This is the start of the discussion thread.
Hey :)
Calling attendance. Can everyone sound off as they get this please?
Thanks
Reporting for duty.
Role call
The Charitable Runelord in Grey, bearer of Rune of Necromancy
The Generous Runelord Denat, bearer of the Rune of Conjuration
The Humble Runelord Arioch, bearer of the Rune of Illusion
The Kind Runelord Simon, bearer of the Rune of Evocation
the Loving Runelord Anglon, bearer of the Rune of Enchantment
The Temperate Runelord Carawyn, bearer of the Rune of Abjuration
The Zealous Runelord Callius, bearer of the Rune of Transmutation
First up, I regard characters submitted so far as drafts. it's hard to build a character when you don't know what the group is. For example Anglon was right when he said that most groups need a healer and took Seperatist: Healing. Much to my (and presumably Anglon's surprise) we have three people who can cast CLW, two of whom can do so spontaneously. if he wants to adjust his domain, I'm fine with that.
I'm fine with the Wizards copying spells for each other (for the normal scribing cost).
I'd sort of like it if people didn't step too hard on the spontaneous guy's niches. they don't get many spells, try not to over lap too much. Especially looking at Specialist Wizards here.
I guess if people want to switch Runes or Virtues I'm okay with it... don't pressure people, but a lot of you left a lot of choices open, and things I thought were fixed are apparently still flexible.
Remember you have been picked for your Virtue, not Vice. Great if the Vice can be a subtle thing in the background though. I'd like to have the temptation of the Vice calling you, but not have it blatant from day 1.
Present. I'll get my avatar up shortly.
Reporting in.
Can we get the gameplay thread open to dot so we can anchor the game to our campaigns tab?
Also, if I pay the material cost out of my wealth, am I allowed to start with my normal allotment of Undead minions, or would you rather I create/command them in game?
Fantastic. Was working on my character earlier, and she's about half done. I should have her finished by tomorrow.
And thanks again for picking me. I'm super excited about this.
This is TCG's character. Presently empty, but will be filling shortly. It's a work in progress.
Will try to get the Gameplay thread up as soon as I can.
TMiG: would prefer you get them in play. Feel free to start with chunks of Onyx. Could be convinced to allow one at the start - reember you'd be in Cheliax, so obvious undead are gauche. Not as bad within the Academy itself.
Here. Appreciate the invitation.
This is motteditor, with his renamed summoner (though I think her last name will still change again).
I've still got to buy her gear, which should pretty much finish her up, and then do her eidolon.
Also, Caillus, if you're interested, we could link our back stories, since she's from a Hellknight family. No pressure either way.
I think a little commonality would be great. PM me and we'll work out some pregame details.
I think all these concepts are great and this game will be a lot of fun.
Okay all,
Gameplay thread is up.
Rather than a simple 'dot', could I get people to show a simple activity their character might have been engaged in at 8am on the 7th of Pharast 4713.
Hargran pays for each of you to have a suite adjoining a central courtyard, with a servant each (if you like) and communal facilities including a kitchen, large dining room, smoking room, laboratories, library, cleaning staff, security, butler and doorman.
No leaving the building please!
Incidentally, this is how I see Hargran working over the last three centuries.
* He uses his position to find talented youngsters.
* He & his current acolytes sound out the youngsters, work out who might be a good recruit.
* As one of his acolytes graduates (finishes at the academy, taking ten to fifteen years) they leave his cult. Hargran gives them money, items and recommendations so they can go out in the world. Ideally once they have established themselves these ex-acolytes start establishing their own cell of the cult.
* One of the talented youngsters is brought into the cult.
Meanwhile he and his acolytes produce a lot of items, and invest what money they can. This makes Hargran rich enough to attract talented youngsters and finance new cells.
With access to divination and mind magic I think they can be reasonably safe.
Seems like a very Dwarven way to do things. Slow, patient, safe and with the potential to 'do the job properly'.
This means that if we need a new runelord there is a supply of ex-acolytes we can use!
Are people okay with this?
I want the transition to this sudden and risky model of founding a kingdom to look out of place.
Reporting in. If we have other people that can heal, I will probable switch over to the Charm (Lust) domain. All I should need to change on my character is the spells and add some basic adventuring gear.
Are people okay with this?
Fine for me. (and by the way, thanks again for picking me)
If anyone wants to link his back story to Denat's, feel free to tell me.
I'll have a full history/write up for Simon ASAP. I'm un expectantly busy at work this week, but I'll do what I can.
Are people okay with this?
I want the transition to this sudden and risky model of founding a kingdom to look out of place.
Quite okay with that. Particularly as it makes his selection of Arioch, which at the time probably puzzles the hell out of people, is just another case of 'planning ahead' in retrospect.
edit: I picture Arioch as having been 'the outsider' during academy. Only barely accepted into the 'clique', mostly because Hargren required it, & finding most of his social acceptance outside the classroom. He's constantly striving for the master's acknowledgement/approval & never really getting more than an "Acceptable" for his efforts, which only goads him harder, but his talents just aren't in the areas the master has been traditionally looking for the past centuries.
2nd. edit: Yes, for those who have read Anne McCaffrey's Harperhall trilogy, there is a lot of Peimur & Menolly in Arioch, how did you guess?
First silly question about the gameplay thread : 3rd person past tense or 3rd person present tense ?
Getting ready to buy gear now; most of which will NOT be combat related at this point (other than her father's pole arm). She simply wasn't expecting to leave the academy, so she probably won't even have most of the basics an adventurer would have.
That said, I think one of the magic items she's working on is this, if it'll be OK with you. (Again, I'll probably be trying to come up with a bunch of my own wondrous items, though the summoner's limited spell selection might make that tough. I'm fine if you reject them or if others want to weigh in if they think I'm doing something that's game-breaking or even have my price off; that's not my intent.)
Time's Tide Pendant
Aura moderate transmutation; CL 5th
Slot neck; Price 18,000 gp; Weight –
Description
Time ebbs and flows oddly around this hourglass pendant, creating flickering duplicate images that trail after it whenever it is moved. Inside, a dull coppery metal dust ignores gravity, flowing up and down between the glass chambers as the pendant steals and grants precious seconds.
Activating the pendant, a swift action, takes time from the wearer, moving her spot in the initiative order to the end of the round as if she were delaying. In the next round, the pendant returns the time in a burst of speed, moving the wearer's initiative count to the top of the order.
Additionally, three times per day, on command, the pendant grants time to or steals time from a target within 30 feet (DC 13 Will save to negate). Granting time moves the target's initiative count up, so it acts immediately after the user (if it hasn't yet acted in the round) or at the top of the following round. Stealing time from the target moves its initiative count to the bottom of the round as if the target were delaying; if the target has already acted in the round, the change takes effect in the following round. The delay effect supersedes a target's readied action, which is not triggered before the target's new initiative count; the target may take any remaining actions it has available in the round at its new initiative or continue its readied action.
The pendant never prevents a target from acting or gives it more than one action in a round.
Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, haste; Cost 9,000 gp
Well, I made my first post in the gameplay thread. As it's my first post in a PbP, I hope you'll forgive any mistakes I could have made.
Congrats, Denat. Looked good to me.
First silly question about the gameplay thread : 3rd person past tense or 3rd person present tense?
So far, we've all pretty much been posting present tense.
Are we students or faculty? Or both?
Well, I made my first post in the gameplay thread. As it's my first post in a PbP, I hope you'll forgive any mistakes I could have made.
looks good!
Are we students or faculty? Or both?
Students, but respected and trusted ones. In modern parlance a graduate student, probably working on a PhD.
I imagine defending a PhD is not going to be so fun at a university full of infernal binders ;P
Thank goodness, Caillus wasn't one of my professors! I'd have a scar.
And congrats on advancing to round 4, Steven. Now you never have to worry about trying to get into Superstar again!
Caillus, Simon: is either one of you interested in switching weapons? If not can we make them distinctive please?
Caillus. Happy for him to be given an honorary "professor" while filling in for someone, or potentially to have taken up a career teaching children at a prep-school for young children who want to go to the Academy.
I know not all the sheets are completely finished post-changes, can people sing out when they're ready for me to check their sheets please.
Will have Arioch's sheet finished tomorrow.
I'm open to switching weapons. This character has a sword cane. I'd love to make the this signature melee weapon if that could fit.
Pretty sure it needs to be a polearm.
Pretty sure it needs to be a polearm.
Which kind of pole arm should I use then?
As a gunslinger you have access to Martial weapons, which gives you a lot of options that most of us don't have.
I'm a big fan of the Lucerne Hammer, the Naginata and the Tri-Point Double Edged Sword (which is described as looking a lot like a bladed maple leaf on the end of a stick).
Tri-Point Double Edged Sword looks cool. I googled. Though I'll have to think of a shorter name.
The polearm is a symbol of office - there's no necessity to actually use it in combat, though you do need to be able to if necessary (training requirement).
I must admit I'm surprised no-one took the ripsaw Glaive...
or the Syringe Spear...
We better be getting lots of magical pole arms!
I want to give her one more look myself, but I think Taerine's ready to go. Most of her gear is non-combat. I decided we probably went on research "field" trips, so justified getting her a few things for roughing it, but I figured she spends most of her time in her lab at the college. Most of her starting cash remains as cash, which I hope to use once she's actually in a situation where she'd make/need adventuring gear. I assume that's OK? If not, let me know, and I'll buy some more things.
Thkrul (her eidolon, which is a separate alias if you want to look at it already) should also be nearing completion. I think I've made all the choices I needed to make in terms of skills and feats and evolutions; I just have to make sure all the bonuses are applied. I'll get to that tomorrow.
Oh, if anyone else wants to weigh in on Thkrul, please feel free.
Right now, my evolutions are:
Claws (1)
Pounce (1)
Reach: Claws (1)
Scent (1)
Skilled: Perception (1)
Ability Increase: Str (2)
Flight (2)
I've been going back and forth on whether I should get Grab and Rend instead of Scent, Skilled: Perception and Flight. Not sure which is better, but I didn't originally see Thkrull having wings, which is kind of making me lean toward Grab and Rend. Then I could use lesser evolution surge to give him wings when needed.
I think Rend fits better with the theme but unless I missed something you can't take that evolution right now (6th level prereq). Anyway I would keep Scent and Skilled : Perception but that's just the way I see Thkrull.
can people sing out when they're ready for me to check their sheets please
I think Denat is now ready (just have to copy spells from my spellbook to the other spellbook)
I think Simon is ready, though I need to format his profile better.
Edit: The only thing that might be questionable is the Abundant Ammo Bandoleer. It's exactly what it sounds like. A bandoleer with abundant ammo on it. It's something I created. I don't want to have to worry about ammo much. Also helps cut down on the expense involved with special bullets.
So - on Kingmaker and my style.
Kingmaker is a sandbox style game. That means there are guys out there way more powerful than you are now. If you go find them and attack them, they'll probably kick your ass.
There are also creatures way weaker than you, mostly because 7 5th level wizards is probably about equal to 4 level 7 characters.
Because I've shortcutted the first four levels there are times I'm going to just say "you win". There are some creatures I'm going to upgrade (either to increase the challenge or to provide mythic threat).
Knowledge skills let you know what you are facing
Identify a monster’s abilities and weaknesses DC=Varies, 10 + monster’s CR
I'm using a sliding scale on this. Generally 10+CR identifies the monster's type and CR. Common abilities/weaknesses show up. Higher rolls get more and rarer information. Generally 25+CR gets secrets and 'just go read the damn monster entry'.
For unique monsters (as opposed to types) I use 20-CR to have heard of something, and 25-CR to know information, 25+CR to know secrets once identified.So you've probably heard of Nex (20-20=0), might know he's 20th level wizard (25-20=5) and almost certainly don't know his dark secrets (25+20-45)
You have probably not heard of Bob the apprentice stableboy (20-1=19), almost certainly don't know much about him (25-1=24) but if you do then you probably know his secrets (25+1=26).
As an example - Your PCs are CR4, so are recognised on a 16, known about on a 21 and have secrets known on a 30 - if I think that's reasonable.
This means there is a reason to have a knowledge skill of 35 with take 10.
Spellcraft wise - spells have visual cues that mean spellcraft is obvious (ie can be recognised by spellcraft). Supernatural abilities do not. It is possible to mask the visual cues, usually by making yourself invisible.
Leadership - Yeah, I'll allow leadership if you want it. Yes, you can make your Cohort. I have veto & ban and will use it if the NPC is destructive to the game.
You can effectively gain Cohorts and Followers without Leadership through roleplay and the kingdom rules.
I expect this party to play intelligently. I'll work with you to try to cope with crazy schemes and encourage you to think the way your character's Int, Wis and Cha suggest.
As I said, once characters are made feel free to scribe each other's spellbooks.
If any of this is a problem, now is a good time to speak up.
I expect this party to play intelligently. I'll work with you to try to cope with crazy schemes and encourage you to think the way your character's Int, Wis and Cha suggest.
Could this possibly be lesson from the other game? :-)
On another note I'm leaning toward the Lucerne hammer.
Looking at my sheet I see some errors from hero builder. Like my speed being 20' for some reason. I'll look at it on my home comp tonight.
Yes, you can make your Cohort.
Can I have a dragon ? (just joking ;) )
@Simon and the Master in Grey : I took the liberty to copy in my spellbook several spells and cantrips from your spellbooks. If there is any problem (secret spell, etc) feel free to tell me.
Yes, you can make your Cohort.Can I have a dragon ? (just joking ;) )
@Simon and the Master in Grey : I took the liberty to copy in my spellbook several spells and cantrips from your spellbooks. If there is any problem (secret spell, etc) feel free to tell me.
I need to do the same. I just haven't had a chance to look at your spell books.