Hi folks, here is the creation/recruitment/OOC thread for The Fallen Shall Rise, my Arcadia colonial PbP.
First the number-crunching:
25-pt buy
1.5 times max starting gold which can include one masterwork weapon, armour, or item
1st level
No evil (prefer good)
Core and APG classes only
Core races plus tiefling and aasimar (maybe others, ask first)
Two traits from anywhere (I have a pair of campaign traits that people can choose one of, if interested)
This is a primarily Taldane expedition which departs from Cassomir and stops in Absalom, so character origins from pretty much anywhere in Avistan or Garund are fine. The only hook requirement is that your character must have a reason to stay on board ship and go all the way to Arcadia.
This campaign is not combat intensive, and focuses much more on diplomacy and politics (though that doesn't mean low-Charisma characters will have nothing to do) than dungeon-crawling. Indeed, most combat encounters will take place out doors, and there will be lots of opportunity for mounted combat (if that's something you like).
The reason for the big point buy and extra gold is not because I like munchkins, but because this is a low-treasure campaign. The PCs are moving into a fairly primitive area and will not be gathering huge piles of magical loot. The big numbers at creation are just to help give them a little boost. Expect item creation feats and craft skills to be very useful and well-used.
Can't think of anything else to mention at this point, except this: I love group concepts over individual ones. If a bunch of people want to get together and come up with a group scenerio where you all know each other already, so much the better.
Gears are turning in my brain...this could be fuuuuuuuun!
Hmmm....I'd like to....let me see if I can come up with something interesting.
I'm not really sure what an Arcadia campaign entails (unless we're talking about the outer planes), but if Alis doesn't make it into either Sully or Alexander's CotCT campaigns then a nautical adventure would be right up her alley. In my homebrew, the race of elves she hails from are great mariners and love to challenge the horizon.
She's also pretty good at that diplomacy stuff. ;)
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Group concept: An unstable conquistador captain and his daring halfling crew? Just an idea...
I kind of started out recently and do not know many people here. I feel lucky that I managed to land a role as a zealous cleric in another campaign - which has been a blast. I have enough time to play one more character...but as we saw in Sully's thread - opportunities are few.
Any way. I hope you like this seed idea for a group of small, but cunning adventurers who survive horrendous challenges by the skin of their teeth.
I also think halflings make ideal mounted characters...so if I submit a character it will be a halfling...
if i dont get selected for talomyr's CoT ill take the same concept here...if thats ok
Abbas Abbud, priest of sarenrae
Description: the dark skinned man before you wears thin flowing blue robes from head to toe, partially hiding the glint of steel armor underneath. Your eyes are drawn a small golden symbol of the dawnflower that adorns his neck. In one hand he holds a battle worn scimitar, in the other a wooden shield with a symbol of Sarenrae carved into the front.
Backround:
(this is pretty basic should i get selected i will likely put alot more thought into this or if i get time ill edit and make it longer) Abbas left his temple in the city of Katapesh to bring the light of sarenrae to dark places and people. His travels have brought him to Cassomir
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If my characters don't cut the mustard for Sully's or Talomyr's game then I'd like to have a crack at this, although to be honest its not a setting I've heard of before. However from what little I have read, it could be interesting. If you could point my to a useful source book and stuff, it would help. Not sure I would go with the characters as they are but, we can cross that bridge when we get there.
"My parents ruled a small province in an elvish kingdom of which you have surely never heard tell. You see, it lies on a remote shore of distant Arcadia. After their untimely passing during a diplomatic expedition to Korvosa, my uncle, who should have adopted my twin sister and I, instead wanted nothing to do with us 'half-breeds'. Fortunately, our second cousins, who are themselves royalty, adopted us as step sisters. Alexis and I were given the titles of princess, but it's a non-substantive title at best... Would that I had a force of my own to lead in establishing a new province on Arcadia... I would not rest until I had forged my title anew!"
Group Concept: Even though she's a non-substantive princess, Alis still has the [fluff-based] financial means to fund such an expedition. While she would not necessarily be looking to "hire" other characters, if successful, she will certainly require trusted peers to help solidify the establishment of a new province. She gives her solemn oath that once duchess, she will elevate such trusted allies to the peerage granting them rank and title worthy of their valor.
Quei, that's what I was thinking of at first too. However, after perusing the Pathfinder Wiki, it turns out there is a continent named Arcadia on Golarion: http://pathfinder.wikia.com/wiki/Arcadia.
Go figure! ^_^;
I am a first time pbp applicant and would like to submit the following character for consideration:
Elorin is a Elven mecenary fighter. Hired on by Allis to help in her expedition, his Elven heritage made her trust him more than many of the other not so savory characters that came for the job.
He is well spoken, seems gallant and brave and spends a lot of time making sure his appearance is in order.
Elorin is a Dex based fighter using two weapon fighting. Not super strong, he uses tactics and intelligence to work his way through situations. He is Neutral by nature but takes the job very seriously and plans to stick by Allis to see where this might bring him. Her promise of elevating her companions interests Elorin. He is a long lived Elf so he can see the benefits of joining in for some adventure.
He will have a trait that will allow him to take diplomacy so he will have some social skills and he will be very well equiped for first level.
Let me know if this sounds good and I can work up the stats and details.
Alis brightens at Elorin's confidence and grooming. "An honorable warrior who fights first with their wits is one who does not needlessly endanger those in their charge. I believe the Duke would have admired the way you approach the field, and his daughter would be honored to have the service of your blades!"
I am a first time pbp applicant and would like to submit the following character for consideration:
Elorin is a Elven mecenary fighter. Hired on by Allis to help in her expedition, his Elven heritage made her trust him more than many of the other not so savory characters that came for the job.
He is well spoken, seems gallant and brave and spends a lot of time making sure his appearance is in order.
Elorin is a Dex based fighter using two weapon fighting. Not super strong, he uses tactics and intelligence to work his way through situations. He is Neutral by nature but takes the job very seriously and plans to stick by Allis to see where this might bring him. Her promise of elevating her companions interests Elorin. He is a long lived Elf so he can see the benefits of joining in for some adventure.He will have a trait that will allow him to take diplomacy so he will have some social skills and he will be very well equiped for first level.
Let me know if this sounds good and I can work up the stats and details.
Although I might take one level in Ranger (multiclass to fighter) to add some additional outdoor skills. Either way he will be a two weapon fighting class as above.
Okay, there seems to be some misconception about this Arcadia campaign.
Arcadia is Golarion's North America, and is often referred to as the "New World". It is inhabited by Native Americans and completely uncivilized (as the "Old Worlders" see it). Most colonial efforts to date have been dismal failures; the small settlements constantly harassed by the unfriendly natives. Only the Ulfen settlement of Valenhall has stood the test of time, and nobody really knows why. Sorry, but there are no elven kingdoms on the shores of Arcadia.
Think of this game as D&D meets John Smith of Pochahontas fame (without the cliche and historically inaccurate love triangle). A combination of the Crown of Taldor, Viceroy Tristane (a Taldane noble), House Avenstar of Absalom, the Pathfinder Society, and a few minor Taldane nobles and Andoran merchants have funded the expedition, and are looking for colonists. The PCs can be free colonists looking for a new life, brave adventure seekers looking to make a name for themselves, Taldane soldiers who volunteered for this mission, servants in the employ of Lord Brycen (third son of Viceroy Tristane and the expedition commander and governor), penniless refugees or peasants figuring that the New World is the only place where they have a chance of making something of themselves, or convicts given the choice between exile to Arcadia or a swing on the noose.
Hope that gives people a better idea of what to build characters around.
I have submitted this Halfling Cleric of Erastil using the specs Nazard requested. This little guy will make an excellent companion to any expedition in the wild - especially if there are animals and mounts involved. His domains are Animal and Community. I submitted him on other forums, which I unfortunately could not play for various reasons. I would love to try out him out now. I am still working on his Personality and Background. He is not a heavy hitter...but he should be hard to hit (AC18) - and on a riding dog or similar mount he can zip around supporting his allies and handling animals in tight situations. Please have a look. He is also an armoursmith - being proficient with leather, saddles, etc. I used the Pioneer trait from Kingmaker - which includes a mount.
The two campaign traits I mentioned earlier:
Colonial Spirit (Campaign): Whether through a long family tradition of exploration and conquering new lands, or a strong personal determination, you excel at tight situations where others would despair and give up. You know that life on the frontier means no back-up or relief if things go poorly and you have to buckle down to get the job done. Whenever you are in a situation where half or more of your party is incapacitated, you receive a +1 trait bonus to attack rolls and a +1 morale bonus to saves versus fear. These bonuses last until the encounter is over or enough allies have been revived that more than half of your force is back in the battle.
Always on the Run (Campaign): For whatever reason, circumstances of your past have never allowed you to remain in one place for any length of time. Whether it's ducking underneath the reaching arm of the law or slipping past a pair of back alley brutes, you always seem to manage to stay away from those who would do you harm. You get a +2 dodge bonus to Armor Class against attacks of opportunity caused when you move out of or within a threatened area. A condition that makes you lose your Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) also makes you lose dodge bonuses.
Feel free to choose one or none, but not both.
Hi Nazard,
If you are taking new PBP players, consider Ravarath. He's been tweaked to Sully's Elite Array+1 (for Crimson Throne) but I could easily convert him back to 25 points using my Wand of PrestoChango. If Sully decides to not accept my character I'd be pleased to have Ravarath journey to far-flung Arcadia.
Didn't make it into Sully's game... so Rath is now tweaked to a 25 point buy and all stats have been updated so that the character dovetails with your preferences. The only thing left to do is gold and equipment - which will be minimal. Hope you like his concept!
Nazard,
Given the number of quality characters/players that did not make it into Sully's CotCT or will not make it into my CoT game, I will respectfully bow out of consideration for this game.
Thanks.
Thank you Rath. Looks interesting. And Therena says high and thanks you for making such excellent whipped cream.
Thank you Rath. Looks interesting. And Therena says high and thanks you for making such excellent whipped cream.
Didn't make it into Sully's game. I don't think that character is suitable for this one either. I have a crazy idea for a cleric of Lamashtu or a brawling type fighter or monk...the main thing is he was given the opportunity to join the party or swing on a rope, by an extremely lenient man of the law. If either of these would make aninteresting addition let me know and I'll start building a proper background and story, plus character.
Didn't make it into Sully's game. I don't think that character is suitable for this one either. I have a crazy idea for a cleric of Lamashtu or a brawling type fighter or monk...the main thing is he was given the opportunity to join the party or swing on a rope, by an extremely lenient man of the law. If either of these would make aninteresting addition let me know and I'll start building a proper background and story, plus character.
A brawling-type fighter might work well in concert with the interesting monk already submitted. Not sure how well a cleric of Lamashtu would fit in.
Okay, there seems to be some misconception about this Arcadia campaign...
Alexis and Alis' parents were the ducal rules of a small elvish province. More adventurous that many of the nations peerage, they had embarked upon an expeditionary voyage to Arcadia while their daughters (and province) were left in the care of the Duke's young brother. In spite of surviving not only the 8000+ mile round trip and the perils of the new continent, Duke Ranadur and Duchess Elyssia were killed within sight of port. A drunken pilot rammed a merchant vessel into their ship, The Nereid, killing several passengers on each vessel. The pilot was later found hanged inside his prison cell.
Years passed...
Not long ago, Alexis discovered her late father's journal from his expedition to Arcadia. While the tales of that untamed land were certainly interesting, what truly caught Alexis' attention was a small chunk of rock he had discovered. It contained an ore unlike anything Alexis had ever seen — similar to mithril yet with a resonance that could [theoretically] be attuned to allow it to exist simultaneously or pass between coexistant planes!
Weary of the pettiness of court, Alexis made up her mind to visit Arcadia personally. She would approach the monarchy with plans to establish a new province in Arcadia. In exchange for their royal charter, Alexis would regain her rightful title as duchess, a land more hospitable to half-elves would be born, and she could conduct further research on what was quite possibly the most important find of the past 500 years.
"Now to procure a grant from the crown and to assemble a new expedition." Alexis mused.
I converted the offputting scent of the sewers to recreate Stinky Peet (as a gold grubbling miner ). Now, off to Arcadia on a hare brained mission to find mithril!
Please check it out"
I'm ruined. How in the name of Torag will i pull it off now. I knew I couldn't trust the harbourmaster. I knew it was fishy. Not like I had a choice though did I? Oh I'm a'screwed rotten alright. An who do I get for a crew? [ insert unflattering description of the other PC's here]. Oh I'm done for. "
This is a primarily Taldane expedition which departs from Cassomir and stops in Absalom...
I hate to say this, but I agree with Talomyr...
I'm going to respectfully bow out because 1) I am busy as it is and don't want one thread to suffer because I took on too much and 2) I want those awesome characters I couldn't fit in to my CotCT game to have a home and 3) I want to read about their adventures! :)
Good luck, and I'll lurk the tar out of this one, for sure.
I'm ruined. How in the name of Torag will i pull it off now. I knew I couldn't trust the harbourmaster. I knew it was fishy. Not like I had a choice though did I? Oh I'm a'screwed rotten alright. An who do I get for a crew? [ insert unflattering description of the other PC's here]. Oh I'm done for. "
The short-haired princess looks up from the journal she was pouring over, smiles gently and comments, "Don't fret, my good dwarf. If my father's findings were correct, there's a very good chance you'll be rich enough to become the patriarch of your own clan. Provided we are successful in this expedition, of course. Even if you don't care to work with someone of elvish descent, let's not overlook everyone's special talents. A miner of your skill is as crucial to this endeavor as is Elorin's tactical abilities, Ravarath's wisdom, and the financial backing of my relations..."
A brawling-type fighter might work well in concert with the interesting monk already submitted. Not sure how well a cleric of Lamashtu would fit in.
I've gone off the idea of a brawling fighter, too much like another of my characters. I agree the cleric is a bit off the scale, but the way I see it, if the character gets a level of fighter too and can move up to more armor, then he or she is a mad type fighter...a sort of mad not good paladin essentially he's pretty mad. Maybe a bit of meddleing with herbs and stuff to make poisons to add spice. Unstable, but in those moments of clarity quite a nice guy. I'm in a sort of cleric type mood at the moment.
Looking for gaps in the party, I think maybe a wizard or witch type might also fit. random thoughts of a chaotic wizard hounded out of his village for experiments going wrong, spells backfiring, wants to go find somewhere where he won't get all those problems. Met up with someone going on the boat at an inn, thinks this is it, his chance to escape and become the wizard he always wanted to be. I could live with that. Your thoughts Nazard?
Looking for gaps in the party, I think maybe a wizard or witch type might also fit.
I guess it was sort of buried down in the last post I made as Alis (whom I've withdrawn from consideration in favor of her sister), but Alexis is actually a wizardess (transmuter designed for crafting). I'm not saying this to dissuade you, but since you mentioned looking for party gaps, I thought it was worth mentioning.
Right now, here's the breakdown that I've observed.
Warriors:
Elorin (N, male elf Ranger)
Ravarath (LN, male human Monk)
Mages:
Deevor's Wizard
Alexis (LG, female half-elf Transmuter)
Rogues:
Stinky Peet (LG, male dwarf Rogue)
Clerics:
Abbas (NG?, male human? Cleric)
Gambrinus (NG, male halfling Cleric) [withdrawn in favor of Peet?]
Djal (NG, male human Druid)
Now personally, I don't think it's possible to have too many clerics in a party, but then maybe that's because Alexis is squishy. ~_^
Looking for gaps in the party, I think maybe a wizard or witch type might also fit.Mages:
Quei (??, female tiefling Sorcerer)
Alexis (LG, female half-elf Transmuter)
Just so you know, Quei does not really fit in this campaign, she's only for DM Taly's game, cos she's mine all mine...a cackling laugh fades into the backgound.
I guess then your wizard or mine..both were set up to do the same thing.
And my cleric won't do you any good either...a maniacal laugh grows in volume til it fills the whole room
Just so you know, Quei does not really fit in this campaign... I guess then your wizard or mine...
Hmm, paper, rock, scissors? :D
And my cleric won't do you any good either...a maniacal laugh grows in volume til it fills the whole room
Alexis hides behind the nice human druid who just showed up and starts casting protection from evil. O_O "Nice to meet you, Djal! HELP!"
Nazard: I think I'm finally done with Alexis' stats, spells, equipment, and backstory. If you'd like to have a second look, just let me know if there's anything that doesn't work.
Her history's been reworked so that it will better mesh with your campaign premise, and I'm actually a lot happier with how it's turned out now. If you or the other players don't like the group idea I proposed earlier (i.e. her extended family funding the expedition), then Alexis will conceal her title and identity to blend-in-with the other adventurers.
Either way, the thought of furthering her parents' legacy thrills her as a researcher so I'm really hoping she makes the cut!
Being as Alis and Alexis have had a significant amount of work on them, I think I will withdraw the wizard concept from the race for spots. I do this because my wizard would end up doing the same sort of things, making items and stuff, just with a few more mishaps along the way. I just want to give Alexis a clear run at ths one.
If Alis gets into Talomyr's campaign, I will reenter the race to play and fill out the halfling wizard. So good luck to one and all I'm sure it will be fun.
Gambrinus (NG, male halfling Cleric) [withdrawn in favor of Peet?]
Sorry for the confusion. Sure. I would like to withdraw the cleric submission in favour of the Rogue....
Pete was originally submitted as a candidate for Sully's CotCT. In that submission he was an unemployed tradesman and drug addict. For this campaign his stats would be the same, however here he resembles more closely my original plan for the character - the dirty Prospector (remember Toy Story?). He will switch out Local Knowledge for Sense Motive. As a trait I made up "Prodigious Miner" which gives +1 to Dungeoneering and Engineering: with Engineering becoming a class skill (similar to Mathematical Prodigy. I hope that is OK). I also made him a Militant Merchant, which fits his greedy, gold grubbling style.
This Stinky Pete is actually a good guy though - an honourable businessman - he is just misunderstood. He has staked his fortune and reputation on a madcap scheme to travel to Arcadia in search of Skymetal. Unfortunately for him he is not especially charismatic - his powerful pheromones notwithstanding - and nobody takes him seriously. His backers are all either swindlers or hardnosed profiteers with no intention of letting him enjoy the glory and profits of his enterprise. So he gets ripped-off left and right. The sad thing for him (amusing for us) is that he is clever and wise enough to know they are using and cheating him - it's just that to excercise good judgement at this time and withdraw from the game would mean he must abandon his dreams of hitting paydirt in Arcadia. He is already too far down the path of ruin to abandon his goal now. As he sees it, he is surrounded by incompetents, swindlers, leaches and scoundrels - that includes the other PC's.
He spent his youth living in a mining community and served as a Sapper in the local militia. He still needs backstory on how he came to beleive that there are riches to be found in the New World.
I hope you like him.
It's not hard to find people down by the docks in Cassomir or Absalom all abuzz about the giant heaps and piles of wealthy resources just lying on the beaches of Arcadia, ripe for the taking. Every decade or so when a colonial expedition gets going, the talk starts up again.
The Prodigious Miner trait looks totally in keeping with other traits, so no problems here. Don't know the Militant Merchant one though.
I pulled the Militant Merchant racial trait from the PFSRD. I am not sure which Player Guide it comes from. It confers +1 vs. surprise. He is always suspicious of thieves and cut throats sneaking up to steal his coin. He is a pretty stereotypical dwarf after all is said and done and he will be fun to play.
[url=http://www.d20pfsrd.com/traits/race-traits/militant-merchant-dwarf[/url].
Man the back-stories are flying around here!
So, to keep up with the Jones, Kirmoons, :) etc. I've added some details about Rath and a tie-in/rationale for why he is on the expedition, sponsored by the Pathfinder Society.
Nazard, if you like the PS angle, you could have the Society give me some private directives and missions to specifically accomplish for them while on this journey - assuming, of course, Rath makes the final cut.
Regardless, I'll be seeing Therena later. ;)
Being a member of the Pathfinder Society is a perfectly fine hook. There is a senior member represented as an NPC; PC Pathfinders take on the role of his attachee(s).
Being a member of the Pathfinder Society is a perfectly fine hook. There is a senior member represented as an NPC; PC Pathfinders take on the role of his attachee(s).
I run a homebrew campaign - with no PS - so I'm not entirely 'up' on the Pathfinder organization. From what you wrote, it seems that there are legit Pathfinders who do not belong to the PrC 'Chronicler' class. I can play Rath as either a brand new Pathfinder, or an outsourced 'Agent', or 'probationary-jr-pathfinder-in-training', or a hideous lackey of their insidious plots. Point being - I be flexible. :) Whatever reduces your DM headaches or gives you a hook you want to play with - I'm down with it.
I'll go through my books and resources for PS references to get a feel for how you play the organization. Cheers!
Any class is fine. Pathfinders are a somewhat random group of adventurers devoted to gaining knowledge. Rath would be a fresh initiate, having just completed some minor solo "adventure" information-gathering mission, and now deemed ready for real work. He would be under the care/guidance of the lead Pathfinder.
Okay, Rath, if I'm reading your background correctly, your monk is not actually an official Pathfinder himself, but a hire-on by the Society. I think that's okay (not sure if that's Pathfinder Society SOP, but seems okay). Would you be comfortable with him being assigned as the bodyguard of the official Pathfinder? Alternatively, you could back your background up a year or two and have him be taken into the Pathfinder Society and actually trained as a full-fledged Pathfinder initiate.
Stinky Peet, I appreciate that the donkey is part of his character...I'm just concerned about how to explain why the donkey was allowed on board ship. Certainly, there are farm animals on board (sheep, cows, pigs, chickens) but they are for breeding herds and flocks as a food source. The donkey will take up space on board ship, consume feed, and not offer the expedition much in return. If you can suggest to me something plausible that could be said/done to get the donkey on board, I'd be happy to hear it.
Abbas, could you please flesh him out a bit more with some background/history/motivations?
Elorin is updated with PF stats, some starting equipment and skills/feats/traits completed. Added some background and a little personality to the character. Will add some more as I fill in more details about his background and motivations. Let me know if he looks good and when you think you might make the cut. Thanks!