Of Kings and Commoners - Kingmaker AP

Game Master RPGGGM

I elected to go with Order of the Flame ...

Hi, Cyrielle.

Mechanically your character looks good. You and Fronar (our Rogue) will make a good team.

A couple of minor things:

1. You should have +5 to hit with the dagger and damage will be 1d4+1, not 1d3+1.

2. You probably should pick up a missile weapon unless you are planning on throwing daggers around. Characters for this game started with Max starting gold, so you should have lots of money to play with. If you want a thrown weapon I recommend the Chakram, which will do 1d8+1 damage.

3. When you get slashing grace you will need to use light armor, but before that you can use medium armor without penalty (except armor check penalties of course). Even though it will penalize your Acrobatics a bit I would go with at least a chain shirt to start with.

4. Our party needs an intimidator more than a diplomat, and your order gives you certain bonuses involving intimidate (you currently get a +1 when you are at full HP for example). So I would suggest putting a rank in that and either get rid of diplomacy, ride, or swim.

5. You put your order into a link and that's good. I recommend you include links to your feats, traits, and class abilities also.

6. Don't forget your character's story! This is arguably more important to the PbP format than the mechanics of the character.

Edit: I see you have posted a quick story outline and it looks good.

would if I could, but GGG explicitly stated first chance goes to those who previously applied.

This doesn't stop you from submitting a character for consideration. Many of the original posters here may have moved on and might not be interested anymore. The worst thing that can happen is they say no, and you will still have developed a character that could be used in a different game.

Same for you, Corsario and Orion.

FYI I have also invited a guy I used to play with to submit a character. He took over a KM game from another GM and is still running it so he seems reliable.

First off I'm back and under my deadline (though I only got about half-way through page 6 of the gameplay posts and page one of discussion). Second I'm in, if you all are still willing but please be careful of assumptions (I'm looking at you gnome). I think it was even among the rules your old GM posted on his personal page. I hadn't responded yet and I already three players waiting...

Celyne wrote:

Orion, or you could join us here :)

would if I could, but GGG explicitly stated first chance goes to those who previously applied. Which is bad luck for me if those still want into the game as I guess inevitably those two spots will get filled that way.

Otherwise, i'd gladly join you.

I haven't gotten as far as looking over more than the first and last page of the recruitment thread. So I really haven't had time to "consider" anyone's character yet aside from the OG party members. So wow me. If nothing else you will have a kick ass character.

On that note, henceforth stick to the Core book, Advanced Player's Guide, Ultimate Combat, Ultimate Magic, and Advanced Race Guide for character creation (creation being the operative word, if you are OG and have got something outside that you're good unless it becomes a problem-which I doubt). I might expand that but, it's a good rule of thumb to start with until I see what all I'm working with.

G3

PS As far as character classes go, while Kingmaker is a sandbox in which even monks work well, at least one person, as Numalar suggests, with a straight BAB progression would be advisable.

Other rules, I haven't yet found them, but I recall the former GM had some changes they imposed to the magic system. To keep things simple I suggest we just stick to the official rules and errata Paizo puts out.

So, what were you, the OG players, looking for from the game exactly (remember, I've only just scratched your discussion and recruitment threads)? I have a good idea were some of the characters want to be, but what are you guys looking for: action, politicking, suspense, dungeons, horror, exploration, playing civilization, epic mass combat, role-playing? How long do you want to go? To the very end? Since many of the modules were written by folks I know (and admire) if not in person than at least virtually I would absolutely love to play them all (with one or two side adventures that I am also fitting into my home game--it is a sandbox after all), but maybe that's not your cup of tea. So lemme know.

Oh and questions? If you got 'em spill 'em.

I've got characters to look at.
Gx3

but please be careful of assumptions (I'm looking at you gnome).

Call me Numalar! :)

I am probably the most eager player in our group and if I am bouncing off the walls too much just tell me to calm down. I am pushing people to submit characters mainly so there are good ones to choose from.

If you need any help with things let me know. I have pretty good system mastery and am happy to research things if you want.

You seem to have very good credentials for running a game, even if you haven't done PbP GMing before. I doubt it will be difficult for you.

As to our former GM's house rules:

1. Magic - he had said he was nerfing divination spells because he wanted more suspense and mystery, but he was pretty vague about how that was going to work. I'm totally cool with just playing with bog-standard spells.

2. He was also using Hero Points, though at a slower progression. I don't care for them myself but they were on the table. Nobody had accumulated any yet.

3. He had a rule that NPCs and monsters die at 0 hp instead of negative CON hp. I don't really care either way; his rule does limit the prisoner moral dilemmas somewhat.

This recruitment will be for 4-6 players to tackle the Kingmaker AP, beginning in the year 4708 AR. The campaign will differ at times from printed material and much about Brevoy will be different so don't count on things being the same as the source material. Sometimes I will use names of people but their personalities/abilities/goals, etc. will be far different from what is printed in canon. So, don't count on that. For now, in terms of background, all printed locations are good.

** spoiler de-omitted and revised italics = GGG additions**...

Races: Human, Elf, Half-Elf, Halfling, Dwarf, Half-Orc, Gnome. I like standard races, please don't ask to play a Tiefling. I do too, but if it is compelling enough I like Kitsune, Changelings, Tengu, etc.... But! if you have to take time to explain it to me it might cost you time and/or hemming and hawing on my part to determine whether you mean it or are doing it for purely meta-tactical reasons. And remember there might be social implications as well.

Alignment: No Evil please.

Level and other items: 1st Level, max gold for class, max HP for 1st level. 30 Point Buy - yes, you are supposed to be heroes. Really? So much of the ill-balanced Kingdom Building stuff hinges on this... Oh well, it is what it is. I'll deal with that in about four levels time.

Classes: Core only - no gunslingers, ninjas, samurai's or their derivatives. There is no tech in my Golarion. Any archetypes will need to be approved beforehand. Honestly if it's interesting/compelling--and fits the setting, I'm okay with it.

Traits: Pick two, one from the Kingmaker Character Trait list and the other from any core source.

Again, looking for 4-6 characters that will mesh well and make for a good party.

What do I want out of the game? Well let's see...

1. Adventure, excitement... A Jedi craves not these things... but I do. :) RPG's are one of my favourite things and in particular I love the adventure aspect. In particular I want to blow things up.

2. Roleplaying... I deliberately created a bombastic character who is at the same time solemn and ridiculous. I am having fun with him, even though I failed to convince anyone that Moon Radishes were Lycanthropes (even with a bluff of 24!).

3. My Inner Egomaniac... the idea of a game where you run a Kingdom is particularly appealing to me, partly because it appeals to my inner Napoleon complex (note that I have the shortest character in the party) but also because it hearkens back to the original days of D&D which assumed you would have your own dominion of some kind by 10th level or so. That experience is mostly gone from modern roleplaying.

4. Experience... I plan to run a Kingmaker game at some point but would like to play through it first.

KingmakerDM wrote:

30 Point Buy - yes, you are supposed to be heroes. Really? So much of the ill-balanced Kingdom Building stuff hinges on this... Oh well, it is what it is. I'll deal with that in about four levels time.

I was surprised by that too and if required I could rejigger my stats for a lower point buy. This character was originally meant to be played with less points in another game.

Or if you leave it you could just slap a -1 or -2 on the kingdom bonuses we get later on.

Edit: BTW GGG, I will send you a PM about my build. I had worked something out with him beforehand that was a bit unusual and you will need to know about it.

GGG if you would like to make some changes please ask. Ie lower stats. If you have a creative idea for suspense.. politics.. combat etc go for it.

Honestly Kingmaker is not Indiana Jones (that's Serpent's Skull or Skull and Shackles). Kingmaker is a bit grittier. So if I were to make any really drastic change it would probably be loosing the action points. I can live with 30 point buy as you already have your characters made. But feel free to let me know your feelings on the subject.

Oh and how often would you like to update. I'm for a minimum of twice a day from me and once (most days) from each of you--more often perhaps when drama ensues. Also what sort of schedules do you all have? My work schedule (including drive time) runs 3pm-3am EST Mon-Fri with occasional 8-10 hour blocks on Saturday and Sunday usually starting an hour or two earlier. Free Saturdays are my home game day (with evening start times).

And right now bedtimes.

'nite
GGG

if I were to make any really drastic change it would probably be loosing the action points.

Action Points? Do you mean Hero Points? I would be fine with ditching those.

Oh and how often would you like to update. I'm for a minimum of twice a day from me and once (most days) from each of you--more often perhaps when drama ensues.

The previous expectation was once per day on weekdays; I think our former GM had something going on on the weekends. Though I noticed there was less activity from players too.

I for one can post often while I am at work since I have internet access here and not a lot to do. But I doubt that most people have that kind of freedom. For the record I work late (midnight to 8AM) and am in the Eastern Time Zone (Toronto Ontario).

If you can post twice a day that would be awesome. I think once per day for the rest of us has worked fairly well so far.

I'm in Australia so it's mid afternoon now 5pm...

I generally can post each day.

G'day mate!

May I introduce Alia
Posting only her linked alias for now to cut down on said aliases cluttering up my profile.

Since it needs approval: I choose the Soul Forger Magus Archetype because Kingmaker, as I gathered from other recruitments, tends to have lenghty downtimes and characters are encouraged to have something to do during those.
The archetype loses one spell per day/level, but should make sure I can meet any martial needs(shields, weaponry, armor, bows) with crafting that come up.

Other than that, she's a switch hitter as Melee was specifically asked for. Her bonded weapon is two-handed melee(as Magus get spell failure for shields anyway). I know this locks out Spell Combat(as it requires a light or one-handed weapon) but from experience I doubt I would get too much mileage out of that as it requires a full-round action in melee.
And Spell Strike does not call out a weapon type so should work fine, plus is called out in FAQ to allow casting, moving and attacking in the same turn.

I did not over-optimize considering the high point buy(e.g. having 14 cha, instead of getting 16 con before race stats to have more staying power in melee).

Despite her Melee-Focus, she should also do fine(not great) with a composite bow at range, in those cases were melee is not viable, but I do not intend to invest any feats in archery.

Over the next couple levels, she'll try and spread skill points to the craft skills and knowledge skills for class skill boni, while keeping perception and spellcraft maxed.

If there are any issues or changes necessary, feel free to let me know.
As for back story, have no time right now due to work to write one up, but may do so later, or definitely if picked.

@Numalar: Thanks for the look-over. It was late last night and I wanted to get a baseline build up. I'll look over my sheet again to make sure those little things are fixed. I do have a question. This is just a submission, correct? I mean, I haven't been selected for anything yet, right?

@GGG: If you'd prefer I build something without ACG archetypes, I can certainly do so. I have a few other ideas, such as a net-and-spear Phalanx Fighter, that would fill the same basic role as the Daring Champion cavalier and would fit within your character creation requests. I'll build a rough statblock so I'm ready for that eventuality.

just a heads up that any posting schedule is fine with me - I don't work, but I am busy with other activities, so some days I can post more often than others. Still, I can usually post 2 or 3 times a day most days...

Saturday is my home game, which runs about 10am til 3 or 4pm pacific time, so won't be posting during those times most weeks.

I will be moving in july or august, so I'll have a short period of limited posting while we do work on the new house, then move in. Busy busy time... but until then, I'm good.

I happen to like hero points, but I'm not really hot about them so can take or leave them.

I think I'm legal re: your preferences for sourcebooks, but do let me know if you want any changes.

Thanks for the invite.
If after the shakeup you feel you need another character, please let me know.
I would be willing to play whatever is needed.
But if you feel "complete" then go ahead, and have fun.

That's right, it is still a submission until GGG says you are in.

I think GGG said those who applied in the original round of recruiting you have priority over people who are just finding this recruitment thread now, and you were one of the original responders, so I think that gives you a pretty good chance.

Oh gawd... Numilar!!!

Yes G'Day mate...

<--- One of the orphaned players IN this game

So, what were you, the OG players, looking for from the game exactly.

Simply: to play.

- steady paced game.
- kingdom building. (my character is a rogue and has aspirations of building a thieves guild in the new region)
- plenty of role play to go along with the roll play.

action, politicking, suspense, dungeons, horror, exploration, playing civilization, epic mass combat, role-playing?

any and all of the above! Where ever the GM or game takes us.

How long do you want to go? To the very end?

As long as we can. Ideally, till the end. I have not had the pleasure of being in a pbp game that continues past 5th level. I would love to see this one break that curse.

I can live with 30 point buy as you already have your characters made. But feel free to let me know your feelings on the subject.

I have not seen or used hero points yet in ANY game (except D&d 4E), so no real loss to me.

Oh and how often would you like to update. I'm for a minimum of twice a day from me and once (most days) from each of you--more often perhaps when drama ensues. Also what sort of schedules do you all have?

I "can" post throughout the day (so min 1/day), I could do much more if the posting rate warrented. I check for new updates on several games I'm in, at least 1/hr. This is due to having access to the boards via my work computer, although every "map" tool so far has been blocked by the firewall. Outside work, I'm known to post up to around 1am (central time). I generally make my 1st morning update around 10am (central).

You guys want Alia :)

Selfishly, my character would like a melee'r to flank with and ensure the ability to get sneak attacks.

Done, primarily melee.

I would like to see a martial ranged combatant, but any ranged can do.

Done, I can shoot stuff with a composite longbow.

You make a good point about the moral compass. Any role filled by a "goody 2 shoes" would (hopefully) keep us all in line like Bella did.

Done, while Chaotic Good Alia's got a focus on the good part. The chaotic part stems mostly from the fact she finds most human laws and ideas terribly short-sighted.

personally, I'm not a big fan of sorcerers, but that's a personal opinion. If we are going to get another arcane character, someone non-blasty on spells (wizard or arcanist), would be my suggestion.

Done, I've got a spellbook to learn spells with. While the magus spell list is by far not extensive, there's still SOME versatility to be found. Certainly enough to coordinate with a sorcerer.

These are all utopian rants. As long as the new player will post frequently, and contribute to both combat AND non-combat, I welcome ANY class/role.

Done, I do post frequently. Except when I'm not here at all. I also contribute in combat, and do crafting and party interaction in non-combat. I admit social skills right now are a bit lacking, but thats mainly due to low skill points of Magus. I could always fix that up later with a Headband of Intellect made for said Skills, especially since Alia did not dump Cha, but rather put some points in it to have this option in the future.

I think mainly we are looking for avid posters who can play to the roles of character interaction enhancers, with a good sword (or bow) arm, some utility and lack of outright role duplication, vaguely in that order.

I could always get intimidate up...no charisma dump stat and its a class skill. I just stand next to them with my blade and look grim.

Then I am an avid poster with social interaction option, a sword arm, a bow arm, utility in spells and crafting, and not duplicating someone.

On a side note, as I posted earlier, I've been trying to get to play Kingmaker since it came out...so forgive my eagerness here. Never managed with RL group, and no luck here so far. Just putting that out there as saying: I've got a huge motivation regarding that AP, and would inevitably stick around till the end if choosen. On another note, I'll try and get a rudimentary backstory done later tonight.

Hi, Mordred!

Alia has a decent concept, but the Elven Curve Blade is a two handed weapon. You won't be able to use Spell Combat with it, which is a pretty important drawback - the spell combat ability is what the Magus is all about, and it can only be used when you hold a light or one-handed weapon in one hand and nothing in the other. Rapier or Scimitar are your best options if you are fishing for crits. If GGG allows it you could be from Tian Xia (there is an elven land there) and use a Katana (or find some reason to wield a Rhoka Sword), but you would have to take the EWP feat and it probably isn't worth it, unless you plan on using enlarge person a lot.

A Rhoka Sword wielding magus would look really cool, even if it is kind of a waste of a feat. You could play a Tengu if you wanted to wield a weird weapon, though that character would have a totally different feel.

Secondly, you have two traits that grant a +1 to perception, and they don't stack. Might as well have Pioneer give you a different bonus, since you can choose.

Thirdly, I'm not sure about the Soul Forger archetype. The point seems to be to give you crafting abilities, but the cost is very high in the long run. You lose one spell per level, and get back only one spell from your arcane bond. In the long run that seems like a bad trade, unless you are really keen to be the party's weapon smith. If the point was to start with a masterwork weapon, I would skip the archetype and go with a normal weapon for now. You will be able to afford a masterwork weapon soon enough.

Finally, Story!!! What your character is like personally is at least as important as her stats. Without a good character story it is unlikely you will be picked.

Hi, Mordred!

Alia has a decent concept, but the Elven Curve Blade is a two handed weapon. You won't be able to use Spell Combat with it, which is a pretty important drawback - the spell combat ability is what the Magus is all about, and it can only be used when you hold a light or one-handed weapon in one hand and nothing in the other. Rapier or Scimitar are your best options if you are fishing for crits. If GGG allows it you could be from Tian Xia (there is an elven land there) and use a Katana (or find some reason to wield a Rhoka Sword), but you would have to take the EWP feat and it probably isn't worth it, unless you plan on using enlarge person a lot.

A Rhoka Sword wielding magus would look really cool, even if it is kind of a waste of a feat. You could play a Tengu if you wanted to wield a weird weapon, though that character would have a totally different feel.

Secondly, you have two traits that grant a +1 to perception, and they don't stack. Might as well have Pioneer give you a different bonus, since you can choose.

Thirdly, I'm not sure about the Soul Forger archetype. The point seems to be to give you crafting abilities, but the cost is very high in the long run. You lose one spell per level, and get back only one spell from your arcane bond. In the long run that seems like a bad trade, unless you are really keen to be the party's weapon smith. If the point was to start with a masterwork weapon, I would skip the archetype and go with a normal weapon for now. You will be able to afford a masterwork weapon soon enough.

Finally, Story!!! What your character is like personally is at least as important as her stats. Without a good character story it is unlikely you will be picked.

Hi Numalar.

@Two-handed, I adressed that in my first post.
To use Spell-Combat, you HAVE to use a full-round action to melee attack+cast. In most games I have played, that was very unlikely to happen often. Usually had to move/charge and attack or move+cast. My consideration was that a two-handed weapon will give me a significantly higher damage output(base, strenght, and from power attack, + eventually Furious Focus by increasing hit rate indirectly increasing damage output). Also, Spellstrike does not call out any weapon types, so works with any weapon one wields as long as it's a melee attack.
Basically I expected to utilize Spellstrike to move, then power attack with furious focus(meaning no penalties on the single attack dealing high base damage) and cast something applicable through that(shocking grasp, vampiric touch...), and get good critical threat rate for those, too.
@traits, aye, my mistake, I first only took the one making it a class skill and had another campaign trait, then changed campaign trait out without thinking/counterchecking.
@Soul forger: The point was definitely not the masterwork weapon(thats really just a bonus). I just feel the crafting abilities granted would be very serious in a game like kingmaker. It's +Class Level on the relevant class skills, AND halved time to enchant magic armaments. So I consider even with a mediocre skill investment I could cover one whole dimension of crafting here.
You are right of course that the spell per level hurts, but I had hoped that better equipment for the whole squad would somewhat offset that penalty. I believe in the end, HOW this is handled is totally up to the DM. I never got to play in a Kingmaker, but I heared both sides. Most GM's seemed to encourage players to seek a means to be busy during downtimes, others said not to worry about crafting since that gets outsourced to underlings. Others groups yet announced they would handle it via Leadership and get a Crafting-"Slave" as Companion.

I am neither insistent on the Two-Handed Weapon(but as said, I believe overall efficiency will be better in many situations that way, as being able to use spell combat is highly situational) nor on the Soul Forger Archetype(which I primarily picked to bring something to the party in terms of downtime utility).
I suppose I could work something out there by dropping Thoughness and instead going for a Bastard Sword, then wield it as exotic one-handed or martial two-handed, as applicable, depending on wether I can make a full attack to do spell combat, or not and just spellstrike.

As for Backstory, as I wrote, I spend some time making her then was busy...now I will have time, eat something, check some others, then sit back and write a story for her. Point is, though, that I'll have to be vague on some parts...if she drops being a smith+soulforger+two-handed, then some aspects I had in mind would not make sense.

Hi Numalar.
@Two-handed, I adressed that in my first post.
To use Spell-Combat, you HAVE to use a full-round action to melee attack+cast...

A good point, but it seems a shame to design a Magus that can never use spell combat. Once in a while you will find yourself within 5 feet of an enemy at the start of your turn.

@Soul forger: just feel the crafting abilities granted would be very serious in a game like kingmaker.

You are right. But even if you are planning to be a crafter, I'm not sure you need a class archetype to do it with. Do what you want, but just taking CMA&A at 5th level ought to be enough.

I suppose I could work something out there by dropping Thoughness and instead going for a Bastard Sword, then wield it as exotic one-handed or martial two-handed, as applicable...

That's not a bad idea, and if you wanted to wait until 3rd level to get EWP then you could just wait until 3rd level to use spell combat.

Of course, a longsword does 1 point less damage on average and doesn't require a feat. You can still use it 2-handed if you want the extra STR/power attack damage.

Not taking Elven Curve Blade means you are not tied to elves either, if that matters. Also, for the record, a falchion does 0.5 less damage than the elven curve blade on average, and doesn't take a feat. Likewise a greatsword does more damage than the curve blade (but crits less).

pity is that all the one-handed 1d8 weapons with 18-20 crit range simply don't fit the flavour.

Unless GGG is kind enough to let me take EWP:Katana and say its a re-flavored Elven Curved Blade. A smaller one that can be wielded one-handed, which I crafted to complement my combat style as Magus.

Aye, there's plenty of weapons that things could work out with mechanically, a scimitar would probably be simplest, but I just don't see that fit the flavor.

As you say, story and background is important.
I'm totally willing to burn a feat to get a 1d8 weapon with 18-20 instead of the 1d6 weapon with 18-20 that I could wield right now.

Not because thats efficient, but because I WANT Alia to have an exotic blade. She should have a somewhat uncommon, if not rare weapon. She's a master smith blending magic with melee, and her bonded blade is like her signature weapon for that. Custom made, one of a kind-thing.

So if I can get that for her in some way, I want, because thats who I envision as person.
If i had aimed purely for efficiency, I could have opted to max Dex, then go with Slashing Grace for a Scimitar and Elf Spell Dancer for AC.

sorry for the long story, but well, figured I'll have to explain why I'm kind of dwelling on that.

also, some background added. I figure at Level 1 she can't have had many adventures yet, so focused a bit more on her upbringing.

CURRENTLY CLOSED RECRUITMENT

I'm re-opening this thread to discus the two prospective new players and give them a chance and a place to chime in on the discussion.

For everyone else, sorry but we are currently closed for business.

Hello! You can check out the profile for more details and background.
I have tried to make a character that will have a good reason for being in the Stolen Lands, is connected to parts of the story thus far, and can contribute to the party both in a tactical sense and in an RP sense.
I really enjoy playing Core races and classes, especially Cleric, Fighter, and Rogue (and Ftr/Wiz/EK). I hope his straightforward mechanics aren’t a disqualifying feature. If you had your heart set on that Lashunta Hydrokineticist/Mesmerist, that’s not really my thing.
The primary reason I made Durgan a dwarf is the Breadth of Experience feat (though the defensive abilities are also nice to have). I don’t know what sort of situations a developing realm might encounter, but if there is a need for Profession (Bookbinder) or Profession (Brewer) he can do that fairly well. Abadar is also popular among dwarves and seems a good deity for one seeking to bring civilization to the wild.
Although he is a cleric, and gets the status-removal spells faster than any other class, it is my hope that Durgan is not just a healbot. I’d be happier preventing damage than healing it. (Naturally he will heal when needed, but if with good planning and tactics we can prevent damage, that seems wiser.) Durgan has some spells and abilities to boost party AC, and can get himself up to 29 AC (33 against giants). If you need a frontline tank, he can do that – while still moving 30’ in fullplate, being passable at Swim, and at least not negative at Ride (and he gets Fly next level).
He’ll probably take either Scribe Scroll, Craft Wand, or Brew Potion at 5th.
Durgan is LG. I thought about LN (to go into Exalted), but thought that might not be as good a fit for this party. Since Abadar is the patron of judges in widely varying realms, I don’t think Abadar mandates any one particular set of laws. Just that they be clear, fairly applied, and encourage honest trade. As long as we are under the laws of Brevoy, Durgan will follow those laws. Should we have the opportunity to define our own code of laws – and our own penalties for banditry, for example – he will provide input but not insist on any one code. Should the party go in a very different direction and want to become Pirate Kings or something, he’s even got a secret “off-ramp” to CN that would work within the story. I mean to make a character that can work with all of you.
Durgan isn’t about ideology or converting people so much as practical advice. Abadar likes there to be good roads, bridges, trading posts, laws, proper accounting ledgers, honest judges, and well-run cities even if the people aren’t praising his name. At least, that’s my take on it. Accordingly, while Durgan has both the holy text The Order of Numbers and Abadar’s more applied Manual of City-Building, he more often quotes from the latter.
I did try to make him fairly easy-going and not dogmatic (except about proper accounting practices) because I didn’t want to add to party friction. He’ll have positions of his own, but he can be swayed by sound arguments.

So that's the explanation for why he is the way he is, and how I envision him fitting into the party. Whether you choose him or Serena Mistcastle I think you will have a great addition to your campaign.

Serena Mistcastle is no ordinary cleric and is certainly not a healbot, though she is capable of such. She is more a hands-on front-line fighter. Her next level will be cleric, but beyond that, who knows? She is definitely LG, but not Lawful Stupid. She will back away from a fight with a obviously superior foe and is not above using an advantage if she has one.

The primary reason I made Durgan a dwarf is the Breadth of Experience feat (though the defensive abilities are also nice to have). I don’t know what sort of situations a developing realm might encounter, but if there is a need for Profession (Bookbinder) or Profession (Brewer) he can do that fairly well. Abadar is also popular among dwarves and seems a good deity for one seeking to bring civilization to the wild.

There goes all our plans for a teetotaling, book-burning, anarchist utopia.... ;)

Regardless of who is gets in I think I'm going to like having more sensible lawful types about. I do tend to treat paladins like Jedi, in that they should not be striking out at foes first until said foes have proven themselves dangerous and/or irredeemably evil. This usually results in a lot of first round readied actions (i.e. I attack with my weapon if X attacks me or my friends).

Lawful types might have other problems as well, The Stolen Land's exploration charter comes from Brevoy a kingdom run by independent-minded nobility. In fact, the area's closest neighbors: Brevoy, Galt, Numeria, and nearly all of the River Kingdoms (with their famous Six River Freedoms) are all Chaotic Neutral.

The group currently leans Chaotic (can you tell?) with Numalar the only Lawful character--a lawful gnome at that. What has this (fantasy) world come too?

Serena knows the value of diplomacy, but she also knows that some problems are best solved at swordpoint. Generally speaking, she won't bare steel first, but she will come to the defense of her fellows (or be the first to call them out if they do something wrong). She tolerates neutrals, and even chaotics, and understands that sometimes unorthodox methods must be called upon. The reed that does not bend, will break.

EDIT: Needless to say, I will build a proper alias for her if she is selected.

Since Durgan grew up in Brevoy, he is familiar with their way of doing things. But I don't think a country's alignment means that all or even most inhabitabts are that alignment; maybe a plurality in a 9-way split. Or maybe it just means the power centers have that alignment.
If our land ends up being a NG beacon of hope for refugees from the surrounding CN lands, Durgan will thrive as he is, more or less. If we decide to surrender to the regional sentiment, he's got a path to CN in-story.

Edit: I see from Illthir's sheet a note that the party sucks at cooking. Well, Durgan can do all Profession checks at a +6, including Profession (Gourmet Chef); that's +8 if his Traveler's Any-Tool applies (forming it into knives and skillets?).

I'm ok with either.. as long as they are capable of going along in our excellent but very slow game...

I've been in multiple AP's that have got to second book (not at same time one after the other.) or more while this one is still in first book.

I have no problem with slow. In the interest of full exposure, I can usually check once a day, but I often lag behind a little due to the fact that my wife is 90% blind and I am her eyes. I do all of her emails for her as well as driving her where she needs to go. Thus, I can't always check every day. Weekends tend to be especially problematic because we work a lot of conventions locally. That said, I will do my best to check once a day each weekday.

This game doesn't seem terribly slow in posting rate. At 7/day, that's basically one per person, right?
A sandbox game often has more time on RP, establishing contacts, and investigating things that don't pan out. And that's fine. I can see why it might not move as fast as a more linear AP.
If it felt like we were really spinning our wheels, I'd do what I could to nudge things forward without being annoying or overbearing.

Alright. You're both in. If only for all the interesting theological debates and the fact that this means the Stolen Lands might find itself in situation similar to Northern Ireland during the time of the Troubles. Sarenrae is one of them thar 'foreign' goddesses after all, whose people have warred with the former Taldan empire (one of Abadar's strongholds) for centuries, and Brevoy--back in its Issian/Rostland days--were Taldan colonies/vassal states.

That, and well, the people in the region (patterned on Russia and the Baltics) aren't really known for their tans as commented upon here by one of Sarenrae's more famous followers.

As for introductions, I was going to have you both in Mivoni tavern debating theology at at back table, but now--thanks to democracy--you may get a more mid-dungeon introduction. I'm sure neither of you are secretly werewolves, right? Right?

Anyhow, wander over to the discussion thread and say 'hi', and we'll figure out an intro.

Welcome aboard. ;)

Great!
Did you figure out how you wanted to handle crafted items and starting gold?

Great!

Did you figure out how you wanted to handle crafted items and starting gold?

I think for now we'll start out with basic starting wealth. It is not like Durgan has gotten any benefit from any of his other class features yet.

I'm sure neither of you are secretly werewolves, right? Right?

Blast! He's wise to me!

I'll get my profile up before the evening (here) is over.

OPEN RECRUITMENT

So here we are once more recruiting to fill a vacancy in our ongoing Kingmaker game.

I'm in the market for a single character, preferably with one or more of the following traits. None of this is absolute, these are just preferences. I once said pretty nearly the same thing and the game got a dwarfish-seeming ifrit bloodrager, and she was more than fine.

- Human or gnome (the most common races in the region) these are followed by dwarves. I will punch you in the face if you choose to be a half-elf. (So says the Tolkien fan. They are meant to be rare, dammit!)
- Male (for group gender balance)
- Something built in the Core to adjacent region of the rules. Don't make me have to read Occult Adventures.
- A full-on arcane PC (sorcerer, witch, wizard, etc...), or a woodsy PC (druid, an outdoorsy oracle or witch, or something else druid-like). Straight up melee fighters (fighters, barbarians, or rangers) would be appreciated too. We already have an archer. If you think you might be able to mix a couple of the above into one build (i.e. "woodsy wizard") feel free to try.
- Past present and future campaign themes include: Brevoy, isolation, loyalty, redemption, exploration, politics, witches, bandits, wolves, tribes of kobolds, giants, the fey, ancient (elvish, fey, druid) magic, and country life. Keep these in mind when constructing your character.
- Also keep in mind the other characters in the campaign. The party currently consists of: an elf magus 5, a dwarf cleric 5, a half-elf skald 5, a half-elf cleric 2/paladin 3, and a human ranger fighter 2/slayer 3. Feel free to discuss ways you might knit your PC in among them.
- Give us a background, but no your character's whole arc. What I mean to say is that your character should grow and change with the campaign, and should not be already "complete" and therefore static and unchanging.
- Within that background there should be a few other characters (NPCs or even organizations) that your PC knows, likes, dislikes, are rivals of, or family with. Basically, people in the area (Brevoy, Mivon, Pitax, etc...) that you know and have some sort of relationship with.

Some things to know about the campaign:
- Your character would come in as a 5th level character with 5th level starting wealth, using an epic 30 pt attribute buy. We also make use of background skills.
- The campaign is a sandbox, your PC should forward their own plans, have their own ideas, and not wait for your overburdened GM to activate the dungeon's automatic walkway, and shuttle your character to the next door, and then open it for you. I have to play everyone else in the world, you can play your own character (and maybe even their animal companion too).
- Because of the above noted sandboxiness of the game, a lot can happen based upon what the players decide. If the players decide to shuck the whole kingdom-building thing and use their wealth to buy a ship, and sail the Shackles as pirates, so be it. I doubt that will happen, but still there will be more to this Kingmaker than just what was in the original 6 books.
- We are currently in-between books 1 and 2 and are about to start the kingdom-building downtime between the chapters.
- You don't need to read all 11,000ish posts, but you might consider spot-reading a few, just to see how we handle combat and RP, and who you will be playing with. Also, let us know if you have played any part of the Adventure Path before, and what you thought.
- Your character's introduction is probably going to happen at a big political intrigue-ridden party in Restov featuring many competing nobles, and royal agents, and perhaps some murder and bloodshed.

Doting in, should have a character tomorrow at some point

Dotting

Greetings. I will get to work on this character's background, but I thought I'd place here what I have so far. Basically, he is a woodsy human hermit who has studied magic, and believes that he is a "better" wizard than actual wizards. When it comes to fighting huge monsters like trolls and balrogs, he may just be right!

I'd like this.

How about a woodsy frontliner? I'm thinking Nature Fang Druid swinging a Scythe.

Race wise I'd ideally make it a Duskwalker and worshipper of the Psychopomp Usher Mother Vulture who sees herself as a custodian of the natural cycle of life and death.

dotting, Naturey characters are my jam. and i've always wanted to join in a kingmaker game

Nature oracle definitely

Question GM

Does the nature oracles Bonded mount class feature qualify for the monstrous mount feat? theres some debate but generally people say ask your gm

Dotting
Will adjust this character soon.

I’ve always thought that this would be a fun AP for a Druid. Maybe even a frontliner druid, since that is also a need.

Dotting - the call actually fits with a slightly more advanced version of the witch that I put up for the other Kingmaker recruitment :
https://paizo.com/campaigns/ChroniclesOfTheRiverKingdoms/recruiting&pag e=3#144

While I wouldn't play him in both, I would be very surprised to take both slots, so I will update the crunch and post in...

Questions:
1) Are you using the downtime rules from advanced campaign - specifically businesses and teams; Davor intends to build a magical college of sorts.
2) It's not immediate, but WRT to future advancement, what is your (the GM's) take on the rules question here: https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42wqw?Stargazer-Witch-and-hex-access

As one of the players, let me make two points:
1) It will be helpful to keep the PCs' mission in mind. We are bringing civilization to the wild, and navigating Brevoy politics in the process. There are druids that are more civilization-friendly, and our goal is not "destroy all the forests," but most of us do have some vision of building towns where there are not towns now. If a druid (or hunter, or whatever) were trying to preserve the Stolen Lands from encroaching settlement, it is difficult to see why they would want to join us. Again, I know that not all woodsy characters are like that in their outlook.

2) I see a few references to "frontliners". While I know this can refer to melee types in general, it also implies a tactical situation that I see more often in PFS than in this campaign. Here, we have had a few fairly large and mobile combats with many combatants spread out. Not a formed up front line that the enemy respects. So I would say any PC joining should have some form of adequate defense, between HP, AC, and magical protections.