You are a citizen of the city of Axiom, and, until last week, you believed your city was alone in the world.
Hey! So, I've been poking around at making this campaign setting for about a year or so, and while schedules made it difficult to get terribly far in traditional campaign format, it was still something that I'd like to get running, in some form or another. Ideally, this is something that would be a pretty long-term game, but what I've got planned could easily be pretty open-ended in terms of length, and easily adjusted according to interest. I am definitely new to play-by-post, so there might be a little bit of an adjustment period, but I'm not new to the game by any means.
The Basics: You are a citizen of an isolated, peaceful city, located in the middle of the desert, and as far as you knew, there was nothing beyond that. About a week ago, though, the speakers for the enigmatic creatures that have governed your city announced that an envoy would be making the journey through the desert for a diplomatic mission. For one reason or another, you are one of the few Axiomites selected to return with them to their city when they leave.
More detailed setting information can be found on this doc over here.
- Stats are 4d6, drop lowest. You may reroll one result, and choose which to keep.
- No 3PP material, most Paizo material is fine.
- Exceptions to this are as follows: No crafting feats or Leadership. Also, Svirfneblin, Beastfolk races, and Gunslinger/gun-wielding characters are all part of the world, and may become available later in-game, but are locked to certain regions.
- Start from Level 1.
- Starting gold is average for your class.
- Two traits, no drawbacks. Traits can come from any Paizo material, within reason (ask if you're concerned) but no two can be from the same category.
- Automatic Bonus Progression will be in effect.
- Homebrew rule: You may take a single flaw from this list for one additional feat. These flaws were made for 3.5, so some of them may not translate perfectly. In that case, or in the case of wanting to come up with something new, let me know, and I'll be happy to workshop something for you. I just like playing with flaws.
In addition to stats/alignment/race/class, I'd like to get the following from you about your character.
Personality: I don't need a huge amount of info from you, just a brief snapshot.
Backstory: Who are they in Axiom? What do they do? Are there any major life events I should know about?
Why were they selected?: This is a two-part question. What made them want to offer their name to leave with the caravan? Are they an academic, looking to uncover the world and learn what it might have to offer? Are they a thrill-seeker? Do they have big diplomatic goals? And then, why would they be selected? What skills do they bring to the table? They've lived in Axiom all their lives, surely they've built some kind of reputation doing something.
I'll be looking for ideally 4-6 players, but that number has some wiggle room, depending on how much of a response I get. Cut-off date is also up to some amount of debate, but as of right now, my current thought is at April 8th.
Let me know if you have any questions! I look forward to seeing what comes up.
Well, let's see what The Dice Gods think.
Mmm. slighty above mediocre.
...I do love a good vaguely sinister utopia. I'll roll up some stats and see if I get time to make something of them.
So the array is 18, 15, 16, 13, 17, 16 - well, damn, now I'm going to have to make a character just so those rolls don't go to waste. o.O I'll start noodling on concepts and come back with something.
Dotting and rolling something up. Can't be sure that I'll have the time but no harm in checking in right?
= 14
= 14
= 12
= 14
= 14
= 13
= 11
So that comes out to 14, 14, 14, 14, 13, 12.
Interesting. I'm thinking maybe an Unchained Rogue of some type, maybe a former guardsman or inspector for the city.
Dot.
To clarify - how common are non-core races? Are they playable, or do you prefer to keep it to the core races?
Reroll :
Final:
17, 15, 15, 14, 12, 8
=11
=14
=14
=6 jeez
=10
=13
=7 oh that helps.
Rennaivix, can we trade?
Most of the non-core races are definitely playable, and are much more common than they are in most settings. Like I said, svirfneblin and beastfolk races are currently not allowed, they're restricted to one of the outside cities, but everything else is fair game.
8-11-11-13-15-16
11-11-13-15-16-16
I can work with this :)
I think I've got an idea, a goblin barbarian (unchained, feral gnasher archetype). He serves as a rat catcher in Axiom. He's kinda gross and kinda ugly, but he helps the city stay clean by culling the rodent population. His weapon of choice is the over-sized maw that seems to take up most of his face.
He signed up to join the caravan because he thought it sounded interesting, there being other cities and all. Having lived in the sewers most all of his life, he enjoys the idea of travel. Honestly, he'd be surprised if he gets picked, but the inevitable have their own, strange motivations.
Personality-wise, he is content and proud of his work in the utopia-like society of Axiom. It's not showy, but he doesn't want to be in the limelight. The little guy shows some of the child-like attributes stereotypical of goblins, but differs from them in other ways. Unlike "normal" () goblins, he is not stupid or afraid of writing, as he has grown up in a completely different environment than those.
I'll get some crunch ready soon.
You've got me intrigued, and I love rolling ability scores.
15, 14, 14, 13, 12, 11. A very underwhelming 23 point-buy. I don't know if I can come up with anything particularly interesting here, but I'll think on it.
I will roll some dice here, as I love rolling. Also I lost it when I was reading more about the setting and it was all going so nicely until the f-bomb was dropped when describing the people of the academic quarter.
=11
=10
=10
=15
=15
=12
Ill reroll one of those 10s
... Guess not
Most of the non-core races are definitely playable, and are much more common than they are in most settings. Like I said, svirfneblin and beastfolk races are currently not allowed, they're restricted to one of the outside cities, but everything else is fair game.
It occurs to me that this does not actually answer the question that was asked, whoops. So, in more detail (and to add some points that should have been included to begin with):
The humanoid core races are all about equally common. Especially in Axiom, given its isolation, which has lead to most of them being intermixed pretty thoroughly. What you put on your sheet is mostly for the sake of crunch - there's barely any full-blooded humanoid races, and many of them will exhibit some amount of mixed features. The captain of the guard, for example, is a Gnome, but he's got enough tells to know that there's more than a bit of Goblin in him. That isn't out of the ordinary.
People with enough Orc/Goblin/similar blood in them to be played as full-blooded versions of their race are more rare, but are about on par with, say.... Elves in most settings. You don't see them everywhere, but you don't stop and stare when you do.
The native outsiders have probably been changed the most, as they are, rather than being a rare occurrence in an otherwise non-outsider family, a set of races all their own, which can't interbreed with the humanoid races. They are similarly pretty closely related at this point, but racial magic does tend to keep the divides a little more obvious. Still, it can get a little ambiguous sometimes. There's a cleric who works in the Temple who could just as easily be a Tiefling as she could be an Aasimar, and you might not know until you say her cast Daylight. These races are more rare, and are about on-par with where half-elves/half-orcs might be usually. You probably know a few, but it's not something you expect to see all the time.
Anything not mentioned there is probably a little less common again than that.
Also I lost it when I was reading more about the setting and it was all going so nicely until the f-bomb was dropped when describing the people of the academic quarter.
I MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE FORGOTTEN TO EDIT A THING OR TWO AND I AM SORRY
This looks pretty interesting. I've got a sorcerer concept that I think would be a good fit here.
=9
=8
=12
=15
=14
=11
Well that's not very shiny...
=13
so 9-13-12-15-14-11
Wow, I'm kind of, uh, ending up head and shoulders above everyone else...I don't want to show everyone else up, and I can reroll if it'll be more balanced. For the stats I have now, though, I'll at least make good use of them with a nice, MAD build - a two-weapon-fighting, sword (or equivalent)-and-shield cleric. I'll be sending you a PM with some questions.
Ok, Gruknuk is ready to go!
Tenative dot. I'm rather busy right now, but this does look interesting.
Rolls:
(Rerolling)
10, 16, 13, 18, 8, 10?
I can work with that.
Korza Ren, half-orc sorcerer with a bad temper.
Korza Ren
Female Half-Orc Wildblooded sorcerer 1
CG Medium humanoid (orc, human)
Init +1; Senses Darvision 60 ft; Perception -1
Defense
AC 11; Touch 11; Flat-Footed 10;
HP 10 (1d6+4)
Fort +1; Ref +1; Will +1
Offense
Speed 30
Space 5ft; Reach 5ft
Melee Greataxe +2(1d12+3/x3)
Ranged Light Crossbow +1 (1d8/x2)
Spells Known (CL 1)
1st (4/day)— Mage Armor, Color Spray
0 (at will)— Detect Magic, Jolt, Mage Hand
Statistics
Str 14, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 11, Wis 9, Cha 17
Base Atk +0; CMB +2; CMD 13
Feats Toughness, Arcane Strike, Eschew Materials
Traits Self-Taught Scholar, Finish the Fight Flaw Callous
Skills Diplomacy -1, Intimidate +9, Knowledge (Arcana) +4, Sense Motive -5, Spellcraft +4 (+5 to read scrolls); Racial Modifiers +2 Intimidate
Languages Common, Orc
Other Gear 2 lengths of hemp rope (50 ft each), Sorcerer’s kit (a backpack, a bedroll, a belt pouch, a flint and steel, an iron pot, a mess kit, soap, torches (10), trail rations (5 days), and a waterskin), 2gp
Special Abilities
Orc Ferocity: Once per day, when a half-orc is brought below 0 hit points but not killed, he can fight on for 1 more round as if disabled. At the end of his next turn, unless brought to above 0 hit points, he immediately falls unconscious and begins dying.
Primal Bloodline: Air
Bloodline Arcana: Whenever you cast a spell with an energy descriptor that matches your elemental bloodline’s energy type, that spell deals +1 point of damage per die rolled.
Bloodline Power: Elemental Ray (Sp): Starting at 1st level, you can unleash an elemental ray as a standard action, targeting any foe within 30 feet as a ranged touch attack. This ray deals 1d6 points of damage of your energy type + 1 for every two sorcerer levels you possess. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.
Finish the Fight: You’re at the bottom of the pecking order, so when you challenge that order, your victory must be absolute. You gain a +1 trait bonus on attack rolls against opponents you already injured in the past 24 hours.
Well, I can't resist rolling dice poorly! Let's see what sort of inspiration this'll give me....
(14)
(8)
(13)
(8)
(14)
(16)
(9)
= 15
= 11
= 11
= 9
= 12
= 17
Oh I know I will need this, = 10. But it is awful. Still, I can replace the 9. So, 17, 15, 12, 11, 11, 10. Almost 30 points but really focused.
I didn't really care about the rolls though. This is the perfect game for a horselord cavalier. I don't see mention of Horses though, or any animals. Would you mind terribly if another faction was added. Either Horselords or Beastmasters. Every large city needs its major entertainment and I was thinking horse racing. Or, since the city if so diverse, maybe have a menagerie of animals for all kinds of events with horse racing the most popular currently.
Wow, I'm kind of, uh, ending up head and shoulders above everyone else...I don't want to show everyone else up, and I can reroll if it'll be more balanced. For the stats I have now, though, I'll at least make good use of them with a nice, MAD build - a two-weapon-fighting, sword (or equivalent)-and-shield cleric. I'll be sending you a PM with some questions.
I'm definitely not going to make you re-roll, it's something I think I'll be able to balance things out on my end with some trial and error, so long as you're okay with knowing that I'll probably be poking you a little harder than the other players. HOWEVER, I will leave that up to you and the other interested players. If you think you would feel more comfortable rerolling, or if the other players feel like they would be more comfortable if you did, then that decision is up to you.
(If anyone is less than entirely comfortable posting publicly about that, then you're welcome to PM me about it. I personally doubt that there will be any issue as far as people getting upset, but I'd understand being uncomfortable, so I want to make sure you know the offer is open.)
as crafting feats are permitted, I'm presuming the classes that automatically give have the usual swap-out (ala PFS).
Also this was something I meant to reply to, whoops. Yeah, that's a safe assumption. I also want to clarify, in case it isn't totally clear: Crafting as a skill is fine, and I don't have an issue with it if you want to craft mundane/alchemical items or poisons. It's just when it winds up being how the party is getting most or all of their gear that it starts to be less fun (for me, in any case.) That being said, if there's ever an item in particular that you really want on your character, let me know and I can see about that winding up in a loot pile somewhere.
I didn't really care about the rolls though. This is the perfect game for a horselord cavalier. I don't see mention of Horses though, or any animals. Would you mind terribly if another faction was added. Either Horselords or Beastmasters. Every large city needs its major entertainment and I was thinking horse racing. Or, since the city if so diverse, maybe have a menagerie of animals for all kinds of events with horse racing the most popular currently.
Horses and other animal keeping would be mostly the business of the Agricultural Quarter, with horses in particular kept to the more spacious areas out by the outer walls of the city. There's only so much space, though, so while there are definitely horse farms, there's only so many, and actually owning a horse yourself is pretty rare and impressive. Either way, racing could definitely be a major source of entertainment for a lot of people.
What do you mean so much space? Is everything contained within the wall?
You mentioned any race. Does this include the 0-HD versions of monsters included in the ARG?
Also, how about Drow?
@Zayne- yep. Axiom is a big city, but it's limited by the wall, and those gates haven't opened in so long, there's been some ongoing conversation on whether or not they should just be walled off, too. The desert's dangerous, dude, don't go out there.
@Daedalus- I love me some monster races, please play them. I'd have to give some serious thought to how Drow work, since their traditional culture and flavor doesn't really fit with Axiom as a starting point. I'm going to say yes to Drow (with the exception of Noble Drow, because hahahahaha) but if that's something that interests you, then I'd like to work out what that means in the context of Axiom with you.
Okay, thanks. I'm still brainstorming what I want (my rolls suggest a caster of some sort), and I'm just trying to figure out what I have to work with.
I'm guessing the Munavri are also a bit on the too-powerful side? It seems like a fun time to try a rare race out.
But monster races... Hmm.... If only some of them made better casters. Might be fun to try a gargoyle or centaur, though.
=8
=14
=14
=14
=11
=10
=16
Oh that reroll was awesome! I don't know if you are still looking for people, but I'd love to join. Just started playing Pathfinder a few months ago, but I played 3.5 for years. I am new to PbP, but this campaign looks right up my alley. I am going to build this character and see what I can come up with either way.
Thanks!
Hey, I'm glad to see anyone's interested, haha! I did give a solid three weeks for character submissions (... which maybe was on the long side, in hindsight) so I'm definitely still accepting them.
There has been a good bit more interest than I was expecting, though, which is kind of blowing me away. It does mean that a few characters may not be able to make it in, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Another option I'm considering if there do wind up being a high enough number of submissions finished in that time is just sort of splitting it into two parties and sending them off to different locations, letting them possibly influence what happens in the other game. It would be a lot for me to keep up with as a DM, but it's something I've always wanted to do, so I'm keeping it in mind as a possibility.
Yeah, go for it. Rearrange to your heart's content.
|
This is Kolret the half-orc Phalanx Soldier Fighter. Kolret grew up a poor bastard in the Industrial Quarter of Axiom around where the smiths forge their iron. Kolret's mother wanted him to be an apprentice to the smiths, but most of his childhood he spent using sticks to spar with the other children instead. He would watch as the city guards came in to pick up their beautifully forged steel in their elegant clothes and armor. Oh how he longed for a life like that! As he aged, his prowess sharpened. When he turned 18 he applied for the city guard and was accepted into the training program. After training for about a year, Kolret was let go under somewhat unknown circumstances. This crushed his childhood dream, and he decided to prove to himself he was worth becoming a guard. He cast his lot in with this mysterious caravan of newcomers to Axiom hoping to act as protection to get out of this town and away from his shame.
Kolret is usually good natured and is inherently good. He has a slightly subdued nature; and like many that are drawn to being guards, he usually speaks only when spoken to. While his temper can bubble to the surface, he can usually keep it in check. He may snub the law in some regards (probably why he didn't make it long trting to be a guard) but is usually interested in doing the right thing. His competetive nature seems to work against him at times, but it has driven his martial proficiency.
Alright, I have got something. This is Lucatiel. Mounted Archer, party support, and fastest horse rider in Axiom. Current record holder in the Wall Races but secretly wishes to be free of Axiom and ride across the desert off into the horizon. This diplomatic mission is just what she had been hoping for and has been praying to every god in the temple to be chosen.
Saria Dalavon, cleric of Arshea, is in progress, though there's still some work to be done. (I'd forgotten how much 2+INT skills on a class with no incentive for INT hurts me inside.)
Question: clerics gain proficiency with shields as defensive items, that much is readily apparent. But do they get proficiency with them as weapons as well? There's some contention over the issue, so I'll leave it to you, Ollie. Whichever way you rule is fine - if you rule they don't get weapon proficiency with them, I'll pick up the Heirloom Weapon trait and her shield will be a gift from the Temple.
=12
=11 reroll =18
=18
=16
=14
=15
Ok holy crap these are nice. I will take a look at character concepts and have one submitted today.
Your math is way off zomblisham.
Your stats are 12, 18, 16, 14, 15, 13. Still good though.
Ohh wow I promise i passed grade school lol. It was early and we were out of coffee in the office haha.
There, there, there. We all have those days.
I'm still around, by the way. I'll have a ton of questions soon enough, once I settle on a character concept.
It's unfortunate, really. A Kasatha Monk would be awesome, but I don't think I can pull it off with my array.
Hmmm... Actually, do you allow Words of Power? I might have an idea if you do....
@Rennaivx- Yeah, I'm going to rule no on being proficient with shields as weapons without the trait. Looking at an archetype for another class that focuses on fighting with a shield, it specifies that they gain proficiency with them as weapons, so it seems like just having regular shield proficiency wouldn't grant that.
@Daedalus- Hm. I've only ever actually seen Words of Power used in a game once, and I wasn't the DM or the player using it, so I'm only familiar in passing. Still, I'm not seeing much reason to not allow it, so if you're comfortable using them, I don't see why you shouldn't be able to.
That does remind me, though, more relevant to everyone - there were a few alternate rules/house rules that I've played with so long and so consistently that I honestly and completely forgot they weren't part of base game. But, since I didn't put them in the OP, I don't really want to say just "OH BTW WE'RE USING THESE THINGS HOPE THAT'S COOL" and I'd rather see what you're all comfortable with. So, usually when I've played, it's been using Hero Points and with crits/crit fails outside of combat. Usually all the crit/crit fails means is an auto-success on a 20 (plus a reduced effect, if it's on a save, extra information on a knowledge, etc) and an auto-fail on a 1 (increased effect on a save, blatantly false information on a knowledge, etc) but it will sometimes add some hilarity. Again, I won't use either of these if there's anyone who isn't comfortable with them, I honestly had just completely forgotten that they weren't always a thing.
= 14
= 11
= 8
= 15
= 13
= 10
= 13
STR 13
CON 14
DEX 13
INT 11
WIS 10
CHA 15
Okay, sweet. I have a couple of WoP characters currently, so I'm getting fairly used to the system. Really fun, and it works great with PBP.
I've had an idea for an ice-type blaster kicking around for a while. Just a couple of questions before I finish off the build:
1: Say I want to cast a fireball that leaves a cloud of smoke behind afterwords. Would this be possible, or would the smoke dissipate instantly because it's 'instantaneous?' (By RAW, it should go away immediately.)
2: Does the Human Favored Class Bonus for sorcerers (one bonus spell known) give me an extra spell or an extra word?
3: How do feats that give a bonus to one spell apply to Words? Could I take Spell Specialization (Wrack) and get the bonus to Wrack+Fog Bank?
4: I'm thinking a silver dragon/primal elemental water (wildblooded) crossblooded sorcerer. Can I have a wildblood bloodline as one of my bloodlines, or do they both have to be normal bloodlines?
Thanks.
I'm alright with those rules. Do you use Hero Points strictly RAW or do you have your own variation?
15
13
13
9
9
16
Ok...I can work with that.
Male Kitsune Bard
Flaw: Easily distracted
CG
STR 11
DEX 16
CON 13
INT 11
WIS 10
CHA 17
HP 9
Speed 30
Init +1
AC 17, touch 13, FF 14
Fort 1, Reflex 5, Will 3
BAB 0
CMB 0
CMD 13
Rapier -1 (1d6) 18-20/x2
Shortbow +2 (1d6) x3
Skills with ranks
Bluff 10
Diplomacy 7
Disguise 9
Intimidate 7
All knowledges +1
Perform Dance 7
Use Magic Device 7
Favorite class option +1/2 on bluff to lie and diplomacy to gather info
Traits: Fast-talker and Indomitable faith
Feats:
Lingering Performance
Deceitful
Spells:
Cantrips:
Light, Open/close, Prestidigitation, Detect magic
1st: (2/day)
Charm Person (DC 15)
Sleep (DC 15)
I'm definitely not going to make you re-roll, it's something I think I'll be able to balance things out on my end with some trial and error, so long as you're okay with knowing that I'll probably be poking you a little harder than the other players. HOWEVER, I will leave that up to you and the other interested players. If you think you would feel more comfortable rerolling, or if the other players feel like they would be more comfortable if you did, then that decision is up to you.
I have thought about this for a while and I am unsure. I would certainly be more comfortable if they rerolled but I don't know if I am uncomfortable with their high abilities. I would have to wait until I got in the game (if I did) to draw a conclusion on that. If they did reroll then we might as well do point-buy but that ruins the randomness. Just thought I'd make my opinion known, vague as it is.
Alright...time for an vivisectionist alchemist. Given the lack of healing that comes from having no divine spell casting, this will give us (at lvl 1) healing potions that I can make for the party.
Final Stats:
16, 15, 13, 13, 12, 9
Name Malkaen
Race Human
Traits
* Trustworthy (+1 diplomacy and class skill, +1 to lie)
* Reactionary (+2 initiative)
Str (18) Dex (13) Con (13) Int (15) Wis (12) Cha (9) HP (10) Fort (+3) Ref (+3) Will (+1) Initiative (+3)
Combat-Dagger
* To Hit: +4
* Damage: 1d4+4 (19-20 crit)
* 1d6 sneak attack
Combat-Natural Attacks
* To Hit: +6/+6/+6
* Damage: 1d6+6 / 1d6+6 / 1d8+6
* 1d6 sneak attack
Armor
* Armor (14) w/ Mutagen (16)
* Touch (11)
* Flat Footed (13) w/ Mutagen (15)
Class Chirugeon Vivisectionist Alcehmist
* Sneak Attack (1d6)
Skills
* Perception: 1 skill point (+5)
* Disable Device: 1 skill point (+4)
* Knowledge Arcana: 1 skill point (+6)
* Knowledge Nature: 1 skill point (+6)
* Diplomacy: 1 skill point (+4)
* Craft Alchemy: 1 skill point (+7)
Feats
* Throw Anything (class lvl 1)
* Brew Potion (Class lvl 1)
* Extra Discovery (Human bonus feat: Feral Mutagen)
* Extra Discovery (lvl 1 feat: Infusion-extracts persist even after set down, and can be imbibed by non-alchemists to gain its effects)
Mutagen
* 1 hour to make, only 1 can be made at a time
* Feral Mutagen (+2 intimidate, 2x 1d6 claws, 1x 1d8 bite)
* Strength Mutagen Prepared (+4 strength, +2 Natural AC, -2 Int for 10 minutes)
Formula List Can Create 2 per day
* Cure Light Wounds
* Enlarge Person
* Disguise Self
* Expeditious Retreat
Extracts Prepared
* 2x Cure Light Wounds
Equipment
* Alchemist's Kit with thief tools (This kit includes an alchemy crafting kit, a backpack, a bedroll, a belt pouch, a flint and steel, ink, an inkpen, an iron pot, a mess kit, soap, torches (10), trail rations (5 days), and a waterskin. The kit does not contain a formula book because an alchemist begins play with a formula book and does not need to purchase one.)
* Leather Jerkin (+3 AC, -1 ACP)
* Cold Iron Dagger (1d4, 19-20)
* 6 gold
Malkaen lives within the Academic Quarter of Axiom. He is an alchemist by trade, 'selling' his potions to those in need of healing. He spends most of his time in the Academy, studying the human body and attempting to perfect his abilities. For Malkaen, he has one overarching fear, and that is the slow degradation of his body and the slide towards death. Jealous of the long lives of elves and other such citizens of Axion, he has decided to dedicate his life to discovering a way to live beyond his allotted years. His field of study is the manipulation and improvement of the body. This has incidentally made him a decent healer, though it was not the focus he set out for. Recently though, he has come to the conclusion that to truly kickstart his research, he will need to put it to the test in the field. Though what that entails he has not yet decided.
Looks interesting, let me toss my hat in the ring!
(Warning: Brand new to the boards, still figuring out how to format dice rolls.)
= 10
= 13
= 7
= 16
= 13
= 15
= 14
I'm thinking of a cynical, suspicious Investigator.