Tyrants of Zhentil Keep - A Forgotten Realms Pathfinder Mythic Campaign (Inactive)

Game Master Dennis Harry

There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home.

I'm locked in with cleric, it will be interesting to see what everyone does.

Probably more of a self-buffing melee magus. I prioritized his dex over his int so I don't want to rely too much on save or sucks since I won't have great DCs.

I think you'd be good as an investigator or a vivisectionist
But magus is also good

Regardless I'm going for bard

I will be taking a level in Warlord from Path of War. Bushi template and specializing in Mithral Current maneuvers.

I'll tell you right now, investigators are late bloomers. It takes a few painful levels for them to really come online but when their prepared they can be a beast. Not to mention their natural skill monkeys no matter how you play them. But just my opinion. xP

Edwin what instrument are you going for? Or rather which perform skill if not something you play?

Mawj you multiclassing?

No, but I will take levels in the Landsknecht PrC after level 5.

I can't recall if Tilverton was our current 'final destination' or not, but obviously in game Vorik does. Should we be moving on, he'll instead say something like 'completed the first leg of our journey.'

Still going with the Talented Cleric, as it lets me fully customize Vorik as I desire, level by level.

Tilverton was certainly the first leg and being close to Cormyr may be where contact is initially made with the group. Certainly Arabel was mentioned. Neither at this time is "officially" part of Cormyr at this time.

I currently have a rank in preform (sing) and (dance) but I have a decent int and am going to be taking levels in bard
Conceivably I could take basically all of them
I plan on expanding to include either keyboard, precision or strings at around 5th level
I forget, are we using background skills?

@Mawj
Nice, Dorn will be doing the same but his is only a 5 level dip into a PrC.

@Edwin
Your just a walking band aren't you. I may make you an Any Instrument Tool. :P

Also unless the DM changed it we are using background skills.

While i would appreciate a transforming instrument, I'd much prefer some kind of combination weapon/instrument.

With an ironwood guitar, you could be El Kabong. Alternatively, with a dagger/flute you could be the Green Power Ranger.

Off the top of my head, I would look at singing steel which as armor or a weapon with a weight 5 lbs. or more will give you the ability to cut down your bardic performance action by one step (standard to move or move to swift) when you use it. Afterwards you have to take 10 minutes to "reset" that ability before you can use it again. Also I would look at the totem spear which acts as a wind instrument and gives you +2 to acrobatics, but you have to be trained in it. So you would have to pick up exotic weapon proficiency. Hope that helps. :)

Could you link me to the singing steel? It sounds great

And ironwood guitar as a club or some kind of Axe bladed guitar was what I was originally thinking of

I was going to say, maybe a lute that conceals and sword in the handle or a Macuahuitl.

Also I will be taking levels in the walker of the waste PRC.

@Edwin
Here is the steel and here is the spear. Ironically it's 6 lbs. so if you make the spear out of it then it's two birds with one stone. ;)

@Ja'far
Let me know if you need some defenses or items made to keep your jars safe. Granted the real problem is finding a dry lich that won't murder you just for showing your fleshy face to them. On the upside pathfinder has some great new spells for keeping up the appearance of being alive now. xP

I'm sure the dusty conclave will adhere me to their ranks, if not it will be quite the ride. Yeah I would love some contingency or other good defensive spells cast on them, assuming I can get into your good books.

Oh Dorn doesn't take anything personal, at least not at this point. He is playing his cover and that's all. If anything he is less then thrilled. But that's it, he is not touchy and see's no benefit to things like revenge. Dispassion is a businessman's best friend, as someone once said. ;D

Bonus points if you know where I got that from.

Do I still get bonus points if I looked it up online? You never said i couldn't ;)

Well let's just settle for a cookie, enjoy. (^̮^)

I'm going witch.

well, im actually stuck myself. i cant decide if i should stay my original idea and go rouge or try going alchemist I have the Int for it

and to be honest, if you find a trap there are always ways other than disable device to get rid of it...

honestly i wanna try out vivisectionist or Promethean Alchemist

While i would appreciate a transforming instrument, I'd much prefer some kind of combination weapon/instrument.

if i remember correctly, Bladesingers in FR used swords that had handles that doubled as flutes, and when they fought their weapon would whistle and make noises.

Unless I am remembering wrong, bladesingers just used a special elf sword style that made their swords appear to sing from the strokes. I don't think the weapons themselves were an instrument or used as such. I do remember singing swords, another elf related thing I think, but they were magical weapons that would give a boast similar to a bard's performance when used. Sort of strange their isn't a weapon/instrument now that I think of it, or maybe I just don't remember. x)

@Suni
Well the unchained rogue saves you feats if your a dex melee type and their injury power on top of sneak attack is no joke. But Investigators are rogue and alchemist hybrids so if you can't pick that's a good way to go too. They get a lot of stuff from both classes. It's easier to list what they don't get really. Throw in their talents and they can cover even more accessing rogue talents and alchemist discoveries as well.

Promethean alchemist are the poor man's solution to getting a homunculus while losing all the alchemist great abilities. You give up brewing, bombs, and mutagen along with their attached discoveries for something you can get with enough gold. With the construct upgrading rules you can even make a better version earlier if you invest the money rather then wait on levels as you would with this archetype.

Vivisectionist are a mixed bag. You trade bombs for sneak attack and pretty much get the ability to make animals into humanoid shape later on. But personally bombs are the whole point to alchemist for me. Giving it up makes an investigator a better choice most of the time as I see it.

@Pox
What type of witch? Got a patron in mind yet?

Technically You can get bombs back though
Given that you can take the bleeding attack rogue talent you now qualify for the "extra rogue talent" feat
Take the "bomb" rogue talent

But even without that admittedly somewhat cheesy option vivisectionist is a very nice option
You're sacrificing your ranged attack for harder hitting melee and also using int for heal checks instead of wis
With mutagen and sneak attack your melee attacks are likely quite potent, just invest a bit in stealth and take the pin to the wall feat

I wanna dip a few levels of unchained Rogue for the feat tax relief so bad but i already have two levels of racial class that I want to take. The rogue levels will end up costing me more levels of magus than Im totally comfortable with. Dex to damage for free is so beautiful though.

@Kyorruel - Why not just take Fencing Grace and stick with straight Magus? Granted, it limits your weapon options, but if you are specializing then you might as well.

There is also the bomb and mutagen discoveries for Alchemist, allowing a Investigator to become a bomb user as well, I like the investigator, but I don't think that would fit Suni as much...

Plus because I have point blank shot my sneak attack goes out to 30ft.

@Edwin
To use Extra Rogue Talent, you have to have the rogue class feature as a prerequisite. It clearly states the class feature and not something akin to it or a talent. Vivisectionist only adds those two talents to the discovery list basically. So going to have to disagree on that. As for heal I have only ever seen it used at low levels and in two games I have been in I think, so I see that as a throw away myself. While mutagen and sneak attack stacking is good, you can do similar with investigator but not as high. I would agree vivisectionist has more damage potential but investigator is more flexible in and out of combat. Which is something I value more and don't see in the vivisectionist. Really it's about what you want to do and be about more then anything. So a bit of a toss up really. :)

@Kyorruel
Well as always their is a gold alternative. If you don't want to take the weapon finesse feat then buy a Effortless Lace, at 2500 gp their not bad. Just never take them off said weapon, which truthfully I have yet to see. If you want to avoid getting fencing or slashing grace then just enchant your weapon with the Agile property and your good to go for damage. All in all it cost you 4500 gp to have a weapon that uses Dex for attack and damage. Start begging. ;P

Edit- Suni you have clearly not seen the show with a sherlock holmes that is a recovering drug addict and has regular sexual marathons while working with the police to catch criminals. It's on season 5 right now last I checked. xD

Well, Right now I feel like Suni himself doesn't know what he wants in life, and is dabbling here and there. If he becomes an Alchemist I don't think it would be too far off to be a vivisectionist, or a rouge of some kind. However, being an investigator doesn't fit him at all, he isn't a super social person (Hence why I took the clever Kitsune over the boost to Cha)

Plus Suni is also the type to take drugs or drink alcohol- often and in large amounts. So it would only be a step up to make a mutagen.

Another archetype I was looking at was Metamorph, but... I don't think being able to alter self is very useful when I already have a permanent one.

@Suni
Well the unchained rogue saves you feats if your a dex melee type and their injury power on top of sneak attack is no joke. But Investigators are rogue and alchemist hybrids so if you can't pick that's a good way to go too. They get a lot of stuff from both classes. It's easier to list what they don't get really. Throw in their talents and they can cover even more accessing rogue talents and alchemist discoveries as well.(snip)

Vivisectionist are a mixed bag. You trade bombs for sneak attack and pretty much get the ability to make animals into humanoid shape later on. But personally bombs are the whole point to alchemist for me. Giving it up makes an investigator a better choice most of the time as I see it.

Alchemists with their mutagens and whatnot can be very flexible, whether bombs or sneak attack. I'd say it'd be a good concept for Suni, anyway. Investigators are super interesting but as someone else noted it takes awhile before they really come into their own--I think alchemists are a little more durable and a little more easy to focus.

@Pox
What type of witch? Got a patron in mind yet?

Vanilla witch, no archetype. While in concept name only I'd go with "plague," all of the bonus spells are necromantic spells (nothing to do with disease), and I don't want to play a necromancer, so that's out. So this is what I'm looking at instead:

Shadow: Pox is trying to expand his power from his innate darkness SLA so this would be appropriate, and the shadow conjuration/evocation spells offer some flexibility (even if circumstantially).

Endurance: Speaks to the juxtaposition of his ill-appearance with his actual fair health and determination to survive. The bonus spells are useful buffs. While I'm thinking otherwise debuff focus, also having buffs never hurts.

Portents: Ties into his "omen" trait, and the idea he is following a path to destiny. Bonus spells are mostly useful divinations.

Time: The theme ties into his obsession with endings and beginnings. A very useful set of bonus spells of a variety of spell types, and while it'd be a million years before we got there, the ending bonus spell being time stop doesn't hurt.

I'm probably leaning hardest toward "Time" but the others I'm still thinking on.

I'm thinking a debuff hex-based witch to at least some extent (e.g., blight, evil eye). He's got craft alchemy so I may also do some stuff with Cauldron (something I need to remember to bring into play; right now I expect he uses the skill to make things like treatments for wood and stone rather than anything terribly exotic). I normally DON'T do a lot of debuff builds so this'd be new for me, but I think it'd suit the party and the character. Probably also go for some item creation (hence starting off with craftsman).

@Suni
Unless you take a feat or something the regular Kitsune change self is static and doesn't grant anything. Alter self is still useful in changing sizes, gaining certain abilities, and appearance. If you were a more martial inclined sort I would point you to mutation warrior. But underground chemist could work if you like your poisons and potions. Things to consider I suppose, as always pick what you like and seems fun. :)

@Pox
Yeah I'm biased towards Time as a patron myself. Alot of witch patrons seem less then great spellwise to me. As for debuff witches, I am in a game with one and not something to sneeze at. The only bad thing is the range limitation, being a marshmallow at close range is dicey. Not a problem for her as she's a lich but Pox is still among the living. Maybe look into some defense or healing ability. x)

*nodnod* Can always grab the Ward hex or some protective spells to be less glass cannony.

@Dorn and Mawj

I was aware of most of those options (not effortless lace but whatevs)
I was merely bemoaning the fact that I'd need a dip to avoid having to take a bunch of feats. Weapon finesse and agile weapon were my original plan. Actually my real plan is to beg our super awesome DM to let me apply agile to my weapon using arcane pool but that does hinge on him and won't be until level 7, since I think my first two levels are gonna be from my racial class.

I'm really quite fond of the winter witch

But anything that gives D buff's would make me look good too (decreasing saves and movements so I can soundburst stun them, decreasing AC and movement to help me tear into them in melee etc)

I'm surprised there's no poison/pestilence/disease patron.

Hey Shadow, can we make one for Pox? lol

@Suni, I'm rather fond of rogue/investigator, so if you do choose one of those, I can offer some advice.

FYI, you don't need to be social for an investigator, like at all. You could be the brainy type, or the sullen, quiet loner. Nothing about the class specially calls out needing to be chatty or personable.

Shit the dice loved me. 18,19 and 20. Probably means im gonna get crited the first three times someone attacks me but damn. Badass for now.

Kyorruel just stole a fist sized emerald. Next time we are in Zhentil Keep you hear a rumor that someone stole from Fzoul while he was disguised, he lost a fist sized emerald with an important prisoner's soul inside. Now the high priest is on a war path for the thief. xP

P.S. The sharper archetype would be perfect for a nonstop thief.

You didn't finish the story Dorn, several weeks after Kyorruel was heard boasting about a beautiful emerald he stole off some stranger, his soul-less corpse was found dumped in the streets and Lord Fzoul was seen with a new Ruby.

.... except it wasn't actually lord Fzoul, for someone had heard of these rumors and took this as an opportunity to supplant the noble and struck him down in an ambush shortly after his encounter with the thief

Listen, if you find any soul gems just watch out for dark wanderers. And travel in the east, always in the east.

Edwin you lost me, unless I had a brain fart. I followed Kyorruel's story and I have to say that's cold of you to do to your own character. I freakin love it! :D

I dunno I saw those videos, travelling in the East did not end all that well for people.

@Dorn

Well I just followed the story to its natural progression. Stealing from some people just ends badly for thieves.

Update I/C tomorrow, the next post will require more brain power than I can currently muster.

I am hoping the shit set of weeks I just experienced are behind me.

My common sense is telling me, Don't get involved.

My metagame is telling me, Having a proto-deity owe you a favor would be nifty.

Your metagame should remember this deity a little better. Cyric don't do no favors for no one but himself. ;)

Honestly I'm wondering about the king coming to town. More then if lover boy is going to get a beating or Cyric is going to bloody someone on his way out of the place.

Well, everything's relative. Cyric repaying a favor would most likely be the I'll-let-you-live-this-time variety.

Damn it I had an actually good post written up but then my internet went out

Happens to the best of us. I always do a Khaaaaaaan! or Wheaton! when it happens. Pick your poison. ;)