Rigor Rictus' Carrion Crown - Game Thread

Game Master LastNameOnEarth

I think if 12 hours goes by and I haven't had anything to contribute, I'll just pop in with a 'NTA' in ooc text, or 'Nothing to Add'.

Kirill's Initiative:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8
That's not a promising way for a rogue to start combat.

Seeing everyone pauses as he hears some strange noises around the corner, Kirill flurries into action, knowing what dangers these old tombs and crypts can hold.

Round 1: Initiative 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5
Wow. I managed to beat Kirill.

Zhan takes a look at the beasts, and takes a casual step into the chamber. Not yet sure what level of threat these things might pose, he draws a knife, and sends it flying into one of the hard carapaced creatures.

Alright, we'll go ahead and resolve. Sagaar and Valavhi spend the round trying to decide what to do.

Father takes a few steps forward and drops into a ready stance as Delia casts her spell. A resounding screech heralds the eagles arrival into this plane. It scrambles fiercely at one of the centipedes, a whirlwind of feathers and claws, though the creature's tough exoskeleton stands up easily to the assault. One of its talons, however, finds the vermin's eyes, yielding a frantic screech.

Agnar rushes past Father and shoves Valachi aside, his sword slicing through the air in a mighty overhand cleave. The edge easily splits the carapace of the nearest centipede, and the creature offers a pained squeal as a portion of its head is shaved neatly from its body. It flails around frantically for a moment before flipping onto its back, its legs twitching feebly.

With a deep hiss, one of the centipedes moves forward, crawling over the fresh corpse of its brethren to get at Agnar. It darts forward, its vice-like mandibles seeking his flesh.
Attack Roll 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9
Damage On Hit 1d6 - 1 ⇒ (3) - 1 = 2
Agnar, however, is able to deftly sidestep the attack.

The second centipede lashes out wildly at the eagle above it, but is unable to strike such mobile prey.
Attack Roll 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11
Damage On Hit 1d6 - 1 ⇒ (4) - 1 = 3

Kirill rolls down the stairs, smoothly drawing his bow and knocking an arrow as he springs to his feet. He lets the projectile fly, but misses his mark by inches, and the arrow strikes the wall before clattering to the floor.

Zhan whips a dagger towards one of the monstrous vermin, but his throw is wide, and e blade finds nothing more than stone.

[ooc]Agnar has moved to F10, Centipede 2 has moved to F11, Centipede 1 is dead, and Centipede 3 is right where it was. Everyone else has moved to the space they declared.[/ooc

Round 2 Init 17
Agnar looks at the centipede that tried to attack him he laughs he than says "Well this is an odd sight." After saying this he swings at the beast.
Attack and Damage Roll
1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 162d6 + 6 ⇒ (6, 5) + 6 = 17

Round 2 - Initiative 5

Zhan throws another dagger at any remaining creature.

Round 2, Initiative 8, AC 16, HP 8/8

"Neat trick- might have to learn that one someday. Handy indeed! [The graverobber whispers to himself after seeing Delia summon the celestial bird of prey.]"

Kirill, curses his luck and licks his fingers before drawing back his bowstring for another attack.

We'll resolve in the morning. Also, we've been getting sporadic posts at best from Sagaar, and I now we haven't heard from him in nearly a week. Any thoughts or insights?

He had some private family matters happen this week so he has been busy with that. Sporadic post stuff came up. I really got to remind him to tell you when stuff like that happens.

Round 2 - Initiative 19

Delia, frustrated by lack of options left to her, tells Father, "Please, go help them, I'll be fine. They will need your strong arm more than I."

Standing back, she hopes that the eagle can do more while it remains. Sadly, under it's limited room for mobility, it flounders with difficulty in its attacks. Preparing for the possibility of needing to use it, she draws and loads her sling.

Took some liberties with placement. Zhan, I don't think you can 5'-step around a corner. Kirill, I moved you to where there is no cover from Agnar or Father (given your initiative)

MAP

Round 2 - Initiative 18

Father, after Delia's urging, reluctantly moves from her side to the front. As he nears he takes a swing at the closest insect. His heavy wooden fist slamming into the creature with amazing force.

Sorry guys, this past week I've been going through some tough emotional times with my family, this time last year my mom died in a car crash, and We've had some family over the past while and theyve been remiscining so I've taken the time to avoid home as much as possible. But, I should be back to posting frequently now. Thanks for bearing with me, sorry youve had to put up with it.

Initiative: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 1 = 17
Sagaar steps cautiously into the room upon seeing the fighting, he walks to E5 to check the other side of the room for any possible hole creepy crawlies might find their way though.
Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

Wow, I'm sorry to hear that man. Go ahead and take your time to do what you need to - we can work with you on this, no problem.

Delia's eagle continues to flail ineffectually at the partially blind centipede as Father crushes a second with one tremendous blow. Agnar's sword cleaves down once more, neatly splitting the remaining beast.

That wraps up combat. Dropping out of initiative. Will post more after work, but feel free to begin poking around the room in the meantime.

Appologies for the lack of inputs - apparently Val dozed through the whole melee. I had my birthday this weekend and lost track of time between checking the boards...

Recovering from his shock at the sight of the massive centipedes, Val circles the chamber, helping to clean up the mess while searching for additional tracks or clues.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20

After killing the last centipede Agnar turns to the group "Well that is done. Valachi want to help me check these things out?"

I am so getting knowledge nature next level.

Zhan, I don't think you can 5'-step around a corner.

I never noticed that particular rule; but I looked it up and you are right. I disagree with it myself, and so I would not inforce it in my own games. In this case it would have made no difference as Zhan could have used a move action instead.

Zhan moves over to the sarcophagus and begins to examine it. "Kirill, could you help me with this? You might be better able than I to see if this has any special safeguards..."
Zhan will search the sarcophagus, looking for means to open it, and keeping an eye out for any mundane traps: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22

Sagaar joins with the group over by the sarcophagaus, shining light on the hewn stone. The dark seemingly creeps back slowly as molasses out of the illumenence, as though not wanting to reveal its secrets.
"Shall we see what was so important to the professor, to risk himself in such a dangerous place." Sagaar says waiting on Kirill and Zhan to work out how to properly open the sarcophagaus.

"Of course, Zhan. At least we know there aren't any pressure based traps on the cover, eh? [Kirill recalls how he recklessly chose it as an archery perch just moments ago in the heat of battle.]"

Perception check to examine the sarcophagus for hidden compartments, means of opening past the obvious, and traps:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9 Add another +1 if there is a trap to be found.

Edit: Nope, no traps to be found :)

Delia breathes a sigh of relief as the creatures are slain, returning her sling and bullet to their holster. She nears the eagle, as it stands on one of the corpses, tearing it open and picking at the meat inside. As she approaches the bird of prey, it stops as it gobbles down a chunk it had in its talons, eyeing her. She addresses the bird, "Thank you, most noble eagle for your assistance." as she bows to it respectfully. The bird watches her briefly, before it dips its head in what could be seen as acknowledgement. It takes a few more hunks, before it lifts its wings to take off, and disapperas in a flash of radiance.

Returning to the task at hand, she decides to aid in the search in her own way. "Yest Li Mag'ia Zdyes", she casts a simple cantrip to show her the presence of magic.

Detect Magic

"Hmmm..."

Knowledge - Nature: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23

"Of course, we're all familiar with centipedes of the garden variety type... mildly poisonous if you're not careful, but more of a threat to other insects. Now, one this size... I can't imagine what would cause it to grow so huge. And its venom is probably deadly to anything living."

Can I add anything of note about these critters?

The acolytes stare dumbstruck at the bodies of the creatures on the tomb floor. One of them begins vigorously tracing Pharasma's spiral over his chest, as the other thanks you for ridding the tomb of these beasts. "Secret cache or no, you have rendered an important service here. They must have been tunneling through the earth, feasting on those buried..."
+1 Trust Point! Current Trust Points: 26. I'm going to begin keeping a tally here, just so I stop loosing track of where you're at. Thus far, you've had mostly meteoric rise in trust, with a few slides back in the chapel.

The sarcophagus is absent of any traps. It seems that secrecy was its sole safeguard. Nothing but weight seems to be keeping the massive tablet on top of the coffin, and with a few strong backs, it could be easily removed.

As Delia maintains her focus on the container, ready to see which auras are attached to which objects, Father decides to move toward the edifice and grasps the lid. He stands ready to aid anyone else lifting when the decision is made to open the lid. His joints and limbs tighten with force as he bunches his muscles in preparation.

Strength check to either lift or assist as necessary, 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21.

Sagaar stands off to the side, making way for the more muscled of the group to make thier way forward. "If need be I could help but I feel as though their are those more adept at this sort of thing."

Father removes the lid of the coffin with ease, bringing it to rest against the stone wall with a dull scrape. Inside the sarcophagus there is no corpse, but rather an assortment of tools and weapons. A pile of various alchemical items have been placed in a corner, including four long silver tubes, each set with a small crystal, and six vials of water stamped with the symbol of Pharasma.

A box of a dozen silver-tipped crossbow bolts rests next to them, with an arrangement of arrows sitting next to it. They have been neatly separated into groups of ten, five, and two, with all arrows in a group having matching runes carved along their broad heads. All of these, save for the bolts, give off a minor magical aura.

Seven vials are displayed in the opposite corner, again divided into groups - one of five and one of two.

Next to these are four tightly rolled scrolls. Unfurling them reveals that they are covered in eldritch scribbles.

Finally, in the center of the coffin there lies a thin darkwood case, carved with the image of a scarab beetle, and radiating an aura of divination and necromancy stronger than the items contained alongside it.

To recap, we've got...
4 sun rods
6 vials of holy water
12 silver crossbow bolts
17 magic arrows
7 magic potions
4 magic scrolls
1 mysterious box
I've got to get to dinner right now, but when I get back I'll post the DCs for identifying everything and what the items are should you garner success. I also assume someone will have opened that box by then, so we'll get to the contents of that too.

Val will open up his backpack and begin carefully collecting the items, leaving the magic scrolls and mysterious box. "Once we get back to the house and figure out what we have, we can distribute these before we head to the prison."

Appraise check to determine if the box is magical (DC 25) since he hasn't yet been told:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11 Doesn't know, not by a long shot.

Kirill licked his lips as he rubbed his palms together, nearly salivating with curiosity, as he eyes the darkwood container left by Valachi. He examines it carefully, looking for keyholes, hidden compartments or traps before doing anything else. There was rarely a mystery he could stand waiting to solve.

"How curious...a wood box in the stone box. I wonder what's in it?"

Perception check to search the exterior of it:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14 +1 to determine if a trap is found.

Looks like Kirill is distracted tonight, skills don't want to cooperate.

One of the acolytes gives a deliberate cough as Val begins loading the items into his backpack, but his companion shuts him down with a quick jab of the elbow. "The church owes you a debt for ridding our departed of these predators. I am confident that you will put these tools to good use. If you find you are unable to discern the function of anything here, bring them by the temple. We are practiced in using such instruments, and can instruct you on their nature." He crosses his arms and leans against the wall as you finish your business in the tomb.
I apologize for being scarce. On top of the busy summer schedule, one our other teachers has been sick so I've had to pick up their classes on top of mine. Good news is that in another two and a half weeks, our summer classes are over, and then I've got around 10 months of what essentially amounts to "office hours," during which I have ample opportunity to respond from the office.

Zhan looks over at the brothers in response to the cough, "Thank you, brothers, for your assistance in this matter, and for your offer to loan us these tools. We would not have felt comfortable looking for the cache without your blessing, and these items will likely prove useful. I assure you that these devices will only be used in opposing the enemies of this community and the church. Anything that is not so used when this matter is concluded will of course be returned to your chapel, as the rightful owners."

Once the contents of the sarcophagus are safely stowed, and after Kirill gets around to opening the mysterious box (Zhan will keep close to see what it is), Zhan will move around the rest of the chamber, looking for anything unusual, or other secret compartments that are hidden anywhere.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11

Should he fail to find anything, then it seems likely that the group will be ready to leave, and we will return to Mistress Lorrimor's home (baring any objections from the party, of course).

"I'll carry this piece."

Kirill volunteers, snatching up the darkwood box curiously that Valachi left behind, assuming one of those capable of casting spells would take the liberty of assuming custody of the scrolls. He holds it in front of himself, one hand on top, one on the bottom and feels its weight, shaking it a bit to see if he can hear what's inside. His lips twist pensively. It didn't look particularly magical or trapped to him, but that didn't mean it wasn't dangerous. His gaze shifts across those around him and he hold the case at arm's length, slowly opening it just a crack to peer inside.

Edit: And the ninja returns! Great timing, sir.

Did we miss any other doors or exits? If not, Val is ready to return to the house, where we can figure out what we have and plan for the morrow.

After all the contents have been removed, Father slowly lowers the lid of the sarcophagus back into place. Afterwards, he turns to the acolytes and gives a light bow of apology for his part in disrupting the sanctity of the mausoleum.

As everyone loads the gear and prepares to leave, Delia steps up to add, "I will carry those scrolls, I would be interested to discover their contents." as Kirill grabs the box, she warns him "If you are carrying the box, be careful, it is the one object amongst what we have found that has the strongest magical aura. It means that there is a greater infusion of magic in that one over the others, and it bears necromancy." She steers clear of Kirill when he chooses to open the box.

Agnar listens to the other as the speak of the items. Agnar walks to stand near Kirill as he opens the box.

Upon seeing Kirill open the box, Sagaar takes a step back, understanding the caution to be taken when dealing with things of strong magic. "I'm sure that if theres anything more of importance in here than we would have seen it by now, it seems as this was just a storage place for hiding items. Now the real question is, why would somebody go to such lengths to hide something as to desecrate a tomb. When we get back to the house we can observe them in closer detail but as for now, I suggest we leave this place and allow the Brothers to go on their way. I'm sure they have important matters to attend to." Sagaar takes a step towards the entrance as if gesturing for all to follow.

"Fret not, friend Delia. I checked it over pretty thoroughly and detected no traps, magical or otherwise. At least Agnar here has a bit of faith in my abilities. [He chuckles a bit.] I'm pretty sure that it must be safe. After all, why go through the trouble of hiding all of these valuables here and then only trapping one of them as opposed to the whole casket? What's the worst that could happen I'm offically claiming this as Kirill's catch-phrase.? It probably just holds..."

He pauses, waiting to answer until after seeing what's inside, his heart fluttering from the recent combat and the excitement of possibly holding some grand treasure.

Assuming that whatever is in the case is benign, after peeking within, Kirill will open it widely and announce the contents of the box.

At last! A day off!

The box opens surprisingly smoothly for something that's been here for who knows how long. The interior is lined with black felt, with eight small depressions in the back of the lid, four of which are occupied by a series of glass vials stoppered with iron lids. They are cold to the touch, and pale green vapors churn within them.

Inside the body of the case, there is a thin wooden board, decorated with the letters of the Varisian alphabet, and macabre images of grinning skeletons adorn its edges. Laying next to it is a bronze planchette with a lens in its center. You've seen such items sold in curio shops and occasionally used by Varisian fortune-tellers when Harrow decks are either not handy or not trusted.

The rest of the items are less exotic.

You can take a roll for each item if you want, or you can go by the bunch. In any case, the church, or possibly Kendra, can identify whatever items you cannot. Sorry I've been scarce. We've got two weeks left in our summer schedule, so I might be spotty till then, but I'll do what I can. I am NOT abandoning the game! I'm just crazy-busy for five weeks each summer.

Appraise to determine if the vials in the box are magical (DC 25):1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11
Appraise to determine if the fortune telling board is magical (DC 25):1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26
Appraise to determine the value of the fortune telling board (DC 20):1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21
Perception to determine if there are any hidden compartments in the case:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16
Perception to identify one group of potions (DC 15+CL), once we get a chance:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19
Perception to identify the second group of potions (DC 15+CL), again, once we get a chance:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23
Woot! Skills! Rogues are fun!

"It probably just holds...old liquer and a magical fortune telling board? [Kirill finishes, showing the group the interior before prodding the interior for hidden caches, his guess only half right.] That was unexpected. Once we get back to the house for the evening perhaps we should explore its function. I've a feeling one of you spell callers will be adept at that...unless you think we should figure it out the old fashioned way? But if I've learned anything in my short time, its that you should take a reasonable amount of caution when you can. Now I may not always practice what I preach I suppose..."

Kirill was in good spirits. They had survived an attack by viscious vermin, delved into an old tomb, albeit a false one, and were going to make it out unscathed with a magical boon and hopefully useful tools to look into and quite possibly avenge his dear friend's untimely demise. This evening had gone far better than many of the Varisian's solo expeditions in tomb raiding.

"So which one of you is the lucky charm?"

Unless Kirill finds a secret comparment in the box, or the group would like to stay around for whatever reason, he will unstring and stow his shortbow and follow the party back to Kendra's. Once identifying the potions, if needed Kirill can pass on the knowledge of their basic effects.

Kirril, Spellcraft + Detect Magic is used to identify items, not perceptions, though I confess you might be employing an ability I glossed over. Also, no hidden compartments.

Kirril, Spellcraft + Detect Magic is used to identify items, not perceptions, though I confess you might be employing an ability I glossed over. Also, no hidden compartments.

You can identify a potion via taste with a DC 15+CL check. This was pointed out to me only recently as well. It kind of hides.

Curious, eh?

It has the downside though. If you attempt to identify a poison via taste thinking its a potion... Luckily Appraise (poor man's Detect Magic) can tell if something is magic. So as long as nobody Nystul Magical Aura's a poison for pre-emptive trickery, I should be safe. :)

Once the group has returned safely to the Lorrimor home, Zhan will aide the others in categorizing and examining the items. Unfortunately, at this level, he does not yet have Spellcraft, so he asks Kendra to take a look at any we have not yet identified.

At the home of Kendra Lorrimor, Delia scrutinizes each item as they are shown, but she is distracted by her interest in the first to the point of showing less and less focus on any of the others. After barely glancing at the potions that she looked at last she explains how the iron stoppered mists work.

Spellcraft on green vapors 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26
Spellcraft on Board 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20
Spellcraft on Arrows 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12
Spellcraft on Potions 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8

When you arrive back at the Lorrimor home, there is a cold, thin stew waiting in the kitchen. Kendra is sitting in the study, buried in her books. So engrossed is she that she does not at first notice your entry, looking up with a start when you enter the room. "Oh! You mustn't creep up on me like that!" she admonishes, gazing down her reading spectacles with mock severity. She brushes a few books off to the side and gestures to a weighty tome. "I've been learning a few things about the Way - most unsettling..."

She offers a brief presentation on what she's learned today, but tells you nothing you haven't already found out yourself.

"...Beyond that, I haven't learned anything new today. I'm afraid the old lumps at the town hall aren't prepared to open their records to us, though I was able to look up one of my father's old contacts, a man by the name of Alendru Ghoroven. He runs the Unfurling Scroll; one part two parts schoolhouse, one part magic shop. He can let you use his records, but he's a bit of a miser, and expects to be paid the privilege - 10 crowns for a day of study, and he's willing to assist you in finding what you need. So what have you learned today? What's the next step?"

Using the Unfurling Scroll's library provides a +2 bonus to checks made to research Harrowstone.

"10 crowns? That's a bit steep. I hope he'll extend a line of credit if we require his services. [Kirill glances to his purse, and thinks to his own currently limited funds.] Or at least be willing to offer a trade of goods or services. After spending a great deal of time in the archives we've learned a bit of useful information; not as much as I would like. I'm sure Zhan or Delia could fill you in more clearly than I. I think we had decided to take the supplies we've just recovered and head up to the old prison at first light, prepared to face the worst. Unless someone had changed their mind?"

"Indeed, I think the plan was to head to the prison tomorrow. But, if there's more to be learned with an extra day of research, if we can prepare ourselves better for any confrontations, it may be worth it."

Val shrugs, "But I'm hardly a scholar, so I wouldn't be much help there anyway. I'm ready to go to the prison when the rest of you are."

Agnar listens as the other speaks than says "I will go with what the rest of you say. I will say this though we best be prepared for the prison. If we need these special tools whatever is there may well be very dangerous."

"Unless there are any objections then, perhaps we should finish figuring out what our magical spoils do and decide who will hold what for our trek to the prison in the morning. If it is dangerous we should be prepared for the worst. [Kirill takes a small sniff and tastes a drop of each potion and attempts to determine the effects of each brew (see rolls above).] The large set seem to knit flesh wounds...the other two revitalize a fatigued body. Perhaps or warriors who prefer to be up close and personal- [he looks pointedly at Agnar with his greatsword-] should split those. As someone who prefers to avoid a fight, and use a well placed dirk or hunter's bow when violence is called for, if some gets close enough to me that I need magical healing, then things are already looking pretty bad, and I doubt any potion will help much."

It's mid-evening right now. Does anyone have anything they'd like to do before we move on to morning?

Zhan confers with Kendra and Delia for a while, reviewing the information uncovered by each party, making sure that everyone is up to speed on what we have learned so far.

"I am sure that there is more to be learned here, but I am also afraid of letting too much time go by, and what the Whispering Way will accomplish if we do not intervene. I think we also risk allowing any signs at the prison to fade away if we continue to ignore them. I believe we should do as we planned and investigate the grounds of the prison tomorrow. It need not be an exhaustive search of every level, but rather an examination of the grounds and main entry ways. Once we complete this, we can regroup and decide whether the interior merits immediate attention, or whether we should return to our research."

"I think Kirill's suggestions for the gear are good ones. I would add that you should carry the arrows, as you seem to be the only one present who uses a bow. I can use one, rather well actually, but I don't possess one at present. If needs be, and we need more than one archer to use those arrows, I can acquire one later. Sagaar and I will carry the scrolls, naturally, as we can best use them."

"Now, I suggest we enjoy a meal, and retire for the evening. We can be off before first light to make the grounds by dawn. Agreed?"

Delia nods in agreement, adding lightly, "I agree that we should make haste to the prison. Despite my preference to not go in without being completely prepared, we have lost a day in research already and learned much. I think we may only need the shopkeep's library if we happen across something we are having trouble explaining." thinking to herself she adds, "Speaking of which, would anyone mind if I carried the board and planchette that radiated divination? I'm still curious about it, and would like to study further." she explains.

"Agreed."

Kirill nods to Zhan as he stows the handful of magical arrows in his quiver. He was unsure how likely he would be to use them. Surely under dire circumstances he expend their magic to help him strike truer, but it would be difficult for him to give up magical goods; they could be so very valuable, and the Varisian wasn't one to throw away perfectly expensive goods, even if that was their intended purpose. He turns to Delia.

"You'll get no objection from me- as long as you let me watch whenever you decide to fiddle with it. And I suppose we should figure out who is to carry those vials with the green smoke for when we leave in the morning as well."

Once all is decided and dinner is over Kirill will retire for the night, eager to get a full rest before heading out.

"Then tomorrow, it is," Val nods intently. He remains silent through dinner, thinking anxiously of what's to come. Will this be the start of some epic quest, like the stories he would hear as a child, or some grim, grisly fate, like the reality of his youth?

Alright, here's the OOC thread, and I'll actually kick things off in about a week. A recap of character creation, and there have been a few changes!

CREATION RULES: All 18 base classes are allowed, as well as the samurai alternate class. Most archetypes are allowed, but those that blatantly clash with the theme of the AP are barred, so check with me just to be safe before doing a full write up of something really bizarre.

Core races only! I know, I know, we talked about it earlier, but I feel that non-standard races are a slippery slope, and I just don't want to deal with it. You do, however, have full use of the alternate racial traits in the APG.

Select 2 traits. You do not have to have a campaign trait (though you may if you wish), but if you don't, make sure to mention how you know Lorrimer and the nature of your relationship with him.

20 point buy
Average Starting Wealth
Max hp at 1st level, afterwards, take 1/2 of the max +1.

POSTING RULES: I want everyone to shoot for one post per day. I'd really prefer us to keep going on weekends, but if you really have to miss, then I guess so be it. Missing a day now and again is no biggie, but give notice if you know you'll be away. If more than 16 hours pass in combat without a post, I will proxy your character for that round.

If you miss 5 consecutive days without prior notice, we shall begin hunting for a replacement. Also, we shall hunt you down and carve the word "unreliable" into your forehead.

For those of you joining from Ringtail's game, please confirm your interest by the end of the weekend. After that, if there's still space, we'll open a recruitment thread to fill us up to 5 or 6 dudes. So let's see what we've got!

Okay like I posted a few hours ago in the one thread that worked lol. I am up for it. Also can my bud still join?

I'm totally in. Human rogue with a skill set for graverobbing. Still writing up the background and finishing up the character.

Okay like I posted a few hours ago in the one thread that worked lol. I am up for it. Also can my bud still join?

Sure thing. Just point him towards this thread.

I'm in as well. I'll be an Inquisitor with an investigator type focus. Martinaj, do you have an email you could list if I wanted to discuss the particulars of a character concept ?

Alright so I have four different characters going to letting you guys pick. First up is Weapon Master Fighter with a Falchion. Second is Invulnerable Rager/Totem Warrior Barbarian. Third is a Samurai. Last is a Ranger Infiltrator/Skirmisher that uses Elven curve blade along with bow.

I'd like to see either the barbarian or ranger. That way, with an inquisitor and a rogue we can be a quick, lightly armored, skilled party; the SWAT team of D&D.

I'd agree with Ringtail, and I'd probably favour the barbarian for the hitpoints. My Inquisitor will have a range focus; a ranger would likely be stronger, but it would be good to have a dedicated meleeist.

Those all sound like they could be cool, but I'm more interested in the actual character than their class. What are their names? Where are they from? What are their personalities and motivation?

EDIT: You can reach me at martinanjo@gmail.com

Well the Barbarian since he seems to be the favorite right now. Here is a short run-down and yes I just play half-elves and yes I can explain that better if you want in the more detailed story.
His is named Agnar he is a half-elf / Kellid. He is traveling with his Uncle after his tribe was killed by orcs. This made him a very cold person that has a hatred of orcs. This also made him want to protect the weak from those who want to oppress the weak. Him meeting the Prof. Lorrimer I think I will do with him saving the Prof. Lorrimer from orcs and his Uncle dying to help save the Prof. Lorrimer .

In life Zhan was an unassuming man who worked as a small town holyman and undertaker. He wasn’t a true cleric (expert or adept class?), and so his main duty was caring for the dead, laying them to rest, and officiating at the funerals. His luck ended the day a young Necromancer and his goons came to his graveyard looking for building materials for their vile art. Zhan got in the way, tried to stop them, and died for his trouble. Never wanting to waste a fresh corpse, Zhan was himself reanimated as a servant for his very own murderer. A group of adventurers was following in the wake of the dark mage, and “killed” the Zhan-bie during the conflict. The Necromancer however, escaped. Needing more information than a communing with the dead could provide, and being short on time, they decided to Raise Zhan from the dead in order to get answers to all of their questions and gain a guide in the process. Dead only a short while, Zhan retained many memories of his time as an undead, brief terrifying glimpses of the things he did on behalf of his master. He did everything he could to help the adventurers, and the heroes killed the Necromancer and his followers. One of these men was Professor Lorrimor (I’ve read through the player’s guide, but I still couldn’t tell enough about the Prof to know if he’d ever adventured, but it seems possible, alternatively, he may have been a consultant to the group). As such, Zhan incurred a debt he could never repay; not only cost of the spell, but the being snatched out of the clutches of damnation itself to be given a second chance at life. Traumatized beyond reckoning, but joyful at being alive again, Zhan decided to dedicate himself to irradiating Necromancers like the one who had murdered him. He put aside his old life, and studied the skills he would need to track down the black practitioners, and bring them to justice or kill them.

Both of those sound good. Zhan especially might have a few elements from his past worked into the AP (are you sure you caught that necromancer?).

As far as what Lorrimer was and did before his death, we're going to assume he was a wizard somewhere around level 6 or 7. He was more of a scholar than an adventurer, but lent his aid to worthy causes from time to time. Think of him as "van Helsing light." (from Bram Stoker's novel, not the movie with Hugh Jackman).

Alright have full character for you to look at tomorrow.

Kirill was born the only son of an unwed Varisian wanderer. He never knew his father, but never much cared to find out who he was (not that he could). He'd always been somewhat of an independent, although throughout his youngest years he traveled with his mother and her troupe as they went from town to town earning a living officially as entertainers, but secretly as thieves, prostitutes, and con artists. He learned to lie, cheat, and steal, but never from those who couldn't afford the loss, nor didn't deserve the misfortune.

After visiting rich cities with lavish cemeteries as a young teen he developed his own way of earning coin, a practice frowned upon by most of his kin: grave-robbing. He'd found that his personal skill set allowed him to easily relieve old tombs of their valuables when offered a job by a group of local ruffians and spotting pitfalls which would have been otherwise disastrous to the criminals when he was to be but a lookout. It was long before he left troupe behind to pursue his new vocation in earnest, usually by himself.

Though friendly, Kirill had always had a greedy streak - he simply couldn't resist a fat sack of gold. His ventures were relatively prosperous, but enough was never enough and he was always looking for a quick and easy coin. After uncovering some ancient texts in a particularly macabre tomb the cunning thief had taken up devil worship as a means to guide his life to earn more gold. He delved into the practice with a small group of others (obviously in secret) for nearly a year, but slowly grew to understand that though he lusted for coin he didn't have the heart for the level of vileness that infernal worship commanded. During somewhat reluctantly taking part in a ritual to finalize their unspoken deals with devilish forces Kirill was spooked by the magic and fled the cult, without ever seeing the resolution.

He disposed of his infernal texts in a rubbish heap and went back to his old ways of delving into crypts of the rich and the burial mounds of the well to do, never having seen his old cohorts again.

Still tweaking the background, but above is the gist. Hopefully will be finished with character stats soon.

I gave him a Regional trait from being from the Realms of the Mammoth Lords if that is not okay I will change it here is the back story.

Alright, so far everything is looking solid, but Ringtail, how does Kirill know Lorrimer?

I think that this is probably what we've got, so later tonight I'll open a recruitment thread to try and find 2 or 3 more dudes, see if we can't get a couple of spellcasters into the mix.

I have been trying to get in touch with my bud if I can he will be playing a spell-caster.

I'm unable to download the player's guide to CC on my work PC and my temporary home PC is having trouble opening it up, so I still haven't had a chance to get a look at it. Hopefully I will soon. Is there any further information on this Lorrimer in it, or anymore information on him you can give me on him to help me develop him into my background? If he was a wizard and a sage, then as a graverobber Kirill may have used him as a regular contact to ask about potential magical wards placed around tombs and similar circumstances, possibly seeding a friendly relationship with him over time.

He more of a scholar that travels all over. My friend went on a vacation without any internet and his phone is barely working. I just found this out today -.-. His character was cool to he wanted to play a lore oracle.

Just finished my article and opened up the recruitment thread.

Your friend can still try and join, but at this point, he'll have to post a concept in the recruitment thread.

Alright, [url=http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/community/gaming/connection/recrutingForACarrionCrownPBP23SpotsAvailable&page=1#28]here[/url is a link to the IC thread. In a couple of days, I'll be picking 3 of these mooks, and I wanted to know what you think? So far, my absolute favorites are Delia (the summoner) as long as she gives a good link to Lorrimer, and the Varisian shapechanging ranger. The half-orc seems sorcerer is pretty cool too. Darklight, your friend sounds like his concept could be pretty cool, and I'd like to see him in the game, but let him know that he'll need to give a more in-depth backstory for me to justify it, especially with the detail we're getting from some of the other contestants.

In any case, which are your 3 favorites?

I like the dwarf on the bear, Thorgun Jarlhammer I like the idea of a cavalier that is going to be the party face. Next up the Half-Orc Taric is really nicely done seem would be great add on to the party. My friend will have the back story for you later today he has trouble picking what stats and things like that for his characters but really good for back story. The summmoner is well creepy and a bit young I know it up to a player to make their characters and everything but I do not really like young characters and goth horror themes but that is just me.

Well, Carrion Crown is supposed to be a bit creepy. I think that having a vulnerable innocent in such a campaign could be pretty interesting. That summoner just screams "potential character development."

The campaign itself is suppose to be creepy yes not the characters themselves well how I see it. I have a thing and corrupting the innocent or messing with the innocent why I do not like the character. That is just me myself others would not agree with me.

Well, I'll take that into consideration, but we'll see what happens.

Gorgoron, Ringtail, you guys still there?

Ringtail I think had some stuff happen why his post were slow in the RotL game. You can pick whoever you want it your PbP just saying that is my opinion which you asked for.

There are some good submissions, with some cool back stories. I would like to point out that Zhan has some strong 'face' potential, as his Inquisition ability basically allows him to sub Wis for Cha.

The one's that have been highlighted so far are good:

Delia - the innocent in the macabre has a lot of potential.
Thorgun - As a dwarf, he's lost a bit of his 'face' potential. As well there are mechanical issues with the bear idea; as companions they only grow to medium, and only at level 4. I leave that to the GM. I do like the strike team idea mentioned earlier as well, without a'heavy armour' guy. Otherwise, he's good, and he was first.
Valachi - I think this guy nailed concept and flavour for the setting. I don't know if we need a ranger, but I like the character.
Tsura - The background is not finished, but I am intrigued. If she could be finished off, I think she would make a strong addiction.

Disclaimer - I hate bards, as a concept. A guy who fights evil by singing about it? Seriously?

My votes:

Valachi, Delia, and Tsura.

I like the idea of including associates of current group members so if Czernebog's Oracle pans out, I'd probably drop someone to include him.

I'm still here (Ringtail). I've just had a lot to deal with lately that is getting me a bit behind in most aspects of my life on top of being in the middle of a 9 day work stretch at my day job. The CWS is crushing my soul and it hasn't even started yet.

I can't decide on feats (still deciding what gets 12,11,10 between Wisdom, Constitution, and Charisma as well). I really want to take some skill buffing feats, but feel that Kirill will become a burden in combat without allocating at least PBS/Precise Shot, Combat Expertise/Dirty Trick, or Weapon Finesse/TWF. But his defenses are low (leather armor for no ACP, 11 CON and 10 WIS, so horrible save, favored class to skills instead of HP), so I want Toughness/Great Fort/Iron Will.

Rogues are so much harder than Wizards.

Rouges are not suppose to be overly combat effective. As long as you can hit stuff you should be alright. The classes I like are easy to play I usually just play melee classes just the style I like. Also to you guys I am going to at some point take heavy armor proficiency. This will most likely will be around level 7 though so.

Agnar: I'm guessing you'll be aiming for Mithril? To enable you to maintain your swift movement, etc?

You will still be able to move at 30ft/rnd and only have a -2 to stealth in full plate. If you go that route it won't interfere with our strike team idea. Zhan himself will be aiming for a suit of Mithril Breastplate. It'll be light armour with no armour check, and with a +5 max dex, so it should suit him nicely.

Oh yeah going to have horns on it to and have the cloak look like a pelt. Yeah I am going deep with the barbarian idea. Yes it will be Mithril so I can have a movement of 30 ft I have no stealth not part of my character.

Alright, going to make the picks tonight. I'm pretty sold on Valachi, Delia, and Czernebog. Tsura was looking interesting up until she actually threw up the backstory, but her link to Lorrimer is pretty tenuous, and her use of tense frightens me a bit. The cavalier is really cool, and I would have liked to use him, but the other concepts simply mesh with the AP too well.

Oh! And which deity does Zhan follow?

Man I would of loved to have a dwarf with a bear come along. I really liked his character idea it was cool. Valachi is the ranger right?

Yeah, he's the ranger. And I agree, I think the idea of a dwarf cavalier mounted on a bear is awesome, but just seems to shatter the spirit of the Carrion Crown AP. I'm definitely going to be looking for this guy if I run another game, though.

Zhan's deity is something I have still been trying to settle on. Pharasma would make the most sense, both with his having been an undertaker, and as an enemy of necromancers. However, I've read a bit of her fluff, and I'm not really sold on her as she seems rather bland. Her description does not capture me; I like a deity to have a bit more passion.

Zhan views undead as mindless creations for the most part; to destroyed whenever encountered, but not really hated. Do you hate a flood, or a rockslide? They are all just things, even though they all kill innocent people. What he hates are those that bring the thing into being. The Necromancers.

Since Pharasma doesn't blow my skirt up, Iomadae might make a good choice, as the pure and honorable patron, though as LN, Zahn might be more liberal than most Iomadains. Of course, he could switch to NG, but a dispassionate LN seems to fit my vision of him in my mind. Legalistic, and a bit stern. Ragathiel might work. He's much like Iomadae (LG) but he's a lesser deity and his patronage includes duty and vengeance. However, it's usually easier on the GM to stick with the major deities.

As an Inquisitor, all deities bestow the inquisition ability I want, so there is no real mechanical difference, I'm looking mostly for flavour. Any suggestions?

I'm reading through the campaign setting material, and hopefully I'll find something that appeals to me.

Well, if you're a preacher with the conversion inquisition, Iomedae could definitely fit. If you read about her in Faiths of Purtiy, it definitely seems like she'd have more LN followers than NG. Her religion mostly seems to be about praising how awesome she is, and acting like old school paladins (her followers are a little uncompromising).

There's a lot of information on Pharasma in the 2nd Carrion Crown adventure, but yeah, she's not too passionate.

Plus if you go with Iomedae you can use a longsword. In the online carrion crown I play in we have a Inquisitor of Pharasma and a cleric of Iomedae well warrior cleric. The Inquisitor while doing cool things why I now have a Inquisitor of Gorum does not seem like it does a lot with his god. While the cleric does a lot more. Since you are going the preacher type I would go with which god seems to go with that best. Though I like Ragathiel he sounds cool.

Thank you for the invite, I've been waiting for a Carrion Crown since I made the character. She just didn't seem to fit any other AP.

I just want to clarify, although young, she will not be a Shuriken loli, that's a bit too creepy even for a campaign about creepy.

I was wondering, would it be easier if I created and used a seperate profile for "Father"? Also, what are your posting preferences, bold for in character or just quotes is fine?

Well, creating a profile for "Father" might make differentiating them easier, but you might be doing a lot of back-and-forth with two profiles. If you don't mind managing it, that's fine, but you don't need to feel obligated.

As far as format for posting, I usually use bold for IC speech, italics for character thoughts, and standard font for narrative and descriptions. It's what I prefer to work with, but if you're used to something else, I won't be too much of a stickler for it.

I just want to clarify, although young, she will not be a Shuriken loli, that's a bit too creepy even for a campaign about creepy.

The creepy statement was with the Father summon and how she just connected the summon with her father. That is what I found a bit creepy. Also I have no idea what a Shuriken loli is so okay. I just have issues with corrupting of the innocent and the like. Just a trait I always had since I was younger.

Posting as Father just to put the profile up.

I don't see her developing any corruption, as I see her growing emotionally stronger and learning to accept that her real father is gone. Through this she becomes more self-empowered.

Her connection was an irrational conclusion made during an emotional state of shock. I think deep down she knows the truth, and just isn't ready to accept it yet. She is formally trained in the nature of magic, and there is always the inkling in the back of her mind that it's not him.

Liking Father though seems cool. What do you plan to do with him? Alright did not know how you were going to go with your character.

I hadn't really thought of it, but looking through real quick I'm gonna try to keep him normal looking. So I will get him a second slam, make his attacks magical, maybe take reach or push, Get abilty increases, DR, and Spell resist.

Generally, he will be Delia's big tough bodyguard.

Cool you going with just normal summoner or going to take a different archetype? I like the idea of a summon why I am asking. You are the first summon I have gotten to play with.

Should we take a look at our group as a whole? If there is any redesign that can be done to make us mesh better, best to do it before the game actually starts, yes?

Lets take a look at our team:

Agnar – Half Elf Barbarian
Delia and Father – Human Summoner and Humanoid Eidolon
Kirill Innokenti – Human Rogue
Sagaar – Half Elf Lore Oracle
Valachi – Humanish Ranger
Zhan – Human Inquisitor

First impressions: Human-centric group with a good spread of classes. We have pretty good fighter base, at least 2 skill monkeys, a full-divine caster and a 2/3 divine caster, and a 2/3 arcane caster. A major limitation may be that all of our casters are spontaneous casters, meaning we are likely going to be lacking any decent utility magic. Once Delia gets her UMD ranks up, she may become our main utility caster via scrolls and such.

Specializations – Based on my read of the stats listed thus far; feel free to correct me if I misrepresent your character.
Agnar – Melee. Kill, crush, destroy. Good man.
Delia and Father – Our Arcanist. From her stats and background, I am guessing she will be staying out of combat for the most part, rather using her spells to buff and summons for battlefield control. She has a great charisma, but in-game it may not work to rely on a kid as a face.
Kirill Innokenti – Great “thief” skills; good at sneaking, locks, and traps; decent talker.
Sagaar – High Cha, but doesn’t like people. No indication yet if he’ll fight melee or ranged, or be more caster-focused. Looking at his concept thus far, are you sure he might not work better as a non-cha based class? Cleric with the knowledge domain maybe? Conceptually, hideously scarred and high-charisma is an atypical combination.
Valachi – Melee. Stats not yet completed.
Zhan – Ranged fighter, mediocre at melee. He’ll probably go with a repeating crossbow when he can afford one. His skills are set up as an investigator and face; high sense motive, bluff, intimidate, diplomacy. He’s good at interrogation and investigation.

Combat: 2 full BAB types, both medium armour max and 4 ¾ BAB classes, 2 medium armour, 2 light, plus an Eidolon. I’ve only played with a Summoner once before, but what we noticed in that group was how great a front man the eidolon made. If he’s near death, dispel him; if he gets killed, he comes back the next day. The summoner can feed him hitpoints while still near the back (where the healers can easily reach her), making him an awesome meat-shield and giving him permission to act like a man without fear.

Party Roles:
The classics:
Fighter: Agnar and Valachi (both melee), and to a degree, everyone else. Father will be very useful I think, especially with the tactics mentioned above. Delia, will Father be able to work as a ‘point’ man, or do you see him acting as more of a body guard, hanging back near Delia in combat?
Skills/Traps: Kirill and Zhan. Kirill has all the rogue skills covered, and Zhan is pretty good on the social front. Lore is kind of spread out, with Sagaar holding many skills, and Zhan will be adding his in at level 2+.
Divine: Sagaar and Zhan (2/3) – again, both spontaneous, so versatility will be an issue. Healing should be covered though. Actually, I just noticed that Sagaar did not take CLW as a 1st level spell. Is that intentional? Zhan has it, but will need a wand pretty quick if we are depending on him as the only healer.
Arcane: Only Delia (2/3) – This is a weak point for our group, and we will have to make an effort to make sure that Delia is appropriately supplied with magic objects to help us make up for the deficiency.

What impressions do the other players have? Any suggestions for party cohesiveness based on the info we have thus far?

Since I have helped Sagaar with his character I can answer some of that if you want. I would rather just let him answer though. Seems about right though from what I have seen need to get everyone else though to see what they want to do with their character exactly.

Great work on the summary!

Delia is almost at cap for UMD, and will be sticking with it.

I do see her being able to do face work. She is Ustalav(-ish? -ian? -ic?), so has a connection to the people. Also she is sweet and compassionate, and may appear the most non-threatening amongst the group as well, easing people's tongues. If she will be too much on Zhan's toes with Diplomacy I can turn her attention elsewhere. Diplomacy is the only face skill she has though, so she won't be stepping on the other face skills.

I was kind of thinking Father/Delia as mid-line, anyone going for the back line of the group will have to go through them. She will always be fairly close to him.

No, there is nothing wrong with multiple people covering skill sets, diplomacy and face skills included. It's nice to have someone who can rescue you when the dice are being unforgiving. Overlap is a good idea, and easier to pull off once the group gets to 4+.

As for Sagaar, I'd love to hear more about the character vision, mechanics included. I looked at Oracle and saw that they get CLW free along with their 2 other known spells at level 1, which I didn't know, so that won't necessarily be an issue.

Oh this is what I get for not knowing spell casters. I did not know that oracles did that.