*Peers at Reginald D'Loria* Oh hey Jack, I'm going to assume that comment comes because I have your character at negative hit points being dragged up a cliff towards a cannibal, but thanks for the kind words all the same ;) Hope we get to play together!
I'm an aspiring writer, albeit one who is nowhere near ready to publish, but I have run a number of female characters on the boards here, mostly for experience and variety - they've all been in games that have now ended, but not because of them sadly. A number of very prominent fantasy authors, notably the late Robert Jordan, regularly get lambasted for their depictions of women - I think this is largely because his women possess a lot of common traits as if all women are bossy and overbearing, though I still love the WOT. I'm a great deal more comfortable writing women than I am writing someone from a different real life society, as I believe most of our experiences are broadly similar. its more important IMO to write a personality than a gender, though it can certainly inform your writing.
@AdamWarnock
Thank you for the clarity. I did read the kingmaker game thread before reading this one and that's where my initial confusion came in. However, this is the thread and the game I am interested in! So, the rest of the post applies. This teaches me a lesson not to post after spending an hour putting a baby with a fever to sleep....
@Alice
Thank you for the prompt feedback. I know that some ideas don't work well with every group or DM and to be honest I have not played either #1 or #2 before (though I have played a swordsage and that was fun) so how this translates into game balance is questionable.
In this case my idea is the following:
A neutral half-elf Witch with the bonded-witch archetype (because I hate keeping track of familiars).
His background is this:
After staring at the stars for 10 years, the stars have begun to look back...
Essentially he was somewhat of an odd child. An outcast due to his dual-heritage who spent nights staring into the sky, looking for something - meaning, escape from his current life. Somehow this attracted the attention of a creature from the Far Realm who became his patron.
The character is not crazy, he is not insane or illogical. Instead, he has a patron who provided him a conduit (via his bonded item) to power and whispers to him - advice, suggestions, patterns among the night sky, knowledge. Always subtle and not quite with direction he doesn't know what to make of it, but he knows it has changed his life forever.
He will maximize curse effectiveness and also choose healing spells. His reason for traveling and choosing to explore an area that has essentially killed everyone else is based on these whispers from his patron who suggests a more direct way to communicate and expand his knowledge will be found.
So, nothing particularly exciting regarding class/race but I like his background and I think it gives him a realistic motivation to go dungeon-delving. Also, the true nature of what he will find (is his patron evil? What is it exactly? Is he supposed to be opening a portal to the Far Realm?) is in question. I leave that up to the DM to decide.
(Thanks again for pointing out my error and giving me a chance to correct it!)
@TheRedMage: Heh, sorry I just saw that and it throw me for a loop. Just trying to be helpful.
As for the whole chainmail bikini or the skin-tight breast-plate, the whole idea is ridiculous. It doesn't do it's job as armor and anyone who doesn't think with their ding-dong is going to take advantage of the nicely exposed sternum or belly. Besides it's really boring to draw.
No, it was very helpful! Not that I made the best impression with that kind of first post.... :)
Haha the women in Robert Jordans novels are kind of special^^
But that´s clearly his novel and fantasy, it bears a lot of signs of SM influence, there are so many hints. Just think of all the shackles and manacles stuff.
Roleplaying someone of a different gender is always a challenge.
On the one hand you are playing out your fantasies whatever they are, on the other hand you should be carefull not to offend your fellow persons at the table and also try to play the character authentic and realistic.
It already starts with playing a different race from human actually, the different gender just adds another layer.
I think it´s all about empathy in playing and writing. You can bring out your desires and visions, your experience (what will never be enough to be just to all people on earth in which way ever) and then try to be realistic. Of course this heavily depends on the setting and scenario.
If you write or play convincing characters in a convincing scenario it will always be good. If you do something else but mark it as such, it can be good too. There will always be someone who doesnt like it for some reasons.
But i agree with Alice, roleplaying chainmailbikini maidens like red sonja is not really roleplaying a woman.
Female players play male characters all the time. Intelligent people have played stupid barbarians. In fact human people play elves, half-orcs, dwarves, and halflings. Writing about or playing a different gender, species, orientation is easy if you are willing to use empathy and understanding and actually take the time to understand.
but that is my feelings
so I am playing a male Half-orc Barbarian.
What am I?
I think the problem arises when the player has unacknowledged stereotypes or prejudices - which often happens when men play women.
For fantasy games, we actually embrace the racial stereotypes and prejudices (orcs hate elves, dwarves drink excessively, etc).
@Magnauak - "In fact human people play elves, half-orcs, dwarves, and halflings." Very good point
Hello all,
After much internal soulsearching in what character to apply with, I have decided to put forth Zeltor - Zen Archer monk.
The basics of crunch are in the alias, as well as the fluff - now... I am guessing that the fluff should give a pretty good idea of what he is all about, but if any clarifications or corrections are felt needed, let me know please Alice.
Will be waiting for your feedback.
Cheers!
|
It amuses me that I've somehow managed to get my recruitment thread talking about feminist issues... ;)
@TheRedMage, that idea sounds good to me! Just needs a name.
I'll note that the dungeon is strongly connected to demonic influences rather than the Far Realm, but I'll see what I can do to tie things in as the game goes along, if you're accepted.
@Zeltor, thanks for your application! Very interesting backstory!
Realised I could do Rost as a Synthesist rather than by trying to do something strange with eldrtich heritage and tiefling... but I'm still trying to find a way to do it justice.
@Alice - glad you like the concept! Thanks for the feedback.
Like I said, the patron really could be anybody/anything. As a player I know about the Far Realm but really what does a 1st level character know? It could be a Far Realm creature aligned against Orcus, another demon or even Orcus himself who is the patron (which would make things VERY interesting later on).
I will get the name and backstory written up this weekend along with some kind of picture.
Also, I realized that I could use a similar story and creature an Oracle of the Dark Tapestry (which was my other idea anyways). I don't see much interest in divine magic whereas it seems the arcane route is well covered so let me know. I do have an interest in party balance (and all of us staying alive!).
Profile Streamlined.
|
|
Considering the rate of applications has slowed significantly, I figure this is a good time to set a hard deadline.
Applications will close exactly 48 hours from now.
That's Tuesday 22nd @ Midday for AEST (GMT +10), or Monday 21st @ 8PM for EST. I'll make my decision shortly after that.
Good luck all!
Yes, good luck everyone!
Good luck, and happy hunting.
Best of luck to all.
Good luck! Hope to see you underground.
So excited to possibly play this guy.
Dunno exactly what time this means for me in Europe, but good to know there will be a decision on the characters soon. For me it would be right away today :D
In any case, good luck to all that applied.
That means wednesday 23.02. 01:00 am CET. GMT is -1 if you are in England or Ireland or Scottland.
Ah! Just enough time to submit an entry. Will have something up soon.
Yes, good luck everyone! Based on what I've seen here so far, it should be a great game for who ever gets picked.
This is Sir Jolt. Here's the profile and crunch for Brown Lotus (was finally able toget the ARG data package for HeroLab; had to view the store in Chrome to get it to work).
Donato here with Marden Varesin, explorer extrodinaire! He is an arcane duelist bard who is always sure to be prepared. I should have more backstory for him soon.
Hey Alice,
Hopefully I'm not too late to toss a character into the deep end of your application pool.
Name, gender, race
Ayaal - female Fetchling-variant (details of the build and points are listed at the bottom of her character sheet). She is a sub-species of Fetchling in whom the human blood runs a bit more thickly than in the average Fetchling. I took qualities from both races and eliminated some to knock the race mod down to 15 RP and then threw in a twist or two.
class
Ayaal is a dual dagger wielding Rogue Knifemaster and Scout. She is geared to be both a pretty effective skill monkey as well as a respectable combatant who goes to town on opponents with a set of curved blades.
Appearance/Personality
These are listed on her character sheet. She is a typically monochromatic Fetchling - grey skin, white hair, and glowing yellow eyes. Unlike most Fetchlings she isn't particularly thin or frail so imagine a medium sized woman dressed in brown leather armor wearing a blue-grey burnoose over it and you are on the right track. I think the avatar pic is a pretty good approximation.
Backstory
It is on her character sheet. I've tried to tie in the 'canon' of Fetchling lore into her origin as well as using that to explain why she is in Mendev.
Crunch
Her character sheet is pretty much all done... down to her being almost broke. :)
How often you can post
Multiple times per day. That really only drops off when I am super-slammed at work and, in that case, I will let you know. Even when I'm busy, I can usually knock out at least a post per day.
Anything else
In terms of my characters - I don't do stereotypes (racial, class, or gender). So you'll never see me playing an ale-swilling Dwarf talking with a scottish brogue. I try to play characters as complex, real-world, people. This has, in the past, caused some issues with a DM or two who wanted cookie-cutter adherence to their class 'ideal' - i.e. "Paladins aren't supposed to even think of throwing an obnoxious passenger off the boat! That ain't LG!"
Finally, not to overtax your ears, I like a good mix of (and like to contribute to a good mix of) both RP and tactical combat.
|
|
@Marden: If you find yourself coming up against the deadline, just a good dot-point summary of a backstory would be enough to complete your application.
@Ayaal: OK, in principle I don't have a problem with a fetchling that's slightly more human than normal, but in practice I don't like a lot of the things you've done with the race.
1. Ability score modifiers are better than both humans and fetchlings. I think this should either be a human modifier OR a fetchling modifier, not something that is statistically speaking better than both.
2. Fast? Why's she got this trait? What about fetchlings or humans makes them faster than normal?
(Side note: when people grab this trait, it almost alllllways feels like something they pick because it's super good for the RP cost. 2 feats for 1 RP, in effect. So excuse me for being skeptical.)
3. Flexible bonus feat... I am again skeptical, because as we all know this is what makes humans all kinds of awesome. I feel like a lesser version of this (like what the half-elf gets) would be more appropriate for a mixed breed.
4. Blur as a spell-like ability? Why not the actual fetchling ability instead of a facsimile that is better than what they get? Doesn't make sense for an even less fetchling-ish fetchling...
Like a lot of custom-built races, it feels like you're grabbing strong options that make your character in mind even better rather than realistic options. You've literally made a god-like rogue race, in effect.
If you want to be a fetchling that isn't over the RP limit, my suggestion is to simply be a fetchling that doesn't get the shadow walk and plane shift spell-like abilities. That brings it down to around 12 RP.
@Alice - I will have a completed sheet to you by the end of business day today (I'm glad I saw your deadline as 8 pm EST, which gave me some extra hours of sleep last night!).
Also, what time zone are you on (I don't know if you mentioned it somewhere).
Finally, do you prefer to have a character sheet emailed to you, or just put on as an alias here on the forums?
Thanks!
|
|
I'm on AEST (Australian Eastern Standard Time) :)
Please post your sheet/character details here, though how you do it is up to you. A lot of people prefer to make an alias, although some like to make things on Google Docs or some such. So long as I don't need anything too fancy to open it, whatever works for you is good.
Uh i just tried to make a custom race too, some mutated halfling tribe.
I think it´s really just cherrypicking. Being honest to myself i have to admitt it just suited my wishes to play rogue/ninja or similar sneakish stuff in more than one way. So i´ll stick with the goblin, even though i liked my own fluff (of course).
It´s really cool to see how people from all over the world come together here to play and have fun!
I made the experience that making a characters stats and abilities easily accesible for the GM and other players is best somehow, for ease of play and it can sometimes influence important decisions.
Alice GM, whilst it is commencing to snow here again, i have a question about Rappan Athuk. Is it worth the while to care for poisons and alchemics? And will there be possibilities to sell and buy stuff or is it only the things you find, not accustomed to personal needs?
|
|
Last question before I head to bed, 12 hours or so left on the clock :)
Poisons/alchemical items are as good an idea as they are anywhere - obviously as you go up in level there are more problems, more things are immune, the saves are comparatively more useless, etc. But there are probably ways around those things too.
Also, there will be possibilities to buy/sell items. You'll all start in a small hamlet called Zelkor's Ferry, and it'll function as your base of operations. Of course, that's only a hamlet, and won't offer much past your first couple of levels, so you'll probably want to travel further abroad. Egede is the closest big city and will probably suit you for most things. There are also various other possibilities, such as trade with dungeon or wilderness denizens...
Now that sounds promising!
Gogo 12... no, 11 hours left ;)
I hope i will be soundly asleep at that time^^
I live in Seattle, so I'm in U.S. PST (Paizo Standard Time). :) So by around dinner time here I should know...
And speaking of alchemical items, on this character as he stands, I spent 70 gp to add two first level spells to his spellbook. If I selected to join the game and that doesn't sit well with you (starting with that), then I could quickly replace those with some alchemical items.
Gnnnhh, writing...i know what that meanss! Hairy fake orc wantss to ssteal wordss from otherss headss and then mumble vile magic! I hope he hass some entertaining fire and iss on the right sside of hiss book.
Well, my first time creating an alias but I think everything is complete.
@Alice - my background has Olo traveling north towards Nerosyan. I wanted to leave it open as to how he gets to Egede (and a possible plot hook if you want/need it).
After fleshing him out and crunching the numbers I will definitely be playing him as a debuffer and utility/control spells. I've previously played the blaster and wanted to try something different (plus the witch isn't suited for that).
Anyway, good luck everyone, I'm excited to see what the final party composition will be.
(P.s. This is TheRedMage)
A goblin? An' a orc?! Whut in tha name o' tha pimpled arse o' Gorum is goin' on here!
A dwarf that looks like he's been through more fights in the past year than most people get into in twenty or thirty uses his eyes to bore holes into the half-orc and the goblin over his third tankard of mead.
I kin take 'em.
* Name
Marden Varesin
* Gender
Male
* Race
Human
* Class
Arcane duelist bard
* Appearance/Personality
He is a good looking, although somewhat worn man. He is usually a bit abrasive when interacting with others, especially if they are not as knowledgeable as he is about certain subjects. Overall though, he is kind-hearted once come camaraderie is established.
* Backstory
Marden makes a living from archaeology. He's spent a good number of years exploring tombs, caverns, ruins, and generally spelunking. However a year ago, he was taken in for "accidently" taking from a Pathfinder Society expedition. After a few months of jail time and losing all his finances, Marden scraped up what little money he had to buy some more gear to enter the exploration to end them all— entering Rappan Athuk.
* Crunch
Crunch is in my profile.
* How often you can post
Daily, if not more often
* Anything else.
Excelsior!
I'd also like to throw my hat in the ring here to play Rappan Athuk:
Name: Mudfeather
Gender: Male
Race: Tengu
Class: Druid Saurian Shaman
Appearance/Personality: A large Tengu, that hunches over, to appear smaller than his is, Mudfeather has a mixture of black and brown feathers, which tend to give the impression that he has just rolled in the mud recently. He always seems jumpy, never comfortable being within arm's reach, if he can avoid it.
Backstory:
Mudfeather was born into the tengu slums of Hyrentum in the Sodden Lands. He never met his parents, and his early life was an example of what a second class orphan can expect, barely making a living from scrounging and begging on the streets. The experience permanently scarred him, allowing him little faith in the good will of others, and giving him a near permanent paranoia. This would have been his life, if he hadn't been chosen away by Pezzack, a Tengu druid who saw something in the street urchin that told him, he had the potential to speak with the Ancestor spirits.
Despite Mudfeather's halfhearted complaints, Pezzack took the child into the depths of the Mwangi Expanse, where he taught him of nature, and the eternal battle that is at the heart of all life. "It is better to be predator than prey" was the core of his philosophy, and the greatest predators ever were their Ancestors, the dinosaurs.
Mudfeather took to his teachings as if they were his only hope, and excelled in his studies. Eventually it was time for Mudfeather to go through the Dreaming ritual, to see if the Saurian spirits would accept him as one of their own. It was a grueling and lengthy process, which could only be done alone. After nearly a month, Mudfeather emerged from the Dream, knowing he had been chosen. Ecstatic, he looked for Pezzack, only to find that the druid had left, heading thousands of miles away, to answer the call to destroy the Blight upon nature that had risen in Estrovian Forest.
After waiting for several months with no word, Mudfeather decided that he would head to the Estrovian forest, and either find his mentor, or avenge him.
Crunch: Is in my profile
How often you can post: More than Daily
Anything else: Bribery?
|
|
Alright, that's the deadline! Thanks all, I'll be making my decision very shortly. :)
Here's the final list of applicants (please post if I've somehow missed you!)
Arcane
Molasbar -- TN Half-Orc Evoker
Struug -- TN “Dunaux” Magus
Olofire Stargazer -- TN Half-Elf Witch (Bonded Witch)
Divine
Anton Moorson -- TN Human Druid (Reincarnated Druid)
Mudfeather -- TN Tengu Druid (Saurian Shaman)
Rammellorn -- LG Dwarf Paladin (Stonelord)
Varnos Lightbringer -- LG Angelkin Paladin (Divine Defender)
Combat
Brask Alpsbane -- CN Dwarf Fighter
Brown Lotus -- LG/LN Oread Monk (Qinggong Monk)
Henric Khallen -- NG Human Ranger (Deep Walker)
Magnauk Hailstraum -- CN Half-Orc Barbarian
Corporal Ninivic Black -- TN Ratfolk Gunslinger (Gulch Gunner)
Reginald D'Loria -- CN Human Fighter
Varus Endra -- CG Human Ranger (Deep Walker)
Zeltor -- LG Tiefling Monk (Zen Archer)
Skill
Ayaal -- LN Fetchling Rogue (Scout, Knife Master)
Azizi Anum -- TN Half-Elf Alchemist (Crypt Breaker, Beastmorpher)
Bryce Sidanris -- CG Half-Elf Rogue (eventually Arcane Trickster)
Grim Coloursteal -- CN Goblin Ninja
Marden Varesin -- LN Human Bard (Arcane Duelist)
Based on your comments, the Ayaal concept doesn't work for you so I'll withdraw her from contention and instead wish you all a very good game. Play on guys and gals.
|
|
Alright, I've made my decision. That was damned hard; I could've easily made two groups and still had some left over. Apologies to all who didn't make it. If we lose a member, I'll definitely be contacting previous applicants first.
Anyway, the lucky six are as follows:
Bryce Sidanris -- CG Half-Elf Rogue (eventually Arcane Trickster)
Molasbar -- TN Half-Orc Evoker
Corporal Ninivic Black -- TN Ratfolk Gunslinger (Gulch Gunner)
Olofire Stargazer -- TN Half-Elf Witch (Bonded Witch)
Reginald D'Loria -- CN Human Fighter
Varnos Lightbringer -- LG Angelkin Paladin (Divine Defender)
Please join me over at the discussion thread so we can get things rolling!
Thanks again everyone for your applications. :)
Congrats to those who made it. Have fun.
Congrats everyone. Have fun.
Congrats! Have fun, good hunting, and don't run with your spears. :P
G'day everyone,
It looks like we've lost a player, so I'm looking for a replacement!
Previous applicants may get some extra brownie points, but if you weren't around the first time there's no big deal. I'll basically be grabbing the first cool character that springs up, though, so don't delay!
Our current party is as follows:
- Ratfolk Gunslinger (ranged/trap-spotter)
- Half-Orc Evoker (blaster)
- Half-Elf Witch (debuffer)
- Aasimar Fighter (switch hitter)
- Human Fighter (tank)
We've lost a Rogue who had plans to go into Arcane Trickster.
Don't feel the need to reapply with a Rogue though - party composition is more of an afterthought rather than an imperative in this game. Besides, our gunslinger is handy at spotting and dealing with traps. I'm mostly interested in cool characters who can bring some colour to the game.
The majority of the character creation rules and house rules can be found here. We also use the Strain-Injury HP variant. Take a gander through the gameplay thread to get a glimpse of my posting style, my fancy home-made maps, and the speed and general tone of gameplay. There's also a fair amount of other stuff on the campaign's Obsidian Portal page (although I really need to get into the habit of updating it more frequently...)
All I want from an applicant is a brief backstory and a reason for being interested in delving Rappan Athuk, although more is fine too. You'll have time to stat up your character over the time it'll take for you to be worked in to the scene.
Feel free to ask me any questions!
You've caught my interest.
I'm thinking about a bard. I was also contemplating a cleric, but if it's colour you're after... :)
I'll get stats together later. Let me know if there's an issue.
Either of your choices sound good from a party perspective - currently our party "face" is our fighter and we have no cleric!