Technologist is a good feat for PC from a modern or future-esk setting.
Also don't forget that background skill points lets you take 'Lore' as a Skill that you can tailor even more to you background setting. Such as Lore Mechanical (Automotive) or Lore Nature (Biology), letting you be a lot more setting specific with a skill.
Okay, I think I will drop Student of philosophy; I am sure someone else would make a better face anyway.
I was thinking that his world would be one with advanced technology that he is acquainted with, but it's still pretty rare; like say 1920's Europe/America where people would know what a car is but wouldn't necessarily have any expertise in driving, or specialist knowledge about it. Not sure that stacks with the idea that he's a polymath genius engineer, though. I'll have to think about it.
Or possibly, he is from c1500's Europe, but advanced in his thinking and understanding of Technology and Engineering.
Also realised I haven't got any thieves tools and I've only got ~80gp left!; will drop one of my potions of Cure Light Wounds to afford Masterwork ones.
And yes, I think I will go with Genius Engineer from Rennaissance background; so no specialist Lore on advanced technologies, but able to recognise basic design functions and extrapolate (think Da Vinci; would recognise a 'Helicopter' or an 'aeroplane' without having any specialist knowledge on how they function. Would be familiar with e.g. joystick controls, engines, etc. without knowing the particulars of how they are powered)
I imagine White would be from a Sigil-like world between the worlds, having been part of a set of chessmen used as both actual chessmen and agents throughout the worlds where their master's played a larger Machiavellian game. A society of powerful Wizards playing covert games with peoples lives like the Greek gods in Clash of the Titans, but on a more complex level, seeking to influence large scale events through assassination, intervention at crucial points in battles, passing on intelligence, arson, etc. Generally the player seeking the more evil course would take black and the other white.
I imagine a sort of Freemasonesque society with "chess" games used to settle disputes, and bets with powerful magic items, etc.
If the DM chooses to use it I think it could create an interesting hook, and some great potential foes for the party. If not the cabal could simply not care about one rogue piece, maybe they even wiped his memories for some reason, or think him destroyed.
Everyone
I haven't read anyone's revisions at all but just to be as clear as possible- I'm not looking for you to tell me what setting you see yourself being from, I'm hoping you'll show me! instead of saying "I'm from somewhere like 1500s Europe" describe your clothes and equipment as if they're from there/then, and work some enlightenment ideals into your outlook. If your thinking of a Roman centurion type, describe the armored kilt instead of greaves, and the shin plates... or for something getting into like Victorian horror describe your waist coat and ascot, pick appropriate weapons (like rapiers and simple firearms), and be paranoid and superstitious...
Ah, then ignore my last post :)
I'm having troubles deciding between Unchained Rogue and Alchemist (Vivisectionist) for my non-caster level. Rogue is better if we need trapfinding or if you don't like the "crazy" flavor of Vivisectionist. Otherwise I like the extra tricks a vivisectionist bring slightly more. Do you have any preference Nate Lange that could help me decide?
My preference would be for the choice to reflect the feel you're going for rather than just the mechanics... rogue levels could fit almost any where/when. alchemist has a stronger flavor, which could be good but needs to be considered... if you're from a society beginning the transition from magic to technology alchemy could be something you explore as sort of a 'transitional science', or if you were sort of based on a Taoist mystic you're alchemy could be the application of magical principles to herbalism... So think about the feel you're going for and decide if alchemy enhances that or muddies it.
Everyone
I haven't read anyone's revisions at all but just to be as clear as possible- I'm not looking for you to tell me what setting you see yourself being from, I'm hoping you'll show me! instead of saying "I'm from somewhere like 1500s Europe" describe your clothes and equipment as if they're from there/then, and work some enlightenment ideals into your outlook. If your thinking of a Roman centurion type, describe the armored kilt instead of greaves, and the shin plates... or for something getting into like Victorian horror describe your waist coat and ascot, pick appropriate weapons (like rapiers and simple firearms), and be paranoid and superstitious...
Arr ok GM nate, I get where your coming from now, will edit PC build to reflect what you have posted.
If I was going for a discovery picking up tumor familiar would probably be a higher priority than cognatogen (combined with the protector archetype and boon companion it would basically be +50% HP). I rather want more cool options (spells) and earlier access to the arcane trickster abilities rather than more power/tankyness though. As you mentioned if we make our characters too powerful it'll be harder to fit into a party. Speaking of cognatogen though, you allow combining Mindchemist and Vivisectionist? They both give extra options for discoveries, but otherwise don't conflict (not that I'm getting any discoveries either).
For the alchemist idea I was thinking more a crazy scientist who's relentlessly seeking more knowledge. She'll have few, if any, scruples as she seeks to unlock the mysteries of the universe, using both her magic and skills to acquire it. Her knowledge of anatomy would allow her to place her spells in the most vulnerable locations against her enemies. I don't want my character to originate from a world of technology at all, though if it does pop up in the game she'll be curious to investigate it.
Thinking about it, the Perfect Recall ability of the Mindchemist would be quite fitting for the character and maybe sacrificing some offense for more defense would make for a more balanced character after all. Arcane Tricksters are quit squishy.
I've been wracking my brain to see if I could modify Mingle further to fit a specific genre, but in all honesty there's isn't really a period that fits outside of fantasy. The absolute best I could come up with that supports the whole character concept would be a pygmy relatively shortly after the first introduction to larger hominid species, but even that wouldn't fit necessarily. Underdeveloped language and social skills doesn't really line up with his persona. I'm just going to have to leave him as is from a fantasy-esque world understanding that it very easily could put him out of the running. If that's the case, no hard feelings!
There's nothing intrinsically wrong with being from a standard fantasy world, my concept just doesn't work if everyone is from there too. Also, you can take inspiration from specific fantasy settings... You could base your outlook on a dragonlance setting and have a very loose sense of personal property and be kind of wary of elves; or dark sun or eberron or whichever had the halflings be sort of barbarians... Just that little bit of specificity sets you apart from just a generic fantasy game.
None of you remember where you came from or how you came to be where we start, but it's clear you are from different places than each other... will your exploration reveal where you come from? Will you like what you learn? Will you forget all about your curiosity as soon as you discovery something shiny? I don't know, that's part of the fun of a sandbox.
This sends mixed signals. If we have no backgrounds how are we supposed to learn where we came from? We would have to have something to discover. Which means we need a background. Or are we going to make it up along the way? Or are you going to make it up?
There's nothing intrinsically wrong with being from a standard fantasy world, my concept just doesn't work if everyone is from there too. Also, you can take inspiration from specific fantasy settings... You could base your outlook on a dragonlance setting and have a very loose sense of personal property and be kind of wary of elves; or dark sun or eberron or whichever had the halflings be sort of barbarians... Just that little bit of specificity sets you apart from just a generic fantasy game.
Same here. None of those personality quirks establishes a specific setting. "loose sense of personal property and be kind of wary of elves" could be any fantasy setting with elves. If origin is a factor in getting chosen, I don't think Personality and appearance are enough.
@nate lange: Sorry for mixing it up within the mass of text. But did you miss my question about if I can combine Vivisectionist and Mindchemist?
I'll add a little bit more to Zorin's description then. I'm super curious to see what this game is going to involve into with all the characters working together. It feels like Zorin's will get along with most. He would be vaguely concerned about his past but much more interested in the new chance to further his knowledge and experiments.
Got it, added in a little more description to give a sort of locale. It's pretty vague, but it's all I've got that doesn't plainly spell out his quirk. I figure it's best to let the quirk come out naturally if it ever really does get fully revealed.
Everyone
I haven't read anyone's revisions at all but just to be as clear as possible- I'm not looking for you to tell me what setting you see yourself being from, I'm hoping you'll show me! instead of saying "I'm from somewhere like 1500s Europe" describe your clothes and equipment as if they're from there/then, and work some enlightenment ideals into your outlook. If your thinking of a Roman centurion type, describe the armored kilt instead of greaves, and the shin plates... or for something getting into like Victorian horror describe your waist coat and ascot, pick appropriate weapons (like rapiers and simple firearms), and be paranoid and superstitious...
Ok, I get what you're going for and I'm excited to further flesh out my character without being constrained to one type of medieval fantasy setting. I will update my appearance and personality to reflect this, but first a minor question associated with that--my character has a mithral breastplate, which obviously doesn't fit all settings (and certainly not the one I'm intending for him). Can we flavor it as something else that fits our setting, but with the mechanical stats of a breastplate?
Drakroo has been updated with more personality and appearance info. I included some setting info, but feel free to disregard as needed. I figured better to go overboard than to under-develop.
@Zayne (1)- the reason there's a question mark is that I don't know it you will discover anything about your backgrounds... I'm guessing/assuming that people will be curious about it starting off, but it's a sandbox maybe you'll lose interest as we go. If you go looking for information about your background there will be things to discover (things that I put together).
@Zayne (2)- where you're from is not a factor in being chosen; your ability to distinguish your character from others (and create a character that feels like it makes sense somewhere) is definitely a factor. I didn't mean that example to be one that would 100% establish where a specific halfling was from, just as one way to potentially differentiate himself for other generic fantasy halflings.
@Oyzar- technically, no. Both archetypes modify the discovery feature. It's a very small overlap and if this were an IRL game with an established party I'd hand wave it away but here I have to think about establishing precedent, so I'm going to have to say no. Sorry.
@WreckTall- not just your inventory, your descriptions of yourself. I don't want people to fixate on a particular location, the idea was more like are you wearing colorful silks (like the Indian subcontinent), or earth tone wools (like a Northern European shepherd), or leathers decorated with bones and feathers (like a Native American).
@Johan- please PM me more details.
I should flesh out my characters description a little bit more.
I will see what I can pull together this weekend.
Has a close of recruitment been decided? I am following a few different recruits right now, and I can't remember on this one.
Currently the original deadline still stands.
(11:59pm GMT on Friday May 27th)
May I present Ebon Pennyfeather, an impulsive Tengu shield champion (brawler) with a distrust of authority.
The stats are pretty much done, but I need to finish off the equipment and tighten up the personality.
Thanks GM Nate for the update on close of enrollment.
Now working over my PC with our GM's new build info now, the way she is shaping up now, I think 'if' she is picked, Ynja will probably be the 'face' of the party as her Cha is high and has items/skills now that help that.
I will also update the submissions list later today, just at work now.
[Panic]
Lol- that had occurred to me as well, and I think someone was making a kitsune it may apply to also... In those cases it's up to you whether or not you want to be aware of your true nature/ability.
Finally, Marcusic is all done!
Second attempt at descriptions
Libi is a free spirit. She is passionate about everything she does. Her fiery personality is equally quick to anger and quick to laugh. She prizes freedom above all things. She rebels openly against any type of oppression, Slavery is anathema to her sense of justice. She even sees a marriage as too restrictive and against natural desires.
She believes that people should follow their passions. The only real life to her, is living life of fulfilled desires. (as long as those desires don't impede others freedoms)
She is a pansexual being. She is equally likely to take a lover who is male, female or other. While not monogamous, she is fiercely loyal to those that she considers friends. However, betrayal is dealt with rage and nightmarish retribution.
Libi is highly intuitive. She can instantly assess weakness in any new encounter. She prefers direct communication, and loathes passive/aggressive interaction She will never exploit those weaknesses, whether physical or psychological, unless said person bullies or demeans herself or others who cannot defend themselves.
Led by her emotions and need for stimulation, she is a fun and exciting companion. However, her constant need for excitement can weigh heavily on those with more reserved personalities.
Libi's face is pretty but slightly off putting due to her angular otherworldly features. Thanks to her bloodline, she has vestiges of two faces on either side of her face, which are covered by wild long blond hair.
Her body is athletic, but voluptuous. She moves with the grace and litheness of a cat on the prowl. Her soft skin is a goldish brown, and covered in Henna tattoos.
Her mithral chain clings close to her shapely body. Mithral serpents coil around both her soft but toned upper arms. Her bare feet are covered in Henna tattoos with dark red polish expertly covering her toe nails. Her Fingernails are long and strong and also covered in dark red polish. Peaking out of the nail polish of every nail are sparkling bejeweled dragon outlines.
Orange, red, and blue silks wrap her torso. A serpent sliver belt cinches her wrap close to her waist Her ample thighs peak out the sides of the high slits on either side of her wrap. Her cloak is a black mesh with varying displays of romantic congress as a theme
Also notable, depending how things start, Niobe might be in a humanoid form and not even know that she is actually a mermaid.
Along the same lines I was playing with the idea that Josei might not remember that her saliva is poisonous until she exposed someone to it.
I need to write spells, but other than that, I think I'm done. Feedback welcome!
Alright... here's the feedback I was able to put together today:
@Azrael- looks good, I’d appreciate it if you did a skills spoiler with your feats and traits that shows the breakdown for each skill (with ranks, stat bonus, etc) and marks which are background skills. Something like: “Linguistics +13 (5 ranks +3 class skill +4 Int +1 trait)” would be perfect. Normally I’d go for a cat familiar with the silvanshee true form, but the thrush is a nice tie-in with Shelyn.
@Ealasaid- expanding your ‘appearance’ section would be nice. Right now there’s not enough to really get a sense of where you might fit in. Plus, I’m not even going to open the vestigial background spoiler so it would be nice to have more writing to look at. Also, see the note I gave Azrael on skills.
@Igmutanka- everyone will start with common (even if that seems like it could be a stretch). Tying him to the Lakota tribe is a little too specific. His flavor is clear and strong but there’s too much implied background with him connected that strongly to one place and people. I like the description of his appearance and tribal reverence for the land but please try to be a little more vague about the tribe.
@mingledash- looks good. If you get bored, a little more on appearance might not hurt (what’s your armor made of? What does it look like? Is your weapon pristinely cared for or a bit shabby like yourself?), but its not necessary.
@ari- your spoiler ‘Ari’s old letter’ is a scene from the past… that makes it background… no background. I get where you’re going with that and if you’re selected I’m sure we can work out a letter that you have on you (but haven’t read yet), but until then- no background. Also, are you wearing a back to the future style radiation suit that you were just going to casually slip into your description without mentioning?
I have an IRL game at my place tomorrow but I'll try to get at least this many done again. (Maybe more if I can get some before and some after.)
Okay, thanks for the feedback, Nate - I did a skills breakdown and found a few errors - skills are actually a little higher than I first figured... anyway - it's all in the profile now.
[ooc]In order of Submission
Submitted PCs with Links
-: JAF0 - Azrael the Avenger - angel blooded Aasimar, Paladin L7
-: mdt - Shi'Vatha Eidelon | Ranger L7
-: Nicos - Ealasaid of the Golden hair Half-elf Bloodrager (steelblood) [Arcane Bloodline] L7
-: Jereru - Igmutanka Hanhepi Half-Orc Unchained Rogue (Swashbuckler)/VMC Magus L7
-: eMagdAeH - Mingledash Toe cruncher Halfling Rogue (Filcher) L7
-: JoeLudwick - Ariok Birch Aasimar Cleric L7
-: GM Panic - Ynja Eva Ragnavold Dhampir Kineticist [Void] (Overwhelming Soul) L7
-: WreckTall - Libidinous Prax Tiefling (Asura-Spawn), Inquisitor (Preacher) 7
-: Mbauers - Johan Reinhart Male Half-Elf Occultist L7
-: Moonlight Cult - Berstuk Cert Human Warpriest L6 (Mantis Zealot) / Unchained Rogue (Knife Master) L1
-: BC4Realz - Josei Hebi Vishkanya, Unchained Rogue - Deadly Courtesan, L7
-: Jesse Heinig - Niobe Aptos Merfolk, Druid (Skinshaper) L7
-: loc- ZorinBlitz Tiefling, Alchemist (Vivisectionist Mindchemist) L7
-: Sam C - Marcusic Human, Skald L6 | Evangelist of Shelyn L1
-: Oterisk - Alabaster Boralis Human, Summoner L5 | Dragon Disciple L2
-: DeviousDevious - Drakroo Kobold, (Green) Monk L7
-: Emissary Of The North - Krashsh Aknur Lizardfolk, Cavalier(Beast Rider) L7
-: Zayne Iwatani - Kennen the Halfling Hammer Halfling, Brawler L5 | Lore Warden L2
-: OmniChaos - Sinuo Tlunar Elf, Pact Wizard (Universalist) L7
-: TawnyKnight - White Knight II Android, magus (kensai) L7
-: Zahir ibn Mahmoud ibn Jothan - Shaeda Stormborn Halfling, Whipmistress L7
-: Gavmania - Justin Sterne Tiefling, Swashbuckler (Inspired Blade) L1 Investigator (Empiricist) L6
-: Darth Signus - Ik-Ha-Thruune Human, investigator (empiricist) L7
-: ShieldBug - Ebon Pennyfeather tengu, Brawler (Shield Champion) L7
waiting submitted alt/link
-: Olaf the Holy - Apropos Gunslinger
-: Monkeygod - Skinwalker Lunar Oracle
-: Galoria Ginodesa - horizon walker
-: Critzible - Tengu
-: Albion, The Eye - ?
I reworked Azrael and he's now a Pal 7... no other classes...
Fixed thanks for letting me know.
I would take feedback as well.
Same here, feedback always welcomed.
Gonna try to sneak in a couple feedback posts during lulls in RL game...
@WreckTall- Libi's theme is a little mature, that could potentially limit you depending on party make up. Also, based on your personality, Arshea actually seems like a better fit for your god (your call though).
I think I'm pretty much done now, any feedback is welcome of course.
@Johan- looks good. There are a few things that are pushing the bounds of background (like saying your hodge-podge of gear is from your travels).
Dotting, though I'm late to the party. got some ideas, but I need to get ready to leave now.
I'm working my way through every completed application (in the order they appear on Panic's list).
@WreckTall- you can PM me about what mechanics you really wanted and we'll see what we can do. I hadn't thought about the alignment change but yeah, you would have to change to probably CG or N (the options closest to CN). PG-13 should be fine; I wouldn't have suggested Arshea if it wasn't.
@Berstuk- looks good. Some of the stuff in your personality is dangerously close to background (starting out you won't even know/remember whether or not you've ever assinated anyone before). Same thing with the traits- you get the mechanics but you have no idea who your parents were, much less whether they were assassins too.
The suit is as described but due to disrepair has no functionality. I will remove the letter.