Crunch is in profile, background, familiar, and equipment to come.
Hopefully profession (Harrower) is useless enough, it doesn't affect any of my class abilities.
[dice=Intelligence]2d6+4
Crunch is in profile, background, familiar, and equipment to come.
Hopefully profession (Harrower) is useless enough, it doesn't affect any of my class abilities.
Profession (harrower) or (fortuneteller) is fine. Look forward to your backstory.
This seems interesting I'm going to throw my hat for consideration. Thinking of going with a ninja.
This seems interesting I'm going to throw my hat for consideration. Thinking of going with a ninja.
Cool. Make sure you tell me how a ninja ended up in the shackles in your backstory!
A pirate-ninja-catgirl!
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Would profession (cook) be ok for the "useless" skill?
Rogar's story:
"Lemme tell ye what happened.. I was sailing the seas with The Greedy Barnacle. Part of the crew, I'm a prufeshonal, ye see. I was the ship's chrir.. chirgu.. chirurg.. the doctor, fixed the boys after battle. Between battles, me was making gunpowder for them cannons. Secret family recipe, ye see." The dwarf winks as he says this. Then he picks up a pitcher of ale and drinks it on one long gulp, and sighs deeply.
"Twas good times... I think I was making me very own special blend o' gunpowder again. Or maybe I was enjoying sum hard-earned rum. Or maybe both, can't remember that well. Anyway... suddenly just a big 'BOOM' and a sea of fire. And there I was in the water next to sinkin' wreck of the 'Barnacle."
Wiping a tear from his eye, Rogar tries to stand up, sways a little and falls back on his seat. "Whoo-ee, that is some ale you've got 'ere. Stronger than a dwarf... Where was I? Oh yes.. Fire and water, Fire and water. Almost burned me beard that day... Not a swimmer me, so had to get outta water. Grabbed a shark and rode it to nearest land, only to find out it was a bloody desert island. Nothing to eat there but fish I caught with just me beard. Nothing to drink but ale I brew from saltwater and seaweed. Horrible, I tell ye."
The dwarf finds it incredibly difficult to sit straight, and stares at the pitcher in disbelief. "So shtrong... Me family's always been saltbeardsh, dwarvesh of the shea. But NO MORE!! I've had enoughh! I go to the mountainsh, ye keep yer damn fish. I fnd mah frtnsh 'lsewhr, n cmm..." the slurred speech comes to abrupt end as the dwarf's head hits the table.
Rogar is a short, dried-up dwarf, with dark skin. The beard is long and thick, like any proper dwarf. Odor of gunpowder, fish and alcohol lingers around him, and his ragged clothes are covered in grime and dust. Despite his flaws, he is quite amiable fellow, getting along with people.
Profession cook is ok... :)
I am going to have to withdraw my application for this one. Best of luck to everyone and enjoy the game!
15 point buy: 15 CHA, 14 DEX (+2 racial bonus = 16 DEX), 13 WIS, 10 STR, 10 CON
1 "useless" skill point: Perform (Singer) - can Perform be used instead of Profession for this purpose?
Just posting to let you know that I'm working on my gunslinger/buccaneer concept. My out of town guests have gone home so I finally have time to build this character!
A Bard's central theme focuses on performances, especially audible components such as music or stories. My current thought, at your discretion, is to capitalize on what we could call "The Science of Sound". This would take extra work on my part to come up with a sort of explanation for every magical effect that the bard might be able to produce that centers on the mystical ways one might manipulate sound (many of which will likely require a significant suspension of disbelief).
Many of these techniques (beside the cantrips) are quite rough on the vocal chords, which is why a bard is limited in uses per day. It also seems to align well with the fact that bards don't have to prepare spells, but just select on use what technique they wish to perform.
Examples:
Cantrips:
- Lullaby - this can be explained in a rather straightforward manner.
- Mage Hand, Open/Close, Ghost Sound, Message, etc. - several can be explained through the manipulation of sound. e.g. A frequency that can jar open even locked objects (Open/Close), or utilize the science of acoustics to make it sound like a sound is coming from somewhere else and repeat(Ghost Sound), or even focus frequencies with enough precision to manipulate smaller objects to the point where you can slowly lift them into the air or draw them to yourself (Mage Hand)
- Light, Mending, Detect Magic, etc. - several others can be explained through a combination of alchemy and specific frequencies that activate the chemical reaction. He could have some small mixtures that when exposed to air and the proper frequency will glow for about 10 minutes (Light), or can fuse broken elements (Mending), or even react to the presence of mystical things (Detect Magic).
1st Level Spells: (These would likely fit into one of the three categories above as well.
- Cause Fear, Charm Person, Confusion, Hideous Laughter, Hypnotism, Remove Fear, etc. - these could all be explained simply through the power of well placed words.
- Alarm, Detect Secret Doors, Feather Fall, Ventriloquism, etc. - can be explained through the manipulation of sound and acoustics.
- Cure Light Wounds, Disguise Self, Grease, etc. - could be explained with the aid of minor alchemy.
As the bard gained access to certain techniques, I would need to find a somewhat plausible (in a clearly fantastic/steampunk setting) way for it to fit into one of those three categories.
Thoughts?
Background:
Diego's the son of a Port Peril prostitute and who-the-hell knows. His mother, Giana Vallenci, took care of him the best she could but most of his upbringing was spent in taverns and inns. Without other forms of entertainment, he was fascinated by the musicians and story-tellers that packed those locations on a regular basis. It's also where he met Sir Pontis Fillagree - a portly but rather wealthy treasure seeker (he prefers the term archaeologist) and philanthropist.
Mr. Fillagree often stopped by the Formidably Maid, and would swap tall tails with the child over a pint and a smoke. When the lad's mother fell sick, and it was pretty clear her end wasn't far away, Mr. Fillagree offered to take the child on his next expedition. It was an easy sell as Diego had often pleaded for such an opportunity and his mother wanted to save him the sight of watching her pass.
That trip, though initially successful, met a gruesome end at the hands of a Kraken. Lured by the artifact Mr. Fillagree had "recovered", it made quick work of his ship - the "Untimely Pursuit" - and took the treasure to the depths with most of his crew. Diego was badly injured in the struggle and only survived because Mr. Fillagree insisted on bringing his body with the few that survived and sunk vast amounts of money into his rehabilitation.
Though Diego survived it, he was badly scarred by the experience (physically and mentally). He refused to take to the seas again after that and hasn't accompanied Sir Fillagree on any more expeditions. Though the two still spent time together whenever Mr. Fillagree was in port, where he would hear more fantastic stories of the man's exploits. The treasure hunter also taught Diego to use a whip, showing him several tricks and flourishes that made the implement so much more than a humble weapon. "Every weapon is really just a tool," he would say, "but most only have one use... the whip however is almost limitless."
Diego also built a strange sort of fellowship with a tattoo artist at the port named "Three Strike" McGunners. The abrasive half-orc covered the boy's scars with the intricate tentacle tattoos that now adorn much of his body. In exchange for the service, Diego has worked as a sort of apprentice under the half-orc's tutelage for the past 8 years. In this capacity he has stretched his talents beyond story and poem to other artistic pursuits of design and detail, as well as a degree of military prowess thanks to McGunners.
He has been frequenting the Formidably Maid Tavern again recently, sharing tales as he loves to do and hoping to see the return of Mr. Fillagree. The aged treasure hunter was supposed to return from his latest expedition nearly six months ago, and no word of he or his ship have reached the port. He had given Diego his ivory pipe () for safe keeping in the mean time, which is all the young man has of his father-figure.
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I will compile everything so far in my profile for easy access.
I have this character in a heavily changed Skulls and Shackles campaign that has seemt to have stalled. We're only on Day 3, so haven't gotten very far.
I'll have to adjust the character to fit your requirements and see if there's a way to diminish spellcasting somehow, but if you're up for an uncivilized connected with nature kinda guy, I'm in!
I'll make those edits later today if you're willing to entertain the class.
Make sure you tell me how a ninja ended up in the shackles in your backstory!
That's a good point for my character, too: I got her into the Formidably Maid and stopped there - story continues below. Also, I've updated the crunch to include the Wis modifier previously rolled - and I've changed the Feat as you can't take Power Attack without at least +1 BAB (my bad)...
In hindsight, Alessandra's first mistake that evening was to lose track of how many drinks the nice man with the apparently bottomless purse had bought her. Her second mistake was to put this down to the adrenalin rush from escaping both the Town Watch and the gang in the same day. Her third mistake was to talk too much:
"'S funny to be near the docks again - grew up here; they told me m'dad was a pirate - huge orc with a beard, they said. Famous, they said. I never met 'im. Can't remember 'is name. Oh 'nother drink, thanks - 's good stuff! Anyway, was saying ... "
The detached part of Alessandra's mind - the part that keeps an eye on and comments about what's going on; the part that Tor taught her to develop - is trying desperately to get through to her; but the combination of the spiked drinks and the memories brought back by the smell of the nearby docks is just too overpowering.
"Y' don't say much, do you? 'S fine, 's a good trick - Tor taught me that, said if you keep quiet th'other person does th' talking - will tell you stuff you want to know. Who's Tor? No-one, he's dead. Just an ol' friend. Don't be sorry, wasn't your fault - if it was I'd've gutted you like ... like ... what's those things you gut? Like one of 'em anyway. Oh, 'nother drink. Cheers! No, don't know 'nyone here; mos' people I know're dead, the rest of 'em seem t' want me dead. Thass, thass, thass life though, isnit? Hey? Hey? Ever'thing breaks, evr'yone dies - 's easier to go with the flow than try and, and, stop it, y'know. More fun too. Just, y'know, en- enjoy life. Oh, 'nother drink, thass the spirit! ... Anyway, nice to, to, meet you, should probably get go - hey! ... Why's the ... room spinning - you put sumshing in my drinksh? I'll fixsh you, you little-"
The half-orc teenager slurs curses in a mixture of Orc, Goblin and Draconic as she reaches for her twin short swords. Sadly, she seems to have misplaced her hands; by the time she sorts out her co-ordination and grasps the sword-hilts, she has been hit several times on the back of the head. The last thing she remembers is a pair of strong arms lifting her - not unkindly - and carrying her out the tavern...
Female Half-orc Rogue 1 CN Medium Humanoid (human, orc)
Age16; Height 5 ft. 10 in. Weight 175 lbs.
Languages Common, Orc, Goblin, Draconic
Deity None
Init +3; Senses Perception +5, Darkvision 60 ft.
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DEFENCE
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AC 13, touch 13, flat-footed 10 (Dex +3)
hp 9
Fort +0, Ref +5, Will +1
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OFFENCE
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee
Ranged
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STATISTICS
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Str 14, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 12, Wis 13, Cha 13
BAB +0; CMB +2; CMD 15
SQ Sneak Attack +1D6; Orc Ferocity; Intimidating (+2 racial bonus); Trapfinding (+1)
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FEATS
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Two-weapon fighting
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TRAITS
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Almost human (+4 to disguise checks to pass as human)
Buccaneer's Blood (+1 to Intimidate; +1 to Profession (sailor); +1 Disrepute; +1 Infamy)
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SKILLS - 9 pts/lvl
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Acrobatics 1 (7)
Craft (carving/whittling) 1 (5) bonus skill point
Diplomacy 1 (5)
Disable Device 1 (7) +1 versus traps
Disguise 1 (5) +4 to pass for human
Intimidate 1 (8)
Linguistics 1 (5)
Perception 1 (5) +1 versus traps
Sleight of Hand 1 (7)
Stealth 1 (7)
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GEAR
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Updated my profile, still missing one trait and my equipment is matching my background.
I really liked how Diego Vallenci explained the bard spells using sound frequencies to alter things and looks like magic.
I'm in the process of writing up Rawnie's background now, here is part 1.
Rawnie Lovel, the daughter of Catarina Lovel, was born as a result of such a cursed fate, when her mother did the unthinkable and asked the cards her fate one day late in her pregnancy. Catarina had had an easy pregnancy, but she had doubts about what would happen, and it seemed that her doubts were confirmed when she performed a harrowing and learned that her child's birth would indeed be a harrowing experience, one that would result in Catarina's death, but Catarina knew that she did not deliver the child a fate worse then death itself would come to face her, for the child's father was no ordinary man, he was a criminal, he was one of the Scznari, and this child was to become his heir.
When Catarina approached the child's father with the information that she had divined, he simply laughed and told her that that would be her punishment for seeking the knowledge that one should never seek, for Catarina would be forced to embrace death with open arms as her own child, a child that she would never hold, would be welcomed into the world.
None, least of all Catarina, expected what would really happen on the fated day however, as Catarina went into labor, expecting not to survive the experience and not even getting a chance to see her own child. In one last ditch effort to escape the fate of her death, and her child's birth, Catarina sought out divine assistance, but in the end, fate could not be stopped, only perverted...
As Rawnie Lovel entered into this world, her mother left it, just as the cards had foretold, however that is not all that happened, for on the event of Catarina's death, something vile triggered. Catarina's body transformed, into something out of stories told to children in order to teach them to fear the darkness so that they would stay where they are safe, Catarina had ceased living, but her spirit returned to her lifeless body, as one of the undead. All of the negative energies that Catarina had expressed toward her child had overwhelmed and consumed her until she herself was a creature of the darkness. In a turn of events that no one expected, Catarina killed everyone present save for her child, leaving young Rawnie there with her mother's harrow deck, the same harrow deck that Catarina had divined her own death with.
Also, I had a question concerning the familiar, would it be possible to use the Thrush stats to approximate a butterfly familiar? The Thrush is the very same creature that is suggested in Dragon #323 to approximate a butterfly, and I feel that a butterfly familiar would be very suiting for a worshipper of Desna, especially since as a tattooed sorcerer it could become a facial tattoo. What bonus the butterfly would give to it's master is open for discussion.
EDIT: In order to tell all of Rawnie's story the way that I intend, I decided upon her age, she is 37 years old, this puts her in the Middle Aged category as a Human, I could make her a little younger to avoid her being Middle Aged if you would prefer, and I have not included the bonuses/penalties for being middle aged in her stats at this time.
My muse was lost, so I'll quietly back out and away. Good luck to all.
So I think the current list is:
Jack Thimble, Jr: Halfling Swashbuckler
Alessandra (Darkness Rising): Half-orc Rogue
Sai Ling: Rogue (Swashbuckler archetype)
Cyber Mephit: Slayer
Alesan (Andrea 1): Human Barbarian
Annn: Bard
Diego Valenci (GM Mogthrasir:) Human Bard
Jarad Fonn: Half-elf Bard
Twilsemail: Monk
Rawnie (Dylos): Harrow bloodline Tattooed Sorcerer
Jesal "Salt" Knothin: Human Druid
Rogar "Doc" Ironsail (Karma): Alchemist
Veltharis: Something
Bellara (Anjum): Gunslinger/Bucaneer
If I've left anyone off let me know! - Still waiting on several to complete their builds and backgrounds, so it'll probably be a couple more days till decision time - probably on the weekend. Keep 'em coming!
Great background. I think we can certainly base the bardic magic on physical manifestations of sound as you suggest. - nice work.
Look forward to instalments 2-10! As for the familiar, I don't think Thrush quite works (e.g. bite attack - butterflies can't bite, and the flight should probably be "perfect" rather than average, but we can work out a custom stat array if you're one of the party. For the moment, I think a +3 bonus to Diplomacy (as per the Thrush) works fine.
Here's part 2
Rawnie's early childhood was not an easy one, as Loize expected her to be perfect at everything, and whenever she failed at any task, she was punished harshly for her failure. Rawnie was not allowed to see others most days, and indeed if she had perhaps her life would have turned out better as her uncle often resulted to physical violence to discipline the child, but Rawnie endured, and indeed Loize found her in particular a difficult egg to crack. Despite the way that she was treated, Rawnie looked up to her Uncle Loize.
At the age of five, Rawnie became very interested in her mother's harrow deck, the only memento she had of either of her parents. In the years to come, she would become immersed in the harrow and what it represented, and it would become a catalyst for her innate arcane powers.
Part 3 seems like it's going to be a little more difficult, as I'm not sure how I want to go about it. In any case, I'm going to go ahead and post the names of the rest of the cards, just in case my computer restarts overnight and I lose them.
The Brass Dwarf, The Peacock, The Snakebite, The Unicorn, The Queen Mother, The Sickness, The Rakshasa, The Joke.
Bellara's description, personality and backstory are ready. They're in the profile of this alias. Or would you prefer that I post them here?
Bellara's description, personality and backstory are ready. They're in the profile of this alias. Or would you prefer that I post them here?
Great background! - in the alias is fine.
** Bard magic proposal **...
I like this - my tabletop homebrew is themed on the world being sung into creation (based on the start of the Silmarillion), so it has bards instead of wizards, and themed alignments (melodic/harmonic/discordant for LG, CG and E); permission to steal borrow your ideas?
** Bard magic proposal **...I like this - my tabletop homebrew is themed on the world being sung into creation (based on the start of the Silmarillion), so it has bards instead of wizards, and themed alignments (melodic/harmonic/discordant for LG, CG and E); permission tostealborrow your ideas?
I've got a similar outline for a halfling "pantheon" (more of a philosophy, not actually gods per se) where the main concept is harmony vs. discord as a variation on order vs. chaos modelled on Pythagoras' "Music of the spheres". The world is seen as the joining together of these opposing forces in an instance of creation. In this formulation Harmony was LN and discord was CN with the other alignments springing from their conjunction.
Wow, I could quite happily swap ideas on that for hours, but rather than hijack the thread, can you tell us a few things about the clockpunk theme for this campaign?
The theme is very much a work in progress. I have ideas for a separate homebrew world, which is under construction, but was getting impatient to see what happens in s&s. After 2 pbp games run by others fell through I decided to run one myself. Since it's pirates, and I'm working at on a world of my own, I thought I'd test some ideas out.
The basic idea is definitely clockpunk (not steampunk) since it is pre industrial revolution - if you want a real-world timeframe then English civil war, or maybe a little later - a time when plate armor still existed alongside muskets and also abutting the golden age of piracy.
My initial thoughts are that clockpunk elements will become more prevalent through the campaign, but I'm sure this will evolve as we go through it. On the whole it will be an interaction between me and the players that will determine how things progress.
** Bard magic proposal **...I like this - my tabletop homebrew is themed on the world being sung into creation (based on the start of the Silmarillion), so it has bards instead of wizards, and themed alignments (melodic/harmonic/discordant for LG, CG and E); permission tostealborrow your ideas?
By all means. Steal, adapt, dissect... use it however you'd like. It's very likely I picked it up somewhere else myself, I just don't know where.
I am going to respectfully withdraw as I find myself lacking the time to refine the concept and the background to the level of some other awesome posters here. Good gaming to all!
Got picked up in another campaign, so I'm withdrawing here. Good luck to the rest of you.
Submitting Garnnack for this campaign. All info in his profile.
I'd still like to get a few more submissions, but we're getting close... I'll close recruitment on Saturday Night (about 32 hours from now) and let everyone know sometime on Sunday (by 24 hours after submission closes).
Below I have listed the complete and incomplete submissions (in no particular order) so far. If I've left someone off the list let me know and I'll update it ASAP.
* Jack Thimble, Jr: Halfling Swashbuckler
* Rawnie (Dylos): Harrow bloodline Tattooed Sorcerer
* Bellara (Anjum): Buccaneer Gunslinger
* Alessandra (Darkness Rising): Half-orc Rogue
* Diego Valenci (GM Mogthrasir:) Human Bard
* Rogar "Doc" Ironsail (Karma): Dwarven Alchemist
* Jarad Fonn: Half-elf Bard
* Noonan: (Andrea1) Human Barbarian
* Garnnak: Half-orc Fighter (corsair)
* Veltharis: Something
* Lilwilly5: Ninja
* Sai Ling: Rogue (Swashbuckler archetype)
I dinnae see any clerics? I could whip up a properly piratey cleric (or oracle perhaps?) of Besmara if desired, but I'd want to revisit the answer to the "can there be PFS credit" question.
Shackles is a legal AP to play in campaign mode with whatever home brew rules the GM desires.
I'd love to play, but I'd also really want to be able to get PFS credit.
I have no problem with running the game for PFS credit, but I'll need to have a look at the guidelines for that. The reason there's no clerics so far is probably that the game is going to be low-magic, and I specified in the initial post that full casters would have to work hard to get a spot.... I'd love to have another application though, so if you're interested check out the initial post.
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I have no problem with running the game for PFS credit, but I'll need to have a look at the guidelines for that. The reason there's no clerics so far is probably that the game is going to be low-magic, and I specified in the initial post that full casters would have to work hard to get a spot.... I'd love to have another application though, so if you're interested check out the initial post.I dinnae see any clerics? I could whip up a properly piratey cleric (or oracle perhaps?) of Besmara if desired, but I'd want to revisit the answer to the "can there be PFS credit" question.
Shackles is a legal AP to play in campaign mode with whatever home brew rules the GM desires.
I'd love to play, but I'd also really want to be able to get PFS credit.
The guidelines for PFS credit for a home campaign are pretty much as long as you intend to do the entire adventure path, from start to finish, anything goes.
Also, no progress on part 3 for today.
Can anyone provide a link to the PFS guidelines?
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Here is the relevant text
Alternatively, if you are participating in the Skull & Shackles Adventure Path with an ongoing group undertaking the entire, six-chapter campaign, you may receive credit for playing the sanctioned portions of the adventure as if you had played a pregenerated character. In this case, GMs running the Adventure Path are not bound to the rules of the Pathfinder Society Organized Play campaign (such as 20-point buy, unavailability of hero points, etc.) when running the campaign or the sanctioned portion of the adventure. Pathfinder Society characters and characters from an ongoing Adventure Path campaign may not play in the same adventure.
and the link is here
Additionally, as noted Here you don't even have to use pathfinder rules to receive PFS credit, so basically you can change as little or as much as you like.
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Can anyone provide a link to the PFS guidelines?
Here you go, sir: http://paizo.com/download/pathfinder/PZO9000-10-Rules.zip
Quoting the document:
...Alternatively, if you are participating in the Skull & Shackles Adventure Path with an ongoing group undertaking the entire, six-chapter campaign, you may receive credit for playing the sanctioned portions of the adventure as if you had played a pregenerated character. In this case, GMs running the Adventure Path are not bound to the rules of the Pathfinder Society Organized Play campaign (such as 20-point buy, unavailability of hero points, etc.) when running the campaign or the sanctioned portion of the adventure.
So basically home rules don't matter, as long as you run specific sections of the AP. Of course, if the adventure sidetracks a lot, and never gets to the "sanctioned content", then it might not be legal for PFS...
Thanks for that. I'll read over and see if we can make it PFS legal :)
Yarrr, I be Shaeda Stormborn, the promised avatar of Zahir!
I've got the main portion of me crunch in me profile, and here's me background:
The basics is that me mother was a slave aboard a Chelish man-o-war. I was born aboardship on a dark night as we was on the outskirts of the Eye of Abendego. Mother taught me to fish as a means of being useful to the Chelish boys, and hopefully to smell badly, so as to not be useful to them in other ways. When I was a young girl (a teen as the humans would call it), the ship was set upon by Andoran pirates, and I was freed, although me mother went down with the ship. I never knew me father, although mother insisted he was the most handsomest halfling she ever laid eyes on. As a rule, I'm fine with the pirating and the pillaging and the looting and the killing, particularly against those that would run slaves, or hold them against their will, but I'm not a fan of slavery meself. I don't follow the radical ideals of the Andorans, or any such fanatical nonsense, but having been one, and watched me mother die as one, I'll work against slavery when I can.
For a while I spent me time learning the pirate trade from the Andorans, but being a halfling, and a female, they always kept me out of the front lines of combat, so I took up the bow. Having learned what I can from the Andorans, I've just put ashore here in Port Peril. I'd heard about the Formidably Maid and thought I'd seek out me fate there.
Some items of particular interest in me crunch:
- I'm not quite as agile as some halflings, though I'm not as slow either (30' movement)
- Also, I'm a bit of a linguist, and not bad with talking a tale and convincing people to do things for me
- I'm a freebooter, so both me favored enemy and me hunter's bond ability will be more group friendly
- I'm also a skirmisher, which means no spells for me
- I've got an anti-slavery trait, and Besmara's blessing for having been born aboardship and in a storm
- When selecting me avatar, apparently this image is some chick in the S&S campaign, mother never said nothing about a sister, but the GM can do with it as the mood turns
And one final point, yes, Zahir be a male, and Tripp be male, but the idea of a scurvy seadog female halfling pirate type appeals to me, and thus Shaeda is a female
Part 3/10
At the age of seven years old, while experimenting with her mother’s Harrow deck, Rawnie learned that her mother, whom she thought to be deceased, still walked this world. She knew not what form her mother took, and her Uncle confirmed that Catarina’s body was never found. The family discouraged Rawnie from looking into what happened to her mother too much, telling her that nothing good could come of it, but Rawnie could not simply leave good enough alone.
It would take Rawnie five years using the harrow deck in order to pinpoint her mother’s location, and at the age of 12, she begged her Uncle Loize Locke to help her come into contact with the woman who had abandoned her at birth. Loize however had one condition, he would go to meet the child’s mother and then either bring her back or come back for Rawnie.
Loize never returned, and Rawnie had no choice but to take her rightful place as head of the Locke family.
Note: I was originally going to kill Loize off, but I reconsidered, I don't want to kill off everyone in my backstory, as leaving them alive might allow the GM to use them. For those who are keeping track, Rawnie is at 1040 word count for backstory at this point, the GM asked for a great backstory for a full spellcaster, and I intend to deliver, now back to working on part 4, The Peacock.
Parts 4&5, finally a hint of piracy.
Most of such happenings were uneventful, and certainly nothing that a well placed bribe or assassination kidnapping oddly coincidental disappearance wouldn’t fix. But at the age of fifteen, Rawnie would learn just exactly what it meant to be part of “The Family”.
Shortly after becoming the official head of the Locke family, Rawnie was introduced to a young man, not much older then Rawnie herself, she never knew his name, but he would become the root of many of her issues, she only knew him by his codename – “The Prince of Wolves” The so called Prince mostly dealt in information, an important commodity when your very life may depend upon knowing whose palm to grease or whose head to split. However, it would not be entirely untruthful to call the man a wolf in prince’s clothing. Often, he passed off rumors and untruths as legitimate information, nearly placing Rawnie’s head on the chopping block as a result. “The Prince of Wolves” did not work for Rawnie, and was not part of the Locke family, and thus he was not her responsibility should he cause trouble, but acting upon incorrect information can be deadly. Luckily, Rawnie’s beauty and age got her out of most problems, as typically there were many who assumed that such a beautiful young child could not be a Sczarni mastermind.
But talking your way out of things and pretending to be nothing but beautiful and stupid only works with those who don’t actually know you... According to the prince’s information, a Chelish nobleman with more then his fair share of gold was going to be in Magnimar for a little while, and supposedly he had very little protection, and seemingly would not be missed if he, or his money, were to disappear. Knowing that many of the Varisians in the slums could use such a man’s funds, Rawnie issued an order that the man and his gold would be liberated from each other, and the funds would be spread thought the slums for the less fortunate. However, the information was faulty, and the men that Rawnie sent were caught and publicly and brutally killed. Even though it had not been her family who had gotten the information, it was her family that was put on the spot, and it was her kinsmen who were killed, by her actions, and even if she could pin the failure on the prince’s faulty information, he was nowhere to be found.
Left with little other option, the Locke family disbanded and went their separate ways, Rawnie realizing that it would be best to get as far from Magnimar as possible, and fled to Riddleport. However, news traveled fast and Rawnie found Riddleport no more welcoming now then Magnimar, though she tried to stay there, and lie low for a while, she would eventually leave Varisia altogether on her eighteenth birthday, and on that day, she vowed that she would never again be Sczarni, taking what little belongings she had and sneaking aboard the next ship to leave port.
Rawnie had no idea where the ship was going, and to be brutally honest, she didn’t particularly care where it was headed, as long as it was away from Varisia they could take her all the way to Arcadia, or even Tian-Xia for all she cared. But much to Rawnie’s surprise, the ship would never reach its destination, for it was attacked by pirates. Many of the passengers cursed their fate, but Rawnie did not dare to do so, as fate was all that she had left.
I feel that I have done a decent job transgressing from Lawful Good to Chaotic Good, though there was likely some Lawful Neutral or even Lawful Evil in there. At this point I have copied the first 5 parts into Rawnie's profile, also 1785 words thusfar.
Dude! You're a machine! Slow down, you're making everyone else look bad.
I had seriously considered an Inquisitor of Besmara myself, but was convinced I'd need to write a novel to justify it, just as you are doing. Best of luck to you!
Applications now closed. Give me 24hours or so for a decision, and thanks for making the choice hard!.
this is NOT an application, but I was reading some of the applications and thought I would link to one of my character's stories. this post is inspired by Rawnie's story
I just wanted to share this... the length actually went beyond the character limit for an alias. also the story still goes on.
OK everyone, so this has been really hard! - In the end I've gone with those who have both provided a good background and who's characters seem to be getting most in to the campaign's feel. In the end I've even opened this up to a 5th character. So, in the end it has come down to.... Drumroll.......
Bellara
Allesandra
Rogar
Shaeda
Diego
An honourable mention goes to Rawnie - Your background was great, and I really hope you keep the character and apply if any more games come up. In the end it came down to maintaining the feel of the campaign, otherwise you would have been in for sure.
If you guys could post in the discussion thread we'll get started pretty quick. If you missed out keep an eye on this thread just in case anyone fails to show up.
Congratulations to those who made it, and I will certainly keep the character, and possibly look for another skull and shackles for her.
Have fun :)