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Next up on the platter of adventure, where y'all came from and a short reason why you traveled so far, or so short like. Any background stuff you want in your character, you can bring to the table and it'll be so.
The general location of the farming village is in between the Northern and Southern Fangwood, near Nirmathas and Lastwall. Characters can be from anywhere, however.
This can include but isn't limited to:
Family members, siblings, adopted mutants
Day-to-Day Activities before adventuring, before the darkness fell.
Where you lived, house-wise, neighborhood-wise
Friends, acquaintances, important people in yer life
How devout you are to Sunday gatherin's of the local churches and whatnot. Basically describing your connection to religion and such.
This one's for fun: Who is the first person to die in your starting citys, towns, or other place?
Like, for example, if you grew up in Cheliax, you could say that the first person to die when the darkness fell was the baker across the street. Nice person, always offered cheap bread, but the family was tiefling and had too many tiefling children collected over the years. Drug out the father one night and in a ritualistic ceremony, slit his family's throats and made him drink of their blood, so that they may have a tainted, blood-stained heart to parlay with the devils of Hell to save the city.
I'll create up some specific stuff tomorrow. Too late for writing too much, I say.
Family members, siblings, adopted mutants?
Family members? I know of only one: my mother. Siblings? Only child, as far as I know. Adopted Mutants? Does Bishop Bavhulameta Ulametria count? She pretty much raised me in Kavapesta.
Day-to-Day Activities before adventuring, before the darkness fell.
I was raised a temple boy, read this sacred text, this is what your mother wants, learn how to bury the dead, and identify the undead. Stuff like that.
Where you lived, house-wise, neighborhood-wise?
My formative years were at Cryptgate Cathedral in Kavapesta in Ustalav. Once my training really began, I jumped from cathedral to cathedral. For some reason, I never went to the Monastery of the Veil in the Hungry Mountains. Weird.
Friends, acquaintances, important people in yer life?
Not too many close ones, after a while friendly clerics become worshiping sycophants. Like I said, Ulametria was my acting mother. Nice little old lady.
How devout you are to Sunday gatherin's of the local churches and whatnot. Basically describing your connection to religion and such?
Haha! I am my religion! I outrank everyone by blood. Most clerics don't even know about my true connection to Pharasma, except for a few high-level bishops and a few inquisitors. My mother left messages for the clerics to keep me quiet until the right time. I think the time is now.
This one's for fun: Who is the first person to die in your starting citys, towns, or other place?
I guess it would be this uptight inquisitor I knew. She was a real hardass. Always busting my balls. I always said she needed to get laid, hard. I was with her on what was to be a standard kill run. A batch of ghouls. No big deal. But the leader? He just radiated the negative Energy Plane. Killed that inquisitor so quick, she rose as a ghoul. I killed them both, but it was damn close. I thought I'd finally get to see my mom in the flesh..so to speak.
Recently
I just came back from a wild goose chase. Reports of a lich awakening in Crossfen over the Nirmathas border, was just a sorcerer with some undead brance in his family tree, trying to build his own little kingdom, not very powerful at all. I'm heading back to Ustalav, but on the way, I stopped at a small village between the Fangwood forests, hopefully for a quick rest and some better food than trail rations.
Galahad's character.
Family members- None known as he was raised in the monastery North of Restov in the Icerime Peaks foothills.
Before adventuiring- An orphan left at the Iori monastery in Brevoy, Horec was raised there. However, his temperament was ill suited to that life and he was sent instead to Restov as a candidate for one of the dueling academies in exchange for a favorable trade arrangement with the Raceanu family.
Friends, etc. - Horec isn't the most likable guy. He tends to have a biting wit and is quick to point out flaws in others. Age has helped him to curb this trait in normal situations, however he takes full advantage in combat, giving a running monologue in insults and comments about the ineptness of his opponent. He did have the highest respect for his trainer at the Raceanu academy, Torian Raceanu.
Religion- Not very observant anymore. Technically still a follower of Iori, but has not been very devout since leaving the monastery.
First to die- Hard to say, Restov was hit hard because of its proximity to the Stolen Lands. Who died to the falling darkness or just regular events sort of blurred. The first ones that Horec knew personally were a couple of fellow students out carousing with his group. One minute they were there, the next they were gone. Their heavily mutilated bodies showed up as zombies the next night.
Nice, will take care of this and leveling today, just woke up. Will also show the samurai how to post up an avatar and use spoilers etc.
Family members:
Haltak is a proud father of two, who he has left with his wife in Highhelm.
Day-to-Day Activities:
The forge is Torag's alter, the metal and toil his sacrifice, and the workshop his temple.
Haltak spent most of his time there working, or participating in the guild at Highhelm. While a religious leader, his services were mostly as a master craftsman, and he had many apprentices who brought devotion to the hammering of the iron.
Haltak's best friend in highhelm was study in contrasts, somewhat of a drunkard and hardly industrious, he was good for a boisterous time. When Haltak's duties became more martial - on rare occasion against the restless dead or part of every dwarf's duties, his friend was always willing to lend a hand. By the name of Ingvar Slagson, he earned his keep and was tolerated through odd jobs and his willingness to be first into battle against all manner of vermin, even the hated drow deep and far from the Sky Citadels. In fact, this wide ranging habit led to some mutterings about bringing back bad luck or curses, and he was the first to die.
Ingvar was the first to delve the dark, and he paid for it. If'n we're all to end in this age, I'll not be waitin' around fer it. If I can do somethin' to help me family - I will - if not, I'd rather die like a dwarf. Ingvar deserved better.
Phaust's backstory and fluff is completed. I look forward to playing with you all!
Mr. Glass' character
Real name:Ghagec or Shac Al'daarlec-Shuukogaar (goblin for "Martin of Clan Allegiant-Conuerors")
"You may only address me as Kuur." (Kuur is "lord" in goblin")
"I come from lands far away, whose beauty rivals that of the glorious Heavens. It is there where my Beloved and our four daughters wait under the care of my Father-In-Law. May my Ancestors protect and guide them."
"Why, then have I left such a paradise?"
"I must find my truth. That is all you need to know. I do not want you assistance in my search, for it is my journey to follow. If you ever try to 'help' me, I will be forced to challenge you to a duel to the death for such disregard for my wishes will dishonor me."
"In these uncertain and darkened times my clan's seers said this would be the right time to find my Truth."
Day-to-Day Activities:
In the morning I practice my form and take note of any flaws in it. My goal is to achieve perfection, to become one with my blades.
In the afternoon I work as a mercenary, often as a bodyguard to inferior nobles.
When I have a break in the day I meditate and write letters for my family. The letters I do not send, but are actually a precaution that if I pass from this life to the next that my family will know my thoughts and will.
The first to die:
My foolish elf-sympathetic brother. He - against our father's wishes - took an elf slave as one of his concubines. He was killed on a diplomatic mission to an elven enclave within my Emperor's lands. Those long-eared monsters filled his chest with their arrows. I and fellow samurai brought steel justice upon the murderers. What was odd (at the same time aggravating) is that my brother was trying to ease tensions between those long-ears and my Emperor. Elves do not earn my sympathy nor my respect.
My profile & mount have been updated accordingly
Trying to keep only the spicy interesting level of party tension - what happens if Haltak doesn't want to address him as Lord? If you don't want any help, how would we end up working together ? Or at least on the same thing at the same time and place anyway.
Don't address me as "Kuur" then I take that as a dig at my honor...which I think everyone knows what happens when you question a Samurai's honor. Besides, I am of the nobility in my homeland and it would be proper to call me "Kuur" or "Lord - just as you would address of man of status in other places.
I work with a group if it helps me a) get money (I am a mercenary after all) and b) if the adventure we trek on might lead me to my truth.
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Kuur is his name, and Kurr in the goblin language means Lord, but of course, dwarves always come up with these cute monikers like, "Oi! Piss-pot!" and "What'ave'ya Grog-sup'r?"
I have heard all of them before, trust me. But of course, one simply doesn't adventure to get money. Money is a tool, and once you have that tool, you get to work. Since his peeps are at war with the Elven peeps, and he is a Lord, it would make sense that he'd want money to raise an army, as any proper mercenary captain would. What's more, is that those that brave the darkness, as he is doing, must be of a greater caliber than those that don't and of equal caliber to himself as a warrior, not as a noble warrior, of course, but a warrior.
And what happens when you're out looking for money to make an army and you find these warriors, who will basically fight alongside you without cost? You gain their trust and their respect, so that they will want to fight with you at a later date. The secret cost is that they may be uncouth, undisciplined, and complete asses. But who can blame them? They're not hobgoblin nobility, but they -are- warriors in their own right.
And as far as not wanting help, he fights better one-on-one. In that regard, he doesn't wish for interference. I've played a Cockatrice grave digger and he was the rudest son'a'b#&*! you ever did see. PFS loves rude characters. Everything else that isn't fighting, you can easily assist him and leave his reputation as a warrior untarnished. Unless he states that he's a basket-weaver and thus, doesn't want your assistance in basket-weaving, then his reputation is already tarnished.
Yeah weekends are tough. Will be finishing up character. Background needs a little tweaking but he's going zen archer for a few levels. Will start as inquisitor1/monk2. After he gets 3rd he will be going full Inquisitor for the rest of it or until dead :)
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That "until dead" clause is my favorite thing so far, today. Its always good to at least picture your next character, especially if you done did something heroic/foolish, like run around in the abyss without magical protection.
I speak from experience. My 5th edition fighter ain't gonna last much longer, so he adopted a child and is training them to be my next character. Gonna try out the Blood Hunter class and I'm thinking of either going the "better" way and doing the 1.7 version which is closer to other classes or...the 1.4 version. Ohohohoho, all the DPR, and crazy abilities that haven't been toned down yet, ohhohhoho.
Dotting.
Leveled up to 3. Still need to select 2 feats, and spend starting gold, but weekends are busy.
Family members, siblings, adopted mutants: Wife and children, Zaeos abandoned them long ago along with his elven roots.
Day-to-Day Activities before adventuring, before the darkness fell: Zaeos does work as a tracker, hunter, and general mercenary to fund his hunting, moving around frequently.
Where you lived, house-wise, neighborhood-wise: Nowhere in specific. Was probably in Fangwood hoping for the odd chance to hunt an elf.
Friends, acquaintances, important people in yer life: N/A. :)
How devout you are to Sunday gatherin's of the local churches and whatnot. Basically describing your connection to religion and such: Zaeos is very religious, but has developed his own form of worship and is seen as a nut job or worse, a known heretic. He takes steps to hide his worshipping as needed.
This one's for fun: Who is the first person to die in your starting citys, towns, or other place: Probably his quarry. Most likely he was hired to hunt down a brigand, a robber, or someone who angered someone else. Spending so much time hunting, the first death he would have witnessed due to the 'end times' would probably be whoever he was hunting. Hey at least it counts as a job done!
This one's for fun: Who is the first person to die in your starting citys, towns, or other place?
Like, for example, if you grew up in Cheliax, you could say that the first person to die when the darkness fell was the baker across the street.
I'm doing this stuff up now, but I'd like a little more detail for this particular one.
* How long ago did the "darkness fall?" My character would have traveled a fair bit before ending up where the adventure starts. So to fit it into the timeline I'd need to know how long ago it was when this happened.
* Can you give any more details about what it was like and what people know about why it happened?
Barring any fill-in as a result of answers to my questions above, background is done. It's a lot longer than what I usually do for my characters but there were ideas I just had to get out there.
Just doing up background skills now and I'll do a description and personality entry and then I think I'm done.
Survey Response:
1. Family members, siblings, adopted mutants:
Adoptive Family:
Zemed and Temessen Kenezor (parents, deceased)
Kito Kenezor (brother, missing)
Birth Family:
Ladduza, an Annis Hag (mother)
? (father unknown)
2. Day-to-Day Activities before adventuring, before the darkness fell.
Priestess of the temple of Anubis and local embalmer.
3. Where you lived, house-wise, neighborhood-wise
Childhood: the crafts district of Yled
Puberty: A cave somewhere near Yled
Late Teens: A convent in Osirion
Since then: Traveling.
4. Friends, acquaintances, important people in yer life
Berekris Eyasu (the adventurer who rescued her and put her in the convent)
5. How devout you are to Sunday gatherin's of the local churches and whatnot.
Very. Akurna is a cleric after all. However, in the rural town she is in, there isn't much in the way of worship of Anubis. She tries to get along with the other clergy.
Phaust's backstory and fluff is completed. I look forward to playing with you all!
Hey, Phaust.
Can you explain what your character does? I have no idea what a "clever godling" is. Sounds a little pretentious though! :)
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Who wouldn't want more details?
If you want like, a calendar date, we'll say it happened a month ago. This is a very recent thing and has spurred many to act, many to venture forth.
Oh, absolutely. You can ask anyone and everyone and they'll all tell you something.
So the wizards say it's obviously a darkness spell centered and centralized on the city's center, expanded and maximized to spread wide enough to cover the entire city/town. And the sky's dark color is just an illusion of some kind that reflects upon the others' perceptions. The monsters? Those are just rumors and you shouldn't believe in them. The moon? It's a magically compiled ball of insanity spells set on different triggers. I wouldn't expect you to understand. Oh, you're a member of the cloth? Those that follow a faith are often lost and can't see what's in front of them. Now if you excuse me, I have actually important work to do. (Surprisingly, all wizards have something actually important to do than make small talk.)
There's always that one wizard, who has grown very old. Tells you to shoo off away from his wizard tower, he doesn't have the time to spare and has to near his immortality, whatever that means.
The clergy members of places that you visit have the most strained faces. None of them worship Pharasma, and all say that this is the end times. They'll talk about praying for you on your journey, but they don't wish to talk about the darkness looming overhead and what clouds the vision outside. They'll even give you bread and wine, or each of their gods' version. For Cayden Cailean, it's just wine. Lots of it. Most of the other priests look like a morose lot and don't want to answer questions, because they've probably been bombarded with questions since the darkness came. They either know the answers and won't tell you or have nothing to tell you. It's hard to tell which is more true.
The common folk have no idea, but all offer weird stories of weird things they've seen, or thought they saw. Those that can see more clearly in the dark, the half-orcs and other races, keep to themselves and to their work. They just tell you to leave when you start asking questions.
So far, across the world, different things have happened all according to what the others' think what happens when darkness falls. Some are turned into monsters, some are swept away and they return changed, some are hunted before the hunter arrives, some are shot during peace-talks, some had their friends brave the dark and are later found mysteriously dead. This is basically an invitation for your character to hear about or witness something terrible, something dark, and it can be whatever you wish it to be. For who's word on the darkness is truer than yours?
* How long ago did the "darkness fall?" My character would have traveled a fair bit before ending up where the adventure starts. So to fit it into the timeline I'd need to know how long ago it was when this happened.* Can you give any more details about what it was like and what people know about why it happened?
Phaust looks up at the looming moon and wonders.
Is that you, Groetus, you sonavbit<h!!
Oh, absolutely. You can ask anyone and everyone and they'll all tell you something.
Okay, but you haven't been very clear about what I see.
Is the world shrouded in perpetual night?
Has the sun disappeared? Or only dimmed? Did it turn red?
Is there a cover of clouds that hides the sun during the day?
Is the darkness severe enough that the plants are dying?
Is the climate turning cold from lack of sunlight?
If it is like a darkness spell (reducing light by one level) then the sun would merely be dimmed.
As would the moon if the effect persists at night. The stars would no longer be visible.
Does the moon look different?
I gather that people are going crazy at the sight of it, but has it visibly changed?
If it hasn't, then why do people think the moon is the problem?
What monsters are appearing?
There have always been monsters around - what is different about these ones?
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Yes.
Yes, the first choice. The sun isn't red.
Yes.
No.
Yes, but very slowly. Hardly noticable.
Nope.
The stars are not visible. The moon is. The moon is visible at all hours, for those that wish to look at it.
Looking at the moon is a terrible thing that should never be done. But since you want to chance it, it does look strangely bigger. I mean, no character is exactly an expert on the moon's size, no astrologists around here, but if you had to describe it, it would be bigger and looming. You can tell all your friends! Maybe they'll go moon-gazing with you.
Umm, probably because normally people aren't driven insane by looking into the sky. It must be the moon, for what else could it be? Like, people go babble-crazy one night...or day, when they weren't babble-crazy yesterday. Or yesternight. The common folk believe it's the moon, the wizards believe its magic, the clergy believe its a sign. I can't tell you what you believe, son. That's for you to figure out. But it definitely sounds like magic is your answer, why, nothing else makes sense other than magic.
You haven't encountered any monsters, at all, along your recent travels. But people talk about seeing monsters. This is after the darkness fell, not before. Before, you encountered all sorts of monsters.
What is different is that there are no monsters. There are always monsters around, yes, but now, after the darkness fell, the regular monsters vanished; there are no monsters. Don't let Phaust tell you any different, he obviously doesn't stare at the moon like the informed folk.
Ah, but don't beat yourself up for not knowing. Limiting character/player knowledge is like, rudementary horror basics. This is a horror adventure. I'm not going to come out and say that the moon is a spaceship ready to fire upon the unsuspecting peeps and is equipped with this screening technology and some scientist guy likes to fire his invisible ray-beam into those that look too closely, driving them crazy, okay? Because that would be a very, very far-fetched and an out-of-this-world twist. I am on a roll today.
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Sure. The chart says that if you have natural armor in combination with magical armor, which provides DR/adamantite, then your DR is then DR/(insert number here) Huge or larger or magic.
The armor example above the natural armor chart is how you get the second row in the questioned chart. The first row connects with the second. Natural armor with DR/adamantine. Or the next one Natural armor with DR/—. Like, if you were a barbarian or a fighter and got yourself some DR/- and happened to grab some natural armor as well, you would have your DR/(insert number here) Gargantuan or larger or adamantine.
If you had DR/- and natural armor, and then you put on some Adamantine armor, which provides DR/- as well, then your effective DR is DR/(insert number here) and is bypassed by Collossal sized critters.
Yeah, there's a typo on the PRD. They don't match the book.
The tables on the pfsrd are correct.
Ah, but don't beat yourself up for not knowing. Limiting character/player knowledge is like, rudementary horror basics.
No, no, that's cool. I don't need to understand why things are happening... but I do need to know what I am experiencing. Description is important for setting the tone.
I think I'm going to go with some of the villagers thinking early after the darkness arrived that they had to light fires to "bring the sun back." Eventually they set someone's house on fire when some of the people were still in it.
What is the name of the town or village where the adventure begins? I think my character would have settled there for a little while after being rebuffed by the knights of Lastwall.
Creepy. I like it.
BTW: how large is Southkirk? Are we looking at a small farming village, or perhaps a small or mid-sized market town? Or perhaps a town based around the timber industry?
Stat Blocks are not totally necessary but a few numbers wouldn't hurt.
http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/gameMasteryGuide/settlements.html
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It has 1 tavern, 1 church, 19 farming houses, about 10 farms, 1 windmill. It was villa sized until recently. Now it's on the bigger end of being a thorp. It probably has logging camps somewhere, what with all dis forest laying around. But the loggers don't want to go in the woods, so no logging is going to happen anytime soon, so no wood is being produced.
cool backstory stuff.
This campaign seems to get more interesting as I read along.
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I've probably written about 10 pages of stuff so far. More is coming, of course, as I haven't done all the characters present yet. But boy oh boy, the stuff sure looks nice. I wonder...if I were to put them all up, whose story would get the most love. This love might decide your character's lifespan, just for extra fun!
I'm just kidding. Nothing ruins a story like arbitrarily killing off peeps. That's no fun. It's much better watching the peeps kill themselves off.
OK, here's a question:
Do spells like detect evil and augury still work?
Or are there some Ravenloft-esque changes to the world since the darkness came?
Leveled up to 3. Still need to select 2 feats, and spend starting gold, but weekends are busy.
Hey, Zaeos:
Have you looked at the Unchained Monk?
It gets full BAB, 1d10 for hit points, and no penalty for using flurry. Same number of bonus feats. I'm pretty sure Zen Archer and Qinggong can both be applied to it.
If you are only taking these two levels of monk I would definitely recommend it. At higher levels the ki powers are sometimes not as good because some of the things you can do for free with the original monk cost ki to do now, so some people feel it is not as good in that respect.
I will check it out. Familiar with unrogue but not unmonk :)