The Half-Dead City and other Twisted Tales (Inactive)

Game Master aptinuviel

Okay, well I'm guessing that Meresu didn't quite fit the bill but I might be able to do Tairu as she'll be both ranged and skilled. One reason why I picked the Emberkin as they are quite common in Osirion actually (and +2 to Intelligence).

Besides having her walk up to the party and offer to guide them to Wati and aiding them: for several reasons: 1)she might learn more about Anubis and her faith, 2) she wants to make sure these strangers don't get killed (it would be an insult to her adopted father as he taught her to aid others against the undead), and 3) she's doing it for the heck of it!

Not to rain on anyone's concepts, but the group already has a native guide. We will not be needing two, so you have a better chance by not having that as part of your background.

Hope that didn't come out as harsh since I was trying for helpful. :)

Not to rain on anyone's concepts, but the group already has a native guide. We will not be needing two, so you have a better chance by not having that as part of your background.

Hope that didn't come out as harsh since I was trying for helpful. :)

Very well, time for yet ANOTHER concept! :D

Not to rain on anyone's concepts, but the group already has a native guide. We will not be needing two, so you have a better chance by not having that as part of your background.

Hope that didn't come out as harsh since I was trying for helpful. :)

No, good hint, missed that. Thanks!

New background:

thanks for the hint but im going to leave as is, if i dont get picked then so be it. no reason the ranger and the cleric cant be working together and lets be honest the ranger is the real guide :)

Perhaps some clarification is in order:

Part of the group has been chosen. What I'm looking for now is a character that came to be a member of this specific group. Something specific to them. Offering to be a local guide, when they already have one, is unlikely to be picked. However, there are plenty of ways for the group to have picked up another local. Be creative, come up with something that would appeal to this group.

As an example: My character was in a cell as the group passed on a walk through Wati. I ran to the edge of the cage and yelled out to them "Hey, you don't look like locals. Are you here for the lottery? I've been in th Necropolis before. I can help! Just give me a bow, some food, and a bath and I'll follow you anywhere!" The group, deciding that someone that had been inside the actual necropolis might be useful paid the small fee to get the criminal out. Whether or not he actually has been in a tomb before...well, who knows?

The bottom line is that I'm looking for more than just a reason. Make it interesting. You can have been a member since Absalom, or you could have joined more recently, everything is open.

Dro'ka had set up shop disguising himself as a beggar near all the merchants. His hand out begging for coppers as he listened and watched all the people go through the area. He was looking for his next score, someone letting slip where they had been staying and where they were going for him to dip in while they were gone and make a quick bit of coin. He listened as he heard them hire a local guide to see the sights, only it seemed it wasn't just the sights they were after.

Dro'ka kept up his disguise and slipped into the alley, a flip of the cloak and he looked like a different faceless beggar before moving on ahead of them and catching more of their talk. He had been to many places and tried many things and had to pull back from entering the pyramids before for lack of manpower. But if he could weasel his way in to this group, well they might just make it to the crypt and actually find something.

He always wanted to be rich, and this lot might just be his meal ticket. He stationed himself here and there along their path listening in to see where they were headed and finally ran ahead to the edge of the city, waiting there and posing himself a simple sellsword. Well, sellbow may be the better term.

Well I'm out then. I apologize but I had no idea y'all already had a local guide. I had really wanted to join this ap, but I guess it was not meant to be this time.

Still I wish y'all good luck. And to the gm thank you for the opportunity.

Bes the Blackfinger is essentially similar to the concept that you outlined, GM Listener, though he's probably not actually in a jail cell at the time that the party meets him. Nevertheless, he's certainly a shady character who claims to have knowledge of the back streets and byways of Wati, as well as some inside knowledge about the necropolis and about the tombs and catacombs therein.

"What's that brand on your neck?"

"Old stuff. Don't worry about it. Now, when we get inside the gates..."

Replacing my old submission, I present Phell-Radah :)

Background

Character Sheet

Late submission to be sure, but its taken me awhile to settle on an idea, so I think having a set party to create off of has actually helped me.

So I present to you all.....Hector De'Vanderhill, the most dashing, charming, and swashbuckling scoundrel to cross sands.

Unlike most foreigners, Hectur arrived in Wati in time for the lottery by pure chance. That didn't stop him for using a combination of charm and coin to improve his odds at the lottery. The only problem is, he told the her that he was part of a highly capable group, and so far it was a group of 1. Ah, but there were plenty of would be tomb explorers, he just needed to find the right group.

I will ahs his full sheet ready in in the morning. He is built as charmer and is strong party face. In combat is a capable fighter, darting in and out of the fray to put his skills to best use.

Late submission to be sure, but its taken me awhile to settle on an idea, so I think having a set party to create off of has actually helped me.

So I present to you all.....Hector De'Vanderhill, the most dashing, charming, and swashbuckling scoundrel to cross sands.

Unlike most foreigners, Hectur arrived in Wati in time for the lottery by pure chance. That didn't stop him for using a combination of charm and coin to improve his odds at the lottery. The only problem is, he told the her that he was part of a highly capable group, and so far it was a group of 1. Ah, but there were plenty of would be tomb explorers, he just needed to find the right group.

I will ahs his full sheet ready in in the morning. He is built as charmer and is strong party face. In combat is a capable fighter, darting in and out of the fray to put his skills to best use.

I always say submit the character you want to play, but you might have missed the blurb about what is being looked for, at least in terms of the final character. I think a swashbuckler can definitely meet some of the skill needs, but the mechanical part that is most desirable is ranged damage at this point.

Just a suggestion, and take it or leave it, but figured it was worth tossing out there as you start on the mechanics!

Two suggestions:

The first is that the name of the AP, Mummy's Mask, is slightly misleading. I wouldn't make a character that's focused on killing undead. While there are some in the adventure, you'll be bored for significant amounts of time. Certainly there are a lot of dangers in the Necropolis, but it's not known for being overflowing with undead. (If it were, the Pharasman church probably would have cleansed the whole area years ago.)

The second is that I suggest not making a character that's trying to infiltrate the group to "keep it on the right track." That may be appropriate for this particular AP, but it's not a great fit with this particular group. It's not impossible, but a good story for how the group decided to let you come with them will be necessary.

@Hectur- I'm not sure how much time you have to make major changes but one of the current party members is a Daring Champion (the Cavalier archetype that's basically a swashbuckler) and happens to have the exact same profile pic you chose...

ok so here is my idea for how the group came to meet Lenni the ranger:

Lenni is a bit naive, he signed on with another adventuring group and he showed them to a few tombs on the way back the group decided that they didnt want to split the loot with Lenni so they tried to kill him, Lenni was barely able to escape but he was mortally wounded.

He managed to find his way back into town and stumbled across the current group, the cleric was kind enough to heal Lenni saving his life, and in return Lenni has offered his services to the party.

Hmm. I know it's really late, but I might still be able to throw something together by this afternoon. Before I get too far into it, I thought I'd just check to see if the party would be happy with another aspiring wizard in the group.

Tentatively, I was thinking of starting with a level of gunslinger and then heading for eldritch knight with a primalist specializing in transmutation. I'm thinking that would help with getting around, though it will be a level before the character gets any spells at all. For skills, I was thinking of focusing on Knowledge (arcana, engineering, planes), Spellcraft, Acrobatics, and Survival. If that would step on too many toes without fulfilling the needs of the group, I'll just withdraw.

As to joining the group in-character, I'm thinking of an inexperienced elven adventurer from Alkenstar lured out to experience places where magic works and, hopefully, her ancestral homeland of Kyonin. She would be on her way to meet a friend willing to take her under her wing, but delayed in Osirion by the winter storms that make sailing a risky proposition. Perhaps she could run into the party wizard at an opportune moment, either providing timely assistance in the form of flying lead, or incurring a debt herself when running into dangerous magic. Either way, she would tag along to the exploration of the Necropolis, offering some additional protection and hoping to crib some notes on magic and maybe find enough treasure to fund her trip over the Inner Sea. Of course, this tomb-raiding business might just end up a longer detour than she expects, depending on what the group unearths...

Between my wizard and the bard, all knowledges will covered, plus we aren't looking for another Arcane character. The last role to fill is one of a more Martial bent with Ranged fighting capabilities.

Fair enough, I'll withdraw. Good luck to you all!

So, last minute interest, will be putting stuff together today.

Quick question that I didn't see answered earlier; is there a place for Gunslingers in this campaign? I know some DM's are very much against it. To that end, if I were to design a bolt ace instead of a gunner would that be acceptable as well?

And if not I'll cobble something else together. Muahahahahaaaa

So, last minute interest, will be putting stuff together today.

Quick question that I didn't see answered earlier; is there a place for Gunslingers in this campaign? I know some DM's are very much against it. To that end, if I were to design a bolt ace instead of a gunner would that be acceptable as well?

And if not I'll cobble something else together. Muahahahahaaaa

Gunslingers are perfectly acceptable. (Though keep in mind there won't be an Advanced Firearms available.)

Ok, changing it up based on excellent observations and suggestions.

Hectur is a scruffy looking, dark haired human, with more dirt & dust on his clothes than one would think possible. Though his speech and manner is that out an outsider, Hectur's ancestors once lived in this very city. Driven out generations ago by a mummy's curse, hector is the first to return, not putting any stock in the old family legends of a curse. He hopes to finally find a home among the lands of his ancestors, but first he needs coin. Perhaps one of the groups entering the lottery could use a skilled marksman, someone who can keep handle dangerous places.

As I mentioned before I'll keep this open and probably make a decision by Tuesday.

Again, what I'm looking for:

1. A ranged damage character with physical skills. (This is pretty general, so there's a lot of options out there.)

2. A story for why your character fits in with this group specifically. This is the most important part. It's not enough that your character fit into a generic Mummy's Mask game. The rest of the party has been chosen, so now you know what and who are available to connect to. A reason is not a story. I'm less interested in knowing why your character wants to be in this particular group (though that would be nice) than in why this specific group would want your character.

Here's yet another submission, Khorak Harryn, a dwarf gunslinger.

I had finished the character and pressed "Submit Profile," at which point the Paizo website reset and lost everything, so I'm slowly rebuilding the sheet.

I have tried contacting various players by private message but I can't get an answer from anyone, so it has not been possible for me to form any party connections.

While I don't have a character solid enough to form ties yet, I don't think direct ties were the goal. I think it is more "knowing these characters, here are some reasons they might have chosen to travel with my character".

Here is my new submission, Toma Zaidu. I'm sorry its last minute.

Thank you for considering my submission and good luck to everyone!

Gonna bow out. Can't think of a good reason to put in my character I built up. Or maybe I don't think she'd fit. Or maybe it's nerves! lol

Still, had fun building up Melona, the Bolt Ace!

In the case of Khorak, he has former battle experience with a musket; he's a reliable traveling companion who won't leave his comrades in the lurch; and he brings the usual dwarven abilities. He is easier to get along with than most dwarves, and he's motivated not just by profit but by a desire to see the famous stonework of ancient Osirion (which could never match dwarf-craft, of course, but still...). He's fairly pragmatic for a gunslinger, and he's excellent at scaling hills and ruined walls, jumping across gaps, and using his stonecunning to find secret doors and traps. He's a generally law-abiding fellow and if the group makes a deal or a bargain he'll stick to it -- dependable.

I am working on a ranged fighter to sneak in just before submissions closes.

Thought about it, decided to throw Melona in anyway.

Melona sticks out like a sore thumb, being one of a very small number of dwarves in the area. She carries herself with an almost false sense of adventure. She wants to go, she wants to explore, but she is haunted by her past.

Melona is a woman who gets the job done. She thinks quick, acts quick, and slings a crossbow faster than most. She might not be the prettiest peach, but she also doesn't care about that. She has come to this far away land to seek out a new life. Something new to build up. But that takes money.

My submission Olhas, gear isn't done yet.

Interesting submissions so far. I'm excited to see what else the last minute entries bring!

Dro'ka had spent a bit of time traveling the deserts and slipping in where he could to pick at the pyramids and making trips out once and a while to try and recover anything from the fallen. He had managed in the past to sneak a few artifacts here and there and despite his thievery here and there in town he was actually known as a fairly reputable member of society.

He really wasn't stealing from the living for any kind of profit, more to test his skills in a safer manner. Just a few knick knacks here and there from the local rich merchants and nobles. He had served a bit of time but most of the time he just returned it with a promise to not bother them again and a fine he paid but he did his best to never get caught. The harder trick was returning the item back to the owners by sneaking back in again. He became adept at climbing and sneaking about.

The local guides knew him, he'd hired one or two here and there to follow the trails of those who fell before them. He'd put up a flyer looking to join a crew and make some real money, he was getting tired of getting the leftovers of those who barely had the skill to make it into the front door. It was time to step up and actually take a chance. He listed his skills in an elegant manner. He signed it at the bottom three times, first in Osiriani, then in Ancient Osiriani, and finally in Sphinx.

So i reworked my submission again, to please expectations.

This character would work for me in two ways that would both be new and fun for me, what i deem important. Not the most easy situation, since many things are already predecided here at the moment.
Both can fill the requested role nicely and yet refreshing ways.

Just while I'm looking over the characters, is the intent to have both the monk and the warpriest have the same backstory? I'm guessing so but just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something.

Yeah i think it actually fits both, they are also a very similar concept, just slightly different ways to express it.
Both can´t do a lot of other things than archery though and some skills they have. Warpriest might have a bit more leeway due to prepared spells.

The backstory fits without taking too many liberties with other peoples characters and also has enough place to develop the character more during play.

Gotcha. Well we certainly have a varied selection of ranged characters for that last spot!

I'm hoping Phell-Radah has a chance :)

I have a solid concept down at the wire!

A character sheet will follow, but my character will be a Chelish-born Aasimar that was the child of a minor noble family. Having been pushed out of his home for "political" reasons, he's grown pretty cynical and taken to using the technical nobility as well as people's general inclination to trust Aasimars to swindle more than a few people out of their money. He's still not a bad guy at heart, but circumstance has taught him that life is tough and sometimes you have to look out for number one.

He has decided to form up a group under his flag in Absalom after hearing that Osirian is opening another tomb and assuming that it will be a good opportunity to make a quick buck and figuring that a "noble" is a reputable guy to follow into the lottery.

So, anyone that wants to join in Absalom, that would be awesome! I think the plan is that my character's group finds our intrepid Wati team once he reaches Wati and is on the look for a local merchant and some guide(s) to team up with.

Mechanics for our intrepid bard are done. Appearance and moving the background to the profile (and expanding) to come.

Thank you for all the submissions! I'm discussing with the other players now and should have a decision soon.

At the risk of being too late, here are three versions of Milosh Sarkozi:

Milosh Sarkozi grew up travelling across Varisia and northwest Avistan with his family's caravan. He learned the art of fortune-telling at his mother's knee. From his father, an advance scout for the caravan, he learned the bowman's art. Both parents instilled in Milosh a deep reverence for travel, guided always by Desna and the stars.

As a young man, Milosh left the caravan to find his own path. His wandering footsteps lead him to Osirion, where the shadow of a passing sphinx left him gazing up in awe at the majestic creature. Milosh studied the sphinxes, their language, and their devious riddles. He never saw another sphinx before leaving Osirion, but he's always wanted another chance to meet one.

At a bar in Absalom, Milosh overheard someone talking about an expedition to the Necropolis of Wati. He introduced himself, and made his case for inclusion in the group.

Apologies for dragging this on for so long. I'm still working out some things with the other players. I should have an official announcement shortly.

Again, sorry for the delay, discussions happened at the speed of PMs, which aren't all that fast. A decision has been made, thank you all for your submissions!

Hello again!

The intrepid band of adventureres making their way through this version of the Mummy's Mask are looking for a new recruit. If you're interested in joining feel free to look at the current characters and see where your character could fit in. (Both the game thread and discussion thread are recommended reading for this process.)

Character creation rules (and general rules of the game) are in the first post of the thread with these changes:

Starting Level: Two

Starting gold: 1,000 gp

I'll leave recruitment open until next Monday (Oct 5th) but reserve the right to choose earlier if a particularly good application comes along.

As always (at least for me) feel free to ask questions either in this thread or in PM. I'm happy to answer.

I've DMed the entire thing, but I remember only certain things because, 1. I went through it pretty fast, and 2. I altered a lot of things.
Will this be a problem considering I DMed it once before? I completely understand if that is a no, but wanted to give the DM a heads up, and would like to experience this game from the other side as a player.

That would be perfectly fine.

I made this character for a Mummy's Mask game that never really got off the ground. I'd love to use him.

He's pretty intricately tied in with the story, being a Shabti (a living simulacrum created to shut karmic debt from a bad person to the copy of themselves) of Hapotep.

One of the things Hapotep had to do in order to become what he became was to get rid of any threat of Anubis' wrath. It worked long enough, but Anubis is no dummy and has a rather poetic sense of justice. So, Anubis has given the copy of Hapotep a mission to destroy his creator.

Mechanically, he'd fill the Cleric/Support Caster role in a party. He's a Channeling specialist. Eventually he'll be able to channel both positive and negative energy, and be able to both Control and Rebuke undead.

He'd be easy to work into your game, as the sarcophagus he's locked in could be pretty much anywhere the PCs are, having been "lost to time" or some such.

Right now he's at level one. if you like the concept and the background I'll raise him to level two.

I think it's an interesting idea, but it doesn't fit what we're looking for here.

I highly recommend to anyone applying that they read the first post for creation guidelines. Also, I highly recommend looking at the discussion thread and even the gameplay thread, as well as the characters in the game, in order to present a character that fits well with the current group. And in cases where it may not be obvious how they will, it would be beneficial to include how you think they will in your application.

Here's my submission! Shuntar is an Oread "Unbreakable" Fighter, going for the Prestige Class "Living Monolith". If the GM and the other players in the group like the idea of Shuntar Kah, I'd like to work with you guys in a good way to fit the group and merge the stories :)