A place to discuss the upcoming Auvenkine mini-campaign taking place in the half-flooded jungles of Tokugoteki.
Haven't explored much in the jungles before... this should be fairly interesting. ^^ Anyway, I'm building up a utility-style Arcanist to try and help us get through ruins and the like - and don't worry, she'll be MUCH nicer than Amy was.
Well, I'll get started on putting a character together. Remember the armored fighter tank I mentioned?
She's one potential idea. Other ideas (with stories that justify why they are where they are here):
A Merfolk Paladin of the concepts of Art & Beauty.
A Dhampir Paladin of the concept of The Greater Good.
A Human Oracle of Metal.
A Human Oracle of Bones.
An Aasimar Fighter.
A Half-Elf Summoner.
If any scream "pick me", then let me know. XD
I have my machinesmith built (his motivation is that he's adventuring to prove that his inventions are as good as magic, which means that he could have interesting RP opportunities with the arcanist (which, btw, is a phenom. class; I'm playing one in my friend's superhard home game, and I have selected powers that let me still do things while paralyzed: stupid xills.) Mechanically, my Machinesmith is fairly good at dealing with traps (+5 perception, +6 disable), and if you need it built, odds are good he can (He has 7 different craft skills).
The "wandering amnesiac" character could easily be a warpriest (he was in his 2nd incarnation) or a something with a pet, like a druid.
The godling character would literally fall from heaven, as he would not be from this plane at all, and thusly would not speak common (but could learn it as the campaign progressed.
I'll get all three of them posted, and you guys can let me know which one you would prefer.
I've got a few ideas, some more fleshed out than others. I'd be happy playing any of them.
First is a travel/luck domain cleric idea I'd toyed with a while back but never got to play. Personality-wise, he'd be pretty typical for the build: Easy-going and always on the move, always wanting to explore something new, the type of guy with a hundred acquaintences all over the world but no real relationships to tie him down. Not in search of treasure except to be able to fund his next adventure or help him survive it. He is more than willing to work with groups as long as there are no hard feelings when he inevitable gets bored and wants to move on.
There was a third party white necromancer I'd looked into back when all I did was create characters for the fun of it. He was conceptually based off of one of those 4chan stories that float around about the good guy necro who was used as the BBEG for his DM's other campaign. Knowing that he'd be shunned for his abilities, and hated for their focus, he passes himself off as a cleric and only asks for help from the undead if the need is extremely dire. He has no actual long-term goals, just a couple of ideas regarding druidic philosophy and the similarities between druids and White Necromancers.
Then there's the treasure-hunting wizard whose solution to every problem is to blow it up. Admixture wizard with focus on fireball just out for some fun. I don't have much else about him at this point.
If you want to stick with playtest classes...
I'm thinking Nature Shaman or Slayer (possibly one of The Long Eye's bounty hunters?) on the hunt for something specific to this jungle.
I suppose I should explain my character ideas a bit. I also narrowed my list to five. All five will work with the potential party so far, and serve a niche.
1a. Norme Cantel: A young Human Summoner with a noticeable height complex. He failed magic school in a spectacular fashion, turning him to world travel instead. His companion when disguised is oft said to be his wife, though this isn't true. He is the most likely to get lost in a crowd.
Age: 19
Blood Type: A
Height: 160 cm (5'3")
Weight: 45 kg (99 lbs)
Hair: Dark Brown
Eyes: Green
1b. Aspara: A tall and slim plant-like Humanoid whom is a companion to Norme. She is naive to a fault, and often gets Norme into trouble through her inexperience with Human culture. Her origins are wrapped in many a mystery. She has the nicest body in any group.
Age: Unknown
Blood Type: Unknown
Height: 185 cm (6'1")
Weight: 60 kg (132 lbs)
Bust/Waist/Hips: 88/58/88
Hair: Red
Eyes: Yellow
2. Wardica: A young and hardened Human Fighter whom is shy and meek. She is a living legend in her homeland due to her many feats and skills. She lives to protect others, regardless of the circumstance, and hires herself out to others so she can do so. She is the first to flee social gatherings.
Age: 20
Blood Type: AB
Height: 165 cm (5'5")
Weight: 64 kg (141 lbs)
Bust/Waist/Hips: 82/60/86
Hair: Black
Eyes: Purple
3. Venetia: A Merfolk Paladin of lost royal blood. A princess to a vast underwater Kingdom, Venetia left her land to try and find help on the surface. She returned to find a destroyed Kingdom, and decided to cope with the tragedy through exploration and mercenary work. She is the best singer among mortals.
Age: 18
Blood Type: Unknown
Height: 172 cm (5'8")
Weight: 62 kg (136 lbs)
Bust/Waist/Hips: 90/55/85
Hair: Purple
Eyes: Magenta
4. Mufusa: A Half-Elf Oracle of Waves who hails from a far off land. He was stricken blind as a punishment for past misdeeds. His newly acquired magical powers are proof he has repented of his past. He knows the most ways to kill someone.
Age: 31
Blood Type: B
Height: 176 cm (5'9")
Weight: 68 kg (150 lbs)
Hair: Copper
Eyes: White
5. Malica: A Dhampir Paladin who hates her origins. She has an endless desire to murder, and a hunger for blood she cannot sate. She takes out her frustrations on the evils responsible for her birth. She is often called the sultriest Paladin alive.
Age: 124
Blood Type: Unknown
Height: 173 cm (5'8")
Weight: 66 kg (145 lbs)
Bust/Waist/Hips: 78/52/78
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Blue
Anyone jump out at you guys?
Here's the first of my three characters, posted in a spoiler for your edification. Work barring, should get the other two posted today.
Name: Arthur Cadburne III
Race: Human
Class and level: Machinesmith 1
STR 12
DEX 14
CON 14
INT 18
WIS 12
CHA 7
HP
AC
BAB
INIT
FORT
REF
WILL
Skills: Disable Device R1 +6, Knowledge: Engineering R1 +10, Perception R1 +5 (+7 to find hidden or secret doors), Craft (Alchemy, Armor, Carpentry, Clockwork, Ships, Stonemasonry, and Weapons) r1 +10
Feats: Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot
Traits: Inquisitive Archeologist (You gain a +2 trait bonus on Knowledge (engineering) checks, and that skill is always a class skill for you. In addition, you gain a +2 trait bonus on Perception checks to find concealed or secret doors in ancient structures.)
Spark of Creation (You gain a +1 trait bonus on Craft checks, and the cost of creating magic items is reduced by 5%.)
Class Features: Greatwork (Mechanus), Crafter, Repair 1d6; 7/day
Prototypes: Floating Disk, Guardian Drone, Jump, Longstrider, Shield, Shocking Grasp
Gear: Heavy Repeating Crossbow, 20 bolts in 2 clips, Traveler's Outfit, Clockwork Toolkit, Adventurer's kit
Mechanus:
Robodog (Base type: Quadruped)
Size Medium; Speed 50 ft.; AC 16 (+2 armor, +2 natural, +2 dex), T 12, FF 14; Attack slam +3 to hit, 1d8+2 damage; Ability Scores Str 14, Dex 14, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1; HD: 1d0+20 HP: 30; BAB 1; Saves: Fort: Immune/-5, Ref: +2, Will: 0
I suppose I should repost this here... ^^
Female Human Arcanist 1
CG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +2; Senses Perception +1
--------------------
Defense
--------------------
AC 12, touch 12, flat-footed 10 (+2 Dex)
hp 11 (1d6+5)
Fort +1, Ref +3, Will +2
--------------------
Offense
--------------------
Speed 30 ft.
Melee dagger +0 (1d4/19-20)
Arcanist Spells Prepared (CL 1st; concentration +6):
1st—None
0 (at will)—None
--------------------
Statistics
--------------------
Str 11, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 20, Wis 10, Cha 10
Base Atk +0; CMB +0; CMD 12
Feats Eschew Materials, Toughness
Traits deft dodger, starchild
Skills Acrobatics +3, Climb +1, Escape Artist +3, Knowledge (arcana) +9, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +9, Knowledge (nature) +9, Perception +1, Spellcraft +9; Racial Modifiers starchild
Languages Aklo, Auran, Common, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven
SQ arcane reservoir, arcanist exploits (dimensional slide), consume spells
Other Gear dagger, climber's kit, rope, signal whistle, tent, medium, wizard's kit, 380 gp, 2 sp
--------------------
Special Abilities
--------------------
Arcane Reservoir +1 DC or CL (2/day) (Su) An arcanist has an innate pool of magical energy that she can draw upon to fuel her arcanist exploits and enhance her spells. The arcanist’s arcane reservoir can hold an amount of magical energy equal to twice the arcanist’s level. Each day when preparing spells, the arcanist’s arcane reservoir fills with raw magical energy, gaining a number of points equal to 1 + 1/2 her arcanist level (minimum 0). Any points she had from the previous day are lost. She can also regain these points through the consume spells class feature and some arcanist exploits. The arcane reservoir can never hold more points that the total mentioned above, points gained in excess of this maximum are lost. Points from the arcanist reservoir are used to fuel many of the arcanist’s powers (see arcane exploits). In addition, the arcanist can expend one point from her arcane reservoir as a free action whenever she casts an arcanist spell. If she does, she can choose to increase the caster level by 1 or increase the DC of the spell by 1. She can expend no more than one point from her reservoir on a given spell in this way.
Consume Spells (Su) The arcanist can spend a standard action to expend an available arcanist spell slot, making it unavailable for the rest of the day just as if she had used it to cast a spell. In doing so, she adds a number of points to her arcane reservoir equal to the level of the slot consumed. She cannot consume cantrips (0 level spells) in this way. Points added to the arcane reservoir in excess of the limit (see arcane reservoir) are lost.
Dimensional Slide (10') (Su) The arcanist can expend one point from her arcane reservoir to create a dimensional crack that she can step through to reach another location. This ability is used as part of a move action or withdraw action, allowing her to move up to 10 feet per arcanist level to any location she can see; this is in place of 5 feet of movement. She can only use this ability once per round. She does not provoke an attack of opportunity for the movement caused by this ability, but any other movement provokes as normal.
Eschew Materials Cast spells without materials, if component cost is 1 gp or less.
Starchild +4 survival to avoid becoming lost. Automatically determine north.
--------------------
Myra is a self-proclaimed "Arcane Explorer", with an emphasis on reaching difficult items and treasures. Under most circumstances, she probably would have been some kind of rogue, but fate seemed to have a slightly different plan for her. Born with a small spark of arcane energy, Myra grew up realizing she was at least slightly different - but unlike a true sorcerer, she didn't quite have enough power to manifest at a younger age. Resources were difficult to come by, but she'd never really been the type to give up... and the end result was that she soon obtained access to study materials that let her begin to make the most of what little she had.
As her studies went on, her powers grew - for, among other things, Myra was an extremely intelligent young lady. Even most of the better students around her couldn't keep pace, and all of those smarts were going into making magic work for her. Finally, after far too long, she managed it - and obtained the ability to make small teleports. At her experience level, it wasn't much, but it was a start... and enough to help her occasionally avoid things she didn't want to face with. Soon after, Myra decided that there wasn't much else she could learn in a cloistered environment, and she set about becoming an explorer, hoping to find some magical artifacts to boost her power and help her develop properly. Though still a bit new to these things, she's been practicing hard, and ultimately wound up joining an expedition to a jungle area.
Incidentally, while quite talented overall, Myra is well-aware of the fact that she isn't a true rogue, so she's often looking to partner with someone whose skills at certain things (like, say, disarming traps) would complement her magic and allow them to reach treasures normally too dangerous to get to.
I was going to build a godling, but it seems my brain wants to play a pet class, so here is my
Name: Delian
Race: Skinwalker (Coldborn)
Class/Level: Beastmaster 1
STR 12
DEX 16
CON 16
INT 12
WIS 14 (16)
CHA 5
HP
AC
BAB
Init +5
Fort
Ref
Will
Skills: Acrobatics R1 +9, Climb R1 +9, Perception R1 +6(7), Stealth R1 +7, Survival R1 +6(7)
Traits: Indomitable Faith, Reactionary
Feats: Extra Features
Class Features:
Animal Companion (Kitty)
Fast Movement
Wild Empathy +0
Speak w/Animals
Gear: Traveller's anytool, Adventurer's Kit, Longbow, Longsword, Chain Shirt.
Kitty (Leopard)
Size Small; Speed 50 ft.; HD 2d8+2 (15 HP); AC 16, T 15, FF 11; Fort: +4, Ref: +5, Will +1; BAB 1; Attack bite +6 (1d4+1 plus trip), 2 claws +1/+1(1d2); Ability Scores Str 12, Dex 21, Con 13, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6; Special Qualities low-light vision, scent; Skills: Stealth +13, Perception +5; Feats: Weapon Finesse.
Delian here could play the role of either guide or front-line combatant. He does his best not to use his racial powers (as he is ashamed of his "taint"). Relates better with animals than with people, and although he keeps himself clean, he tends to smell "outdoorsy".
I think i'll stick to one of these two. Let me know which you'd prefer group, and i'll get an alias made for him.
I'll have a read through the character submissions now, and then post any questions / suggestions.
Vrog, if you're drawn to Beastmaster rather than Machinesmith I have no problem with either - it's entirely your choice. If you choose the beastmaster you would fit the 'local guide' trope well - most probably as somebody who has spent a lot of time there, rather than a true native.
Rednal, Myra seems perfect - and don't worry about being nicer than Amy, I liked Amy! I also particularly like the idea of an easygoing cleric, Jester - you don't see too many of those around these days, it would make a nice change from the zealous healer archetype.
And BigBen, Mufusa and Wardica are the ones that call out to me the most, but if you had a pressing desire to explore one of the other concepts I wouldn't be against it.
Then Wardica it is. The party could use a good tank, and perhaps I can form another dynamic with Myra. XD
No Amy / Naneko, but it'll do.
Jest3r here checking in with Jak. I'll fill out his background a bit more over the course of the day but crunch and fluff should both be solid by the time I go to bed tonight.
Nyahahaha~ I liked her, too. Quite a different character from what I usually play, but still pretty fun in her own way. I'm glad Myra seems to be well-received, though. XD Just to warn you, she might get just a bit weird when it comes to magic...
I'm actually fine with either character, I just figured that I would either play a nature/survival based character, or a trap based one (cause Indy taught us that all jungle ruins are full of them). I'll leave it up to the group as to which they think we need more =)
As far as Delian goes, I was thinking something along the same lines as you: he's been here a while, but not a native. (I even had an idea in my brain that he leaves his animal companion behind when he enters a new terrain if he's gonna be in that terrain for a while and picks up a "local" companion).
Taking a look at the whole "group composition" thing, I've noticed that we have a wizard (the arcanist I play takes offense to that term, and even has included unruly players in my area of effect spells to teach them manners, but YMMV), a laid-back cleric, and a fighter-tank. Ironically enough, it seems like our group could do with both of the characters that I've built: we need a guide, but we also need a trap dealer-wither.
Guides are for pansies. Let your feet and your gut lead the way.
That's what a lot of dead jungle explorers said, too. There are a couple of different environments that actively try to kill you, and the jungle is certainly one of them. Plants, animals, and the weather combine to create a "f' you" cocktail. (that was the phrase that my jungle phase instructor for Q course used by the way; I'm just stealing it cause it's apropos).
Then again, Clerics have wisdom, so we should be fine, right? ;-D
Man you have no idea how glad I am that I haven't had to actually experience jungle warfare. Environmental training was a B!&&#. I'd much rather take the desert.
Wardica's Statblock is done. I'll get an alt for her done at some point today. Backstory coming soon as well.
Female Human Fighter (Phalanx Soldier) 1
NG Medium Humanoid (Human)
Init +1; Senses Perception +0
--------------------
Defense
--------------------
AC 23, Touch 11, Flat-Footed 22 (+7 Armor, +5 Shield, +1 Dex)
HP 14 - Current 14
Fort +5, Ref +1, Will +0
--------------------
Offense
--------------------
Speed 20 ft.
Melee Battleaxe +1 (1d8+2/×3) OR
Gauntlet (from Armor) +1 (1d3+2) OR
Lucerne Hammer +1 (1d12+3)
--------------------
Statistics
--------------------
Str 14, Dex 13, Con 17, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 14
Base Atk +1; CMB +1; CMD 14
Feats Missile Shield, Saving Shield, Shield Focus
Traits Armor Expert, Sacred Touch
Skills Craft (Armor) +6, Intimidate +6, Profession (Bodyguard) +4
Languages Common
Combat Gear Potion of Cure Light Wounds (2); Other Gear Banded Mail, Tower Shield, Battleaxe, Lucerne Hammer, Masterwork Artisan's Tools, Backpack, Belt Pouch, Belt Pouch, Cooking Kit, Eyeglasses, 30 gp
--------------------
Special Abilities
--------------------
Armor Expert Legends tell that Wardica's skill with armor let her outperform even trained warriors. The armor she wore hindered her slightly less than others, and let her pull off legendary feats that none could match, such as standing alone in the path of an rock slide, stopping it from destroying a village. While likely exaggerated retellings of much simpler tasks, she has trained in armor all her life, and is slightly more comfortable in it then others. When she wears any kind of armor, she reduces the armor check penalties (if any) by 1.
Missile Shield (1/round) Legends of Wardica include tales of her deflecting cannonballs from striking innocent homes and lives. While these tales were likely exaggerated by their tellers, she can deflect some small ranged missiles, such as arrows, with her tower shield. The size of the shield and its difficulty to wield prevents her from deflecting more than a single missile with any speed however. Once per round, Wardica can deflect a single ranged attack (excluding spell effects, natural attacks, and massive ranged weapons) if it would otherwise strike her.
Sacred Touch The tales told of Wardica's feats include several tales alluding to her blessed touch. Many a cold and dying traveler found themselves saved by a mere touch from Wardica, with even the dead being resurrected. While these tales may be exaggerated to some degree, she can stop bleeding with only a single touch. When Wardica touches a dying creature as a standard action, she stabilizes them.
Saving Shield The stories told of Wardica's prowess with her shield extend to always include her efforts of interception. She has been said to rush through enemy advancements just to shield someone from a blow if she could help it. No living creature is without aid when she is near. While some of this may be exaggeration, she can attempt to deflect attacks aimed at allies as long as they stand beside her. As an immediate action, Wardica can give a +2 Shield Bonus to AC to any adjacent ally if they're being attacked.
Shield Focus Of all the tales told in her homeland, none are so famous as the one picturing her wielding the largest of shields, one of the metal doors to the village elder's house. The double door was large, but she was said to wield it as easily as a warrior his sword, and she used it to defend the village from a massive bandit raid single-handedly. While this is a likely exaggeration, she does have skill with handling her shields, regardless of type or size, and gets slightly more out of them then others do. Whenever Wardica wields a shield, she gets 1 additional point of armor from it.
From what I've read about jungle survival training (never experienced it myself), a scary amount of time is given over to not dying 'accidentally'.
Considering how many ways there are to die in the jungle... that seems like a perfectly reasonable thing to do. XD
Ya, when we did jungle training, we basically powermarched. I've never been so tired in my life, and We got attacked by monkeys, little ones who were throwing things at us: rocks, sticks, their poo.....good times.
You know you've just signed up for an in-game monkey attack...
Oh joy.
That's actually one of the weird things that happened to me while marching across the jungle with no sleep. I saw one of the people going through class with me get up and try to make a phone call at a tree when we stopped to do a map check.
O... kay...
On a more sane note, I'm ready to start the gameplay thread whenever you are. Characters look fine so far, and the idea for a non-native guide suits me fine, but if you could work out your inter-character relationships before we start that would be great.
For the record, to help you along, imagine that you are there on an expedition funded by Rouvena, a fledgling company on the mainland that supplies semi-legal herbs and spices to mainland Auvenkine. Most of their expeditions are to set up contracts with locals in the harder-to-reach areas of the outlying islands, but your particular mission for the company here is to actually find a specific group of locals first - the Ithikaura, nomadic peoples who are supposed to live deep in the jungles of Tokugoteki.
Why are we looking for them?
They are rumoured to have developed a potent chemical homebrew with curative properties from local ingredients. Rouvena wants you to either secure a sample or establish a trade relationship.
I'm basically ready. ^^ Just need to make my alias, which I'll get to shortly.
Wardica will be the bodyguard for the group then. Primarily, that'll be her purpose for hanging with a trading group searching for natives how may or may not be hostile to the team. So I see her as a mercenary in that aspect.
Whether any of the others know her or not, that needs to be determined. She's legendary, but only in her homeland. She's somewhere else entirely here, and may not have the same legend carried over.
any word on which character you guys want me to play?
I like the idea of Delian, personally.
okay then, quick question: are we going to be starting in the jungle, or more civilized climes? I ask because as I see Delian, he would take on an animal companion suitable to wherever he found himself for an extended period of time. If we're starting in civilization, I would probably have a "civilized" pet, like a dog. if we're starting in the jungle, I would have probably taken the day to acquire a new animal companion.
I'll also get an alias up and posted.
Here is my character alt.
You:ll start in the last official 'settlement' on the island, on the fringe of the larger unexplored section. Not too civilized, but not completely wild.
If people are ready, I guess I'll first-post some time today!
Wardica's alt is done and ready to go.
good to go here!
Hey guys, sorry for the delay in getting the gameplay thread started - I had a few extra classes dumped on me yesterday and today, so I didn't have as much writing time as I thought I would.
However, I have a bit of free time this weekend so I'll try to get the first gameplay post up tomorrow, and I have a wonderfully free week at work coming up - students are doing tests, and I don't have to invigilate. Looking forward to an active week of posting!
Gameplay thread linked - have fun!
Can you link it here, I can't access the gameplay thread from this topic, and don't see it anywhere else.
No problem!
Nevermind, found it.
You guys are very quiet now - two weeks ago you were all 'yay characters', and now you have the chance to use them I can hear the tumbleweed. :P
I've been posting. v.v Nobody really wants to reply, though.
I'm still here. Will post something up now.
I chastise you and disappear for a week - I'm a terrible person. :(
Bah... sorry for the brief periods of sporadic posting and long silences, work / real life has been busy. I still love you all though, and will try to be less terrible / more regular in the near future.
To give you a long term insight, I'll be a hell of a lot more free after the 21st of August - until then I'll try to be better, but I really can't promise too much. The sad realities of working as a teacher and having to communicate in a second language have been getting to me a bit, I'm afraid.
Gatsby
Don't worry about it. ^^ Real life happens, after all.
Hey guys, just wanted to apologize for the lack of, well, everything. I got moved extremely last minute and this is the first chance I've had to get back online and I don't think it will last, so I guess I'm out. I should be heading back to the states at the end of the year. Enjoy the game. I had fun while I was able.