Ruins of Pathfinder: The Mysterium Compact (Mythic) (Inactive)

Game Master Robert Brookes

@ TheBait
I've not done "nothing, but complain", good sir.

I've asked a question, and noted statements from players in my last few posts.

I apologize if I misunderstood your last post. I read it as you made a comment of what the GM "should" do rather than implying what you think the GM might be trying to do.

No Problem,
I sometimes misunderstand a post myself either due to wording, or quickly reading it.

As I like asking or suggesting things then telling someone what to do.

That was always a pet peeve of mine when someone would TELL the GM what to do in their game. Also, I am relatively new to forums and PbPs in general so this definitely takes some getting used to. As you saw just 2 posts ago.

I, Zanithane, hereby submit myself to the College of Shadows under the sign of The Lost.

I, Anlessa Kowan, hereby submit myself to the College of Shadows under the sign of The Survivor.

Hey everyone! Just got around to coming back here, had a party to throw on Friday and my RL Pathfinder game on Saturday (on top of doing some work on the upcoming The Mummy's Mask AP) so I'm going to get down to answering all your questions now as I come across them while reading through the thread.

I was actually thinking possibly master summoner, or broodmaster. Of course you know me, and how I love synthesists. I've already played/am playing so many of them though. I think I'll just go straight up summoner this time.

** spoiler omitted **

...Will multiclassing be allowed at all?

Yes. However you must always have at least twice as many summoner levels as you do other classes. So if you're a 4th level summoner you can take up to 2 other class levels.

bi0philia wrote:

Dotting this of course, I'll read over the thread and see what pops up

also:

Rob** spoiler omitted **

When you mean maximum young age, in the example of humans, would that mean that the person is 8 years old?

I thought it was take the age of the child race you want to be and add the max die number for Commoner... Thus a Half-Elf would be 14.

What Garrett said. Take the age of the child race and add the max number of dice for commoner. If you want to tweak the age 1 or 2 years that's fine, so not everyone will be exactly the same age.

Before I get too far into it, my idea below (as it involves an uncommon race)

** spoiler omitted **

Is any 3PP Allowed?

Looking at racial 3PP; from Rite Pub, Abandon Arts, and 4 Winds.

Sorry, I forgot to specify that up-thread. I will not be utilizing any 3PP material in Mysterium Compact.

While waiting on a response for my first question, I have another. Any chance of us taking an NPC class besides commoner? You've got us at age 14 for humans, that means highschool students. My character was raised as a Jadwiga, daughter of a princess, why would she have the commoner class over the aristocrat?

In truth the NPC classes don't matter a whole lot in the long run. While you miss out on a couple skill points/class skills, you'll be retraining (for free) out of those classes pretty early on in the adventure. Place the skill points you do get in things that would make sense for an aristocrat in training and you'll emulate the same effect. You'll only ever have the 1st level of commoner, and you won't have it for too terribly long. An encounter or two at most.

** spoiler omitted **

So dotting this.

And now some submission responses:

@Garrett: In 4708 the nation of Kyonin was destroyed by a meteor falling to the land that killed millions, left a crater in the surface of Golarion and displaced hundreds of thousands of elven and human survivors to other countries. Living as an exile without a nation or home in the wake of a catastrophic and apocalyptic event would have a pretty big impact on Garrett's life.

Mind you, this event only happened 7 years ago. So Garrett would have been a 7 year old boy, potentially either living in Kyonin or with the elven half of his ancestry having family there. I'd like to see some inclusion in the background as to how the coming of Second Darkness impacted his life and his parents' lives.

Furthermore, while I get that you're showing Garrett's parents as pretty much brick-dumb imbeciles, he's also family and a family member that they have in a dangerous, post-apocalyptic world. The decision to turn over their son to a total stranger should have a little more gravitas, I feel.

If you have any questions let me know!

@Jen the Fetchling: Firstly, allow me to introduce you to the fantasy name generator. It isn't perfect, but it's great for those moments where you get stuck trying to think of a name for a character.

Secondly, I like the idea that Jen is an unintentional fetchling, rather than the child of a human and a Shae. That her parents were planar-crossing merchants is also interesting, however I'd like to know a little more about where they came from and why they'd just abandon their child. Was it fear alone that caused them to abandon their shadow-touched daughter? If these merchants have the power/training to traverse planes shouldn't they be a little more open-minded to the presence of a fetchling (which they likely do business with on a regular basis on the plane of shadow?)

Thirdly, I love that she was basically picked up by Varisians and brought into their family. That's very much like how a Varisian caravan would react. This Varisian clan also appears to use the shadow plane to speed up their travels. Are they using the same methods as Jen's parents? Is it spellcasting, or a natural "hole" in the fabric of planes? What kinds of otherworldly things has Jen seen on her journeys? Has she seen a city both on the Material and Shadow plane and marveled at how different and yet similar they can be?

@Zanithane: Where did Zanithane grow up? From the aristocratic owner and the attitude towards Tieflings it sounds like somewhere in Cheliax. How did some of the other slaves react to his seemingly endless youth? A tiefling slave-labor child forced to endure hard manual labor for decades of his pre-teen life is a pretty harsh concept (which I love), though I think a little more details should be added to the decades that pass as a slave so both of us fully understand the levels of cruelty and compassion he has seen and in what measure.

@Anlessa Kowan: Wonderful! The story of a child with abusive/neglectful parents who just wants to be noticed fleeing home and being swept up such as she was is a staple of children's fantasy literature (Peter Pan, The Golden Compass, etc).

What country do you feel Anlessa grew up in? Tengu are more common in Tian-Xia, however Varisia has its fair share of them too coming down from Magnimar. The gambling ways of her family reminded me of Riddleport. Knowing where she grew up will help inform her opinions of others and also give a good indication of what parts of the world are foreign and new to her.

** spoiler omitted **

Will fix the back story!

And now some submission responses:

@Anlessa Kowan: Wonderful! The story of a child with abusive/neglectful parents who just wants to be noticed fleeing home and being swept up such as she was is a staple of children's fantasy literature (Peter Pan, The Golden Compass, etc).

What country do you feel Anlessa grew up in? Tengu are more common in Tian-Xia, however Varisia has its fair share of them too coming down from Magnimar. The gambling ways of her family reminded me of Riddleport. Knowing where she grew up will help inform her opinions of others and also give a good indication of what parts of the world are foreign and new to her.

Heh. I hadn't actually been going for a staple - the opposite of it, actually. Funny how it turns out. Goes to show how long it's been since I've read any classic children's lit or watched any classic Disney. I kinda like that it turned out that way, though, so it's all good. I also now realise that it well fits with the aforementioned "Harry Potter/Persona" influences. On the one hand, this is why I shouldn't write past midnight - I never end up with what I think I have. On the other, it's still usually quite good. It's irrelevant either way, so I'll stop babbling about it.

The other problem with writing late as night is, though I had it figured out then, I can't for the life of me remember where I had Anlessa hailing from. I know it wasn't Varisia, because it's always Varisia with me, but that makes the most sense for the time frame, looking back on it, rather than travelling all the way to Tian Xia. So that's a change I'll be making. Thanks for the feedback!

I have some questions regarding a concept.

I know more details would need to be worked out, but i wanted to make sure the rough idea is okay before i continue with it.

Character background updated a bit, placing her firmly in Varisia and some minor elaboration of what lands she would've seen in her few years of travel with her tiefling mentor.

Changed the back story (Complete overhaul...) Hope it meets your standards more so than before.

Oh and changed the feat and trait and personality...

Thanks for the suggestions. I used the generator and it gave me an idea. The name is similar to many names of different cultures, so it's like she has lots of different influences.

I added some more about her parents, but I think that there is too much about the Shadow plane to even begin describing the experience. Rather, during play, I would like to incorporate her array of experiences into her actions, but I don't think I can come close to portraying the shadow plane as such an awesome setting.

Azure_Zero wrote:

Is any 3PP Allowed?

Looking at racial 3PP; from Rite Pub, Abandon Arts, and 4 Winds.

Sorry, I forgot to specify that up-thread. I will not be utilizing any 3PP material in Mysterium Compact.

now that I know what the options are, I can select what races to randomise with.

bi0philia wrote:

bi0philia wrote:

Dotting this of course, I'll read over the thread and see what pops up

also:

Rob** spoiler omitted **

** spoiler omitted **

Rob

Sheet is done. Just going to sit down and get the backstory down. Bear will be harrow card.

Aasimar(Musetouched, Var 90), Female

Good luck with the back story Azure!

I have a few ideas, now I need to pick one and flesh it out.
And I'll need a name.

** spoiler omitted **

I have some questions regarding a concept.

** spoiler omitted **

I know more details would need to be worked out, but i wanted to make sure the rough idea is okay before i continue with it.

Personally I like that background in that it can have a very visceral reaction from others. The important part is handling it tastefully and not making it define the character or be their only reason for becoming a strong person later in life. It's really tragic, especially that it was brought on by a supernatural trait of her own that she couldn't control and is also in fitting with the themes I'm working with for the story.

So, yes on all counts.

Responses:

@Garrett: Looks a lot better now!

@Aemelya: If you're looking for more detail about the plane of shadow I recommend taking a look at The Great Beyond written by my associate Todd Stewart! As to what you've added, it looks good :)

Responses:

@Garrett: Looks a lot better now!

@Aemelya: If you're looking for more detail about the plane of shadow I recommend taking a look at The Great Beyond written by my associate Todd Stewart! As to what you've added, it looks good :)

Wonderful, thank you. As soon as I have received more rpg monies, that will definitely be on the list.

FINALLY got a concept to start forming in my head for a brash young half-orc who's already had a brush with death, but still wants to be a kid.

But it's late, and tomorrow's probably the big day for college. I'll get back to it first chance I get.

I, Alyona Elvanna, hereby submit myself to the College of Shadows under the sign of the Betrayal.

I think Alyona's good enough to get some feedback at least. Happy to change anything that you don't like, or to follow any suggestions you might have for improving my chances :) Hope you enjoy!

I am expanding my background and I will post here when I finish the update.

I, Yaz, hereby submit myself to the College of Shadows under the sign of The Tangled Briar.

@Robert: I have updated my background (I hope I didn't go to overboard). I would also like your critique on tweaks I can make to the story. I am kinda new to the whole storytelling thing and would love some pointers.

@Everyone: If anyone is willing to read through my long background I would actually be interested in any input you all might have for me. Critiques are good!!! :D

@Zanithane: That looks really excellent now, exceptionally fleshed-out and really breathes more life into Zanithane's background, which should be really helpful for both of us at the onset of the story should you make it in. I definitely like these additions!

@Alyona: Absolutely excellent background with exceptional attention to detail of the setting, which is pretty much exactly as I've come to expect from you as a player. Alyona is a deliciously twisted and interesting character and I'd love to see her develop.

@Yaz: The background for Yaz is wonderfully savage and excellently reflective of Belkzen mindsets. Something to consider adding; has Yaz seen any first-hand devastation of either the armies of the Whispering Tyrant Tar-Baphon, or the armies of the Runelord Karzoug. Both powerful legions battle both the hordes of Belkzen and each other in the vicinity where Yaz would have been growing up. Whether or not he fought undead or servants of the Runelord, he could still have had experiences tempered by their presence.

Everything else looks good as far as the background is concerned. The formatting on the mechanics isn't desirable, but I'm willing to overlook that until we see if you make it in to the game.

As for the last bit of background where Hokuto had to subdue Yaz, it likely would have been with a sleep spell or something otherwise passive and non-violent with a chiding reprimand to play well with others, or something along those lines.

** spoiler omitted **

I'll allow that, yes. It's quite reasonable.

Since I have some spare time at the office today I thought I'd put out a little NPC highlight on Hokuto for those incorporating her into their backgrounds:

Hokuto Ichihara
Hokuto Ichihara is an enigmatic woman of indeterminate age. Outwardly, she appears as a woman of mixed ethnicity -- Taldan and Tian-min -- with fair skin and mismatched eyes; one the pale color of jade, the other a milky white and blind. Her dark hair is worn wound behind her head in a messy bun with a ragged fringe of bangs framing her face, partially concealing a mark high on her forehead painted in azure blue dyes that is a seal of geometric patterns. Despite her youthful appearance, Hokuto speaks of places and events as if she has lived a long and full life, mentioning historical events dating back over a hundred years as if she were there for them. Clipped to Hokuto's traditional Tian-style robe of black and white silk is a jeweled butterfly brooch with sapphire wings, the symbol of the goddess of travel and dreams, Desna.

Personality
Hokuto is equal measures impish and elusive, maintaining a soft and light-hearted exterior only to tempestuously shift to deadly seriousness in matters of importance. A trickster at heart, Hokuto is fond of pranks and jokes yet manages to be reliable in times of need rather than mischievously aloof.

The Harrow Deck
Hokuto carries a weathered and old looking set of harrow cards in one of the voluminous sleeves of her robe. These Harrow cards are dog-eared and faded, looking to have seen considerable use over many years and have traditional Varisian iconography for the Harrow characters painted on their hard card-stock, though the colors are not as vibrant as they once were.

I'll allow that, yes. It's quite reasonable.

Thanks ^^ I'm working on fleshing out her details. I hope to have something for you to look at sometime soon.

I'll rework my back story to fit Hokuto in it, I'm pretty sure I know how to.