Next question for discussion while we wait for the other characters to appear:
How would you guys like to run it?
Shall I track it but only update you when it is time to level up?
Running total of which you are aware?
Ditch XP and just update when I think it is warranted?
Consult the Magic 8-Ball once a month?
Level up when you warrant it sounds good to me. I know 7th level seems far away, but would you consider taking us further up the levels after we get there. I am not sure I like the idea of never progressing beyond a certain point. Wouldn't you just make the monsters more difficult after we progress up a level?
The short answer is "depending on how the campaign evolves, yes, I'd consider it."
The long answer is...
I'm not a fan of glass ceilings either; E6 (E7 in this case) doesn't entirely stop progression. For every 5K XP after you hit 7th, you gain another feat. The limitation on that is you can't take feats that require a higher level than 7th, or more than 7 skill ranks, etc... so a Fighter wouldn't be able to take Greater Weapon Specialization because that requires a class level of 8.
The rules aren't set in stone. I could decide to implement some incremental changes as you progress past 7th - perhaps a set number of HPs at each 5K milestone (in addition to the feats). Or, after hitting say 20k XP after 7th, I could decide you are the equivalent of 8th level and eligible for feats that meet that level requirement. Depending on how the campaign develops, I might even decide to waive E7 altogether. But, for the moment, it will stay E7.
Could I just 'up' the monster levels to compensate for stronger characters? Absolutely. But E7, to me, isn't about topping off the character progression. The E7 limitations really change the complexion of a campaign and how players approach their character builds - which is what I want to explore. With a potential of 20 class levels in a standard game, players feel free to spend levels 'dipping' to shore up weaknesses or exploit synergies with the idea that they'll someday be ridiculously powerful - capable of spamming armies with fireballs and the like. E7 forces a change in that thinking. With only seven levels, you have to be conscious of your choices and can't afford to spend a level frivolously because the price is high. A single level dip in Fighter is the difference between your Wizard having a god-like 4th level spell or not. It also means your characters will never be invulnerable to low level encounters because you will never have very high saves, HPs, casting slots, or ATT rolls. An army of well-run Orcs will always be a threat to even the strongest character. To me, it makes the game more visceral and realistic.
I'm with Harlwizard about the XP. Just tell us when to level our characters. I suck at tracking XP, anyway.
About E7, I'm excited about it for all the reasons you laid out, Stormrwven. But if we hit that point in the game and everyone to change it up to a more standard progression game, I'd be open to it. I am excited about a gritty, horror game, though.
I'm excited to try out E7. I love the danger of low-level encounters where any hit could drop you, and I think the idea of facing a world-threatening danger without high-level characters and abilities (teleport, raise dead, etc) sounds very cool.
Re: XP, I agree. Why take on extra work of calculation when it's unnecessary? When you and the story dictate that we level, level us up. That sounds good to me.
To the other characters--I'm thinking I'm going to swap out my rank in Ride at Level 1 for Knowledge (Dungeoneering). Knowledge skills are always useful. If anyone has any other suggestions or anything, let me know.
Hey, if I learned anything from the Battletech cartoon, its' that "information is ammunition."
That is especially true in an E7 game.
>:{)} <-- evil DM grin (with Mirror Mirror goatee)... for extra evil!
Also kinda looks like an evil orangatan. :)
Now I'm going sic a CR:3 EUGO on you...
EUGO = Evil Undead Goatee'd Orangutan
Hey Xz,
Looking at your character background (email)... When you get a chance, I could use a few details filled in:
Your Aunt - living or dead?
Your Uncle - living or dead?
Your Cousin (rival), his Wife (your long lost love), and their daughter... I'm assuming all three are alive.
Do you want to come up with names for all the characters or should I?
Also, what is your family name - if you've gotten that far in your thinking?
Hello. Here is my Wolf Shaman Druid (partially anyhow).
I borrowed Lyrica's formatting because I think it is nicely organized and easy to follow.
I should be able to finish up tomorrow or Friday.
Can I take the human alternate racial feature "heart of the wilderness"? Seems pretty appropriate for Aerik. :)
As to the leveling method, I have no opinion. Whatever the group decides is cool with me.
I was thinking about having Aerik's parents run a horse stables where passersby can board horses, and where they sell / rent out horses, if that is feasible to the story.
He has always been more interested in nature than civilization, and despite his somewhat misanthropic demeanor, his skills in healing and herbalism are well-respected in town. Some years ago, when a sickness spread, he was able to use his skills to prevent a catastrophe, saving many lives. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to save his younger sister. Though his parents and his remaining sister still love him and do not blame him, he blames himself for her death. He prefers the quiet solitude of his simple home in the forest, where he continues to study herbalism.
Aerik,
Heart of the Wilderness is fine.
Unfortunately, the horse stable idea won't work. Dies Drear is the highest occupied point up a mountain along a gorge. It isn't an area where people pass through very often. Most of the few visitors that show up are coming up the mountain to trade thorp-to-thorp. They bring goods on their own pack animals. Most services within the community itself are done on a barter basis.
I'm a little concerned about the strong healer/herbalist angle as it may conflict/overlap too much with Xzaral's character - the alchemist and village 'bonesetter'. If we can find a middle ground, that would be great.
I like the twist of trying (and failing) to save his sister. But I'd prefer to dial down from 'preventing a catastrophe' to saving a few townsfolk instead. At the outset of the game, I'd rather not have any established 'town heroes'.
At the moment, Lyrica has one rank in Healing. With her wisdom and a class skill, this is +7. Is this a helpful skill to have in this type of campaign? Is it helpful for multiple people to be good at this skill? If we want a little more variety in skills covered, I could instead take Riding which is a class skill I have not invested any ranks into. I'm sure that Lyrica would not have learned to ride in Dies Drear, but perhaps she use to ride when she went to visit her aunt Mora's farm. Stormy, is there any value in having ranks in ride?
Stormy, another question for you. Is there a trait that would allow Perform, Dancing to be a class skill for Lyrica? I could not find one, but decided to write one below for your consideration. She loves dancing and would have practiced it throughout her childhood. I like this skill for role-playing, especially if she is really good at it, but I am not sure if I should be realistically sticking with Indomitable Faith considering that will saves may be more important.
You have have danced ever since you were a child. In fields or in the house, you could not help yourself and would twirl and spin frequently. Your parents encouraged this natural talent and with years of practice, you have become extremely good at it.
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus to Perform (Dancing), and Perform is always a class skill for you.
Aerik,
Heart of the Wilderness is fine.
Unfortunately, the horse stable idea won't work. Dies Drear is the highest occupied point up a mountain along a gorge. It isn't an area where people pass through very often. Most of the few visitors that show up are coming up the mountain to trade thorp-to-thorp. They bring goods on their own pack animals. Most services within the community itself are done on a barter basis.
I'm a little concerned about the strong healer/herbalist angle as it may conflict/overlap too much with Xzaral's character - the alchemist and village 'bonesetter'. If we can find a middle ground, that would be great.
I like the twist of trying (and failing) to save his sister. But I'd prefer to dial down from 'preventing a catastrophe' to saving a few townsfolk instead. At the outset of the game, I'd rather not have any established 'town heroes'.
cool. ill come up with something different for the parents. and saving a few people vs catastrophe is fine. hes definitely not an "established hero".
with respect to the xzaral "overlap", i was thinking of aerik as more of a loner / hermit type that really doesn't interact with many people from day to day. he trades goods/info with Marcus from time to time, but aside from that doesn't see too many people.
almost like a "new age" healer vs a traditional doctor in modern times. if traditional stuff isnt working, why don't you go visit that crazy guy in the woods? can't get pregnant? maybe the hermit has a plant you can eat to try. weird rash? hermit. etc. ;)
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"You think she means old Ben?"
:D
Both Healing and Ride are useful skills. Ride isn't particularly used in the dense forests of the upper mountains. That's where Animal Handling pays the bills. But once you get down the mountains towards the flatter lands, riding is great to have. The map scale is 50 miles to the hex. So you are 150+ miles from the nearest decent-sized habitation. Riding is definitely the way to go and a skill that would be readily available to the inhabitants of Dies Drear. Also, these adventures will have you going all over the map - repeatedly.
Healing could also prove useful, particularly for characters with a natural talent for it. While everyone doesn't need to have it, a couple of you with a point or two could be nice.
Lyrica - I'm fine with Gifted Dancer, if you want to go that route. Indomitable Faith is certainly more practical but that doesn't necessarily mean it is more fun. :) The choice is yours.
Aerik - Ah, OK. I was reading that as the 'local healer' not the 'when all else fails' guy. I'm good with him as a folk medicine/herbalist type while Xz's character is more of the trained Apothecary/Doctor/Bonesetter. I think that is consistent with the world/community - Dies Drear is a 'by hook or by crook' place.
Are you planning to pick names for your family or should I?
You can pick names for them. Im not great with names. :)
Since it is a more mountainous area, what if my family were goat herders? People use goats to get around mountains, right? If that doesn't work either, I'm open to suggestions. I just want them to be more "blue collar", so to speak. No merchants or nobles or the like. Not that it seems like there are too many of them around here anyhow.
Another question: Are the crafting feats a good idea for this campaign? I'm leaning towards Scribe Scroll as my level 1 feat, so I can make some CLW scrolls and the like to save my prepared spells for more "naturey" kind of stuff....
Goats + Mountains = Win
Goat herders would absolutely work... in terms of a milk supply, milk for cheeses, meat, a way to clear undergrowth to open up new areas for planting, 'weeding', etc.
There are no nobles in Dies Drear and really the only 'merchant' (meaning the one family that makes it their business to go down valley to trade Drear goods for necessary supplies) are the Howells (Jak & Mattin not Thurston & Lovey).
Please tell me at least a couple of you know that reference. :S
Normally, I'm not a fan of crafting feats because they get in the way of the action. However, in this campaign, crafting feats will be crucial. Magic items will be rare. And you will have time to do crafting tasks particularly as Horror/Dread points mount because time is the only way to recover. So you can anticipate days where your characters are simply recovering from the horrors they have witnessed. Crafting would be a good diversion on those 'down days' from a character perspective.
Please tell me at least a couple of you know that reference. :S
um.. nope. but then again, no one seemed to catch my Battletech cartoon reference, so we're even.
Please tell me at least a couple of you know that reference. :Sum.. nope. but then again, no one seemed to catch my Battletech cartoon reference, so we're even.
Bah! I'm still reeling from time you told me you don't know the Brady Bunch. We will never be even for that! :P
I did see Battletech - once or twice back in the day - but I'm not familiar with that line. Sorry.
Since getting my computer back up, I have been catching up all my PBPs. I'll catch up reading tonight (or this afternoon if I can at work). So sorry about taking so long.
Cool. Thanks for the update. I realise that slugging through a backlog of campaigns can take some time so I appreciate the effort.
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"You think she means old Ben?"
:D
"That druid is just a crazy old man. Now, tomorrow I want you to take that cheese to Muuscarta and have it sold. That'll be the end of it."
Bah! I'm still reeling from time you told me you don't know the Brady Bunch. We will never be even for that! :P
I think i said I've never seen a full episode. Totally different. And I"m sure I could name a character or two... is that any better? :D
Rock falls...
:)
... everyone wins?
Yep... including the rock. :)
Goats + Mountains = Win
Goat herders would absolutely work... in terms of a milk supply, milk for cheeses, meat, a way to clear undergrowth to open up new areas for planting, 'weeding', etc.
There are no nobles in Dies Drear and really the only 'merchant' (meaning the one family that makes it their business to go down valley to trade Drear goods for necessary supplies) are the Howells (Jak & Mattin not Thurston & Lovey).
Please tell me at least a couple of you know that reference. :S
Normally, I'm not a fan of crafting feats because they get in the way of the action. However, in this campaign, crafting feats will be crucial. Magic items will be rare. And you will have time to do crafting tasks particularly as Horror/Dread points mount because time is the only way to recover. So you can anticipate days where your characters are simply recovering from the horrors they have witnessed. Crafting would be a good diversion on those 'down days' from a character perspective.
Gotcha. Nerf... er, goat herder it is. :)
"Who's scruffy lookin'?"
Yep. I got Star Wars on the brain since I heard about the Disney deal. :)
Lyrica - you mentioned your Aunt Mora. I'm happy for you to have an out-of-town relation. Were you thinking she is relatively nearby in Invermist or elsewhere?
Just some family trees here. Feel free to weave the names into your backgrounds or not. I'll keep it on record and possibly construct some graphic representations for giggles when I have time. All kids are in birth order.
======================
Character: AERIK WYNN
Cole Wynn (Father)
Annika Wynn (Mother)
AERIK
Bellavia 'Bell' Wynn (Sister)
Ellie Wynn (Sister - deceased)
======================
Character: JAKWIN HOWELL
Mattin Howell (Father)
Vianca Howell (Mother - deceased)
Sargiva 'Sara' Balatin nee Howell (Sister - Married to Eluon Balatin)
Mira Braun nee Howell (Sister - Married to Marcus Braun - deceased)
JAKWIN
Marisol Howell (Sister)
Eulalia Howell (Sister)
======================
Character: LYRICA STROM
Harmon Strom (Father)
Delanor Strom (Mother)
LYRICA
Allegra Strom (Sister)
Melodica Strom (Sister)
======================
Character: MARCUS BRAUN
MARCUS
Mira Braun nee Howell (Wife - deceased)
Heather Braun (Daughter)
Eras Braun (Son)
I think I have Jak's profile fully up, including backstory, appearance, and personality.
The only thing not 100% solidified are a few skills. Handle Animals would make sense from a background perspective, but not any more than Profession: Gambler. Or, if nither of these are likely to come up in actual play, I could put a rank into a third Knowledge skill to broaden our group knowledge base.
Thoughts?
Handle Animals is quite likely to come up.
Prof: Gambler could come up but that depends on you, chief, and will be less frequent than Handle Animals.
Hmmm... now I have visions of a faithful mutt named Lucky. :)
Stormy,
I much prefer fun to practical, so I decided to go with Gifted Dancer. I also went with Ride instead of Healing. So, Lyrica would have learned riding her her Dad's sister, Aunt Mora. Let's put her in Invermist. The other advantage to not starting with healing is that it may offer good role-playing opportunities for Lyrica to learn the skill of healing from Aerik. With her wisdom, she may be a quick learn.
Also, Stormy, the family tree is good, but you should know that Lyrica is the middle child. Allegra is the older sister, Melodica is the younger.
I don't think I've ever actually seen the show, but I believe that was a Gilligan reference earlier, am I right? :-)
Lyrica - Thanks for the correction! Noted and logged.
Matt - You are correct, sir. We are talking about Gilligan's Island.
Hey Matt, any idea when you'll be tossing up a character sheet?
Just a note on how I intend to run some things... I see this whole process as a joint story-telling session. To that end, I prefer to openly post all the action (whether you are with the other characters or not) so everyone can enjoy the story.
Example: Nick chats up the brothel owner alone in her office while the other characters are getting drunk at the bar.
The 'realistic' thing to do would be to spoiler Nick's chat because the other players/characters wouldn't know the substance of the conversation. So that you guys can enjoy the exchange, I prefer to post the whole conversation openly and rely on you guys to remember the difference between what you know as a player vs what your character knows.
Hey Matt, any idea when you'll be tossing up a character sheet?
I'll probably make the avatar and transfer some info there today and then finalize it tomorrow.
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Hey Xz,
Looking at your character background (email)... When you get a chance, I could use a few details filled in:
Your Aunt - living or dead?
Your Uncle - living or dead?
Your Cousin (rival), his Wife (your long lost love), and their daughter... I'm assuming all three are alive.Do you want to come up with names for all the characters or should I?
Also, what is your family name - if you've gotten that far in your thinking?
I figure Ezekiel's aunt and uncle would both still be alive (though much older), hopefully his uncle having some pull within the village, enough to make Ezekiel's life miserable at least.
The same goes for his cousin's family.
Namewise this is what I came up with thus far.
Ezekiel Druiminn for my character
Cousin would be Gavin Finiose
Lost love Rowan Finiose
Niece Olivia Finiose
I'm working on statting out a sheet now. I'll let you know when it's completed. Here's a link to the alias, though not much in it yet.
Thanks, Xz! I can work with those names and leave placeholders on the Aunt/Uncle. Email sent.
SR, can you email the format template to me too?
Ask and ye shall receive...
Can Jak have a sparkly, flying pony?
Absolutely. Go see Ezekiel. He can set you up with some very magical mushrooms that will make every sway-backed nag in the Drear a sparkly pony.
I need to type up his background and everything, but here's the profile with your format.
Marcus is ready to roll