Reign of Winter (Inactive)

Game Master Just a Mort

Wow. I am awed at your encyclopedic knowledge. The world has changed alot since the last time I have walked upon it...I've been sleeping for a thousand years it seems..

Oracle of some kind, I take it?

for your approval this is RH's Aasimar slayer, Melee focused but able to deal with traps in a pinch.

I believe he is ready to go, unfortunately he will have to take off his armor to have a shot at traps. Hopefully we can find a chain shirt fairly quickly.

Any feedback before we get started would be wonderful.

Just for fun, this is RH's bloodrager tiefling, the ying to Seamus's yang. He is straight melee, but was a lot of fun to put together.

Take a look at him if you would like to, any feedback is appreciated.

@GM Mort: Actually, it is more that I scour every book as it comes out for 'useful' stuff ;-)

Here is my character.

Not *quite* as optimised as I could have made him, but still reasonably solid :-)

(I do have an alternate Oracle build if that would be preferred.)

I also thought that it might be amusing to have a 'cat person' to go along with our 'rat person' ;-)

Wait. We have a sorc and an arcanist?

Do I need to rethink skald?

Hmm

No, I need to rethink Arcanist. It would be a very bad idea to have a Sorc and an Arcanist in the same group with only four people.

*Smacks Luke with a big stick*

Now - I don't really care for blasters very much. Mainly because blasting either works too well, leaving the party nothing to do, or don't work at all(when resistances and immunities come in).

Adding crossblooded makes the spells known even lesser.

Also, I shouldn't be bothered over party composition, but if you as a party choose to play through the entire AP with minimal condition removal, that's really up to you...

I was counting on you guys to cooperate, and suceed as a team, not 101 ways to solo blast everything.

Note what I said about varying levels of power within the group. Is that what you really want?

I'm quite disappointed, really.

So looking at it, I can go Warpriest (most likely Desna) to give us a little more battle prowess and condition removal. They wouldn't take the song every round, but would accept it often.

That character wouldn't have nearly as good knowledge skills, but with a Skald in the party we may be able to get by.

I'm glad that I hadn't posted 10 times yet with Mr. Whiskers.

Assuming HMM goes with the Skald, do people think the Warpriest will work alright?

I suggest all of you wait for Luke to chime in. I can start on Saturday morning doesn't mean that I need to. I can wait as long as you like till all of you get everything hashed out.

With anything else, communication is the key.

So looking at it, I can go Warpriest (most likely Desna) to give us a little more battle prowess and condition removal. They wouldn't take the song every round, but would accept it often.

That character wouldn't have nearly as good knowledge skills, but with a Skald in the party we may be able to get by.

I'm glad that I hadn't posted 10 times yet with Mr. Whiskers.

Assuming HMM goes with the Skald, do people think the Warpriest will work alright?

I'm ok if you want to go warpriest. Or we can see about the Oracle that Luke_Parry spoke of. Since you called 'dibs' on the arcane character I think we should wait and have more of a discussion before you just totally change.

However I would like to see a divine caster eventually, either the oracle or the warpriest.

Edit: Mort ninja'd my post ;)

Alright, waiting for Luke before changing anything.

Well, at the complete and utter opposite end of the power spectrum, there is always N.P.C ;-)

Please, don't change your characters.

Note: I will be interstate house-hunting for the next 48 hours, or so.

When I am back, I will present my 'oracle alternate' (who will melee at low levels, blast at mid levels, and be about buffing his animal companion at high levels).

Okie np, we'll wait, then.

Good luck house hunting!

Anyway I also have quite a number of things to do this weekend, like help my aunt get a new phone, class, and meeting with a friend re: bridesmaid stuff.

Ok, we've waited too long, the more I looked at Seamus the more he bored me. So I am tweaking Einar and going to play him, he should be as good with traps as Seamus, but will need to take the armor off as well.

It will change his gear a little, I don't know if I will story him all the way to Taldor or just that he got thrown out of his home.

I like to use Google translate to play with languages,(sorry if this is a spoiler) but I assume we will start speaking in Taldane and then be speaking in Hallit or Skald. Do we want to try and use other languages with spoilers or will we just identify what language we are speaking in?

Ok, the Tiefling is done, I will post his appearance and personality when I wake up.

In the PbPs I've been involved in, we have used a different language and google translate. I am fine with doing it either way.

I will apologise in advance if my NPCs in Heldren seem a little flat, since I was not given much characterization to begin with (the AP just states what the NPCs do). I am not good at improvisation so I can't really create something out of nothing. Also, I can't do accents, I've spoken to Robert and Luke, trying to learn how to do accents, and I still can't do it =(

I don't know how accents sound like so I...don't know where to start on typing them in.

Mort, if you're having trouble finding voices for the NPCs, maybe we should start with something shorter. Just about every AP provides only the sketchiest of NPCs. They want GMs to feel free to create their own personae, but it can be hard with no guidance.

Before we leap into a big AP, could we as a group play together a scenario or short module? It might allow us to create group chemistry and get to know each other and our characters, and then we could come into Heldren as an established group. I have lots of modules and all the scenarios (cause I'm a venture agent!) to lend.

But I'd like us to get a little group chemistry together before we go into Heldren.

Hmm

Eh this isn't a heavy intrigue module, you won't get much interaction with the NPCs, to be honest. It's like crypt of everflame, Kassen start, then you're gone.

The funnest NPCs were those in Carrion Hill. My oh my, I had a field day.

I've also found some accent translators, but please tell me if I'm laying it on too thick.

I could always run you guys through master of fallen fortress on short notice. If we do crypt of everflame, it'd delay the start.

edit: mort ninja'd my post but it still applies so I left it.

We could develop a back story here, or we could meet the night before in the "tavern."

In my mind Mort did a good job with past NPC's Looking at you 'Carrion Hill' and 'Black waters'. But we could interact with one or two of the NPC's before the adventure starts.

I'm not opposed to doing a one off, but I don't want to be higher levels when we start because then we make Mort adjust the AP.

but your right a little chemistry wouldn't hurt.

Edit: Scottish translator, lets all play dwarfs!

One to four NPCs are fine. But when you're talking about an entire town full, from the little kid to the greengrocer, to the mayor, of like 15 NPCs, I'm like uuhhh oh.

Thank god this ain't Curse of Crimson throne.

hey 'Hmm' you mentioned earlier about linking back stories, are you still thinking about doing that?

Einar is from the Realm of the Mammoth Lords. Having been banished he would have wandered toward Taldor because they are more excepting of Tieflings. That's the only reason I have for being here.

Everyone, any other ideas? Long term goal; recover his lost lands and punish the Earl who banished him. Short term goal; survive and raise money and associates to eventually retake land, he plans to hire mercenaries.

I've changed his alignment to Neutral, He is willing to help others gain their goals realizing that he needs others to accomplish his. However it wouldn't be that hard for him to be neutral evil, in the sense that he is willing to do what has to be done. Don't let this worry anyone, he will not threaten the party or the parties goals. But he would be willing to make the 'hard' call. for a "Moral" reference, I would consider killing a wounded/captured enemy evil.

When I was working on him I was reading a lot of 'Joe Abercrombie' and he is based on some of the ideals of the 'north men.' So he can be very grey, but will not intentionally offend a good character.

I've fleshed out Heldren. It's mostly just for fluff, you're probably not going to spend much time there. Can I assume the party is going to CDG everything they knock out or do you want me to roll stabilization checks for NPCs?

I would assume it's a case by case basis, I would think we would want to potentially ask some questions.

Mr. Whiskers is from the Storval Plateau...well, technically just under the plateau. He had contact with the Shoanti in the area.

I was originally going to have him travel as part of a Shoanti trading party, then caravan. Depending on your path, it wouldn't be that strange for us to have met along the way. We are both coming from nearly the other side of the continent.

Mr. Whiskers is very decidedly good. Roll those stabilization checks!

Taldor has a lot of old records. I imagine he intended to travel through Heldren on his way to someplace else. He may have intended to go to Qadira. Ratfolk like the desert!

Mr. Whiskers is from the Storval Plateau...well, technically just under the plateau. He had contact with the Shoanti in the area.

I was originally going to have him travel as part of a Shoanti trading party, then caravan. Depending on your path, it wouldn't be that strange for us to have met along the way. We are both coming from nearly the other side of the continent.

Einar would have happily been a caravan guard, where would we have met up at? Varisia? Einar could have fled to the Storval Plateau, and hired on their, where would the caravan have been going to?

I'm going to assume that on his way to the Storval Plateau and as a caravan guard he experienced a lot of prejudice for the first time, having only been around his parents growing up. So he would have wanted to go someplace (like Taldan) where a tiefling (especially demon spawn instead of devil spawn) might be accepted.

Edit: It looks like Heldren could be on the road between Oppara and Katheer.

Heldren is known for its pine wood(module given), or I can add in a small trade fair being held in town selling shawls, shiny beads and painted wooden ornaments in town if you're looking for a reason to be there for trade.

My understanding is that there are not many caravans across the Storval Plateau. It is more likely we met in a city such as Kaer Maga or Korvosa. I know that there are Shoanti near Korvosa (on the coast), but Kaer Maga looks like it would also have Shoanti in the area.

Bastards of Golarian has a map showing areas where there are concentrations of Tieflings, but it doesn't differentiate between demon and devil kin. Lots of them around the Worldwound, through Chelliax, and in Druma. There are smaller areas in other parts of the world.

I suspect that you would hit prejudice against Tieflings as soon as you left your local area. They are viewed as tainted throughout the Inner Sea region.

Or you can suggest what trade goods you'd want, I'll see if it fits Heldren.

I suspect that you would hit prejudice against Tieflings as soon as you left your local area. They are viewed as tainted throughout the Inner Sea region.

I have Einar being from the "Realm of the Mammoth Lords" his mother was a slave and father was a 'carl' of the earl/chieftain. Einar is a descendant of a Cambion which are only male, so it showed in his mother as a sorcerers with the demon bloodline. Since the RotML is beside the World Wound I will assume that Einar was banished from a tribe in eastern RotML, and went to Kaer Maga. There are Shaonti on the plain below Kaer Maga could he have met Mr. Whiskers there?

Also it will help that Mr. Whiskers speaks Hallit since it is Einar's native tongue, since Einar has linguistics it will also be helpful to have a friend to teach him other languages. He would like to start with skald, since the northern sea men are legendary mercenaries ;)

wow, I'm trying to make Einar's back story fit in the Kellid culture. I should have stuck with Ulfen.

Would I be better off to keep him Kellid and be from a non existenttribe who aren't nomadic or make him from a Ulfen tribe which has a nonexistent 'grueling coming-of-age rituals' suspiciously like the 'Ice Chasm tribe'. Or just change the feat back to "power attack"

Whats the difference between Kellid and Ulfen?

*scratches head, puzzled*

Humans...pink skins and all. And all their weird names too...

Oh and I could definitely do a quick run of master of the fallen fortress before we get to Heldren(but you don't get to keep the loot for balance purposes). I'm happy to start running it tomorrow morning ^^

Also, with regard to backstory, I can't really advise, but extra hp at the first level, while nice...tends to wear off. If its so much problem fitting stuff in, take a generic feat? PA - at level one your attack bonuses aren't quite there yet, so whether you want to take it then or not is up to you? But I'd say you want it by 3, latest.

Whats the difference between Kellid and Ulfen?

*scratches head, puzzled*

Humans...pink skins and all. And all their weird names too...

the Kellid scratches his head as the kitty cat asks her question: "Bwa ha ha, What is differrrrence between Kellid and Ulfen you are askink? It is beink obvious! The differrrrence is beink in the accent, comrrrrade!"

The Ulfen shakes his head in disbelief, looking up at the austere carnivore. "Unfortunately, liebchen zee verdammte Kellid is correct, zee only difference is in za pronunciation of zee Vords, ya."

One speaks with rrrrs, one speaks with zzzz.

They all have 2 arms, 2 legs and soft skins, but think they are different. Humans are weird.

Kellids are russians, Ulfens are french?

What no loot, what are murder-hobo's supposed to do if not get loot? Well that and try to take over the world.

One of the items on the master of fallen fortress chronicle sheet is like 1000 gp. That's going to put you guys above wbl. Nope!

I guess we could do consumables and mundane items only...

One of the items on the master of fallen fortress chronicle sheet is like 1000 gp. That's going to put you guys above wbl. Nope!

I guess we could do consumables and mundane items only...

you could start us at 50 gp worth of gear for fallen fortress, then let us acquire consumables and mundane items.

Or it could be like everything brought outside the dungeon crumbles into dust..hrmmm =)

Kellids are russians, Ulfens are french?

oops, just saw this last part

I was going for Ulfen as German. Usually Ulfens are compared to Vikings but Norwegian is really hard to do. With German you turn the "th" sound into a "Z" sound and the "W" sound into a "V" sound and throw in a coupled of German words or phrases and there you go.

The frustration is trying to do things phonetically. In German yes is "Ja" but the J is almost silent so it sounds like "ya"

Since both German and French change the "Th" sound into a "Z" sound you can see the similarities. I've never tried French, phonetically it would be a nightmare. since yes is spelled "OUI" and its pronounced "we" or something very similar too it that I haven't learned to say.

Comrade can be read to have communist connotations, and we all know where communism came from...

oops, I just realized I forgot my url tag for "German words" for google translate, it's fixed.

And again, for those of us who watched too much American television in the 70's and 80's anyone with a Russian accent called other people 'comrade.'

It's kind of fun for a character to call the other members of the party 'comrade' 'cause, well, they sort of are.

Here is the crunch for my alternate build.

So I assume that Crummock isn't going to be helping with the disabling of devices ;-)

Welcome aboard Crummock, I got bored with Sariel and went with Einer!

Heh. Well, he *can* provide Guidance ;-)

Luke, I'm fine with your oracle. Just link me funeral weapon, or post what it does. Also oracles get cure light wounds or inflict light wounds for free on spells known, feel free to drop em into your sheet.

I'll start with MOFF(generally lootless run), befire starting on ROW as a warm up, as per Hmm's request.