The always insightful Alexander Kilcoyne sent me a message regarding the challenges of designing balanced encounters for such a large group. I have pondered on this, and come up with a proposal, which will hopefully solve the issue without me having to turn away people I invited in the first place, and at the same time add a fun twist to the game.
What I propose is this: Two teams.
We split the proposed characters into two separate groups (and perhaps bring in DM Barcas to make it five on each team). Each group travels up river with a river barge, have exciting encounters along the way, and eventually meet up in Tymon, where both groups try their luck in the arena - with the possibility of fostering some intergroup rivalry and setting up some PvP combat.
I imagine each team will have it's own dedicated IC and OOC thread, and we have joint threads for when the storylines intertwine.
What do you all say to this idea?
Sounds fine to me.
I'm fine with this as well.
After a couple of busy days of Con attendance, I'm now headed out for my brother's bachelor party. Once I recover, I'll divide everyone into two teams.
Hello again. It is time for me to brainstorm ideas.
So my current ideas are an unarmed, mobile abuser of Ki Throw (using Lunge or Combat Patrol to extend his reach) or an evocation-crazy wizard. My alternate is a bombing alchemist with two extra arms.
How do you feel about the playtest classes?
The ideas that I am kicking around are either an Abyssal Bloodrager or an Alchemist with the Vestigial Arm (x2) discovery.
Here is my character so far. Need to flesh out her background a bit more and pick equipment.
Here's most of the character for markofbane; still working on writing up a few details.
All right, here is my idea of the two groups:
Team Alpha
Dennis - Sorcerer/rogue
Alexander - Half-orc Battle oracle
Locke1520 - Human Cleric of Cayden Cailean
markofbane - Drunken master monk
oKOyA - Human Fighter (Aldori Swordlord, Gladiator)/Bard (Daredevil)
Mike Kimmel - Arcane caster
Team Bravo
Phrip - Human illusionist/rogue
Ansha - elven fighter (weapon master)/wizard
Flamethrower49 - Half-elf oracle
Isaac - monk or wizard
Faren - Master summoner or Dino druid
Ben A - ?
Those of you who have proposed multiple concept ideas, please work with your team to pick one. Same goes for those who still need to post a concept. Everyone else, get your alias set up and your character details in order.
I'll get the individual team threads up and running within a day or two. Stay tuned.
The pint sized bodyguard can wait for a game with rolled stats I think. Having trouble making mechanics fit concept.
Instead, I (AK) am submitting Morven Greigor, a half-orc raised by Halflings in Isger. More details backstory being sent to DM but heres the cliffsnotes.
He was found abandoned on a battlefield during the Goblinblood Wars in 4697AR, wrapped in a bundle along with a sword of Orc design. His finders were Halflings and, fortunately, the benevolent sort.
They raised him in the vassal state of Isger in the small, fearful town of Logas, where he became a valuable addition to the local militia with his heirloom blade. Never particularly bright, when he reached adulthood and wanderlust took him he bid his farewells and joined a mercenary group for a time, fighting and pillaging his way to the River Kingdoms. Born on a battlefield, Morven seems instinctively drawn back to them. A divine spark seems to be in him and his adoptive parents superstitiously speculated, as they noted some limited clerical powers emerging spontaneously, that perhaps Morven was literally brought into being by the spirits of battle and conflict. The truth is likely to be far more mundane and involve either some kind of misguided boyhood ritual or simple abandonment, but there is no denying that the Half-Orc seems to be able to produce some divine power, albeit with great difficulty.
While the destructive urges of his forefathers run deep in him, Morven is also tempered by the good-natured kindness and morality of his adopted parents. While he can sometimes display acts of cruelty and appears to enjoy destruction for its own sake (he claims it brings him closer to the Lord in Iron, Gorum) his ways are often tempered with kindness and benevolence. The half-orc is very malleable at his young age and the experiences of the next few years in his life are likely to heavily shape his character. Morven knows that he is strong, tough and...
Looks good. No objections.
Here is my character so far. Need to flesh out her background a bit more and pick equipment.
Look ok, but I would prefer if everyone would use a stat-block style character sheet, like the one generated by HeroLab. See Morven's profile for example.
I'll work with you on the details of your back story.
Here's most of the character for markofbane; still working on writing up a few details.
Character looks ok, but see my comments above on how to present the stats.
How do you feel about the playtest classes?
The ideas that I am kicking around are either an Abyssal Bloodrager or an Alchemist with the Vestigial Arm (x2) discovery.
Let's leave off playtest material for now. With so many different PC's to keep track off, I'd rather limit the amount of new rules material I allow.
Here is my character so far. Need to flesh out her background a bit more and pick equipment.Look ok, but I would prefer if everyone would use a stat-block style character sheet, like the one generated by HeroLab. See Morven's profile for example.
I'll work with you on the details of your back story.
ok Jace. Will try to fix that tonight when I get home from work.
I was looking at a Separatist Cleric, but anyone weigh in on whether team Bravo is getting too caster heavy and I will come up with a melee class or a melee-focused cleric.
Team Bravo, I am strongly considering an evocation wizard or sorcerer. Possibly a human tattooed sorcerer focused on fire spells.
“Sketch! Shhhhh. I haven’t drawn you yet.”
I'll be updating my sheet on the boards a temp CS in PDF format is attached via a link to my drop box.
Actually though, while I've been gradually hammering out Jaejoa and The Sketch it does look like Team Bravo is going to be blessed with a lot of arcane already. We might be better off with that druid. Let's see how it shakes out.
Here's most of the character for markofbane; still working on writing up a few details.Character looks ok, but see my comments above on how to present the stats.
I'll reform him as soon as I get a chance.
I ended up going with the martial artist archetype because a lawful alignment didn't seem to suit him and the mysticism of ki abilities eluded him during his time at the monastery. And just because he's a monk who gets drunk, it doesn't mean he has to be a drunken monk. :)
I'm starting as a weapon-master fighter. Will probably not bother with future wizard levels if we end up heavy on arcane casters in Bravo Team.
I love everything I'm seeing here so far. My oracle hasn't fully formed yet, so I'm fine with going more melee or more casty, depending on the needs of the group. Battle or Time seem like good revelations.
If I take the melee route, my hope would be to play with a focus on Performance Combat (though that might end with me going human for more feats).
Team Bravo Update
Phrip - Human illusionist/rogue
Ansha – Alarien - elven fighter (weapon master)
Flamethrower - Half-elf oracle (battle or time) or human melee
Isaac – evocation wizard or tattooed sorcerer
Faren – Jaejoa - Master summoner (or still possibly saurian shaman)
Ben A – Separatist cleric
My sense is we would benefit from at least one divine guy for healing, so we should be sure to keep the separatist cleric or the oracle and hope one of them can bring the channels or cure light wounds. Or keep both if we like.
Now that we have Alarien, either my eidolon (The Sketch) or animal companion will make for a nice back-up beat-stick for the short-term, so we don’t have to have more fighter-types, but they will both drop off the curve eventually so it’s not a bad idea.
What do my fellow Bravoites think? I’m still open to re-making my PC to fill any holes.
What do my fellow Bravoites think? I’m still open to re-making my PC to fill any holes.
I would love to see how the saurian shaman plays out, but that is just my own self interest coming through. Given that my character is going to be the squishiest in the group (I seem to have a knack for that), he would enjoy having any extra protection around him as possible.
DM Barcas (Team Bravo) here. Character is built and ready.
Herroan Sallemore was born in Korvosa to middle-class parents in 4692. Like many of his peers, he expected a life as a merchant in the city's commerce district or perhaps as a clerk in the bureaucracy. He showed an early aptitude for the intricacies of magic, and was given a chance to compete for a spot at the prestigious Academae - one of the greatest magic schools in the world. His parents - owners of several stores that catered to the wealthy members of the city - saved and sacrificed so that he could attend the school. Once at the school, he proved an excellent student and seemed destined for great things.
Calamity struck the city in 4708 - first a plague, then the chaos of class warfare and a power struggle after the king's death. The Academae closed their doors to the city, trying to keep apart from it. Harroan - "Harry" to his friends at that point - desperately wanted to see his parents. He snuck out of the school to find his parents. Harroan discovered that his mother had died of plague, and that his father had been killed when his stores were sacked by rioters. Heartbroken, he tried to return to the Academae - only to be turned away from the doors for leaving without authorization.
Expelled and without resources, Harroan quickly discovered that the city was a hard place to be poor. As conditions deteriorated, he fled Korvosa the only way he could - by joining a Varisian caravan. He used his magical talents, skill with languages, and impressive stores of knowledge to eke out a living with them. They traveled north into Shoanti lands, where he sought out any knowledge that he could find. His thirst for knowledge continued even without the formal training of the Academae. He developed a specialty in evocation magic, knowing that subtlety would not serve him well in the dangerous world.
The caravan continued to move for years. Horroan nearly forgot about his Chelaxian heritage or his Korvosan past, and began to think of himself as a member of the caravan. He tattooed himself with runes on each forearm, folding magic into the tattoo to further fuel his skill at evocation.
Calamity struck again when the caravan ran afoul of Razmiran priests. The zealots attacked the caravan, destroying it and scattering its members. Harroan threw as many spells as he could, scorching and freezing several cultists before fleeing with the others. He was separated from them and found himself alone and wandering - again - in the port city of Xer with few possessions and even less gold to his name. Harroan sought a way out of the city to a safer location, knowing that the others who survived the attack would do the same.
Updating Team Bravo:
Phrip - human illusionist/rogue
Ansha – Alarien - female elven fighter (weapon master)
Flamethrower - half-elf oracle (battle or time) [or human melee]
Isaac – Harroan Sallemore - male human evoker (admixture)
Faren – Jaejoa - female human summoner (master summoner)[or still possibly saurian shaman]
Ben A – cleric (separatist)
I would love to see how the saurian shaman plays out, but that is just my own self interest coming through. Given that my character is going to be the squishiest in the group (I seem to have a knack for that), he would enjoy having any extra protection around him as possible.
I'll get him together for ya and we can see. I don't think he adds more body guard power than the Sketch (the summoner is a pretty munchkin class I am discovering).
But it would be nice to have a back-up healer and we've got two arcane casters now so we should be well covered.
Given that my character is going to be the squishiest in the group (I seem to have a knack for that), he would enjoy having any extra protection around him as possible.
I'd love to offer my services, but unfortunately I'm stuck in a pyramid down south, babysitting some chubby ex-bartender.
I have to be honest, I'm liking the flavor of the sketch-artist summoner personally.
I'm also a fan of groups with very little healing ability, but that's just me. ;P
Updating Team Bravo:
Super job with the updates - much appreciated.
Saturday is the next time I will have an opportunity to make any updates.
Given that my character is going to be the squishiest in the group (I seem to have a knack for that), he would enjoy having any extra protection around him as possible.I'd love to offer my services, but unfortunately I'm stuck in a pyramid down south, babysitting some chubby ex-bartender.
And a mighty fine job you do at that.
Its very lonely here on Team Alpha...
Too true, too true. Let's go find something to beat up.
I have to be honest, I'm liking the flavor of the sketch-artist summoner personally.
I'm also a fan of groups with very little healing ability, but that's just me. ;P
A vision stirs:
Tall and rail thin, with distinctly sharp elven features, Cordell had nonetheless carved himself a place in the Razmiran society of Xer as a reliable and honest contract lawyer. Though elves, as a whole, had been labeled heretics against Razmir, Cordell's easy manner got on well with the authorities and kept him out of trouble. He found that if you payed your “tithes” regularly and gave lip service to Razmir’s glory, the Priests just didn’t care all that much. If you were prepared to think on your feet, so much the better.
The silver bell above the door rang out, and a cloaked halfling stepped inside. “Cordell Drummond?” came a low voice. “Can I help you?” Cordell replied. “Yes,” said the stranger. He raised a crossbow that hadn’t been there a moment before and put an arrow right between Cordell’s eyes.
Or he would have, if Cordell was still there. Instead, the bolt buried itself in thick oak wood. The fine desk was no more, transformed into a makeshift barrier. Cordell Drummond was nowhere to be found. By the time the would-be assassin broke through the wall, his mark had vanished into thin air.
Cordell stormed through his small apartment, settled his debt with his landlord, and was gone within ten minutes. Why would a Daggermark Assassin be after him? If the Priests wanted him, they would come themselves. The case? Maybe someone didn’t want him looking into it. A rival, or a grudge? He had made a few of those in his four years here. Or was it something… older? Cordell didn’t want to dwell on that more than he had to. Time to hit the docks and be gone. There would always be a need for someone of his many talents, and if he could clear his name, well, that would be nice. “I will find out why,” he muttered out loud, to no one in particular.
But first, it wouldn’t hurt to have a drink. I really shouldn’t. I need to keep moving. What if he followed me? No way he found that passage. He won’t find me here. Cordell pushed into the nondescript dockside tavern and ordered a strong wine and a room for the night, throwing a few extra gold on the table for anonymity’s sake. “A ticket out of here would be nice too,” he added, half joking. Imagine his surprise when the bartender came back with a perfect opportunity.
He awoke later than he’d intended, hung over again, with the frustrating sense that he needed to be somewhere. He grabbed for the potions an alchemist friend had made up for this purpose, but didn’t find them near his bedside. “Never again,” he grumbled as he fumbled into his clothes and tried to place himself in his unfamiliar surroundings.
Slowly the images came back to him. Crossbow. Daggermark. Tavern. Escape. Tatzlwyrm.
Cordell Drummond looked out the window into the rising sun.
Dawn.
I have to tell you, Faren, I love The Sketch already. I'm a little leery of Jaejoa, since Master Summoners are pretty nuts in my experience. Anyway, her (primary) pet will brighten my day every time. (Saurian Shamans are fairly crazy, too.)
I had a preliminary profile filled in for Cordell, but it didn't save. I will put it back up in the morning, after backing it up somewhere else. He is a Wood Mystery Oracle with the Legalistic curse. He's melee focused, but should have some fun tricks if he's not up front. Of course, he is capable of the all-important cure light wounds.
A vision stirs:
** spoiler omitted **...
Looks good. I'll give the stats a look once you post them.
Updating:
Team Alpha
Dennis - Sorcerer/rogue - Concept and stats ready, slight adjustments needed
Alexander - Half-orc Battle oracle - Ready to go
Locke1520 - Human Cleric of Cayden Cailean - Ready to go
markofbane - Drunken master monk - Ready to go
oKOyA - Human Fighter (Aldori Swordlord, Gladiator)/Bard (Daredevil) - out of town, concept/stats coming
Mike Kimmel - Wizard or witch - concept/stats coming
Team Bravo:
Phrip - human illusionist/rogue - concept ready, stats coming
Ansha – Alarien - female elven fighter (weapon master) - ready to go (a bit of backstory would be nice)
Flamethrower - half-elf oracle (battle or time) [or human melee] - concept ready, stats coming
Isaac – Harroan Sallemore - male human evoker (admixture) - ready to go
Faren – Jaejoa - female human summoner (master summoner)[or still possibly saurian shaman] - ready to go (if Jaejoa) or stats coming (if Dino Druid).
Ben A – cleric (separatist)
A vision stirs:
Dammit! There's a lawyer on Bravo boat.
(Awesome intro for Drummond!)
He needs to shout out, "Objection!" frequently during bouts.
Its very lonely here on Team Alpha...Too true, too true. Let's go find something to beat up.
Absolutely. These losers can keep having group dynamics, synergy, planning, teamwork and a hilarious frog-like Jar Jar Binks. We'll be just fine beating things over the head with our strong, silent types.
Profile updated successfully. I still have to nail down my spells and traits (any suggestions/requests?) and skills (what else would a lawyer have, Linguistics?), but the framework is all there. I'll probably be tinkering with it for weeks, because that's just what I do.
Profession: Barrister, Linguistics?
Perhapsenlarge person?
Profession: Barrister (or lawyer or attorney or a synonym) and Perform: oratory would probably be the most lawyer-appropriate skills, along with Sense Motive, Bluff, Intimidate and Diplomacy.