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This is a recruitment thread for a game I'll be running set in AD 500, in Saxony (modern day NW Germany).
The world has ended! It has been almost a quarter century since the last western Roman emperor sat in Rome. Italy is under the control of Theodoric the Great and the Ostrogoths, Arian Christians who reconquered it at the behest of Constantine Emporer Zeno in the year 493. Though technically Foederati (vassals) of Byzantium, Theodoric is a strong and independent Consul, with a strong Gothic identity. He rules from his capital in Ravenna.
The Franks have conquered much of what were the provinces of northern Gaul and Germania under their leader King Clovis I, newly converted to the Catholic Church after his miraculous victory at the battle of Tolbiac in 496. The Franks are a hungry people, yearly conquering new lands and forcibly converting them to Christ at the point of a sword.
Southern Gaul and Spain are under the control of the Arian christian Visigoths. Heirs to Alaric I, conqueror of Rome in his own time. They preserve Roman art and architecture learned during their generations of servitude. Their civilization is strong and vital.
Saxony remains a pagan place. The Saxons are united by their language and culture, but are surrounded by the Frisians, Bruchterians, Chattians, Thuringians and many other tribes. Some are friendly, others not. Every year the Franks come closer, forcing more and more tribes into their fold. It is into the forests and moors along the Weser river that you will be born. Fearsome warriors, the Saxons were feared as pirates and conquerors in England and all along the coasts of northwestern Europe. They believe themselves descended from the god Seaxnēat and carry a weapon that shares their name the wicked Seax. As Gräfe (chieftains under a king) you will be responsible for the future of your people.
Armor As Damage Reduction
Healing Surges: Each day you can use this ability a number of times equal to 1/2 your level plus your Constitution modifier. With one use of this ability, you can heal 1d6 hit points of damage for every two levels you possesses plus your Constitution modifier. Using this ability is a swift action. Everybody in the world has this ability.
Races:Human only, you are a Saxon Greve (chieftain/ess).
Stats:25 point buy
Classes:
Adept
Barbarian (Archetypes by approval, rage powers may need reflavored)
Cavelier (Ronin only, archetypes by approval)
Fighter (Archetypes by approval)
Ranger (Skirmisher or Trapper only)
Rogue (Archetypes by approval)
Starting Level:2
Traits:2 and Heirloom Weapon (Longspear, Longsword, Spear, Saex (use shortsword stats, counts as dagger), or Battleaxe)
Feats:One extra granted by me based on character background.
Followers:You each have a number of warriors equipped with a spear, and heavy wooden shield equal to your charisma modifier. These are your Gedriht, those sworn to die with you. They will be NPCs designed by me that follow your orders.
Extra consideration will be given to those who take the effort to place their characters historically, (ie. Names like Ceoluulf are better than names like Jack).
More details to come in future posts. Looking for 4-6 players. Go ahead and get started, feel free to ask questions.
Starting gold? And are the list of weapons and armor from the interest thread still kosher?
Languages?
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No purchasing starting equipment, you'll be given it. Basically you'll have clothes, some armor (chain shirt or chainmail), your heirloom weapon and a shield if you want it. Also basic gear.
The list of gear from the other thread is what's been invented in that part of the world in that time. There might be other stuff from other parts of the world, but it'll be uncommon and expensive. The Saxons were still pagan and while they appreciated gold and gems, they had a mostly barter economy. Wealth was represented by how many cattle you had, and how much grain your lands produced.
Languages - The various tribes speak dialects of Old Germanic (East, West, North). They remain mostly mutually intelligible at this time. The Romans mostly speak Latin. Other historical languages are also okay.
Basically I'm trying to be as historically accurate as possible. I'm not a professional historian so I'm sure I'll get a lot of it wrong, but if I can find a historical answer to a question I will. You guys try your best and that'll be okay. I'm more concerned with good writing than being 100% historically accurate. Although accuracy is always a bonus.
What about ranged weaponry? They had longbows, I know that much (mostly interested in the more eastern "barbarians" myself, think Huns, Scythians and Magyar, like I mentioned before)
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Here's the link for Eccard
I was guessing on the equipment & whatnot. If starting with stolen goods is an issue, that's no sweat, he'll just have to pilfer as the game progresses.
What about thieves' tools? Or other "kits" and the like? Very uncommon and expensive as well?
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@ Cuan - Yeah, they had slings, bows and thrown spears. I meant to list bows in the options for heirloom weapons. The Saxons aren't the horse archers that the Huns or other steppe peoples were, but they were famous horse breeders. In fact their heraldry remains a horse to this day. You could play a cavalier focused on archery. Perhaps your Hun father fought for Atilla. After Atilla's death in 454 he could have migrated west with some warriors who settled down with Saxon wives. East Germanic was the lingua franca in Atilla's Hunnic Empire. It would be no problem for them to communicate with the Saxons.
@ Psionchamster - Looks pretty good. The traits are a perfect fit, I'm fine with those three feats. The area along the Weser is wet peat bog moors and the Saxons often sailed up it to go on raids against other settlements. The heirloom weapon should be a Seax. Which stats-wise is a short sword, but it counts as a dagger for your class features. I'll let you also start with a normal dagger as a backup weapon. Your armor doesn't boost AC it provides you with DR 4/Armor. See the alternate rules spoiler above.
What kind of uniform are you looking to have? Not a whole lot of uniforms going around back then, more like tribal dress styles that varied slightly. The thieves' tools are fine, but again not a whole lot of locks.
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If you guys want some inspiration: Youtube videos about Beowulf (a Saxon creation).
Edit:Goes far beyond the scope of the campaign, but lots of good nuggets in there.
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Re: uniform, I was thinking Roman Legionnaire. Other tribe clothing and/or specific "tags" (fetishes/face paint/jewelry/etc) works just fine. Basically, looking to be able to blend in amongst strangers.
I'll fix the weapon & armor bits, thanks.
You've never been more than maybe 50 miles from where you were born so you'd have no access to roman equipment to begin with. That being said, at this point in time most of the Roman army was made up of barbarian peoples in service to the empire. They often had the same gear as the foreign barbarians being equipped with mail, a shield, a long sword and a long spear. Ranks in disguise and a good bluff score should serve well enough to blend in.
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knife master rogue, will contemplate another idea. I studied this area of history extensivly during university so I am quite interested
Cool, you probably know more about it than me. Looking forward to what you come up with.
Are you adament about all martial classes and Saxons? Like for instance Breton Longbowman or Celtic Druids are out?
Breton longbowman could have been captured on a raid to England and brought back as a young adolescent, then Saxonized and married into a chief's family. The celts were pretty much dead, or morphed into other peoples by that point at least on continental Europe. However a druid-like (whatever that means, all we have on them is a couple lines in Roman diaries.) pagan priest would be an adept. Be creative, I'm flexible. If the power level of the adept is what's turning people off I'll consider letting an adept start at 3rd level to even things out.
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ah too bad, you decided upon germanic barbarians only for the group, i guess I withdraw my interest then
Sorry to hear that. Thanks for taking a look. The fate of the Roman empire was basically sealed in stone for a myriad of reasons. 6 people would not have been able to affect that. They could however rise up and lead a people to their destiny. The way we may change history is not the fate of the Roman Empire, but perhaps prevent Charlemagne from arising and rebuilding it in a couple hundred years.
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Just to settle the ethnicity thing. You can be any ethnicity, but have a reason in your backstory that you're living in Saxony as a minor chieftain. The tribes didn't have black and white ethnic barriers. All the Germanic peoples mixed to some degree.
Your Althing (King) leads about three hundred men all told, made up of various clans led by Gräfe. The clans are mostly familial in nature. There may be some young unmarried men and there are slaves. You spend the good weather hunting and raiding and the cold times huddled in mead halls drinking and telling tales. Andhun your Althing, has ambitions to bring more chieftains into his influence.
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Actually, I do have a neat idea now, went with barbarian as I have never played one, and how do you feel about the titan mauler archetype or the invulnerable rager? Either concept would be different. One would be a giant of a man who would dual wield battleaxes, and the other would be whispered that he has been mortally wounded several times but never seems to die
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You've never been more than maybe 50 miles from where you were born so you'd have no access to roman equipment to begin with. That being said, at this point in time most of the Roman army was made up of barbarian peoples in service to the empire. They often had the same gear as the foreign barbarians being equipped with mail, a shield, a long sword and a long spear. Ranks in disguise and a good bluff score should serve well enough to blend in.Re: uniform, I was thinking Roman Legionnaire. Other tribe clothing and/or specific "tags" (fetishes/face paint/jewelry/etc) works just fine. Basically, looking to be able to blend in amongst strangers.
I'll fix the weapon & armor bits, thanks.
Excellent. Will keep those skills sharp, and be prepared for some quick-change clothing maneuvers.
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Actually, I do have a neat idea now, went with barbarian as I have never played one, and how do you feel about the titan mauler archetype or the invulnerable rager? Either concept would be different. One would be a giant of a man who would dual wield battleaxes, and the other would be whispered that he has been mortally wounded several times but never seems to die
Invulnerable rager would be better. There is a lack of oversized weapons for your titan mauler to wield. Swords are reserved for the best warriors as they require so much iron. Greatswords and the like are extremely rare to non-existent. I guess he could wield two longspears, which makes me think of Slaine who was a ridiculous badass.
But the invulnerable rager with a high con will have tons of healing and DR. Both so tempting. :P
Cuàn here
Ruhas is the son of Magyar father who served as the leader of squad of horse archers, first under Attila's brother Bleda and later under Attila himself. When Atilla died Ruhas' father and his men migrated north and settled in Saxon territory. His father married the daughter of the chief of a small settlement.
Ruhas, who is named in honor of the uncle of Bleda and Attila, has been trained as a horse breeder from his early youth, riding his first horse (together with his father) before he could walk. When he was old enough to hold a bow he was trained to shoot one, learning the same techniques his father had used in warfare. By the time he was eight winters old he had learned to combine both techniques and was an accomplished horse archer.
When his grandfather died at the extraordinary age of 58 winters Ruhas took over leadership of the tribe, though his mother, aunts and sisters play a large role in keeping the town functional.
EDIT: I'd grab the Emissary archetype. While the name of the archetype is a bit off, the mechanics are a perfect fit for a lighter mounted archer.
Dotting for interest. How do you feel about the Tactician archetype? Debating if I want to go with a middle-aged chief who's been successful due to his wits, or a young up-and-comer with a mind for... well, tactics.
Edit: Actually, thinking about it, a Lore Warden could fit my potential concept as well. Whatever you're happy with.
I was thinking about a current/former hostage - didn't Romans/Barbarians trade important sons to be raised in foreign lands at some point? I was thinking about a barbarian who was a hostage in Roman lands, but has since returned to take his place with his people.
What do you think, J?
Looks like a great game! Does the character have to be a Greve? I was thinking of a 'Notker the Stammerer' type character (rogue class), but I can't see him having a traditional Gedriht, though he could have a group of traveling monk types that are surprisingly good with cudgels.
Ah, I missed the 50 mile thing.
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Here is what I have for you:
Ealdfric Se Undeádlíc
Ealdfric gained his name during his first name day, his mother saw in him an old power and named him thusly. For years he trained to be a warrior like like his forefathers and ancestors
Several times in his life, Ealdfric has been mortally wounded, but was always able to recover, even when the village healers had given up hope on him. He earned the title of "the undying", which at first was stated as a mockery, but Ealdfric wore the title proudly. He has gained many battle scars and has gone on to tell stories at length of all his many deadly scrapes with death.
Recently Ealdfric has taken up the mantle of Gräfe after his father was killed in battle with the Franks. As he is quite new to the role, he still must solidify his rule in order to lead his people to glory.
EALDFRIC SE UNDEáDLíC CR 1
Male Human Barbarian (Invulnerable Rager) 2
CN Medium Humanoid (Human)
Init +4; Senses Perception +6
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DEFENSE
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Defense 12, flat-footed 10. . (+2 Dex)
Armor DR: 5/- or Gargantuan. . (+4 armor, +1 natural DR)
Critical Defense: +7. . (+5 DR, +2 Dex)
hp 27 (2d12+6)
Fort +6, Ref +2, Will +1
DR 2/lethal
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OFFENSE
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Spd 40 ft.
Melee Greataxe +6 (1d12+6/20/x3) and
. . Unarmed Strike +6 (1d3+4/20/x2)
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STATISTICS
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Str 18, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
Base Atk +2; CMB +6; CMD 18
Feats Power Attack -1/+2, Shield of Swings
Traits Heirloom Weapon (AoO): Greataxe, Reactionary
Skills Acrobatics +4, Climb +6, Escape Artist +0, Fly +0, Intimidate +3, Knowledge (Nature) +4, Perception +6, Ride +4, Stealth +0, Survival +6, Swim +6
Languages Common
SQ Fast Movement +10 (Ex), Rage (9 rounds/day) (Ex), Rolling Dodge +1 (3r) (Ex)
Combat Gear Chain Shirt, Greataxe;
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SPECIAL ABILITIES
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Damage Reduction (2/lethal) You have Damage Reduction against non-lethal damage
Fast Movement +10 (Ex) +10 feet to speed, unless heavily loaded.
Heirloom Weapon (AoO): Greataxe You carry a non-masterwork simple or martial weapon that has been passed down from generation to generation in your family (pay the standard gp cost for the weapon). You gain a +1 trait bonus on attacks of opportunity with that specific weapon.
Power Attack -1/+2 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.
Rage (9 rounds/day) (Ex) +4 Str, +4 Con, +2 to Will saves, -2 to AC when enraged.
Rolling Dodge +1 (3r) (Ex) Gain a +1 dodge bonus to AC vs. ranged attacks while raging.
Shield of Swings During a full-round attack with a 2-handed weapon, you may halve your damage to gain +4 AC and CMD until the beginning of your next turn.
I have some questions:
You mentioned you wanted to list longbows as possible heirloom weapons. Would you be ok with a composite longbow with a strength modifier of +0 as the heirloom weapon? I'm asking because the composite longbow was the weapon of choice for mounted archers and a normal longbow can not be used from horseback.
Another question: Let's say we are lvl 12 or something, how will you deal with damage? As far as I can see with the armor gives DR and the surges people's survivability will increase substantially without need for magic. Weaponry on the other hand will not get better (once more assuming an absence of magic items).
Scratch my previous questions--I can pull of my concept quite nicely with a Weapon & Shield Ranger. What options are there for Favored Enemy? I'm guessing it goes by tribe--so something like Favored Enemy (Franks), Favored Enemy (Ostrogoths) and so forth.
Would you consider a Natural Attack focused Invulnerable Rager Barbarian?
I'm thinking of a chieftain of a tribe who revere the bear as a type of totem animal. Their chief would annually eat the heart of a bear to gain strength and power to lead the tribe. This translates mechanically into the Beast totem claws, Invulnerable DR, Natural Armor, Bite, etc. Could I take the Tusked trait via Adopted and reskin this as fitting bear teeth into the chieftain's mouth?
Alternate idea is taking on the Adept class, flavored high in mysticism/witch of the woods.
Here's another question: Given our status as chiefs, is the Leadership feat going to play a role in this campaign?
I'm thinking I want to build an unassuming but scary guy. He wouldn't be the strongest, the quickest, or the most cunning of the chiefs, but he would be the most ruthless and pragmatic, relying on his "killer instinct" to get him through battles and to impress his men - the sort of guy who, instead of making elaborate boasts against his enemy, sends him the severed heads of captured scouts.
He would despise the Franks, and consider Christians with unconcealed disgust (what kind of god gets nailed to a tree? A wimpy god, that's who).
Build-wise I'm thinking I might do a straight fighter with and emphasis on combat utility - lots of different kinds of combat maneuvers. Probably strong emphasis on intimidate.
Kalizkan here. This is the rough draft version of my character background. Let me know if anything needs tweaking, or if a tribe besides the Frisians would be appropriate nemeses (i.e. Favored Enemies) for Ordric. Info on traits, feats, and so on is in the profile, but I can post them directly to the board if you'd prefer.
Ormar died a mere two years ago, slain by a Frisian spear thrust, leaving Ordric as the new leader of the clan. Shortly after taking leadership, Ordric personally hunted down Ormar’s slayer, killing him in single combat. In the time since, Ordric and Oderd have made names for themselves as reliable members of the shieldwall, and Ordric has established himself as a skilled hunter and tracker.
Edit: Fixed spoiler tag
Odalric, a barbarian with a gift for words.
(I took ease of faith for a trait, even though the actual description for it mentions divine magic, I figured it would be all right overlooking that bit? I've worked it into his philosophy...I really wanted him to have Diplomacy as a class skill, and it was either that or world traveler, the latter of which didn't seem feasible. Can change if it is a problem. Also, are you choosing our heirloom weapon?)
Odalric
Male Human Barbarian 2
Medium Humanoid (Human)
Init +1 ; Senses Perception +6
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DEFENSE
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Defense 13, Flat-Footed 10
DR 4/Armor
HP 22 (14 for first, average for second)
Fort +5, Ref +1, Will +2
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OFFENSE
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Speed 40 ft.
Melee Battleaxe +5 (1d8+2/x3)
-Seax +4 (1d6+2/19-20x2)
Ranged Throwing Axe +3 (1d6+2/x2) 10 ft.
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STATISTICS
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Str 14 Dex 12 Con 15 Int 10 Wis 14 Cha 16
Base Atk +2; CMB +4; CMD 15 (16 vs. trip)
Feats Persuasive, Weapon Focus (Battleaxe)
Traits Heirloom Weapon, Ease of Faith, Log Roller
Skills Acrobatics +5, Climb +4, Diplomacy +10, Handle Animal +7, Intimidate +10, Perception +6, Ride +3, Survival +6 Swim +5
Languages North Germanic
Equipment Battleaxe, Seax, Throwing Axe, Chain Shirt, Heavy Wooden Shield, Clothing, Backpack, Waterskin, 2 Days Rations, 2 Torches, Flint and Steel
Carrying Capacity Light Load - 58 lbs, Medium Load - 116 lbs, Heavy Load - 175 lbs, Current Load - 54 lbs
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SPECIAL ABILITIES
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Fast Movement Increases base land speed by 10 ft.
Rage 8 rounds/day. +4 Str and Con, +2 Will Save, -2 AC, +4 HP
Rage Power Knockdown
Uncanny Dodge
The wind whispered faintly, setting the branches to motion and rhythmically rustling the leaves. Atop the low hill, Odalric thought it a message from the gods, a reassurance that they were with him. As the breeze swept across his face, he closed his eyes and breathed it in deeply, accepting its sweetness into his lungs, accepting the might of the gods. The sunlight peered through gaps in the boughs, scattering the early morning mist, and Odalric took that as an omen. He and his men would be the sun, the enemies the mist. His warriors had gathered before the hill, clutching spear and axe and seax. Odalric felt even stronger as he saw the wind ruffle their hair and beards and garments. They would all be blessed. Raising up his axe, the graf spoke.
“Good men and brothers, the gods are with us! For these lands are their lands, and ours, and they will not bid us protect them alone. These Frankish dogs snarl at us and bare the teeth of their false Roman single-god. They seek to steal our lands and strike down our gods, but I say this: they have but one, while many watch over us! Woden shall grant us wisdom, and Tiw courage, and Thunor strength, and father Seaxneat will hone the edges of our blades and points of our spears and we shall cut down these foreign scum and their bastard god of Rome! Come, brothers, raise your spears and swords, and let their god weep to hear your fury! This is our land, and it will never be lost! Attack!”
Their charge was thunder, and each footfall set Odalric’s blood to quickening. Fervor for the gods. Always.
Odalric has ever loved three things; his homeland, his gods, and his people. Born into the woodlands along the river, he spent his early days ranging the forests, felling trees and hunting game, serving those lands, people, and gods. He had taken to the gods early and vehemently, setting forth in all he did to honor them; each tree cut for resource, each deer killed for food was a prayer to his gods in thanks for their gifts and their bounty. Each enemy encroaching on his land or his people slain was an offering to the gods, for even as they watched over him, he defended their honor from foreign lies. And how he defended them. Odalric took insults to his gods poorly even as a youth, filled with wroth and fury towards the enemies of his deities. Would-be subjugators would meet the edge of the same axe that would offer prayers of thanks as swiftly as sacrifice. Yet even as Woden and Thunor and Tiw and Seaxneat granted him rage to dispose of his enemies, they had blessed him with a measure of kindness as well, of forethought and reason. Not all of his people were so incorruptible or communal all of the time, and altercations between neighboring tribes and families were not uncommon. Odalric actively sought these conflicts and worked to resolve them under the guidance of the gods; blood was for enemies and outsiders, but his people needed to be unified and blessed. He gained a certain amount of recognition among the local tribes and families as an arbiter and a mediator and an inspirer, for even as he quenched sparks among his own, he rallied them to defense of their lands, gods, and each other, whenever enemies presented themselves. It was by deed rather than blood that Odalric became the graf of his local clan, for he came to be well-respected by his people and those surrounding, with murmurings of his particular breed of exploits reaching authority figures beyond.
Odalric is a natural leader, though humbles himself most of the time. He strives for diplomacy and unity amongst his own people, painfully aware of the hammers poised all around Saxony, ready to strike. He saves all of his rage and contempt for his enemies, though in his mind he is often torn between the desires to keep his people safe and keep them pride. Truly his biggest fear is being put into a position where he would have to choose between life or liberty for his home and his people. He strives to be an inspiration to his people, ever reminding them to be as one and to honor and praise their gods. Religion is vastly important to Odalric and he is deeply spiritual and devoted to his deities. He looks upon his status as chieftain as a chance to honor them (and his people) better.
Okay, here's my rough draft, so to speak (gotta crunch the numbers on some stuff still).
Isegrim
Saxon Fighter 2
Str 16 Dex 14 Con 13 Int 14 Wis 12 Cha 14
Skills (Ranks/Bonus): Climb 1/+7, Handle Animal 1/+6, Heal 2/+3, Intimidate 2/+8, Perception 2/+3 Ride 1/+6, Survival 2/+6, Swim 1/+7
Feats: Combat Expertise, Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Combat Reflexes
Traits: Threatening Defender, Bully, Heirloom Weapon: Battle Axe (+2 Disarm)
(Full stat block to come)
Isegrim's father, Cwichelm, taught him at a young age that the world of men is simple enough to understand: "The world will kill you, if you let it. True strength is the will to live, at all costs." Cwichelm would remind his son of this by showing him the mangled stump of his left arm - lost when Cwichelm had been pinned by a falling tree during a storm. "Lesser men would have died," Cwichelm would say, "because they did not have the will to lose what must be lost, to face the pain of sacrifice." Cwichelm lived, sawing through his own limb with a dagger and staggering to safety. Even with only one arm, Cwichelm was a fearsome and formidable chieftan, skilled in battle and wise in rule. His raids were swift and violent; his friendship, slow but generous; his judgements, harsh but fair.
Both Isegrim and his elder brother Cynewulf idolized their father, but Cynewulf found it hard to master his own will. His drunkenness and mewling pity for enemies were signs of weakness, that was clear, but he was nonetheless a puissant warrior. It was plain to see that Cynewulf, while mighty in battle, would lead his tribe to ruin after his father's death. It pained Cynewulf to know that his heir was unworthy of him, and he often roamed the woods late at night in a silent fury, cursing the gods for their fickleness. On one such night, Isegrim saw his brother, drunk in his hut, and realized what price must be paid for their tribe. Sneaking into Cynewulf's hut, Isegrim quietly strangled his brother, peering deeply into his eyes as he did so - facing the pain and making it his for all time. When his father returned, Isegrim quietly led him to Cynewulf's corpse. Cwichelm stared at his slain boy for only a moment, and then nodded at Isegrim. What must be lost, must be lost. Drawing forth his own knife, he plunged it into his heart and quietly folded himself around Cynewulf's body.
Since that time, Isegrim has kept the memory of his father and his brother fresh in his heart. As chief, he leads with a ruthlessness that borders on cruelty, yet he does so with no malice to any (save the Franks). Every sacrifice he makes he makes willingly, fully accepting the responsibility for each choice. He rewards good service well, but not extravagantly, and none truly know his mind. His only intimate companion is his dog, Degenwulf; Isegrim has taken no bride yet, choosing to wait for an opportunity to use his marriage to cement an alliance that will benefit his people.
Isegrim's passion rarely shows, but his wrath is difficult to control against the Franks. Clovis and his kingdom are the gravest threat to Isegrim and his people, and he rarely passes up an opportunity to take up arms against them. In all other dealings he is direct and plainspoken, preferring to let his actions, not his rhetoric, persuade his allies and his enemies.
Isegrim is fond of animals, and frequently seeks them out for company; he keeps a small kennel of hounds, but his favorite is a great, gray shaggy dog he calls Degenwulf. Isegrim has been known to foster injured animals and personally nurse them back to health, keeping some as temporary pets and releasing others back into the wild.
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Cuàn here
Ruhas is the son of Magyar father who served as the leader of squad of horse archers, first under Attila's brother Bleda and later under Attila himself. When Atilla died Ruhas' father and his men migrated north and settled in Saxon territory. His father married the daughter of the chief of a small settlement.
Ruhas, who is named in honor of the uncle of Bleda and Attila, has been trained as a horse breeder from his early youth, riding his first horse (together with his father) before he could walk. When he was old enough to hold a bow he was trained to shoot one, learning the same techniques his father had used in warfare. By the time he was eight winters old he had learned to combine both techniques and was an accomplished horse archer.
When his grandfather died at the extraordinary age of 58 winters Ruhas took over leadership of the tribe, though his mother, aunts and sisters play a large role in keeping the town functional.
EDIT: I'd grab the Emissary archetype. While the name of the archetype is a bit off, the mechanics are a perfect fit for a lighter mounted archer.
Looks good so far. That archetype is fine. Perfect backstory.
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Dotting for interest. How do you feel about the Tactician archetype? Debating if I want to go with a middle-aged chief who's been successful due to his wits, or a young up-and-comer with a mind for... well, tactics.
Edit: Actually, thinking about it, a Lore Warden could fit my potential concept as well. Whatever you're happy with.
Both archetypes would be fine.
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I was thinking about a current/former hostage - didn't Romans/Barbarians trade important sons to be raised in foreign lands at some point? I was thinking about a barbarian who was a hostage in Roman lands, but has since returned to take his place with his people.
What do you think, J?
That's certainly possible. Although it's more likely that you would have been captive amongst a Christian barbarian people. Perhaps the Franks or if you're set on the roman cultural thing, the Goths. Write me a good story that makes it possible. I'm flexible, it's gonna come down to making me believe it.
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I have some questions:
You mentioned you wanted to list longbows as possible heirloom weapons. Would you be ok with a composite longbow with a strength modifier of +0 as the heirloom weapon? I'm asking because the composite longbow was the weapon of choice for mounted archers and a normal longbow can not be used from horseback.
Another question: Let's say we are lvl 12 or something, how will you deal with damage? As far as I can see with the armor gives DR and the surges people's survivability will increase substantially without need for magic. Weaponry on the other hand will not get better (once more assuming an absence of magic items).
You could have a composite shortbow, as that's what the Huns used. Whatever str bonus is fine.
If you are level 12, you could probably kill an entire army (I believe I read that at that time Germanic peoples considered anything more than 20 people an army) by yourself. Most soldiers are either level 1 commoner conscripts or level 1 warriors. The veterans may have a level or two of fighter. Magic items are possible, just extremely rare. Look at Attila's sword, supposedly the sword of Mars. I'm sure there are many more examples, but can't think of any off the top of my head. At level 12 the only thing that might threaten you is a dragon or something like that.
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Scratch my previous questions--I can pull of my concept quite nicely with a Weapon & Shield Ranger. What options are there for Favored Enemy? I'm guessing it goes by tribe--so something like Favored Enemy (Franks), Favored Enemy (Ostrogoths) and so forth.
Yeah. Correct. You can still pick normal types as well, (undead, fey, lycanthropes) whatever. Obviously humans are the most common enemies.
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Would you consider a Natural Attack focused Invulnerable Rager Barbarian?
I'm thinking of a chieftain of a tribe who revere the bear as a type of totem animal. Their chief would annually eat the heart of a bear to gain strength and power to lead the tribe. This translates mechanically into the Beast totem claws, Invulnerable DR, Natural Armor, Bite, etc. Could I take the Tusked trait via Adopted and reskin this as fitting bear teeth into the chieftain's mouth?Alternate idea is taking on the Adept class, flavored high in mysticism/witch of the woods.
Both are okay. I'd reflavor the claws to wearing a bear pelt or something, but the mechanics are fine.
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I'm thinking I want to build an unassuming but scary guy. He wouldn't be the strongest, the quickest, or the most cunning of the chiefs, but he would be the most ruthless and pragmatic, relying on his "killer instinct" to get him through battles and to impress his men - the sort of guy who, instead of making elaborate boasts against his enemy, sends him the severed heads of captured scouts.
He would despise the Franks, and consider Christians with unconcealed disgust (what kind of god gets nailed to a tree? A wimpy god, that's who).
Build-wise I'm thinking I might do a straight fighter with and emphasis on combat utility - lots of different kinds of combat maneuvers. Probably strong emphasis on intimidate.
Sounds good. Yes, leadership will likely be granted for free to everyone at third level.
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Kalizkan here. This is the rough draft version of my character background. Let me know if anything needs tweaking, or if a tribe besides the Frisians would be appropriate nemeses (i.e. Favored Enemies) for Ordric. Info on traits, feats, and so on is in the profile, but I can post them directly to the board if you'd prefer.
** spoiler omitted **
Edit: Fixed spoiler tag
Looks good so far. Frisians are often allies to the Saxons, but I'm sure they also raided each other constantly. If you want a more constant enemy the Franks would be a good choice for favored enemy. It's up to you.
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Odalric, a barbarian with a gift for words.
(I took ease of faith for a trait, even though the actual description for it mentions divine magic, I figured it would be all right overlooking that bit? I've worked it into his philosophy...I really wanted him to have Diplomacy as a class skill, and it was either that or world traveler, the latter of which didn't seem feasible. Can change if it is a problem. Also, are you choosing our heirloom weapon?)
** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **...
That trait is fine. You choose your heirloom weapon. Background is great, nice writing.
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Well, now that my flurry of posts is over lets begin the next round ;)
I'm glad to see so many great submissions. This is awesome, good work everybody. I'm going to keep recruitment open until Friday. That should give everyone time to finalize their characters and get an alias up, and any stragglers to arrive.
HP:Max at first level, half+1 after that (ie d8=5 HP)
I need to go to work now, but I'll compile a list of submissions when I get home tonight.
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Looks like a great game! Does the character have to be a Greve? I was thinking of a 'Notker the Stammerer' type character (rogue class), but I can't see him having a traditional Gedriht, though he could have a group of traveling monk types that are surprisingly good with cudgels.
Sorry, I missed this in all my earlier replies. You could play a member of the Althing's Gedriht if you don't want to be a chieftain. However this would prevent you from amassing followers like the others would, at least at first. If you become heroic enough, people may flock to your name. But either way you would be sworn to die for Andhun. The others follow him out of respect, but they took no blood oath to die by his side. If you're cool with that, then make away!
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On a side note, here are some more videos. This time on Pagan belief. The same user also uploaded episodes 2,3 and 4 if you go to their page.