. I run two campaigns in real life per week. A Rise of the Runelords campaign, and a one-shot series. Online campaigns have appealed to me because I desire more roleplay than the majority of my friends.
I'll have Bella up and running shortly, looking forward to it!
Bella is ready to go! Please let me know if there's any questions about her.
Zokon reporting in.. hopefully we can work together well.
I was thinking Celyne might be party face, but there's no reason we can't work together on that role...
Good to meet you all. I'm cool with someone else being the face of the party, I'm hoping to be the lady who keeps the party in line. A morale guide who bolsters the group when times get tough, and offer guidance to those who wish for it.
I shoot stuff and if it keeps moving I stab it... ;o)
Stealthy Roguelike here... I have my first six levels semi-planned and then I'll be whatever is needed.
So I turn 40 this year and have been doing rpg in one for or another for over 30 years.. the internet... sheesh forcing me to hang with younguns.. ;o)
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Well this looks like an interesting party!
Numalar is meant to be a blasting sorcerer but with a lot of "tricks" up his sleeve. His primary skills are Bluff, Knowledge:Nobility, Perform:Oratory and UMD. For the record Numalar is LG, and takes his word very seriously, so he will appreciate the rest of you (especially the chaotic ones) not making promises on behalf of the party that you don't intend to keep! :)
My first impression of the rest of you (in no particular order):
Jarvek - looks like a rogue whose main combat focus is feinting. I like the hand crossbow! Don't see those too often. BTW I think you should be +2 to hit with the hand crossbow.
Celyne - a lunar oracle heavy on the spells rather than combat. Looks like her animal companion will do most of her fighting for her. I think Lunar oracle can be pretty powerful. Looks like you haven't picked your spells yet, so I don't know what your magic focus will be. Also, what is your alignment? Since you took the "legalistic" curse I am guessing you are lawful?
Zokon - a slayer, judging by your feats mainly intended to be an archer. When he gets a proper composite longbow he should totally rock.
Valeska - the obligatory Aldori dueling sword wielder - every Kingmaker group should have one. Looks like she will be taking the slashing grace feat later on. Also has better skills than most fighters.
Bella - warpriest of Sarenrae. Blessings include healing and also glory which grants a sanctuary effect. Interesting. I don't know a lot about how warpriests work.
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As to who is going to be the party face... well, there are lots of high CHA characters in this party. No one character dominates all the social skills.
That much being said:
Celyne has the best Diplomacy with 13
Numalar has the best Bluff with 12
Jarvek and Bella are tied for the best Intimidate with 8
Note though that just because you don't have the best skill doesn't mean you can't contribute. You can use your skill to Aid someone which gives them a +2 on their roll. In this kind of game I expect that most people will want to chip in most of the time.
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@KingmakerDM - I had mentioned that I might want to change enlarge person depending on party makeup, and since it looks like we are chock full of DEX based combatants maybe I should. Reduce person might actually be good for this party. It's an outright win for Zokon when he is using archery (and also Jarvek) and when Valeska gets Slashing Grace (I assume she will) it will be all-around win for her too (and still good even before she gets that feat). What do you think? Or is there any other buff you think would work better?
Actually I am going to send you a PM about my build.
Bella is both a front line fighter and a heal/buffer. Considering the number of damage oriented characters, she will most likely be staying in the back when in combat.
Out of combat... she will cook (please don't make that a skill check, my survival is horrible)
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Bella is both a front line fighter and a heal/buffer. Considering the number of damage oriented characters, she will most likely be staying in the back when in combat.
Out of combat... she will cook (please don't make that a skill check, my survival is horrible)
Well, we don't have any big barbarians or any particularly strong STR-based fighters. Bella is probably the 2nd-in-line character to be in the front.
Valeska is likely our main melee fighter. Zokon is good in melee but is great at archery so he probably won't be in the front very much. Jarvek will be good if he can flank but won't be a "heavy." Luna the Tiger is powerful when she (or he?) can get a full round of attacks, but that is not all the time. So Bella probably will have to use her scimitar a fair bit.
BTW cooking is normally rolled with Profession: Cook. So everyone will be bad at that in this party!
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@KingmakerDM: Some general questions about the campaign:
1. Will you be allowing the Leadership Feat? I don't know about everyone else but when I originally designed Numalar I assumed he would be taking that.
2. Will you be allowing item crafting feats?
3. If so, will you allow customized items? Specifically:
A. Items that are based on existing items that give a numerical bonus (like a cloak of elvenkind for example) but granting a different bonus based on the existing formula, so in the example, a cloak that grants a different bonus, like +3 or +7.
B. Hybrid items that use the formula for combining two or more separate items (for example with slotted items this increases the cost of the secondary ability by 1.5).
3. Are you going to use the Kingdom Building rules from the modules or the rules from Ultimate Campaign? And if you are using UC, will you be using the optional rules as well?
Thanks in advance.
Yeah Zokon is built to be able to fight melee and have a decent ac in melee, but will use his sword 1 handed. Going weapon master fighter (bow) so further specialising, then back to slayer.
Zokon is support and ranged damage, not too proud to put his bow down if the situation is better for the party as a whole if he does.
We'll need someone to decide on how we are going to explore, to do maps and to look after inventory.
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Ha well then, I actually thought that I may have not gotten picked (there is a lot of hate going around the forums for rogues) so I was actually making a PFS version of this character, and was making him an Archaeologist bard Halfling, essentially he does the same thing, just has a few spells to back him up, also was going to multiclass with the Filcher Rogue archetype i think. Role-wise he will be exactly the same, even the backstory can be kept the same (just change the parents to halflings) would you allow me apply the changes to this character?I'd rather Jarvek stay half-elf as there are no halfling houses in Brevoy. Nor do I really want any at this time. Plus, one of the reasons he was chosen was because he was a rogue. I had another archaeologist bard submitted that I could have chosen but I didn't. :)
@ Jarvek:
If you want to change your character there are a few things I would suggest.
If the DM likes the fact that Jarvek is a rogue, you should think about working within that rather than switching to a caster. We have 3 casters in the party currently. Obviously you will have to get him to approve your changes.
You have given Jarvek a high INT. INT is mainly for generating skill ranks and as a Rogue you already have a lot. Meanwhile your character is pretty weak physically; you have only STR 10, DEX 14, CON 10. I know having skills is fun but your character needs a way of contributing during combat and Jarvek isn't that strong in that regard. If you shuffled your stats around you could drop your INT to 13 (so you can still take combat expertise), and this saves yourself 7 stat points, which could go into DEX and CON.
Jarvek may have a high CHA but his CHA is actually the third-highest in the party. Other players are better than him at both Bluff and Diplomacy. Party-wise there isn't a particular need for him to fill these roles. However, Intimidate also works on CHA and there is nobody in the party especially good at that. Since Jarvek is neutral rather than good maybe he could be the cold callous one who scares the hell out of any prisoners we take. Intimidate can be used effectively in combat, especially if you are going with the Dazzling Display feat chain (which leads to Shatter Defenses, a very good rogue feat). So you might consider switching your skill focus to Intimidate - your memorable trait will still work with that. On top of that the Rake Archetype works very well with that and still helps your bluff and diplomacy. Rake is a classic character type for a dissipated noble scoundrel. You haven't written up a background for your character but I assume that is where you are going with Jarvek.
Edit - one more thing:
The sword cane is neat but the main point of it is to have a weapon in environments where they aren't expected or allowed. We will be in the wild most of the time and nobody will care what weapons we have. So I would suggest a rapier instead - it crits 50% more often and costs less so you save some cash for other stuff.
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We'll need someone to decide on how we are going to explore, to do maps and to look after inventory.
What do you mean by this?
For exploring, I assume we are just going to talk about where to go next and come to a consensus. I would prefer to explore territory that we can clear quickly first (for efficiency reasons) but other than that I have no preference. I think you make survival rolls to explore and I think Celyne is our best in that regard. Also perception checks, which everyone makes, presumably. DM will probably roll those for us.
Mapping - will the DM be doing this for us? Other campaigns I have seen worked that way. If not I have hexographer on my home machine and could put together something crude.
Inventory - we could hire a priest of Abadar to look after that for us. :). Seriously, is this likely to be a problem? Are you concerned about how we divide up treasure? Or just how we keep track of it? When I am online I usually have the chance to post often so if we need to have lists of stuff made up I can do that if need be.
Mainly lists of gear and gold, always good to track and the map thing will be gm decide I suppose
Jarvek - if you've got a high int, you might want to consider going into Investigator instead of rogue - just a thought... nice class, gives you rogue sneak bonus to dmg and other things as well...
and despite being legalistic about her own word, she is actually NG in alignment, not LG.
Valeska is all about balance.
I have a charlatan type rogue in one of the games I run. Very fun character. Sure, not particularly great in combat, but he can talk his way out of just about anything, fights included.
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IDK what you are talking about, warpriests are nasty in melee, no they don't have the d12 hit dice but they've got great divine abilities to back them up both in damage and in healing.
I haven't played with them in a game before but they look a lot like clerics to me. Battle clerics can be really great. So I assume that warpriests fall into the same mold.
They seem to get less spells but on the other hand get bonus feats, an ability to buff their armor, heavy armor proficiency, free weapon focus, and a boost to sacred weapon damage (which will make a difference for Bella at 5th level).
The only thing about characters like this is that they usually need to spend a round or two buffing themselves before they really get going. It helps if we able to achieve surprise and sneak up on people. Of course Bella can also wear heavy armor so once we get some money she could turn into a tank.
I think they can buff as swift actions. And, because of the few rounds you mention other characters needing...
Some feel they are over powered.
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Jarvek is supposed to be kind of wimpy.
@Numalar, I plan on getting a belt of physical might and will be putting my first ability score bonus into CHA.
Belts that boost physical stats are a good idea. But they are a good idea for everyone, and what your new stat is will be limited by what your base stat is.
He is meant to be a face, a bit cowardly and always looks for others to guard him,
If he is able to get NPCs to do this then that is outstanding. But I expect other players might get tired of protecting you if there isn't some payoff.
... but he is also a bit of a thief and con artist ...
If that's true, maybe he should be chaotic rather than lawful? FYI the "normal" alignment for both Brevoy and the River Kingdoms is CN.
Anyway, if you are still looking at character ideas, what about the Swashbuckler? They get to use Charisma for combat purposes, not only their Panache pool but also the effect of the dodging panache deed.
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I think they can buff as swift actions.
Yes, the sacred weapon boost starting at 4th level and the armor boost at 7th level are both swift action buffs. Of course, there is precedent for that - the judgements of inquisitors are also swift actions.
Mind you, they stack with stuff like divine favor and shield of faith so Bella will probably still want to use spells to buff herself.
Ha well then, I actually thought that I may have not gotten picked (there is a lot of hate going around the forums for rogues) so I was actually making a PFS version of this character, and was making him an Archaeologist bard Halfling, essentially he does the same thing, just has a few spells to back him up, also was going to multiclass with the Filcher Rogue archetype i think. Role-wise he will be exactly the same, even the backstory can be kept the same (just change the parents to halflings) would you allow me apply the changes to this character?I'd rather Jarvek stay half-elf as there are no halfling houses in Brevoy. Nor do I really want any at this time. Plus, one of the reasons he was chosen was because he was a rogue. I had another archaeologist bard submitted that I could have chosen but I didn't. :)I can definitely keep him half-elf, and him being an archaeologist is literally not going to change anything besides him not having sneak attack, he will still be doing the same tactics and acting the same way with the same skills (though more knowledge) and I will be multiclassing with rogue for extra talents and skill ranks.
I just really feel like he needs access to some enchantment spells since he is going to be the face of the group and I hope for him to make a lot of connections and networks, and detect magic is always a good spell to have. (Essentially the only reason I am choosing bard is because I want to make further use of his high charisma)
I like players to play characters that they really like and enjoy; that are interesting to them and that they can really get into. Makes it more fun for everyone and leads to a long-lasting game.
Having said that, if you want to change Jarvek from a rogue to something else, just let me know and I will put him back into the pool with the others and evaluate him in his new class. It wouldn't be fair to the other players who were not selected to select Jarvek based on one thing and then change that one thing after the fact.
So, if you want to change, just let me know and we'll pull him out, you can make the changes and then I will evaluate all the others together again to pick the 6th character for the party.
Just let me know what you want to do.
To all, I will be traveling later this afternoon so I might not be on again until Monday evening.
Let's remember, we all want to respect each other and have fun!!
Well that's sad... who will replace our rogue, DM? Are you gonna pick from the original applicants or recruit again? There WAS one more rogue on the list... plus lots of other choices too.
That is sad. Never seen anyone submit one character and after being chosen try to completely change concepts. But anyway.
Yes, I will pick from the others and we'll move ahead.
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Well, it seemed like he didn't really know what he wanted exactly. I had had concerns that Jarvek would not be an effective character overall - I don't ascribe to traditional Rogue hate (I actually like rogues) but the system isn't very forgiving if you don't build them well. Ideally someone who is playing a rogue will have good system mastery.
Anyway it's water under the bridge now.
In case they got lost in the shuffle, KingmakerDM: did you get a chance to look over these questions? Also, I sent you a PM about my character build.
@KingmakerDM: Some general questions about the campaign:
1. Will you be allowing the Leadership Feat? I don't know about everyone else but when I originally designed Numalar I assumed he would be taking that.
2. Will you be allowing item crafting feats?
3. If so, will you allow customized items? Specifically:
A. Items that are based on existing items that give a numerical bonus (like a cloak of elvenkind for example) but granting a different bonus based on the existing formula, so in the example, a cloak that grants a different bonus, like +3 or +7.
B. Hybrid items that use the formula for combining two or more separate items (for example with slotted items this increases the cost of the secondary ability by 1.5).
3. Are you going to use the Kingdom Building rules from the modules or the rules from Ultimate Campaign? And if you are using UC, will you be using the optional rules as well?
Thanks in advance.
Well, it seemed like he didn't really know what he wanted exactly. I had had concerns that Jarvek would not be an effective character overall - I don't ascribe to traditional Rogue hate (I actually like rogues) but the system isn't very forgiving if you don't build them well. Ideally someone who is playing a rogue will have good system mastery.
Anyway it's water under the bridge now.
In case they got lost in the shuffle, KingmakerDM: did you get a chance to look over these questions? Also, I sent you a PM about my character build.
@KingmakerDM: Some general questions about the campaign:
1. Will you be allowing the Leadership Feat? I don't know about everyone else but when I originally designed Numalar I assumed he would be taking that.
2. Will you be allowing item crafting feats?
3. If so, will you allow customized items? Specifically:
A. Items that are based on existing items that give a numerical bonus (like a cloak of elvenkind for example) but granting a different bonus based on the existing formula, so in the example, a cloak that grants a different bonus, like +3 or +7.
B. Hybrid items that use the formula for combining two or more separate items (for example with slotted items this increases the cost of the secondary ability by 1.5).
3. Are you going to use the Kingdom Building rules from the modules or the rules from Ultimate Campaign? And if you are using UC, will you be using the optional rules as well?
Thanks in advance.
Let's see...
1. Yes to the Leadership Feat but as we get closer we might modify it a bit. Any changes would be worked out between us all.
2. Yes to item crafting feats. However, again, we will be working together on approving anything to be crafted.
3. I'll have to think more about the customized items. Initial thought is yes, if there are some good rp reasons for the change. I want you to be working the desire or the concept for the item into your character for some time. I don't want them just waking up and deciding to craft some odd item out of the blue.
4. We will be using the Ultimate Campaign and some Ultimate Rulership adjustments. We will NOT be using the rules for selling magic items as is. We have plenty of time to worry about all that and we'll work it out together.
Message to all...
Just wanted to let you know right away about some of my thoughts on magic. Although I don't shoot for low magic games... In a way I do. Here's what I'm talking about. As we get further along, should you be successful and actually found a kingdom, you will be drawn into events unfolding in Brevoy and other regions. To make that campaign as fun and challenging as possible, you won't be able to just use magical means to eavesdrop on your enemies or just teleport into their bedchambers to assassinate them, etc. So, in that regard, I limit the use of magic in the campaign. But, the good news is that so do the bad guys. You can think of it a couple of ways. One, those high level spells are extremely costly and no one just really has the funds or the desire to spend on them. Or, if you don't like it, basically consider that everyone has set up magical wards to protect them so it won't really do you any good.
So, what I will be looking for is a campaign that requires you to build up contacts, to develop a spy network, bribe contacts, all those fun and interesting things that we actually read about in stories and not just someone casting a spell in the course of one page and dealing with the threat. That's no fun for anyone, least of all me.
The gods are pretty active in my campaign, watching the world and their followers. And they are jealous. So you will see that they will often interfere in your magical machinations if it interferes in something they have planned.
Anyway, just wanted to get that out there from the very beginning. We won't really have to worry about any of that coming up for quite some time.
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1. Cool. Overall Leadership can be used to fill in vacant kingdom government slots without having to think about it too much. But if there are enough well-developed NPCs around then it is less of an issue.
2. Okay. I had some thoughts about that which I will post separately.
3. When you have items that are fairly expensive but provide a big bump to something, it seems to me that it is better to introduce them in stages rather than all of a sudden. Instead of making eyes of the eagle right off the bat I would like to be the kind of character who would say "here, I made these lenses for you which will give +1 to perception." It also makes it possible to have interesting stuff at low level. The hybrid items thing is another one where I sometimes would rather have the abilities of two neat but minor items rather than one great big item.
4. Yeah, I really hate the "revenue by selling magic items" thing so I am glad you are not using that. Is Ultimate Rulership a 3PP thing?
1. Cool. Overall Leadership can be used to fill in vacant kingdom government slots without having to think about it too much. But if there are enough well-developed NPCs around then it is less of an issue.
2. Okay. I had some thoughts about that which I will post separately.
3. When you have items that are fairly expensive but provide a big bump to something, it seems to me that it is better to introduce them in stages rather than all of a sudden. Instead of making eyes of the eagle right off the bat I would like to be the kind of character who would say "here, I made these lenses for you which will give +1 to perception." It also makes it possible to have interesting stuff at low level. The hybrid items thing is another one where I sometimes would rather have the abilities of two neat but minor items rather than one great big item.
4. Yeah, I really hate the "revenue by selling magic items" thing so I am glad you are not using that. Is Ultimate Rulership a 3PP thing?
On Leadership, I've often though about letting you roll up secondary characters when we get to that point who you can use for other things within the kingdom and for side adventures. But, that will depend on what you all want to do and how much time I have. :) But I do anticipate there being plenty of NPC's around to fill kingdom roles. I like NPC's...
I like the way you are thinking about the progressive crafting. That would be worth further exploration.
Ultimate Rulership is a 3PP product. It was put out by Legendary Games. It cleans up some of the stuff from how the rules were put forth in the modules and brings out new buildings and stuff.
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As a gnome I think Numalar would be the type to like to tinker with things like magic items.
If you want to avoid the runaway wealth issue of crafting feats, I came up with this Crafting Variant that does away with crafting feats and discounts but still makes crafting possible. No big deal if it isn't for you; it's just an idea.
A warrior type would be awesome to get or a cleric.. we have 1 front liner at the moment.
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A warrior type would be awesome to get or a cleric.. we have 1 front liner at the moment.
I would be happy with that too. We don't currently have a STR-based character.
On the other hand, our best Perception in the party is only +8 or +9 I think, and we have nobody with disable device. So I'm cool with a rogue type as well.
well, we do have a secondary fighter in Luna (the tiger), so our tactician is not without some help on the front lines.
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Bella will also often be out front.
It's up to KDM of course, but I like the looks of Froanar Gossamar and Gideon Schrade. At least purely crunch-wise.
Those look like solid choices, Numalar. At face value I'd be happy with either of them.
I have to agree.. I was looking over the list independently and though Fronar would be a good choice also... Just looked over Gideon too and agree as well.. either would be fine.