This will be the pre-and-during game discussion thread for Tyrantmaker. All players that are part of the group can post OOC things here, as well as discuss things like backgrounds and those types of matters. We'll work a little on getting the group 'together' before the adventure starts in terms of how they met and why they're working/traveling together.
Hello, everyone! Very glad to be here, and thanks for picking me!
Looking at everyone's ability scores, here is a basic breakdown of possible kingdom roles. They are divided according to the related statistic they boost, and suggested roles are to optimize our strengths. Malak and Quellina, please note that you have two bolded - one of you could boost Loyalty, and one of you could boost Stability. Richard, you have two strong possibilities, both benefiting Economy.
Any Statistic
RULER (Cha) - Kirill+5, Mawj+3
SPYMASTER (Dex/Int) - Thakus+5, Richard+4, Mawj+4, Malak+3
Loyalty
COUNCILOR (Wis/Cha) - Kirill+5, Quellina+3, Mawj+3
WARDEN (Str/Con) - Malak+4, Quellina+3
ROYAL ASSASSIN (Str/Dex) - Thakus+5, Malak+4, Mawj+4, Quellina+3
Stability
GENERAL (Str/Cha) - Kirill+5, Malak+4, Quellina+3, Mawj+3
GRAND DIPLOMAT (Int/Cha) - Kirill+5, Richard+4, Mawj+3
HIGH PRIEST (Wis/Cha) - Kirill+5, Quellina+3, Mawj+3
Economy
MAGISTER (Int/Cha) - Kirill+5, Richard+4, Mawj+3
MARSHAL (Dex/Wis) - Thakus+5, Mawj+4, Quellina+3, Malak+3
TREASURER (Int/Wis) - Richard+4, Quellina+3
Looking at our current party make-up... Mawj is not really shining anywhere. Thakus is a far better scout, Kirill and Richard are both better party faces, Quellina and Thakus will be capable skirmishers, and Malak will out-damage him. I realize that as a rogue, I'm second-best at a lot of things, but it seems like our bases are pretty well covered. I could conceivably drop my archetype for trapfinding, but that's it. Even with kingdom leadership roles, there is no where that I am needed.
Madeoin, would it be alright if I did a little surgery to my character for better party balance?
Malak, checking in. If it's allowed trapfinding is where we are most in need of a boost for sure. Hunting bandits in the wilderness is bound to lead to some Predator-esque setups.
Ms. Esstanov here. Hello, everyone!
Thakus checking in. Thanks for choosing me!
I'm kind of confused about the roles thing Mawj posted. Is that in the player's guide?
Hullo everyone, nice to be here. I still have a bit of fiddling to do with my sheet, writing up a proper appearance (its currently describing another character, a half-elf) and finalizing equipment.
What can I say, I slaved away at the character for hours and hours and got lazy towards the end.
About equipment, having Scribe Scroll, can Richard start the game with half price scrolls, having crafted them himself?
I think we cover it a bit later, but it's kind of the APs signature. Wrath of the Righteous had mythic rules, Jade Regent had the caravan, Kingmaker has the Kingdom. Basically if I've read it right there's a bunch of skill checks and each of our roles depends on our attributes providing a bonus to our Kingdom's Skills.
Thakus checking in. Thanks for choosing me!
I'm kind of confused about the roles thing Mawj posted. Is that in the player's guide?
The Kingmaker Adventure Path is divided into 6 books. The kingdom roles are introduced in Book 2, and are very, very important for the rest of the campaign. You don't need to worry about it right now, but it is a good idea to look ahead and do a little planning.
Malak, checking in. If it's allowed trapfinding is where we are most in need of a boost for sure. Hunting bandits in the wilderness is bound to lead to some Predator-esque setups.
I was thinking of some more significant surgery. Trapfinding is nice, but that would end up being the only mechanically distinguishing feature of my character. There is usually a little adjustment after the initial game recruitment to buff out rough edges in a party, but it looks like I could possibly use bigger changes.
Yeah, as far as the roles go, they don't really become important until Book 2, and if there's any deficiencies, there's always the option of assigning an NPC that the party has made nice with to the position as well. I don't mind doing a little surgery pre-game, so to speak, as long as it's not radically changing the character (so no making him a Summoner, see!).
On a related note, we already had a player drop (Kiril Medvyed) because he felt the admixture of PC personalities wouldn't work well for his particular character. As such, I offered a slot in the group to the person that I felt had the next-best application, waiting to hear back from them now.
Awh, thats too bad, I really liked his character. Not to pry, but was it a general party personality, or individuals that put him off. Just curious.
As a whole we seem to be a bit on the psychotic side (not like Chaotic Stupid random acts of violence level but a bit) whereas he was more of a Dr. Doom-esque "I will create utopia by any means necessary" type so there may have been some tension there. Guess we'll never know.
Mawj I can understand your predicament, but with Kiril gone I would say the party face role is up for grabs (Richard certainly has his strengths, but I wouldn't say party face is one of them). In game terms, I would say the role of Grand Diplomat should be the tack for your character-- I think a silver-tongued schmoozer is just the kind of diplomat an evil ruling body would have, and with your racial bonus to lying and maybe a little retooling you'd be better at it than anyone :)
Just so you guys know, I'll rarely be able to post between about 1 and 8 pm. I work nights so I'm usually asleep all afternoon/evening.
At least, until class starts again next month.
Alex, you scoundrel. I'm looking forward to gaming with you!
What did you have in mind? My character surgery was going to turn my would-be-assassin into a would-be-diplomat, but if you are bringing in a high charisma character I can go in a different route.
...OR if your character is female, we could double-up on charisma for ruler bonuses. Just sayin'.
Finished up the profile for this alias.
Also noticed that she had bonus languages that she shouldn't, what with having no Int bonus. Relic of when I was going for pure skill monkey with her, now edited away.
AK here, presenting my Oracle.
I'm quite flexible when it comes to leadership roles; anything with Charisma is a good fit though.
Background-
Kaldak is an athletic, tall man of Ulfen descent who has seen 19 winters. The son of the chieftain of his tribe, great expectations have been placed upon him and requests from his family via magical Sending weigh upon him greatly. He seeks to create a haven for his shunned tribe; a kingdom where the dark things of the night, outcasts and those shunned by "civilisation" can find themselves welcome and enjoy the benefits of grouping together. Having heard of an expedition into the "Stolen Lands", Kaldak used all of his formidable powers of persuasion to ensure he was among those granted a charter.
Kaldak's tribe has an ancient lineage, dating back to some of the first Lycanthropes to ever grace the north of Avistan with their presence. The tribe numbers a little over a thousand souls and are infamous for two things: claiming forest territory as their own until driven off by a larger force... and a penchant for the moon, a pack mentality and a strange affinity with wolves and other moon-touched animals; especially Lycanthropes. The Ul'daar tribe venerate wolves and often fight alongside them in battle. In fact... it was said that in days of yore, almost the entire tribe could transform themselves into wolves themselves; blessed by the Demon Lord Jezelda, the mistress of the Hungry Moon.
Today, the gifts of the moon (Lycanthropy) are becoming rarer and rarer with each generation- Kaldak's father, a powerful shaman, is one of the last full Lycanthropes in the tribe (his mother passed away two winters ago while the tribe was driven east into Brevoy). Kaldak himself was a strange anomaly; rather than being born a natural Lycanthrope he bore the body of a man and the toothy maw of a Wolf. He speaks with a speech impediment as a result, but can tear the throat out of an enemy warrior as well as any of the pack's Wolves. This was only the least of the Mistress of the Hungry Moon's gifts; Kaldak displayed an unusual affinity with Wolves far beyond even the Ul'daar tribe; he is able to have a Wolf serve him without question and fight to the death for him and his. Divine power flowed through him and though he had as yet learnt to channel very little of it, his potential was quite clear. Despite quite poor agility, he seemed to have a preternatural sense of where his opponents would strike and begin to sway aside before the blow was even struck, akin to a Wolf's cunning instinct and reflexes.
Savage and charismatic, his force of personality, gravitas and presence are formidable to behold. Kaldak has a strong pack mentality and a clear sense of order and hierarchy, enforced by strength and power, is important to him. He is himself, strong and capable, able to fight with both tooth and blade as well as inflict hideous wounds born of negative energy. Despite his personal growth in his teenage years, however, the Ul'daar tribe is in decline. Kaldak's father currently has the tribe inhabiting a forest in south-east Brevoy; for now they are safe but once Brevoy becomes aware of their presence, trouble was likely to follow. It always did. Kaldak has been sent forth in order to secure a home for the Ul'daar to finally set up permanent residence after centuries of wandering and being driven out of various nations.
Are we allowed Drawbacks? Ive seen a few in recruitment, and Kaldak has one. I might want to look into taking one.
Tanner, I would like to award you this internet prize for the least romantic proposal ever(sfw, don't worry):
http://media.tumblr.com/f3c94163c0c3b46e614734170d41d3ed/tumblr_inline_mso8 auuUYb1qz4rgp.gif
Aww, shucks. Thanks for the internet prize.
It was basically the fantasy gaming version of, "You seem like an okay sort of person. If we were married, we would get a huge tax break!"
I sent our DM a message regarding changing my class. My build would still be sneaky and dextrous, but allow me better combat abilities. It doesn't look like we really need another social skills person in the group.
I'm pretty much done. Ready to go.
Backstory thoughts aka How the Band Got Together:
It looks like Mawj is the only one actually from Brevoy. Assuming we would come together before we set off for the Stolen Lands to explore it seems we would meet at some sort of office where the officials all go "ok, here's your charter, these are your new best friends, skedaddle".
Thakus would already be there.
Malak would be getting out of prison and put on the horse almost immediately and on the sly - Medvyeds don't want their catspaw being associated with them unless they're successful.
Quellina, Kaldak, Mawj, and Richard would be the more official parties to the charter, meaning they should have some sort of relationship among each other on the way down.
Kaldak has been within Brevoy's borders for a few months and has likely been based in Restov upon the first whispers of an expedition south.
He would naturally get along quite well with Mawj and they may have pursued the charter together; as Mawj is a Tiefling, Kaldak would be sympathetic and would want to include him in the haven he hoped to create in the Stolen Lands.
GM, could you create the IC thread? Even if its only a placeholder post. I just want to make a post to "dot" the thread and thus get it on my campaigns page. I run 4 play-by-posts and play in 9 so getting it all in my campaigns page really helps me.
I'm reading everyone's backstories now to familiarise myself.
I was actually thinking I'd be the last (or among the last) to join, being already in the wilds and looking for would-be conquerors. But I suppose it's not unreasonable to assume he'd have wound up in Brevoy, hoping to find people with ambition.
Added a shaving kit to equipment. This Mohawk doesn't maintain itself!
On the whole 'How the Band Got Together' note, I echo Malak's thoughts on the matter, seeing as how she sought out the charter for herself.
Quellina probably gets along pretty great with three LE mastermind-types. Being the brawn to back up someone else's brains is a job she's done before, and done well.
I imagine she might try to arm-wrestle Malak or something, haha.
As for Thakus, she's only heard stories of goblins. She'd be surprised at a talking one, I think, but otherwise O.K.
So did the group get thrown together as part of the charter, or did someone in the group take the initiative to gather other prospectives at the "sign up area"? I dont see Richard being the one to have gather people, simply because he trusts mostly in himself and in spite of his social skills, prefers only keeping company with his familiar (and the potential women he may have his sights on). Hes great with people, but loathe their company, mostly because spending any amount of time with the same people means giving away potentially damaging information about yourself.
From Richards perspective, he would be most likely to approach the brawny members and suggest a partnership, since those are the kind of individuals who are often more easily lied to.
Ideally, Quellina and Malak would have grouped up, and Richard asked to join then. Then all the more questionable individuals, from Richards perspective, would join later. This way, he doesnt have leverage to veto those he would be less likely to want to associate with initially.
Ofcourse it has to work for everyone, but this would be the ideal events to place Richard in the group.
@Quellina: Your characters stats suggest a rather attractive woman (In my mind, a high charisma does not make a pretty person, but good charisma coupled with good Str, Dex and Con does). Richard might very well be inclined to make her a target of his "secondary objectives". Just checking with you here so you can give the go ahead or veto it. Dont wanna just bomb you in gameplay with sleezy advances :P
With Malak's backstory as written I think he would be more or less smuggled out of Brevoy on the sly and not being officially put on the Charter since he's a prisoner and his sponsors are the sorts of people who won't make their fingerprints known so I think he and Thakus wouldn't join up until later in the Stolen Lands themselves.
I'm inclined to think that we got thrown together. Most of us (Quellina included) are apparently loners by nature.
@Richard: I hadn't imagined Quellina as being very attractive, she's short, tends to look angry, and she wears covering clothes as a matter of course. So there's that.
I imagine she'd be into it, she's impulsive and into the casual thing. Just be warned: She's got Str 16 ;)
Hubba hubba.
No luvs for Thakus. *sob*
Maybe if you hadn't dumped Charisma, gobbo ;)
Y'know, I think Quellina will be the nicknaming type. It fits altogether too well.
Yea, that does seem to fit. And like most goblins, Thakus speaks only broken Common (well, that's actually better than most goblins, who speak no Common at all). So combined with you using nicknames no one else uses, communication will be interesting haha.
I'm sure we can find you a nice dirty goblin wench somewhere Thakus. I bet she even smells funny and eats dirt and everything.
My updating is complete, and I am ready. I'm still as stealthy as before, but now I have better combat abilities and more social skills.
I like the idea that we're a sort of Hogan's Heroes-esque group, sent out to do a dangerous job because we are outcasts, loners, and expendable.
I imagine she'd be into it, she's impulsive and into the casual thing. Just be warned: She's got Str 16 ;)
"Good morning. Richard, you look terrible. What happened?"
"Last night, Quellina was the man!"
"Good Lord!"
"I just want you to know, Mawj - I didn't cry."
"It's okay."
What big green said (this is so much fun).
Speaking of, while Quellina might let Richard get it if he asked and she was in the mood, she'd probably climb Malak like a tree. How does Malak feel about that?
I imagine she'd be into it, she's impulsive and into the casual thing. Just be warned: She's got Str 16 ;)"Good morning. Richard, you look terrible. What happened?"
"Last night, Quellina was the man!"
But of course >;D
I guess that makes me Kinch?
What big green said (this is so much fun).
Speaking of, while Quellina might let Richard get it if he asked and she was in the mood, she'd probably climb Malak like a tree. How does Malak feel about that?
Malak is big mean and scary-looking meaning that he doesn't precisely have every woman chasing him, but being big and strong as he is means he really fits some people's type, meaning he is used to attention. Ultimately he doesn't care and usually avoids that sort of thing. He's lived as a hermit and the only things that wanted any of him were fey who probably also wanted to predate on him somehow, meaning he's adapted to avoiding such temptations.
By the way, is anyone else planning on prestiging into assassin? If so, that's a conversation we might want to have now haha.
Nope. I'm either staying purist or dipping a level or three into vivisectionist.
Pure Oracle, with a small possibility of a sudden surge into Barbarian and then Rage Prophet.
Wizard purist, no much in the way of prestige that looks good. Also, with Fast Learner feat, going non favored class hurts me more.
Yea theoretically anyone could, but I was mostly asking about Malak and Mawj.
No multiclassing, dips, or prestige classes for me. I'm going pure magus.
There's a decent chance of capstone abilities in APs since they're so long.
Ok cool. Yea I think most AP's cap out at about level 15, so you might make it to the capstone of a prestige class but only just. Although the assassin's isn't particularly interesting, so I'm not worried about it.
@Malak: Noted. Guess she'll admire from a distance.
@Thakus: Quellina is hardly an assassin, she's a little too direct. No prestige classes for her at all, I don't want to lose out on any class abilities.