In the perfumed arcade of the Garden of Wonders, Lord Teuman Bloodletter, Autarch of the Third Rank, seized the foreign woman Zalamandra by the throat, cursed her, and demanded his favorite. Adjoining the Veiled Corridor, dancers and snakes gyrated to the sonorous weave of cymbals and pipes. A floor below, free miners shoved one another aside to peer into the dark cell of a two-headed lamb.
One the street, a gang of enforcers screamed obscenities at a halfling slave, kicking it like a ball as it desperately cried to foreign gods for relief. Its prayers fell with its blood on uncaring dust. Drunken laughter rang from of shutters tied closed and locked doors. A bust of the Father of Victories looked on, uncaring.
Within a rude, two-tiered ziggurat across the square, filthy men with nothing to lose shouted hymns to the Crying God of the foreigners. They clutched scourges and lashed themselves, then begged Ishtar to spread her bounty as the blood fell. Outside, the skeletons of the last two high priests hung from obelisks bearing the name of Gilgaem the Great. They paid the price for the God-King’s indulgence and Lord Teuman’s wrath. At the altar, a hairy foreigner and a shaven-headed priestess preached with wild eyes as they scourged one another.
In the dusty square, under the blazing sun, two naked slaves scream for forgiveness as Enforcer Cit smiles and lashes each in turn. The Pit Lords look on look on, laughing and shouting encouragement. To one side, a scribe notes each lash on a wax tablet.
This is Dalath.
Hello! I am a brain-eating parasite which has burrowed into Samnell, eaten his brain, and wriggles around inside his flesh sack to make it move and soil itself. Some years ago, I ran Age of Worms as a PBEM. It was a lot of fun, but RL eventually got in the way for a good chunk of the group and things ground to a halt. I’ve regretted that ever since, so I thought it was worth another shot. My other PBPs are going pretty well and I want AoW for my birthday. With gestalt too, because gestalt is fun. To do that I need players. One spot is spoken for, but that leaves 3-5 more. I’m hoping to get about a substantive post a day, life permitting.
So this will be Age of Worms, but with some significant things worth knowing upfront.
Setting
I aim to run Age of Worms in an atypical corner of the Forgotten Realms: Unther. If you know your FR, I mean specifically pre-Time of Troubles Unther where the mad god-king Gilgeam is still on the throne and times are bad for everyone. If you don’t know your FR, then I mean fantasy theme park Babylonia literally ruled by a god-king who used to be a pretty solid strong ruler type but is now an out of touch tyrannical jackass everyone hates. Either way, he presides over a rump empire on the verge of collapse that has recently lost its second city to rebellion and doesn’t seem sure it can hire enough mercenaries to stand a good chance of retaking the place. I will not be using the normal FR setting adaptation, but rather writing my own.
You don’t need to know anything about FR, Unther, or Mesopotamian mythology to play. Nor am I deeply bent on keeping everything exact to FR canon. They’re inspirations, not lovely chains for fun times. I have other chains for that.
A Hard AP?
Age of Worms had that reputation back in the day. Between Pathfinder and gestalt, I’ve probably pushed back against that a bit. I’m not set on recreating the 3.5-era difficulty, but it’s likely that I’ll turn the volume up a bit all the same. I prefer close calls to murdering PCs; any lousy GM can murder PCs at will. But this is a game where death is possible, particularly given the rolls will all be out in the open. If your PC dies and you’d like to continue with the same character, I’ll be sure that you get reasonable means to resurrect them. I am cognizant of the risk of “hard” and “challenging” becoming a tedious grind only fun for the GM and will try to avoid going that far.
Content Advisory
I don’t plan to get graphic or lurid, except with the horrific violence we all know and love, but I do aim for a PG-13 to R rating for the game. This is less about sex or language than the fact that Untheric society is really terrible in a lot of ways that have RL resonance. It’s a deeply racist empire built on, and still practicing, slavery. I don’t aim to grind all the fun into the dirt with a mire of historically-inspired flavor about how bad this is, but I do study slavery and slavery-adjacent history and it’s likely there will be some bleed-through.
That said, if I do become upsetting or make you uncomfortable please let me know. I don’t intend this notice as an excuse I can throw in your face down the road, but rather as an acknowledgement that things may get dark in ways otherwise not expected. We all have different boundaries for that kind of thing.
There’s no Player’s Guide for Age of Worms, so here are some things you should probably know:
Probably the entire game will take place in subtropical to tropical settings, including Unther’s near-desert and various jungles. These will pose some hazards for unprotected PCs in heavy armor.
Undead play a very prominent role in the campaign, particularly the kinds with those special attacks that makes them so dangerous. Dragons, including some quite really big ones, also factor into events but they don’t put on an appearance for a while.
Age of Worms has an investigation and archaeology kind of theme that I aspire to stress, in lieu of having NPCs tell you everything. PCs interested in digging up the forgotten or suppressed past should find much to do.
Ability Scores
Use 25 point buy. You may reduce one score below 10, but to no lower than 8, before racial modifiers. Here’s a calculator to skip the tedium of working it out by hand.
Races
Going traditional here: core races only. You’re free to flavor your PC as hailing from one of the FR subraces, but mechanically they’re all Pathfinder elves, dwarves, halflings, and so forth.
The majority of Unther’s people are humans of Mulan descent, usually dark of hair and eyes and tend toward tall, slim builds. The upper classes customarily shave what little hair they have. They respect magic and learning, but tend to treat those who lack their ancestry and breeding with disdain. It’s a great point of pride to be of pure Untheric blood. The priesthoods of the native gods are strictly restricted to those who have and can prove their pedigree. The empire’s founding myth boasts of how the Mulan drove the Turami people from the land that became Unther and decrees them fit only for slavery. Mulan themselves are often slaves, but a Mulan who can prove pure enough blood must be freed unless enslaved for a notorious crime. Non-mulan humans may be mercenaries, traders, or slaves. In recent centuries, most are mercenaries.
Second to humans, the dwarves of Unther hail from the Smoking Mountains, or from the Great Rift far to the south. They tend toward darker coloration than the typical Mulan. Many are valued for their expert craftsmanship, particularly of stonework, and the Great Rift’s trade goods are very welcome in Untheric markets. Few dwarves are enslaved.
Halflings are the third most prominent race in Unther. The Mulan perceive halflings, who tend to share their coloration, as simply a stunted, somewhat deformed sort of human. Just over half the halfling population are enslaved and most Mulan presume any halfling they meet is someone’s property.
Elves, gnomes, and half-orcs rarely come to Unther except as mercenaries. The Mulan are indifferent to all save those of orc blood, whom they consider themselves under religious obligation to hate.
Classes
Any paizo class or archetype should be fine, excepting those featuring guns, technology, or with Asian-inspired flavor. Plus summoners and vigilantes are right out.
PCs who don’t fit into a broadly-construed Ancient Near Eastern theme should be foreigners, albeit foreigners who have lived in the Dalath area long enough to know roughly how things work. Patron deities for divines should be chosen from the Untheric pantheon or the prominent foreign gods in Unther, as detailed in the Religion spoiler. If you’re really set on playing with a different deity from the Forgotten Realms, let me know and we may be able to work something out.
A special note for those who may wish to be part of the priesthood of Gilgeam: Most Untheri loathe their god-king and his faith. The Martinets of the Father of Victories rule Unther through force and cruelty, so most Untheri will presume any bearing his sign to be bullying theocrats until thoroughly convinced otherwise. You can play one, but the role-playing challenge comes with it.
Be aware that the game will take place entirely in quite hot climates, so heavy armor might present some difficulties.
Gestalt? What’s Gestalt?
This is a gestalt game. It’s Pathfinder rules except for that. If you have a reasonable combination that you can meet the prerequisites for, you can have a prestige class on both sides of your gestalt. Rules you can be found here. The very short version is that you get to level two classes in parallel. Shore up a weakness. Double-down on a specialization. Play with neat combos. Have fun. If there’s any ambiguity about how classes smash together, ask away.
Alignment
You may play any non-evil alignment you like, provided that you do so in such a way that you’re able to get along with the group rather than work constantly at cross-purposes. Tension and disagreement are fine, but PCs should not constantly be seriously at odds or creating situations that make things routinely unfun for other players.
Hit Points
Take your maximum at every level.
Background Skills
We’re using ‘em. Go nuts.
Gear
This game will use automatic bonus progression. That means your wealth by level will be halved, but you will receive built-in bonuses to model the standard magic items that the game assumes you get. However, the present bonus table slightly favors casters at the expense of martials. Instead of automatically getting your +2 ability score to a mental ability first you may choose to take either Physical Prowess or Mental Prowess when the opportunity arises. If you choose mental first, you follow the table as written. If you choose physical, swap the positions all the way down. So if you took physical prowess at 6th level, your 7th level bonus is mental prowess, and so forth.
Starting out, PCs get with the maximum gold specified for their class (if they differ, choose the better of the two) to spend on gear, keep, give to poor orphans, or whatever else you’d like. You can stretch that gold (but not the orphans) further through the use of crafting skills. Assume all pre-game rolls are successful. During the game, item crafting and item crafting feats are fair game. There will be periods when you are not racing any particular clock and can take time out to invest in making things and other pursuits.
Languages
There is no common tongue as such. The dominant language of Unther is Untheric, which is written in its own set of characters. If you have a different native language, you get Untheric as a freebie on top. Both the language and the characters have changed dramatically over the milennia, to the point where Ancient Untheric is no longer comprehensible to untrained modern speakers, but may be chosen through the Linguistic skill. Priests of the native gods of Unther may take the tongue for one of their bonus languages from high intelligence.
The major languages of Unther’s human neighbors are Aglarondan (spoken across the sea and far to the north, where Unther once ruled), Chessentan (to the northwest, where Unther also once ruled, and by a majority of the mercenaries), and Mulhorandi (to the east, the lands of Unther’s ancient ally) and Shaaran (spoken on the endless plains to the South). Many Untheri also learn dwarven and halfling, though few admit to the latter. All are suitable bonus languages for Untheri PCs.
Traits
Everyone loves traits. I believe traits may be secretly trying to take over the world through the corruption of our precious bodily fluids. Your PC may take two traits, one of which must be a campaign trait. Rather than try to write my own slate of campaign traits, which I am terrible at, you can choose any campaign trait you like provided it makes sense for Unther or is easily adapted. Feel free to rifle through the Dalath primer for ideas. This trait should also represent how you are indebted or connected to Zummabu, the Wizard of of Dalath and inclined to do him a possibly dangerous favor of two.
You may take one additional trait in exchange for taking a drawback.
Roll20
For my sanity, this game will use Roll20 for battle maps. It’s otherwise a standard PBP. The tabletop is there for convenience and because it’s infinitely less fiddly than trying to get things working on a Google Drawing or something like that. When fights do come I’ll resolve them more or less like one would around a table, just like if we were in the room together and you could see the parasite’s tendrils leaking out of my ears. My preference is for you to do the great majority of the rolls on behalf of your PC, which seems to be the PBP norm.
Books you can draw from?
Let’s keep it to Paizo only. I might grant a modest exception here or there for something that fits the theme and setting really well, but I’m not going to sign on to learn whole new rules subsystems, classes, or other things on that scale.
Backstory
PCs should be either natives or longtime residents of Dalath who are somehow obliged or indebted to Zummabu, the local wizard. Maybe he paid your debts. Maybe your family owes him a large favor. He might own you or have taken you as an apprentice. However it’s come about (you tell me), Zummabu’s asked you and several others to come together and help him with a potentially dangerous project. For what it’s worth, Zummabu is a pretty nice guy even to people who he has a hold over. Someone in Unther has to be.
You can write as much as you like. I’ll be looking for who the PC is, how they behave, what their values are, how well they fit into Unther and Dalath, and how they seem likely to mesh with others. I place much more stock in this than I do in strict mechanical considerations. If a non-traditional party emerges, that’s just as good as the classic fighter/rogue/cleric/wizard to me and I’ll adjust things accordingly.
Dalath sits in the foothills of the Smoking Mountains, next to a small lake long since poisoned by effluvia from the mines. Numerous ancient tombs dot the hills, all dating back to Unther’s ancient past. Many believe the Old Gods themselves rest somewhere nearby, but none has ever found their final abodes. The tombs were forgotten for many centuries, until prospectors struck gold. In short order, Dalath sprang up to supply the mines being driven into the earth and then the looters who came for the rediscovered tombs. More than a generation has passed since then, with the tombs emptied and the mines slowly playing out. Once more than two dozen companies operated in the region, but now only six remain.
To the north, past the lake and across a short stretch of plains, one finds the tangled Methwood full of savage lizardmen and, the stories say, dragons. Unther maintains several outposts along the fringe of the jungle, which manage an uneasy peace with the lizard tribes. Farther still, past the Riders to the Sky Mountains, lay the city-states of Chessenta and sandy march of Threskel that Unther lost to rebellion long ago.
Days to the east, the road takes travelers to Unthalass, the City of Gems and seat of the Empire. It stands on the shore of the poison waters, where the River of Metals flows into it. There also flows Dalath’s trade, the ores and occasional gemstones still pulled from the Pits. In Unthalass, the mad God-King Gilgeam rules from his high ziggurat, great and terrible. He has not departed it and shown his face to the people made to be his slaves in centuries.
Authority Figures
Lord Teuman Bloodletter rules Dalath in the name of the God-King, but everyone knows that he cannot oppose the Pit Lords who rule the mines and supply Dalath’s wealth. Many believe his brother, Zummabu guards what little authority Teuman has with his spells. Others say that the Pit Lords [i]Semmik, most loathsome of the lot, and the dwarf lord Ragnolin Dourstone would have swept Teuman and Zummabu aside years ago if they could ever set aside their intense feud. The other Pit Lords are caught in a complicated game of playing them off each other and Lord Teuman, which has claimed more than one fortune.
Local Places of Worship
The Two Tears Dedicated to Ishtar and the foreign god Ilmater, this temple draws in many of Dalath’s locals. The priest and priestess preach against the Pit Lords and preside over services centered around self-flagellation, in the belief that righteous blood will make the land bloom and free all from the toil of the mines. Lately, many of their exhortations speak of a dark, writhing time ahead. Dalath’s authorities consider the temple a threat to good order and have executed several previous high priests and priestesses.
The House of War, within the local garrison, serves the god of the foreign mercenaries: Tempus. A fair number of Dalath’s residents find the warlike message of the foreign god more appealing than Gilgeam’s dogma and make their way to the edge of town to worship with the soldiers.
The Twilight Monastery Two hours north of Dalath, the monastery is a somber place where a small band of aesthetics and mystics follow the memory of the Old Gods who died long ago. Many believe them mad, but they insist that the dead gods sometimes stir in their tombs and give their blessings. The monks keep to themselves, appearing around Dalath mostly to see to the graveyard and sell herbs that they believe grant sacred visions.
The Teeth of the Storm Three hours from Dalath, a circle of stones shaped by no hand rise on a hill. When the storms come, lightning lashes each and they glow with inner fire. A small community of woodsmen and priests of Ramman live nearby, coming to Dalath but rarely.
Secular Establishments
The Bed of Ishtar is a house of pleasure staffed by women who claim the goddess’ favor and practice the arts of the moon. Some serve as acolytes at The Two Tears. Most know the business as a cheaper version of the Veiled Corridor.
The Garden of Wonders is Dalath’s preeminent den of vice and other amusements, chiefly staffed by foreigners. The finest prostitutes ply their trade in its Veiled Corridor, catering to only the town’s wealthiest. Any who can meet the small entry fee might come to gawk at the Beast Man of the North, the Demon Boy in his cage, the contortionist, the dancing girls and boys, and the sword-swallowing pyromancer. They might go off to a quiet corner and have the blind woman read their future in her cards, or crowd to see the two-headed calf. Cockfights, gambling, and more go on every night.
The God’s Pit is the largest of Dalath’s dives. Men and women come to drink and partake of rougher bloodsports. The pit in the middle of the floor holds dogfights and cockfights, but most who come for more than drink come to see wrestling beneath the stern face of Gilgeam. Nothing promises a fair fight, and the patrons often turn on old favorites or pelt the contenders with bottles, knives, chairs, or whatever else comes to hand to make the matches more interesting. The law rarely takes note of those who die within the Pit.
The Lapis Plate caters to those who care for a quiet night and exquisite cuisine and don’t care how much they pay. The Lord, Pit Lords, and a few others supply most of its custom.
Lugal’s caters to a more refined crowd, fans of the foreign game Dragonchess. One comes here for sedate amusement, either playing themselves or wagering on the games of others amid civilized conversation. For many, the conversation holds more interest than the game. The uncouth and poor are not welcome.
The Spinning Knife fills with off-duty soldiers from the garrison every night, entertained by the best music to be heard in Dalath. Fights are rare -soldiers so inclined go to the Pit, or at least take it outside- and outsiders are welcome, so long as they give way to warriors and impugn neither the arts of steel nor the Lord of Battles.
Zummabu’s Tower stands toward the edge of town. Lord Teuman’s brother lives within, appearing rarely except to lend his authority to official pronouncements. A walled garden surrounds it. Therein stands Dalath’s only tree. The wizard conducts most of his business through his slave, Iva.
Mortals are the slaves of the gods. This weak clay, subject to all the woes of life, has no reason but to feel the foot of the Lords of Heaven, to taste each stroke of the lash, to burn in undying wrath, and look on those who set the earth and sky in their places and tremble in awe. These are Unther’s native gods.
Gilgaem
Portfolio: Strength, athletic prowess (especially wrestling), the sky, battle, cities, the land of Unther
Alignments: LN, LE
Symbol: A red fist on a sunburst, in a black lozenge
Domains: Air, Law (Tyranny), Strength, War
Weapon: Heavy mace
On his Ziggurat that holds the firmament, stands Gilgaem the Great, Master of War, Father of Unnumbered Victories, Supreme Ruler of Unther, of Chessenta, of Threskel, and Chondath, Turmish, Conqueror, Emptier of the Shaar, Scourge of the Yuir. He smote Tiamat, broke her back in his hands and slew her and made her his. He took Assuran in his arms and threw the Doombringer from Unther, and the Lord of the Three Thunders struck the firmament and broke it open. The Outer Waters fell and made the Great Sea. The god-king speaks and the Outer Waters shake with the echo of his voice on the firmament. His name is Might and Rule. His words are the Chain of Law. The god-king speaks: “I am All Religion, I am All Worship, none may breath in Unther without blessing me.”
Ishtar
Portfolio: Weather, Rivers, the Harvest, Love, Marriage, Magic, War
Alignments: LG, LN, NG, N, CG, CN
Symbol: A woman’s hand gripping a glowing crystal rod
Domains: Charm, Good, Healing, Magic, Water
Weapon: Quarterstaff
Ishtar of the Sweet Waters, Wife to the Earth, her bountiful womb is the spring of all rivers. With her flail she reaps endless harvests. Many are her lovers, few who can meet her passion and not be consumed. Need kindles in all who fall under her gaze. Those she takes dig seven mighty pits and raise seven raise high towers, for She Who Mounts holds the goad and whip in her hands. She fits each to the halter and makes steeds of them. Her pleasure is the soft rain from the sky. When she yearns, her lust burns and consumes the land. She knows the secrets of the moon. Her wrath is a lion’s, falling on all who slight her.
Ramman
Portfolio: War, Thunder, Rain, Storms
Alignments: LN, NG, N, NE, CN
Symbol: A cloud pierced by a lightning bolt
Domains: Air, Destruction, Glory, Protection, Weather
Weapon: Spear
Ramman the Thunder is the hard rain. His feet stand on the mountains. His lance is ten lightnings. His passing is the west wind. His word is the lion’s roar. His strength is the charging bull. His wrath tears trees from the earth and makes the walls fall. His waters overflow the banks and drown cities. His light burns the unrighteous. His anger blackens the sun. He knows all secrets and puts them in the liver of the ram, in the oil on water, and his gale moves the stars.
The Dead Gods
Long ago, many gods stood in the Heavens. They marched to war with their people, smote the gods of the orcs and were smote by them. Enlil the King bore his Rod, the Breaker of Chains, his Might, against Gruumsh in the beginning of the world. The Orcgod threw his axe against the Rod and the great blow broke it in seven. The tip, with the Old King’s might, pierced Gruumsh the Orcgod and stole his eye so he is called One Eye, but the shards flew across the field and smote seven gods with all the power of the Old King that was spent. There died Girru the Flame; Inanna, Mother of Ishtar; Ki, Untouchable Queen of Beasts and the Green Earth; Marduk, Tiamat’s bane, who spoke the Law; Nanna-Sin the Moon with an Axe of Night; Nergal who feasted on the dead and carried plague on his shield; and Utu the Sun. Enlil decreed that they lay in god-tombs, but his might had passed. As the workers sealed the last tomb, he set aside his rule, named Gilgeam the King his successor, and passed from the circle of the world.
The God of the Rebels
Tiamat
Portfolio: Dragons, reptiles, greed, revolution, revenge
Alignments: Any (Tiamat has no paladins)
Symbol: A five-headed dragon
Domains: Air, Evil, Law, Liberation, Scalykind (Dragon)
Weapon: Heavy Pick
Centuries of neglect, misrule, decline, and divine madness have broken the faith of many in the traditional gods of the Empire. Instead, they turn to the Nemesis of the Gods, Tiamat the Thrice-Slain. She promises them she will tear Unther down raise it high again with the secrets of rebirth. Worship of Tiamat is death under the laws of Unther, preferably by torture.
Foreign Gods
Outsiders, chiefly mercenaries, have brought these faiths to Unther of the centuries. They are foreign and strange, but the madness of the God-King and the impotence of Ishtar and Ramman’s faiths under his law have driven some to embrace the ways of the strangers. Foreign gods are technically illegal, but save for sporadic repression and token reprisals the law is rarely enforced. When Gilgeam’s priests want a scapegoat, they frequently look to the priests of these alien faiths.
All of these are the familiar Forgotten Realms deities. I can provide more information if necessary. The main foreign gods worshipped in Unther are Mystra (mostly popular among dissident wizards), and Tempus (the mercenaries’ most prominent god). Ilmater’s faith is quite rare in Unther, but the Crying God has recently taken hold in Dalath. I’ve omitted some popular faiths that aren’t PC-appropriate.
Ilmater
Portfolio: Endurance, suffering, martyrdom, perseverance
Alignments: LN, LG, NG
Symbol: A bloodstained rack
Domains: Good, Healing, Law, Strength
Weapon: Unarmed strike
Mystra
Portfolio: Magic, spells
Alignments: LG, LN, LE, NG, N, NE
Symbol: A blue-white star
Domains: Law, Knowledge, Magic, Runes
Weapon: shiruken
Tempus
Portfolio: War, battle, warriors
Alignments: CG, CN, CE
Symbol: A blazing silver sword on a blood-red shield
Domains: Chaos, Protection, Strength, War
Weapon: Battleaxe
Recruitment ends at 11:59 PM Eastern Time on Friday, October 14th.
Age of Worms! Dotting. Starting at level 1?
Age of Worms! Dotting. Starting at level 1?
Yes, first level.
Sounds very cool...
Dotting for interest. ^^/ I'll see what I can come up with. Maybe something ritualistically mystical...
You said Eastern classes are out but how would you feel about just keeping the mechanics and reskinning the flavor? Don't have anything specific in mind, just wanting to see for a starting point.
You said Eastern classes are out but how would you feel about just keeping the mechanics and reskinning the flavor? Don't have anything specific in mind, just wanting to see for a starting point.
It would depend on implementation, but I'd be open to a re-skinned version with the same mechanics.
Dotting.
I have a few ideas already
1) cleric/brawler of Gilgeam who focuses on grappling. Idea here is he'a a total company man. He's kind of like a templar from Dark Sun, only he likes crushing a people's head like egg between his thighs.
2) brawler/monk(tetori) focusing on grappling--probably some kind of slave/gladiator. I kind of see him like a mul gladiator from Dark Sun. Although, I don't see him being particularly upset with his station in life.
3) wizard(necromancer)/cleric(undead lord) who follows nergal-- he's a very pleasant guy, really, undead (nonthinking and non-creating) are tools. He is helping tUnthers economy by supplying tireless uncomplaining workers
4) paladin/warpriest (or sorcerer) of Marduk heading towards a dragon disciple if a sorcerer.
Im more partial to the grapplers than the others, but a Gilgamite poses... issues
Im more partial to the grapplers than the others, but a Gilgamite poses... issues
He does, but it's not impossible if you're willing to play a non-jerk. Ages and ages ago, Gilgeam was a sort of hard-but-fair hero king. And you're up for dealing with the RP challenges of everyone assuming you're one of the bad ones.
Hmm... do you think a Magus (Card Caster) / Witch (Cartomancer) would be a decent choice? I was thinking of a very Harrow-themed character, one of the people reading people's future in the cards (although probably not blindly). Between her classes, she'd have decent offense as well as buffs and debuffs to help the party.
Hmm... do you think a Magus (Card Caster) / Witch (Cartomancer) would be a decent choice? I was thinking of a very Harrow-themed character, one of the people reading people's future in the cards (although probably not blindly). Between her classes, she'd have decent offense as well as buffs and debuffs to help the party.
It would be a foreign divination method, but that's fine. A native might have picked it up from the local fortune teller in Dalath, who uses cards. A foreigner wouldn't need any excuse. :) In-world, card-based divination is done with the Talis deck. For rules purposes it's the same as a Harrow deck.
I'm not gonna lie, being foreign might be better. XD The mystical arts from far away usually work well for this sort of thing. "Ancient knowledge of insert-lost-civilization-here" and all that. It's late today, but I'll go ahead and get started on my character tomorrow.
I'm not gonna lie, being foreign might be better. XD The mystical arts from far away usually work well for this sort of thing. "Ancient knowledge of insert-lost-civilization-here" and all that. It's late today, but I'll go ahead and get started on my character tomorrow.
The local herself is a foreigner, so she's a potential local trainer if you want it.
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Dot. So many dots.
The first thing that springs to mind is a Brawler(Shield Champion)/Magus(Skirnir) for lots of synergistic fun and style (you get to be Captain America, but also Kind Of A Wizard!).
OR! A Fighter(Brawler)/Unchained Rogue(Scout) using Outslug Style and a pair of... Cestuses?... Cesti?... Whatever... for lots of running and punching nonsense.
For the fluff, I think it'd be fun to do something in the realm of a Half-Orc foreigner who Unther hoping for easy mercenary work and wound up stuck there for the last few years. Hates the place, but doesn't mind too much working for Zummabu specifically.
Hmmm, yes. Much to ponder.
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For the fluff, I think it'd be fun to do something in the realm of a Half-Orc foreigner who Unther hoping for easy mercenary work and wound up stuck there for the last few years. Hates the place, but doesn't mind too much working for Zummabu specifically.
That would fit in just fine in Dalath, though if he's visibly orcish he may have some RP challenges.
Also I checked and it's cestuses in English. Because I am a dork. :)
I ran my AoW Table Top partially having taken place in Unther. What are the odds? :-)
I know waaay too much about the AP to play but sounds great and Samnell is a great DM so this should be a good one!
Ok, I settled on a brawler/monk(tetori) gladiator slave type. He focuses on grappling and close-weapon combat.
I ran my AoW Table Top partially having taken place in Unther. What are the odds? :-)
Get out of my head! :) The game from several years ago (started late 2007) began in Mulhorand and moved over to Unther for the fourth and fifth adventures.
I know waaay too much about the AP to play but sounds great and Samnell is a great DM so this should be a good one!
...you are trying to secure XP, magic, and other GMly favors out of me. Successfully!
A gestalt age of worms game starting at level 1? That sounds wonderful. I think I'll go for a Rage Prophet (from bloodrager/oracle) on one side and sorcerer on the other. Undead bloodline seems mighty fitting for this campaign, though I think I'll go with heaven's mystery in that case for my oracle. I'm unsure what level to take for my rage prophet side at level 1. I'm leaning bloodrager, but I could see going with or switching to oracle if the party needs more healing.
I really love what they have done with defic obedience in pathfinder. Would you allow to transfer the boons to appropriate dieties in your setting? Which diety would be best fitting for Desna? I'm considering going into the Evangelist Prc from my sorcerer side. Heaven's Oracle fits very well with Desna too.
I'm thinking to take the following campaign trait. Would that be ok?
Lore Seeker
The secrets of ancient fallen civilizations intrigue you, particularly magical traditions. You’ve studied magic intensely, and hope to increase that knowledge by adding lost lore. You’ve come to pursue that study, and chose this place as your base because it was out of the way of bigger cities—meaning less competition to study the ancient monuments in the region, you hope!
Benefit You gain a +1 trait bonus on Knowledge (arcana) checks, and Knowledge (arcana) is a class skill for you. If you cast arcane spells, pick three spells on your spell list. You are particularly adept at casting these spells, so they function at +1 caster level when you cast them, and their save DCs (if any) gain a +1 bonus.
What about Ishtar, Tymora or Sune (not really that fitting, but I love Sune) instead of Desna? Tymora is probably the most fitting. She's the goddess of luck, even if she doesn't match all the other aspects. Is Tymora venerated in Unther at all? Everyone want a bit luck in their lives.
I guess I can drop that aspect of the character if you don't like moving the mechanical aspect from Golarion dieties.
All right, here's my submission. ^^ The build idea's going to take a little while to really get going, but Evil Eye and normal throwing cards should tide me over to start with. I'm very emphatically trying to avoid having a min-maxed character. XD
Notable question: Since Card Caster is basically "Throwing Magus", how did you want to interpret Spell Combat, which is normally limited to melee attacks? Is that something I can use with my throwing attacks, or...?
Saeri
Female human magus (card caster, kensai) 1/gestalt 1/witch (cartomancer, hedge witch) 1 (Pathfinder Player Companion: The Harrow Handbook, Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player's Guide 65, Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Combat 55, Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Magic 9, 84)
CG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +5; Senses Perception +1
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Defense
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AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 10 (+3 Dex, +1 dodge)
hp 9 (1d8+1)
Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +2
Defensive Abilities canny defense +1
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Ranged mwk harrow card +6 (1d4+2) or
. . normal card +5 (1d4+2)
Special Attacks arcane pool (+1, 5 points), hex (evil eye[APG]), spell combat
Magus (Card Caster, Kensai) Spells Prepared (CL 1st; concentration +5)
. . 1st—shocking grasp
. . 0 (at will)—arcane mark, prestidigitation
Witch (Cartomancer, Hedge Witch) Spells Prepared (CL 1st; concentration +5)
. . 1st—cure light wounds, mage armor
. . 0 (at will)—detect magic, light, read magic
. . Patron Healing
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Statistics
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Str 13, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 18, Wis 10, Cha 12
Base Atk +0; CMB +1; CMD 15
Feats Deadly Dealer, Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Weapon Focus (dart)
Traits love lost (orphaned), reactionary
Skills Craft (calligraphy) +12, Knowledge (arcana) +8, Knowledge (nature) +8, Knowledge (planes) +8, Perception +1, Profession (fortune-teller) +4, Spellcraft +8, Swim +5, Use Magic Device +5
Languages Aglarondan, Chessentan, Mulhorandi, Shaaran, Untheric
SQ chosen weapon, deadly dealer, witch's familiar
Other Gear cards[UE], harrow carrying case, harrow deck[UE], harrow mat, magus starting spellbook, masterwork artisan's tools, spell component pouch, 56 gp, 6 sp, 4 cp
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Special Abilities
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Arcane Pool +1 (5/day) (Su) Infuse own power into a held weapon, granting enhancement bonus or selected item powers.
Canny Defense +1 (Ex) +INT bonus to AC (max Kensai level).
Chosen Weapon (Cards) Kensai abilities only function when wielding a weapon of this type.
Deadly Dealer Arcane Strike: throw cards as if they were darts. Card destroyed when thrown.
Deadly Dealer (Su) May deal lethal damage as long as you have 1 point in Arc. Pool.
Evil Eye -2 (7 rounds, DC 14) (Su) Foe in 30 ft takes penalty to your choice of AC, attacks, saves, ability or skill checks (Will part).
Point-Blank Shot +1 to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at up to 30 feet.
Precise Shot You don't get -4 to hit when shooting or throwing into melee.
Spell Combat (Ex) Use a weapon with one hand at -2 and cast a spell with the other.
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Entering this madness is Saeri, a fortune-teller who ultimately made her way to the city after a careful study of her cards told her that it was the right place to be. Saeri is an expert in the use of the Harrow, an esoteric set of cards used to predict the future - and indeed, she makes a living through a combination of telling fortunes and selling calligraphy that she pens as a result (usually showing the spread they received and her interpretation of it). She caters mainly to wealthier clients - rich ladies seeking guidance are among her most frequent visitors - but she's willing to read a spread for anyone who can pay.
The most popular spread is the traditional Tapestry, featuring nine cards in a 3x3 square, but Saeri has also been known to lay the Bridge, Cross, Path, and Sword spreads when they're more relevant to a question being asked.
Although not the most attractive individual - her appearance is a little above the human average, but nothing truly outstanding - she's relatively popular in social circles. Her general mysteriousness, coupled with a solid income from her divinations, in enough to get many imaginations running. It's also been known to attract less savory individuals, who quickly find out her talents aren't limited to laying and reading cards.
As a Magus, Saeri is both a Card Caster and a Kensai, extremely talented in the art of throwing cards. She keeps a pack of normal cards with her for that very purpose, since she's still working on ways of protecting her normal cards. In addition, as a Witch, she's quite capable of cursing people and bringing misfortune upon them. Somewhat less known is the fact that her powers as a witch actually run towards healing and support, since her patron - which she can contact through her Harrow deck - is actually one of healing.
Saeri first became acquainted with the wizard Zummabu after an incident in her homeland, where the wizard, put briefly, slaughtered a few local thugs soon after they'd murdered Saeri's surviving parent. She feels something of a debt to him for this, since otherwise they'd never have been brought to justice - not eternally, but she is willing to do something fairly dangerous for him in return. She's also willing to do Harrow readings for him at no cost whenever he wants, and he knows better than to treat her card readings as mere superstition. There's definitely some magic involved... and while he doesn't obsess over it the way some of her customers do, he has asked for the occasional spread.
dotting as well, with a Dwarven Kineticist (Earth)/Fighter (Lore Warden) mercenary, who specializes in siege combat and attacking fortifications.
Quick question: If I take this alternate racial feature
Stonesinger: Some dwarves' affinity for the earth grants them greater powers. Dwarves with this racial trait are treated as one level higher when casting spells with the earth descriptor or using granted powers of the Earth domain, the bloodline powers of the deep earth bloodline or earth elemental bloodline, and revelations of the oracle's stone mystery. This ability does not give them early access to level-based powers; it only affects the powers they could use without this ability. This racial trait replaces stonecunning.
will it apply to my Kineticist powers?
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@Samnell: After careful consideration, I've decided it would be much more fun to do running punching nonsense as a Halfling.
Still a foreigner, but came to Dalath to find extended family that's been enslaved. It's been years with little luck and few leads, but she's found relatively agreeable work with Zummabu during her extended stay.
Would that sync well flavor-wise with the setting?
I think I'm going to have to go ahead and bow out, unless some divine inspiration strikes me soon. While I love gestalt, and would love to get into this game, nothing particularly interesting is striking my fancy, even less so without stepping on the toes of posters who have come before.
You do have the week if something does come to mind. If not, no hard feelings. I've wanted into games and been stumped for PCs myself.
@Samnell: After careful consideration, I've decided it would be much more fun to do running punching nonsense as a Halfling.
Still a foreigner, but came to Dalath to find extended family that's been enslaved. It's been years with little luck and few leads, but she's found relatively agreeable work with Zummabu during her extended stay.
Would that sync well flavor-wise with the setting?
That would sync very well indeed. And I would let you find your family eventually. It's no fun to have that backstory and never see it bear fruit. :)
dotting as well, with a Dwarven Kineticist (Earth)/Fighter (Lore Warden) mercenary, who specializes in siege combat and attacking fortifications.
Quick question: If I take this alternate racial feature
will it apply to my Kineticist powers?
Stonesinger: Some dwarves' affinity for the earth grants them greater powers. Dwarves with this racial trait are treated as one level higher when casting spells with the earth descriptor or using granted powers of the Earth domain, the bloodline powers of the deep earth bloodline or earth elemental bloodline, and revelations of the oracle's stone mystery. This ability does not give them early access to level-based powers; it only affects the powers they could use without this ability. This racial trait replaces stonecunning.
That looks pretty harmless, and I hear kineticist is on the low end of the power curve. Let's say it applies.
What about Ishtar, Tymora or Sune (not really that fitting, but I love Sune) instead of Desna? Tymora is probably the most fitting. She's the goddess of luck, even if she doesn't match all the other aspects. Is Tymora venerated in Unther at all? Everyone want a bit luck in their lives.
I guess I can drop that aspect of the character if you don't like moving the mechanical aspect from Golarion dieties.
The trait is very fitting.
I don't mind moving the mechanics to another deity, so deific obedience is a go. FR doesn't have an exact Desna analog, but lots of gods have overlap. It depends what you like more. The main catch with foreign gods, especially the ones not on the list, is that you wouldn't find many co-religionists hanging around.
For adventurer-friendly deities, you really can't beat Tymora. Her worship isn't big in Unther, but easy enough for a foreigner to have picked up back home and brought along. Sune fits the flavor, but not so much the trait. The happy scholarship angle could suggest Milil or (to a lesser degree) Deneir. Travelers could mean Shaundakul, but he would be a really weird fit.
If you're into the whimsical butterfly aspect, the closest fit is probably Lurue. She's a unicorn goddess concerned with talking beasts, hope, joy, salvation, and protection of those in need. There's a strong tradition of impulsive, romantic deeds and sharp wit in her clergy. It's a pretty foreign thing to Unther, but perfectly in order for a foreigner to have gotten involved with.
If it's the stars, then you could go Mystra but this is LN Mystra who is somewhat less cuddly and more mad magical scientist. Very fitting for the trait but less so the flavor. Probably the best fit for that is Selune, who has most everything except butterflies and dreams, though she's more moon-oriented.
The best all-around fit is probably Sehanine Moonbow. She's interseted in mysticism, dreams, death, journeys, transcendence, the moon, stars, heavens, and elves. She's an elven divinity so it would be unusual for a non-elf to follow her, but not unheard of. Non-elven divines claiming Sehanine's blessings might cause a scandal among elf communities, but that's unlikely to come up in the game.
So...do any of those sound good? :) I can provide quite a lot more information, but I'm trying to keep things manageable.
All right, here's my submission. ^^ The build idea's going to take a little while to really get going, but Evil Eye and normal throwing cards should tide me over to start with. I'm very emphatically trying to avoid having a min-maxed character. XD
Notable question: Since Card Caster is basically "Throwing Magus", how did you want to interpret Spell Combat, which is normally limited to melee attacks? Is that something I can use with my throwing attacks, or...?
** spoiler omitted **...
Spell combat's not going throw-compatible. The AT doesn't modify it and the text specifies melee weapons. You've still got it to use with a melee attack if you get caught in hand to hand, though.
Right-o! Fortunately, darts (which cards act as) DO seem to have a melee attack, so that ought to be possible - even if throwing them is the preferred technique. XD Especially once I hit Level 3, and they automatically return without being destroyed.
(The deck of normal cards is just a substitute until then. I figured a normal deck would be enough attacks.)
Right-o! Fortunately, darts (which cards act as) DO seem to have a melee attack, so that ought to be possible - even if throwing them is the preferred technique. XD Especially once I hit Level 3, and they automatically return without being destroyed.
(The deck of normal cards is just a substitute until then. I figured a normal deck would be enough attacks.)
That sounds fine. I'm not sure it's intended, since darts are listed with ammunition, but they do dagger damage and it's not going to hurt anything to let you have that. Plus it's cool. :)
I kinda want my character to be local. Though it doesn't look like that fits very well with any of the dieties you mentioned :/. Sehanine Moonbow is worshiped by some gnomes, so maybe I'll make my character a travelling gnome. The penalty to strength will hurt, but the extra boost to con might be even better. I did consider making my character a gnome earlier. Investing into strength probably isn't optimal, but I think it's much more fitting to make a bloodrager with at least a positive strength score.
I wish I could tie my bloodline to the badguys of the story. That's kinda hard to do without knowing anything about them though. Perhaps my character's parents were involved in some ritual with some of them (but somehow managed to escape), or even had a relationship resulting in pregnancy with a vampire/litch/something? Gnomes are pretty much fey so they can mate with almost anything. This would of course give my character a stronger connection and motivation for seeking to know more about his ancestry and powers. If you can't provide any spoiler-free info/tips/hints, perhaps you can send me a pm?
There are a couple gnome traits tied to favored terrain. Will any terrain feature more heavily than others? Preferably tied to the undead thing above. (A litch in a cave or a vampire in a manor for example).
Seeing if there's any guidance you can offer at this point in the creation process:
Alright, I'm thinking a priest/mercenary of the Red Knight. Red Knight is a demi-goddess of Strategy and Tactics and serves Tempus, she should be around in this time period but I'm not 100% on when she ascended. One of the big differences between her and Tempus aside from her more specific profile is that she's lawful neutral and thus has Lawful priests.
Personality wise I'm thinking introspective, patient, with a dedication to those he serves with. Conversely, against foes he's vicious, using trickery and deception as much a force and going for the weakest link in their armor. This is someone who does just as well on the battlefield or in administration. A western Zhuge Liang.
Fits in Unter and Dalath as well as most mercenaries do. He doesn't like slavery but isn't willing to fight against it. His interests lie in warfare and the gentlemanly arts.
One side of Gestalt will be divine, probably cleric but I'm eyeing warpriest. The other side will likely be a martial class, cavalier and ranger look attractive though Brawler, Hunter, Alchemist, Monk, and Slayer are on the list.
That's what I'm looking at so far.
Seeing if there's any guidance you can offer at this point in the creation process:
Alright, I'm thinking a priest/mercenary of the Red Knight. Red Knight is a demi-goddess of Strategy and Tactics and serves Tempus, she should be around in this time period but I'm not 100% on when she ascended. One of the big differences between her and Tempus aside from her more specific profile is that she's lawful neutral and thus has Lawful priests.
Technically, it's the Time of Troubles so a little after the game is set. But:
1) She puts on a divine appearance during the ToT, so she must have been a goddess before then.
2) The flavor text says her faith emerged from Tempus' after that, which implies it's kind of a sect within the church prior.
3) It makes a lot of sense to have RK people along with all the Tempus people.
4) The Red Knight is cool.
5) Canon is not the boss of me.
Therefore: Enjoy your Holy Strategist. :)
Class-wise, any of your ideas sound promising.
I kinda want my character to be local. Though it doesn't look like that fits very well with any of the dieties you mentioned :/. Sehanine Moonbow is worshiped by some gnomes, so maybe I'll make my character a travelling gnome. The penalty to strength will hurt, but the extra boost to con might be even better. I did consider making my character a gnome earlier.
You certainly can do that, but it's just as easy to say there's a halfling who learned about Sehanine from a travelling elf. Maybe the elf "tampered" with the slaves (or ex-slaves) and spread seditious ideas that have stuck around.
Terrain is fairly diverse, barring cold climates, so it's hard to say. Here's a very rough run-down of the first few adventures' major terrains:
1) Foothills (so mountains) & Underground
2) Underground
3) Jungle
4) Urban
5) Urban
6) Underground
I'll be in touch via PMs about the rest.
How are we feeling about Leadership? It matters for my domain selection.
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How are we feeling about Leadership? It matters for my domain selection.
We are fine with leadership.
Unchained rogue, monk , barbarian?
Unchained rogue, monk , barbarian?
Unchained rogues, monks, and barbs are a-ok.
Also since there is one, I've put together a roster of completed submissions. It's here and will be up above the thread in short order.
Dotting
For the list, I feel I should note that Saeri also has the Hedge Witch archetype. All those cure spells ought to be useful in a fairly undead-heavy campaign. XD
For the list, I feel I should note that Saeri also has the Hedge Witch archetype. All those cure spells ought to be useful in a fairly undead-heavy campaign. XD
Fixed.
Would you consider Dreamscarred Press material? I'm sure I could whip up a Soulknife//X of some sort that could be interesting, or perhaps a Marksman//Rogue or Monk of some sort.
Going to have to say no, sorry. I can have trouble juggling the Paizo classes and their options without taking on another subsystem, even if it's one I vaguely remember from years ago. But if you can make something that does a similar job with Paizo content, I've no objection to your flavoring it similarly to the psionic stuff.
So, I'm thinking Paladin / unchained Monk. A worshipper of Ilmater, he trains at the Twilight Monastery and worships at the Two Tears.