We will see how it takes us, I think the actual city building will be done via RP and GM FIAT. And yes, there will be missions, quests, stuff that make you leave the area. But guiding the new settlement will be a major angle, in my mind. You ok with that?
Yes, that would be fun!
I actually, outside of Pathfinder, play a lot of strategy/4X games (such as Sid Meier's Civilization), which is why I was curious about whether or not we'd be using a system for the city-building. Which, to be clear, doesn't mean I think we need one.
I think we can make up some homebrew rules? Maybe use a simple excel map to show changes over time?
Up to you! I'd be fine even if it's just pure RP and GM fiat.
Now... I just have to decide whether or not I'm actually going to use that Horn of Fog, or if I have a better idea... XD
Entirely up to you!
I know... I've just been busy, which has precluded sitting there staring at my options. XD
Life is what life does.
Yep, we have stalled....
Shall we skip ahead?
We can, though I'm wondering what the Grandmaster's response to Sevak's answer there was going to be.
So how big of a deal are we going to make Sevak's naga form? I can see it being interesting both as a almost-unique thing, something he feels he has to hide because he suspects the true naga will react badly to it, or as something that's uncommon but not unheard of.
Also, I think I'd suggested that his acquisition of his naga form could be a brief adventure or an event in itself. How do you feel about that?
I can imagine that the townsfolk of your new settlement might not be too crazy about it. As for the real naga....I'd say it makes you more of a threat and more powerful.
The more traditional naga might take it as a sign of impertinence but others might see you as a more worthy tool.
Hmm, some snake themed adventure?
Isn't everything Sevak does snake-themed by virtue of him being in it? =P
In seriousness, something like exploring an ancient snake-themed ruin and gaining the ability in it was the kind of thing I had in mind, but it was just a thought. I suppose the other option is some sort of divine power, perhaps an experience that could be interpreted as a blessing from Nalinivati.
I suppose it should be next since this is the correct level?
Yep, he gains the ability at level 6. I'd be fine with him getting it a little later if it works better for the story, though. Basically, I'd like the ability to feel like it resulted from story events rather than pure 'levels'.
Oh, and Rasthiss will grow to be Large at next level, too. Maybe that can happen at the same time?
Am going on vacation! Will be back on February 9th. Will report back then!
Will ponder on snake themed thing.
Sounds good! Have a good trip!
Don't feel like you *have* to cater to my tastes. :D I come up with lots of ideas, and not all of them are necessarily good.
Welcome back! :)
Thanks! I had a fun trip, feeling re-charged. Lots of time spent in swamps. I was inspired...
I have no idea if this is a good decision to make in the legal and cultural environment of Nagajor, but it seems like a lawful order, and Sevak has definite lawful shades. To be honest, I think he has some internal struggles between being Neutral Good and Lawful Neutral--there's some room for philosophical quandries there.
Assuming they're actually legal authorities. I'd been kind of assuming these are official guards. Are they? Would Sevak be able to tell?
...should I be worried about your inspiration? :D
There were alot of swamps where I was vacationing....
I don't want to drag it out, but meeting her should be an Event, yes?
Oh, definitely.
Still working on snake themed....
Please name Sevak's darkest fears and phobias.
I will need them.
*grins*
Uh-oh. XD
Hmmm... let's see... fear of Iskassala's displeasure would be one, but not so much punishment as abandonment as the result. He'd also fear, deep down, being ordered to do something flat-out wrong, something unjustifiably evil.
I think it would also be interesting for him to discover he now has a fear of fire.
Other than that... hmmm... betrayal. There aren't a lot of people Sevak has put trust in, but I think that would just make betrayal more hurtful.
He's not going to enjoy this, is he? :D
Expecting that?
No, I can't say I was. :D
I was debating over the fear of fire thing... I think what he might have isn't a fear of fire, but a fear of losing things to fire and not being able to do anything about it. Not sure. I hadn't really thought about it before. It might be best to drop that angle, though it feels like there's some potential there somewhere.
I think I can handle it well.
What do you think?
I think we've got Sevak thinking now, which is good.
Maybe Sevak should just explore ancient shrines.
I think he'll need a break from that every now and again. :D It would be fun for it to happen from time to time, though.
Excellent choice.
It would've been kind of awkward if Sevak just said, "Nah, I think I'll just die" here. =P
I, um, sorta expected you NOT to take the deal with the Devil.
Ah... that's a problem. Sevak can't be a druid if he's Chaotic Good. XD But honestly, at that point, it felt like the choice he'd take. After being so beaten down by his first encounter, Sevak didn't really have any trust or faith left in his Mistress--he was vulnerable. Now that being said... once he comes to himself here, I think he's going to regret his choice... but I don't know. Chaotic Good could be interesting, were it not for that whole ex-druid bit.
Maybe fixing that could be his next character arc? Or, alternatively, finding a way to be a Chaotic Good druid? I could see Sevak's trust in the whole system being permanently shaken by this whole experience, though to a certain degree the gloating here might snap him back somewhat. But having him be something of a revolutionary... I don't know. I'm debating back and forth.
Also, I wasn't thinking about the fact that Spirit Nagas are Chaotic Evil. Whoops. XD
Okay, now that I've had a few minutes to think on this, here's my thoughts:
This is great. This is the kind of thing I role-play for.
You see, if I just want to write a story, I can write a story, and I'll know generally what the characters are going to do and what's going to happen. And I do that and it's fun and I definitely wouldn't want to stop doing it. When I'm role-playing, I often have things pretty well-planned-out, as well, the general build I'm going for, the character, their character arc...
But sometimes, something unexpected happens. A character I'm playing comes to a decision point, and they veer off in a completely different direction than I was planning, or than the GM was planning. All of a sudden this whole new story happens, and it feels organic, it feels real, because it springs from characterization instead of planning. And sometimes what that produces is just awesome.
So let's run with this. Sevak made a massive mistake. It should cost him in time, blood, and tears to fix it. But he might be the stronger for going through this. Let's have him be an ex-druid for a while. Let's have him struggle to do good, fight against the darkness he just accepted, toil through mental anguish to escape the hold evil now has on him. Because that story could turn out to be greater than the stories either of us were planning on.
So let's see... as an ex-druid he's going to lose his spellcasting, his supernatural abilities... even Rasthiss. We might decide that he keeps his Wild Shape, or at least the ability to assume his naga form, given how it happened. So the first order of business should probably be for him to regain that... honorably. Because I'm sure darkness will tempt him with an easy way to get it back.
Actual redemption should take longer. Probably it will take center stage at times, then fade into the background as he faces other challenges. Maybe it'll be three or four levels before he gets his alignment back. Maybe it'll be never. It's the struggle that will be interesting.
But now I should really try to go to sleep again assuming I'm not so excited by this that I can't get my mind to shut down.
Also, good job at playing the Devil. You had me fooled there, not just Sevak. ;)
First off, just wanted to say I enjoy it when a player melts the rails and builds a spaceship out of them instead. Awesome.
Glad you enjoyed the scene, it was really fun to write. And we can take things in a different direction then we both expected.
So, mechanics: I want you to treat it as if you were level 6 druid then fell. So you do keep your naga form and all those abiltites. Your naga form is a Spirit Naga, to be clear.
As for story....I will do my best to live up the theme mentioned here. Hopefully I don't blow it!
First off, just wanted to say I enjoy it when a player melts the rails and builds a spaceship out of them instead. Awesome.
Hah! Hopefully that's what we'll accomplish.
Glad you enjoyed the scene, it was really fun to write. And we can take things in a different direction then we both expected.
Indeed!
So, mechanics: I want you to treat it as if you were level 6 druid then fell. So you do keep your naga form and all those abiltites. Your naga form is a Spirit Naga, to be clear.
I'd gathered that about his form. I think I've finished leveling up. Maybe it'll turn out that Rasthiss ran... err, slithered away when this all happened... only to suddenly turn up to help Sevak when he starts regaining his druidic abilities?
As for story....I will do my best to live up the theme mentioned here. Hopefully I don't blow it!
I think you'll do great. :) If you need a couple days to plan... well, I think the breakneck posting speed yesterday was a bit too crazy, anyway. XD I should have been focusing more on other things part of that time... anyway, if you want some planning time, it wouldn't be a problem.
Oh, by the way, you are back in 'normal form' right now. Sorry if I was unclear.
It's late and I should be in bed, and this next post is going to involve a *lot* of introspective text. So it may be later in the evening tomorrow before I get to it.
Have you read The Deed of Paksenarrion?
I have not read it. As librarian, that is the answer more often then I'd like.
Anyway, take your time. This PbP, no rush whatsoever. I'd rather it be excellent then fast.
Besides, gives me more time to plot anyway.
Eh, no problem. I was just seeing some parallels between one of Paks's trials and what's coming up here for Sevak. Then I realized there are a lot of those parallels for this situation in literature. :D
I realized I'd forgotten about ABP. I find it appropriate that, after making this huge mistake, Sevak has now gained some more Wisdom. I also realized I should go ahead and apply the effects of leveling to Rasthiss--he'll be a much more impressive snake when next Sevak sees him, as he'll be Large instead of his current Medium. :)
A few thoughts for your planning:
*Sevak was a druid... but I think he's been a rather poor druid. Part of that is that, as a Naga Aspirant, I imagined he'd be a bit less into the whole balance of nature thing. Part of that is that he did it on orders rather than fully as his own idea. Part of this arc could be him really coming to understand what being a druid is really about.
*For that matter, balance could be a theme of this arc. He's swung chaotic now, and I have a feeling he'll overcompensate towards lawful in trying to correct that. He should find, at length, that balance is what he's really seeking.
*I've been pondering exactly what he may do here. One idea is for him to be exiled until he fixes this, and end up wandering, trying to do penance on the road while traveling from town to town in Nagajor. Or maybe he'll go on a long journey into the jungle to get back in touch with nature. Or maybe you've already had a better idea.
*One thought I had is that he may end up gaining a level or two of something other than druid. Ranger would be thematically appropriate if he ends up focusing on re-establishing his connection with nature. Monk would actually be an interesting choice, though he'd have to take the Martial Artist archetype to gain a monk level without being lawful. But the idea of meditation and self-discipline that the monk class embodies would appeal to Sevak just now... and Wisdom to AC would be a powerful boon to him when he regains his powers.
*If we really want to drive the pathos home, though, he could end up being a humble farmer for a while, and gain a level of Commoner. Nothing says fall-from-grace like a level in the worst class in the game.
*Rasthiss showing up to save the day should definitely be the first part of his druidic powers Sevak regains. :) Okay, not necessarily, but it seems awesome in my head.
Just some thoughts I'm throwing out there, not sure which ones are good.
Not sure if Sevak's idea of swimming to shore using his shield like a kickboard is possible, much less good... but he's trying it.
Also, updated Rasthiss's stats on Sevak's character sheet. Sevak will be impressed if they meet again. :) I put Rasthiss's ability score increase in Intelligence--it seemed appropriate for him.
Lots of great ideas here. I have been spending a considerable amount of time talking (and planning) this game with my mysterious GM confidante.
Learning what it is to be a druid is an interesting aspect to the character.
As for what to do...that is up to you. I have proto-plot planes for most of your choices so do not feel constrained. Just do what you think Sevak will do.
If you want to be a farmer, go for it. If you want to multi-class, we can address that too.
Yeah, losing Rasthiss sucks!
Going well so far!
Hmmm... I was having a thought over the weekend here of what might happen with Sevak. He might go on a long journey in search of enlightenment, wandering over Tian Xia seeking the wisdom of men, beasts, and spirits. He'd likely start in the jungles of Nagajor, seeking the peace and balance of nature, but perhaps he will come to feel that he is missing something, something that cannot be found alone, and so go seeking the wise the world over. Perhaps he would seek out the temple-cities of the Aasimar in Tianjing, or the monasteries of the Samsaran in Zi Ha, hoping to learn from the wisdom of their monks and priests. Or perhaps he might see in Hwanggot's dedication to art something of the peace he seeks. Maybe the ways of the elves of Jinin might draw him in, or perhaps he might visit Xa Hoi in hopes of learning from a dragon. Perhaps he might visit all of these, taking a lesson from each with him on his journey
As he journeys, in addition to learning wisdom from others, he would also have to struggle with himself, fighting the touch of darkness he had accepted. And even as he fights within himself, he always stumbles across those in need of his talents, and increasingly finds purpose in aiding them. Eventually he realizes he's found the enlightenment he sought in the journey, rather than any particular destination, and returns to Nagajor to spread what he has learned, with or without the approval of the Naga.
I'm not sure that's what he'll do--Sevak's next steps are still unknown to me and it's exciting--but it's a strong possibility, with a lot of promise to it, in my mind. I suspect the next little while will have a strong influence on his eventual path.
So that went well.
So, what is Sevak going to do? Travel seems enforced at this point.
OOC, what do you think of the blindness?
Good question... the blindness makes this all much more difficult. Seeing, he had a reasonable degree of confidence that he could survive in the jungle. Blind... well, now he has to worry about two-footed predators in town as well as the four-footed (or no-footed) ones in the jungle. (Oh, by the way, did he keep all of his equipment?)
So I guess it depends on what he can do to mitigate it. Having him totally crippled briefly could be good for the story, but it will quickly wear out its welcome if he's helpless for too long.