Nate, post any questions/comments here.
Dude, my shoulder f!#!ing aches
Edit- and apparently the forum censors language
Understandable, on both counts. Did they not give you super extra strength trippy painkillers?
Yeah, but not super extra strength enough
Lame. Do you have to sleep sitting up?
I'm not required to but it seems to be working the best right now. I wish they'd have given me a muscle relaxer- my shoulder has a tendency to twitch when I fall asleep or wake up and it kills
Maybe I'm just too high but I don't see a starting level in the creation rules...
Oops! 1st level.
Campaign page will be evolving throughout. Added spoiler for your metamagic rod; kind of going with a wizard's metamagic rod replacing the staff if importance, and being kind of like a lightsaber is for a Jedi.
Character thoughts or questions? I realize that the character creation guidelines are pretty narrow, but I believe the prestige class you had interest in could work out very well for the campaign.
I can tell you right now that the campaign world won't have many/any "normal" animals, so if you start with a familiar and it dies it won't be able to be replaced with a creature of the same type. If you pick a bonded item, I would say your ring is your best bet, or your rod (ring is harder to get away from you.)
In the long run you'll have time, both on the road and between adventures, for crafting; I figured you'd probably take at least Craft Wondrous for custom equipment. Your rod will progress automatically; in this campaign the Craft Rod feat functionally doesn't exist. You will have some say/choice in what abilities your rod acquires.
Still working on a write-up for the ring and the town of Bastion. At beginning of gameplay you'll have the option to briefly interact with your mentor, the Optimumist, if you so choose; otherwise his final words to you will be per the Campaign page quote.
Also, I plan on throwing what's left of that brisket in my crock pot for an hour or two this weekend and pairing with responsibly enjoyed adult beverages.
Nice. I'm still too high to do much with character creation but I'll get there.
Alright, good - I don't feel so behind then!
The Optimumist's Ring added to Campaign Tab.
Town/general background info added to Campaign tab.
I shortened the length of time folks have been living in the Sphere due to switching over to a solo campaign. Assume that all residents were human, and maybe a score or so survived. Without the need for multiple distinct bloodlines and races to accommodate multiple PCs, the whole 1,000 year thing I was originally planning becomes unnecessarily "epic" in scope.
Updated the Optimumist's intro dialogue on campaign page, correcting a naming error.
However, the intended story overall is certainly fairly epic, not gritty or ultra-realistic. Updated character creation guidelines to 25 point stat buy. Usual minimum 7 and maximum 18 in a stat after purchase, prior to any other adjustments. Given that this will be a solo campaign, at least for the first plot arc, I'd recommend not min-maxing too heavily.
After our exchange last night, I'd say I'm fairly comfortable fudging the requirements for any prestige class so long as it makes sense to take. I don't want to push you one way or another, especially before play even begins.
Once you're able, I figure we'd proceed with the campaign at a rate of at least one post a day from each of us. Unless I have to go to a different building (which is rare) or get slammed with work (which is foreseeable on a week to week basis), I should be able to post multiple times during the day. My hope is that we'll easily complete the first adventure within your recovery time-frame, and then if we're both enjoying it, continue on into the second adventure.
I originally had made this as a campaign for you and the owlbears. Given the secrecy of details regarding the actual campaign world and the fickle, defeatist attitudes of the owlbears, each adventure ended with an opportunity for a player (other than you) to switch out their character for a new, plot-related one. My intent was for your guy to be the main character and not to spend a lot of effort incorporating the backgrounds/interests of the other players/characters; if they swapped in a new character, that character's background would already be integral a part of the story. This structure will allow us after every adventure to recruit a new player if we so choose, or for me to add an NPC to the party, or even for you to make an additional character to run. These new characters will be given character creation guidelines dictating race and a limited number of class options.
I hadn't thought about playing more than one character, that could be interesting. Any chance we could start with 2? Maybe like the main character and a sibling or childhood best friend? My primary reason for asking is that it would free up the main character to be more wizardy... I've been looking for ways to make him more well rounded so he can adventure alone (the way I presume the Optimumist would have groomed him), but it keeps making him less and less like a proper wizard...
I don't know... are you looking for him to be like a wizard wizard, or something more like a clever guy who uses whatever tools he can including weapons, magic, etc? What about the idea of making him a legit wizard and also building... I don't know, a sister/best friend ranger or slayer or something to round things out a bit?
Certainly the skill set that the Optimumist believes will give you the best chance of survival is that of a wizard. I'd prefer you start with only one character; I've tweaked the first adventure knowing that it would be played by a single wizard character, so I wouldn't worry too much about trying to be well-rounded to adventure alone.
That said, as the intended main character of the plot, I'd suggest you take a rank in at least one social skill. I would also say you can ignore all the Knowledge skills except for the following: Arcana, Dungeoneering, Engineering, Local, and maybe Nature. The others won't be applicable at the start, and the Optimumist is unlikely to have bothered teaching them to you, given his belief that the world as he knew it has ended.
To clarify my post earlier regarding min-maxing, it was more a caution against starting with a freakishly ridiculous stat array, like S 7, D 14, C 7, I 18, W 18, Ch 7 or somesuch.
I guess Heal would be more likely than Knowledge Nature.
Alright, I've created an alias (this one). I'm still trying to figure out exactly how I want to spread his stats around... I wasn't planning on having anything under 10. I'm still trying to get my head around what skills he would have been taught too... Obviously, as you said, the wizard trained him in magic believing it to be the most vital skill but I'm trying to figure out what else... Things like bluff/diplomacy don't make any sense if me and my teacher are the only people left in the world but survival probably does on the off chance that there's wastelands outside the bubble instead of oblivion. Maybe training with a weapon for when i can't afford to use magic... Thoughts?
If you're looking to rationalize skill choices, anything you think unlikely to be taught by the wizard could be something you picked up from your parents before they died. If you want to take Bluff or Diplomacy, I'd say it would be reasonable that the wizard taught you those skills if you pair them with the Student of Philosophy social trait.
Likely languages to take would be the elemental languages, draconic, and elven.
Survival is easily explainable. If you want to take a martial/exotic weapon proficiency we could say that your parents taught it to you and you just kept up with practice on your own. Eschew Materials would also be a good feat.
I need some f%&#ing verisimilitude, yo.
I feel ya. After skimming the traits, here are some I think are fairly fitting.
Combat traits: Careful Combatant, Hard to Kill, and Holdout.
Equipment traits: Improvisational Equipment and Quick Learner.
Faith traits: Fate's Favored.
Magic traits: Arcane Temper, Classically Schooled, Dangerously Curious, Desperate Focus or Focused Mind (they confer the same bonus), Distance Aptitude, Fortunate, Greater Adept of the Society, Magic Crafter, Pragmatic Activator, Precise Treatment, Resilient Caster, Shrouded Casting, Theoretical Magician, Two-World Magic.
Social traits: Avid Reader, Clever Wordplay, Student of Philosophy, and Tireless Logic.
I'm also willing to allow you to take a personalized Regional trait, let's say 'Life in the Sphere,' that would give you a +1 trait bonus to two skills of your choice and make one of them a class skill.
The following Drawbacks seem fitting to me: Headstrong, Lonely, Loner, Meticulous, and Provincial.
When I have more time I'll skim through feats; certainly any arcane magic related feat would be appropriate.
I would highly recommend taking Clever Wordplay or Student of Philosophy if you're going to keep your Charisma on the low side.
Skills with rationales I find valid. Please note that none of these explanations need exist if you don't take the skill; the idea is that the Optimumist focused on skills that he thought would be useful and that you showed a natural talent/enthusiasm for. (i.e. If you don't take Acrobatics, then he didn't have you run through obstacle courses.) Also, again, any skills not presented here could have been learned from your parents, especially background skills:
Acrobatics. A life routinely spent running through obstacle courses and being used as target practice for various magical attacks has trained you to move around threats and obstacles...
Bluff, Escape Artist. Damn we're in a tight spot!
Diplomacy, Sense Motive. If any sentient creatures do exist outside the Sphere, it's likely that reasoning with them may be a more successful endeavor than battling them.
Climb, Swim. Until your mystic skills progress, you'll need to rely on your physical ones to achieve egress.
Craft, Survival. Without the promise of physical existence, let alone a good market, it's most prudent to be self-sufficient.
Handle Animal. Indeed, and if any beasts exist outside the Sphere, calming them may be more prudent than fighting them.
Heal, maybe Knowledge Nature. Knowledge of oneself is paramount, not only in mind and spirit, but in body as well. Also, a fundamental understanding of the physical mechanisms of life can prove advantageous.
Linguistics. While it is unlikely that any sentient creatures which exist outside the Sphere will communicate in a language known to us, an understanding of the fundamentals of language and the specifics of a variety of them should help you decipher any new ones that may exist.
Perception. Attention to detail can provide more detailed insights; also, take it from an old hand at divination: it helps to see trouble before it sees you!
Aforementioned Knowledges. Knowledge is power.
Spellcraft. Take it, please.
Use Magic Device. Knowing the basics of how magic works, you know it's possible to "trick" some magics into working for you, though this is most often more a matter of personal force than knowledge.
How would you feel about there being an elf in town? I think you said I'm the last one alive so I guess I should say 'there having been an elf in town'. One of the options I was thinking about was the adopted alternate racial ability to trade my bonus feat for elven weapon familiarity.
No elves. If you want to trade the feat for the trait, you can do so, we'll just say that there was originally a human weapon master in the Sphere and the elven weapon familiarity is the result of the skills passed down by him at the Optimumist's request (focused training in the weapons at hand in the Sphere being fairly optimal.) If so, however, I'd require to begin with at least 2 weapons covered by the familiarity.
Also, since you seem to be stressing somewhat over your combat ability, I've decided to use an alternate rules set regarding some combat feats, as updated on the campaign page.
I wouldn't say I'm stressing, I'm just trying to cover my bases (and make a guy who makes sense to me as the last member of a civilization). I'm not going to invest much in combat but that finesse thing may come in handy.
How do you feel about the 'fey magic' racial ability? We could flavor it as a consequence of exposure to the sphere... I'm honestly not that concerned about the magic (though I'm sure it would be helpful)- my biggest interest is in the extra class skills. You could even pick the SLAs and the terrain?
Sure. Favored terrain: swamp (that's the closest thing Bastion is, despite the Optimumist's best efforts); grants SLAs Create Water, Detect Poison, Purify Food & Drink, and Abstemiousness.
If verisimilitude is your concern, keep in mind that he's descended from 30 residents of a small seaport and fishing town. Trained by a wizard, to be sure, but a wizard who's merely tried to make the best with what he's had to work with, not executing some long-standing and dizzyingly complex master plan to create the Kwisatz Haderach.
The golden lion throne will be mine
So, how're you feeling of late?
Starting to feel a little stir crazy. Brain's still a bit foggy. I can't do anything at all with my left arm yet and the sling is pretty uncomfortable when I'm standing or walking. The time off of work has been nice though.
When do you start PT?
As soon as I find a PT place near me that takes my insurance and call and make an appointment there
Is there a trait that lets you use know(nature) instead of heal or is that just a vivisectionist thing?
I believe it's just a vivisectionist thing. I'd take Heal and wait to see if you'd like to take Know: Nature once you level. Heal will be much more useful in the first adventure.
Adventuring alone as a 1st level wizard is the worst.
Well, since I'm making no allowances for the fact that I'm running it as a solo adventure, nor for the fact that I'm making you play a 1st level wizard, it's going to be a rough ride; but I figure if you take it slow and always surrender, you should be able to survive all the traps and unavoidable combat encounters I have planned.
Did you know big trouble in little China is on Netflix?
I was never really very into Kim Catrall but she looks pretty good in her Chinese wedding get up.
I've updated my profile a fair bit. I went back and forth on what craft skill to take and decided that given my profession (and my teacher's) access to blank books will be fairly essential. I assume this will allow me to craft loose paper as well (if I need them for scrolls, for example), but can we include things like ink and quills?
Just got home from camping. At a glance, see the following: Life in the Sphere aka Fey Magic trait A) doesn't grant a +1 trait bonus, just makes 2 skills of your choice from the list class skills, so you'll need to pick a 2nd skill that's not a wizard class skill instead of Spellcraft; and B) this trait replaces the human racial trait Skilled, so you should have only 7 skill points total.
As for your texted question, the ring only grants you the powers of the divination/scryer specialty school, so you get Forewarned and the replacement power Send Senses at first level. If you achieve 8 levels of wizard and still have the ring, you'll get the Scrying Adept power. No bonus spells, prohibited schools, etc.
Yes, I did know BTLC was on Netflix. I was really into Kim Catrall because of BTLC and Split Second.
Just got home from camping. At a glance, see the following: Life in the Sphere aka Fey Magic trait A) doesn't grant a +1 trait bonus, just makes 2 skills of your choice from the list class skills, so you'll need to pick a 2nd skill that's not a wizard class skill instead of Spellcraft; and B) this trait replaces the human racial trait Skilled, so you should have only 7 skill points total.
And at a second, more in-depth look, I see that I confused the Life In the Sphere trait that I actually suggested/made with the Fey Magic trait which you asked about. So you do in fact look all good on that front.
Updated campaign page with Optimumist's ring clarification and hit point determination.
Cool, thanks. You never answered my question about craft [books] though? I still manage guy trade my skill point for fey magic... I'm not sure what skill to give up but I'd really like to make diplomacy a class skill. And am I correct in understanding from that last round of texts that the effect of the ring is based on my wizard level specifically and it wouldn't improve if I were taking a prestige class?
Craft books is a good idea; would cover paper, binding, and writing periphals such as inks, quills, etc.
If you take Fey Magic, you could easily drop the rank in Know:Local and put in diplomacy for a big boost, then take Know:Local at 2nd level once you've explored a bit.
Correct, only wizard levels apply. I believe this is also true of your universalist specialty; a prestige class's 'spells per day' bonus does not apply to any other function of the original spell casting class.
I also like your guy's name.
Thanks, the name seemed fitting. I think the drugs are still affecting my decision making though- a minute ago I was hungry so I went to go make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and upon discovering we were out of strawberry jelly I instead ate literally 2 pounds of canned corn.