I probably wanted to post a clever name, but this works.
Now, since your backstory started as kids, what level were the two of you thinking of starting at? One can start to hunt the creatures of the dark early, provided that you were aiming at the lower end of the undead tiers.
Thanks for choosing us.
I would prefer starting a little further down the road after we've gained a little infamy. Plus I don't like starting at level 1. I'd say three or later. That gives me the fun abilities, solo tactics and a teamwork feat.
Sorry, fell behind a bit. Thanks for choosing us, I look forward to gaming with you.
Really our starting level depends on the intended length and end goal of the game. But I think the lowest we should go is around level 5. It's high enough that we can be relatively established monster hunters, but low enough that we can still grow and develop our characters further.
Alright, from what your stories tell me, Aska is a survivor from the village, having learned the trade from a family member as the eldest.
Ian is infected. Lycanthrope? How is he managing the infection? How did he find the path of the Inquisitor?
Are the both of them just running on revenge? Any longer-term goals?
A little more after the event:
Ian changed back in the morning, with no recollection of what happened and apparently no different. He had only ever gotten blood aid from the cult once. Thus the effects seemed to be only temporary. He would find out later this was not the case. Those that got more blood, changed more quickly and into greater beasts.
Three days after being buried, they were finally dug out by clerics of Saranrae. Apparently the defenders sent for help. The clerics helped them settle into a new a town while reinforcements tried to figure out what happened. The city was destroyed and most of the cult appeared to have been wiped out by whatever happened. They tried to move on but found it difficult. People heard what happened and treated them differently, avoided them like the plague. And being young, both were still angry and bitter about what happened. But the cult appeared to have been wiped out by their own ritual. So what could they do?
I was thinking a skinwalker Inquisitor with the Sin Eater Archetype. After a while he discovers the ability to change his form slightly to take on a bestial nature that grants certain benefits but also makes him less than approachable. The Sin Eater ability in which he devours the sins of those he defeats is his way of coping with the primal hunger that burns within him. It also the lovely bonus of healing and untainting the souls of the fallen, either freeing them of acts of violence they committed because they had no choice or denying evil gods of the tainted souls of their followers. He feels guilty over the death of his friend and wants to try and make things right but also understands that sometimes people do evil things because they have no choice, like his own parents.
I haven't yet figured out the how he gets to this point but I have setup the connection with Saranrae as deity of choice since that is whose temple saved them and whose followers defended him. They might brand his method of cleansing heretical or it might be a secret method they teach in only certain cases. In any case Aska plans to run the ruthless hunter and Ian a sort of moral guide when he can. They butt heads constantly but when push comes to shove, they got each others back. They are connected by the mutual guilt of her sister and his friend and their anger towards people like the Crimson Host. They can't stay still and eventually find they have talent when it comes to hunting people like that down.
Sorry if I stole any thunder from you Aska. Any changes or additions you want to make?
No long term goals. Mostly revenge. But if the Crimson Host pops up again they will follow them to ends of the earth. I have ideas as what and where the campaign can go but I thought I'd let you have first crack if you have an idea. Like I said, a lot of the story is influenced by Bloodborne if you've ever played it. Same guys that did Dark Souls.
That pretty well sums up the starting point. I don't see anything that needs changing.
As for the long term goal though, Aska doesn't have long term goals at the moment, but once her anger fades a bit(which would take a while) she's the type to start thinking about the future. After what's happened she's not going to be able to settle down or anything like that(at least not as long as she can still fight). At this point I see her deciding to start training others. Finding people who lost everything to the darkness and teaching them how to fight back against it. Essentially she's going to start leading other people down the same path she took. Maybe even going so far as to create an order of hunters or something. That's almost certainly a ways down the road though.
Alright. That covers the backstory.
How about experience? Where did they start? How did they survive early on?
We had discussed that a bit, but hadn't come to any conclusions. We're meeting up later today so we'll talk it over and let you know what we come up with.
I wanted to go a more self-taught route. I'll think about it. Any ideas on build rules. Level, HP, Money, Point buy?
And judging by the map of Ustalav, we can say Kavapesta or Wait's Span was the town that got destroyed and we eventually found our way north to Ardis, the old capital of the country. We can start there, or anywhere, not too attached to either place.
Okay, we talked, have a starting point for our hunting. Aska and Ian moved to the same place after their homes were destroyed. When they were attempting to move on, Aska joined the city guard. Her alchemy skills would be useful so the guard made sure to further her training in that regard(but her guard training pushed her into becoming a grenadier). While working for the guard though she ran into a supernatural problem of some kind(don't know what, not sure it's important). She tried to solve it herself, but failed.
Ultimately Ian helps her solve it. As to how she ends up working with Ian, my companion was tossing around some stuff, but as it largely has to do with his character I'll let him get into that. After they finish the case, they get a taste for it. A way to vent their desire for vengeance on the supernatural creatures who prey on humans. She tried to work with the guard towards that end for a bit, but there just weren't enough cases like that in their city so she moved on and started seeking out such quests elsewhere. She still maintains contact with a couple members of the guard though. She's ready to help them should they call on her.
I'll let my companion describe what happens to Ian.
For Ians part, after being rescued by the agents of Saranrae and transported back to Ardis, someone let slip his change. They all gave there part of the story and most left out the little altercation in the crypt. He hadn't shone any signs since but someone let it out. They decided, forcefully, that they would watch over him. Make sure he was fine. He disappeared into their temple in Ardis for some time. The church hunters, their inquisitors, looked him over and they discovered his ability to change and they bloodlust that came with it. Being disciples of the Dawnflower, whose virtues were patience and compassion, they first thought to save him. They tried many things but nothing could drive away the taint and it was difficult keeping the hunger in check. Nothing seemed to satisfy it.
Aska visited every week, though more out of habit than enjoyment. They had gotten used to seeing each other on the weekends that they continued to do it. It reminded them of times before everything when to hell. One weekend she didn't visit, the weekend she failed, and he grew worried. Eventually he left to try and find her. He did, and the beast that had her cornered. He shifted unconsciously and tore into the creature with elongated claws. He wasn't able to kill it but wounded it enough that Aska's explosive bolt finished it off. Without thinking, he took a bit from the creature and something like black mist flowed into him. It kept coming for a solid minute until finally dissipating. When it was over, he noticed several things, his wounds had healed some, he had shifted back, and he felt no hunger. He also had no idea what happened.
They went back to the temple and he told them what happened. They looked appalled as Aska described the action but one older man nodded thoughtfully. He revealed an ancient tome describing a means of devouring the sin of fallen evil creatures. Horrifying as it sounded, it was actually a great and noble deed to take on that kind of burden and partially redeem the fallen. But none knew how to perform such a ritual. Apparently Ian was the first in a long time to be able to do it.
So there we go. Full circle. Sin Eater, Inquisitor, Skinwalker, united once more and ready to take on monsters. I, however, think there would be plenty of cases in Ardis and the surrounding villages to allow them to perfect their craft and gain some infamy. Its a big city. But I don't care either way. We can stay in Ardis or move on.
Thoughts?
I'm fine with either. Having the game focus on one city has benefits as does moving around a lot.
Can we dot in gameplay so it shows up in my campaign tab? I remember to check that more often.
Can we dot in gameplay so it shows up in my campaign tab? I remember to check that more often.
Feel free. You can delete the dot once it's posted.
Do you two intend to roam far and wide or use Artis as a hub?
We've got a location, and a basis for a beginning. I think I have enough info to begin working, and if the first feat that you two intend to take is a Teamwork Feat, then Level 3 is a good place to start. Otherwise, I agree that Level one is too low to start in this case.
Let's do attribute generation as the 4D6 drop lowest method, best of two sets.
I'm still sort of busy with the year starting, but I'll be posting daily.
Wherever you want to take us. I am good with traveling or hunting in the city. I will prepare for either. Inquisitors get a free teamwork feat at 3rd. I don't expect Aska to take one. I have Solo Tactics.
16
13
15
11
10
18
Surpirsed I got this good. Normally rolling never pans out for me.
10
10
15
12
14
7
Like this.
I'm not going to take any Teamwork feats at least yet. I'm fine with sticking around one city or moving around. Either could be a lot of fun.
1rst set:
5
10
16
13
10
16
2nd set:
11
14
10
8
13
13
Looks about right. The 1rst set's not so bad overall, but 5 is one hell of a hit. Guess I'll be tanking Charisma then.
Uh...can she have some of my points? I'll drop the 15 to a 10 and give the 5 to her to even things out.
That'll work. Go ahead and even that out.
Mighty kind.
Now that that is settled, what about the other important stuff? HP, money, traits, additional rules like background skills, stamina, automatic bonus progression?
Started to set up character stats. For now leaving gear mostly empty, but I'll be assuming standard starting gold for level 3. Leaving traits alone as well, but I have two chosen if we are using the fairly normal two starting traits.
Two traits, standard gold, take any gear within common sense, and one or two class-related pieces. It's likely that you have started to accumulate the gear you needed, and are capable of dealing with minor threats- mostly zombies and stupid necromancers.
What about HP and can we use Background skills? It essentially gives us 2 extra skill points to be used in less than optimal skills like profession, craft, and perform.
HP can be either rolled or average, at your discretion. However, whichever method that you choose, that's how you advance. I always liked Background Skills, so go ahead with those.
Decisions. Decisions. The dice were nice on abilities but I really doubt that trend will hold.
Might as well throw this out there? Can I use a trick weapon like the ones from Bloodborne. I was thinking of using the hunter axe. In Pathfinder I was thinking it could work like greataxe and a halberd without the trip property and can switch between them as a swift action. Thoughts?
The only real question I have is about Alchemical Weapon. Do I still add int to damage for something like alchemist's fire? I found an unofficial ruling that says yes, but wanted to check with you before just using it that way.
For non-standard weapons, you'll have to:
• Have it designed and produced
• Invest in the necessary feats to use it.
As per the "Throw Anything"(Ex) entry, "... An alchemist adds his Intelligence modifier to damage done with splash weapons, including the splash damage if any. This bonus damage is already included in the bomb class feature."
So if it qualifies as a splash weapon, the answer is "Yes."
Screw it.
Yay!
I think I am done.
I took the trait Heirloom Weapon for proficiency in the new weapon and paid the price for both weapons. As an explanation for acquisition, the Inquisitors of Saranrae in Ardis have a history with the Whispering Tyrant. They went underground during his raign and attempted to hamper his actions. During the war when Taldor came to put an end to the tyrant, they became more active. But to fight behind enemy lines, they needed weapons suitable for multiple situations. Thus they designed the trick weapons. Weapons that had two or more forms to either hide their use, give them an edge in battle, or throw off their enemies. The Hunter Axe was one of them. Most Inquisitors used lighter weapons because they focused on speed and stealth. The Axe was too heavy for many and too brutal and flashy for the battles they fought. So it rarely saw action. But as Ian grew, he attained a strength and grace few in the order could match. He had the strength and the finesse to train with the weapon. It proved deadly in his capable hands, so they let him keep it.
But if this isn't enough or its too cheesy you can just say so and I can just go with the Greataxe.
It's an odd enough case that it can fly. It is a two-handed weapon, yes?
Both are. Going for glass cannon. End the fight fast and use ability to heal up.
I'm nothing if not consistent. I should be fine though, and I think with this I'm done as well.
At least its average.
Alright. Depending on how busy work is, I may be able to get up an opening post tomorrow. I'll give everything a once-over and see where it leads.
Oh the anticipation.
Haha, gotta admit I'm fairly excited as well. This should be fun. You know, unless I've made some horrible mistake when building my character.
We will find out. I've been going through the Bestiaries by CR and by type, and I've found some pretty interesting things. I've been utterly blanking on a name, though. I also realized that I hadn't opened the Gameplay thread because there wasn't a gameplay thread and I had to actually post one. In the past, I had just taken over a game.
Opening the Gameplay now.
Name for what? The Game?
Yes. It requires a title for the Gameplay Thread. Usually, I have a name in mind, but I blanked on this one.
I'd put in my two cents but I'm truly awful at stuff like that.
All I got is Blood Pact.
Go ahead and cue me in to what you two are doing at present, please.
I'll be honest, I'm blanking right now. I'll check with my compatriot and have something up later today.
I don't know either. I am guessing, either looking for leads on a new prey or hunting one down. By level 3 we should have a little fame and thus, people might some looking for us.
We don't really have lives outside of work so the best I've got is
A. Finishing up a job/negotiating our reward, but then we need to decide what the job is.
B. Coming back from a job, we can fudge the details a bit more.
C. Looking for a new job/talking to an employer about a new job.
How about something simple like an undead hunt, just to get our feet wet. Something we have tackled before but still necessary. Maybe throw us for a loop at the end. Wight's, vampire, ghost, recently opened crypt, sink hole, bog zombies. Whatever.
I'm not trying to be unnecessarily abstract or anything like that, but I need a place to pick up with you two. Like how a show will fade into the characters once it starts, and you pick up with them there, that's what I'm looking for. Heck, the both of you could voice-over into the scene, if you wish, but without that, I'm potentially plopping the two of you in a place that you might not show, or go, or have reason to be, so I'd like you to start, say.. midday, non-hunt, post-restock from your last hunt.
Or in another sense, I'm sort of arbitrating reality, rather than dictating it, and don't want to jar either of you out of character before you have a chance to get into it.
Surely the two of you have regular haunts, or places that you visit while in the city? Even the "grim and isolated" types have shops they visit (even if they keep their speaking to a minimum), or a place they don't mind as much as the rest of the city... That bit of life outside of the all-consuming need for vengeance?
Aska, Option C could work.
Ah, we misunderstood a bit then. Unfortunately though, that's almost as hard for us as it is for you. I'd probably say we're in a tavern talking to some contacts about any new jobs in the area. Give us a bit to write up some kind of proper intro for that. Sorry to drag this out. It always gets easier once you have a starting point.