WR Mummy's Mask

Game Master wicked_raygun

Got a lot more work to do, but here she is for now.

Izra Kayal: Adventurer, Scholar, Trader. Notoriously slow to give her word to anyone, for anything, but equally notorious for keeping it, once given. (Still making up my mind whether she'll be LN or just N). She's not fond of being called a fetchling (they call themselves Kayal), nor of being called a mercenary, though in both cases, other people might accuse her of arguing semantics.

I might tinker with the skills and a trait or two - I'd like to see her Appraise skill a bit higher - but she's only got 7SP to work with. She might actually have the highest AC of the group, to start with, anyway.

Headed to bed for now. I'll get her finished up over the next few days.

re:Summoners' summoning: You can only use it when the eidolon is dismissed anyways, but it is broken good. It lasts 1min/per level and you can use it 3+CHA bonus a day. So at say 9th level you could prep for a boss battle by summoning 8-9 dire lions or whatever.

Oh I know, I'd just rather do something else rather than flood the game with a sea of annoyances. Summoning a plague of snakes definitely has some circumstances / characters that it works for, I just don't find it a good / interesting fit for this one in particular.

Since the Eidolon can't be out at the same time as the summoned monsters, and D'jinn are shapeshifters anyway, maybe I can fluff it such that it's like the Eidolon is changing her form into these other creatures. That might be enough to keep me happy with the mechanics.

I'm going to try to get my alias up today, but I still have things to figure out like weaponry and feats and such, so it may well be later in the week, but it'll be soon for sure!

Ray - DM preference thing here, do you want a separate alias for the Eidolon or should I generally write them together into one post?

Shifting gears here, Kris and I were knocking around some possible group names. Here's what the line of thinking looks like so far:

We've got a Fetchling, an imprisoned Djinn, a Kitsune, a Dwarf, and a Catfolk.

Tooth, Claw, Fire and Shadow...

OK, so, using ideas from the Game Mastery table, and some of the descriptors above...

The Unbreakable Company
The Company of Fire and Shadow
The Company of Claw and Fire (or Claw and Shadow?)
The Company of Fire Unbound (Playing on the Suli's predicament)

Kris has indicated a preference for The Ubreakable Company, or the The Company of Fire Unbound, given the framework of our group backstory so far.

Thoughts?

Actually, I picked The Company of Fire Unbound as my first choice and The Company of Claw and Fire as my second choice. I'm still open to other suggestions, of course.

Oh I know, I'd just rather do something else rather than flood the game with a sea of annoyances. Summoning a plague of snakes definitely has some circumstances / characters that it works for, I just don't find it a good / interesting fit for this one in particular.

Since the Eidolon can't be out at the same time as the summoned monsters, and D'jinn are shapeshifters anyway, maybe I can fluff it such that it's like the Eidolon is changing her form into these other creatures. That might be enough to keep me happy with the mechanics.

I'm going to try to get my alias up today, but I still have things to figure out like weaponry and feats and such, so it may well be later in the week, but it'll be soon for sure!

Ray - DM preference thing here, do you want a separate alias for the Eidolon or should I generally write them together into one post?

I really like the idea of the Eidolon/Djinn changing her form, though that would be somewhat at odds with the idea of her having to leave the Suli alone.. Dunno. It's a nice concept though.

Or maybe the summoning is him manifesting his anger/true form in limited bursts - reaching out to touch his power through cracks in his bindings - cracks that, over time, he widens (gaining power as he does so) through his continual struggling.

An alternate (or parallel) thought could be that his struggles open brief gaps between the Material Plane and the Plane of Fire, and the "summonings" are a group of creatures that have learned to slip through those cracks, briefly. Over time, they have (or will) realized that he's the source, and as they help him, their ability to remain on the Material Plane (for whatever reasons) increases. Some/all may become friends or allies, some may just be allies of convenience, hoping to accomplish their own goals, over time. Or maybe they're manifestations of allies he had "back home" centuries ago, and they've been sitting around his palace, waiting for him to call them...

Dunno, but I've always liked the idea that a summoner brings the same creatures through every time. The Eagle is always Pinfeather, the Beetle always Tk'zit, etc. That falls down a bit when you start summoning multiples, but that can be worked around.

Anyway, just some thoughts that might (or might not) help.

I'll find them, you can disarm them.

You didn't present it as a suggestion, but I actually like the summary you threw out before your list, Izra: Tooth, Claw, Fire and Shadow. It's to the point and encompasses all aspects.

Of the ones you listed, The Company of Fire and Shadow sounds best to my ear. But none are outright bad.

We'll also have to work out who knows whom how. (Well, we're all supposed to "know" one another, but that could be anything from relatively new Sothis acquaintances to having been childhood friends.) I wiped Kwin's old backstory in anticipation of that and, other than a few specifics I'll be keeping, I can be pretty flexible. So, let's kick some ideas around (I liked the thought of Izra being responsible for YR's D'jinn being found, by the way).

Since most races aren't fond of kitsune (which is why Kwin mostly stays in alterform), I should mention that Kwin isn't the prankster he was as a child. When he embarked upon his walkabout, he quickly discovered (the hard way) that strangers don't take kindly to trickery. He didn't understand that, but he excels at adapting and quickly learned to restrain himself. He's still a typical young adult male -- brash, cocky, risk-myopic, hormone driven -- but he only pranks other kitsune. Combined with him appearing mostly harmless human most of the time, having struck up a friendship with him is just as reasonable as with any other young man.

In fact, it's up to each individual whether you even know Kwin is kitsune. Potential giveaways: Unusually brilliant blue eyes, flame-orange hair, and an extra set of ears (still doesn't quite have the shapeshifting down)... which is why he always wears a head covering of some sort (hat, cap, cowled robe, etc.) in mixed company.

Good representations, if visuals help.

EDIT: Relative to the "brash, cocky" bit: Kitsune society respects elders. Most likely Kwin's the youngest and least-experienced of this crew. Kitsune or not, he'll defer to your direction for the most part. (Not to say you won't hear his opinions... or that he won't interpret your vision his way...)

The only reason I hesitate to go with TCF and S is that the dwarf is unrepresented there, and I couldn't find a slick way to add "fist" or "arrow." "Hammer" might work, but I didn't want to stereotype the dwarf. :-)

As for background, I'm completely cool with Izra being hired to locate/recover YR. Koshu being hired as guide/bodyguard through the desert would also fit, as well. If we assume that we had to go spelunking to find the iron jug, we could easily have hired Kwin and/or Torin as trapfinders, etc. (I kinda like the idea of the dwarf and the kitsune being a "Mutt and Jeff" team from the beginning).

Then, given the success of the first mission, someone could have suggested "Hey! You know, they've opened up the Wati graveyards... we're pretty good at this tomb-exploration thing, why don't we give that a shot? One good tomb, and we could all be set for life!"

Or something.

I really like the idea of the Eidolon/Djinn changing her form, though that would be somewhat at odds with the idea of her having to leave the Suli alone.. Dunno. It's a nice concept though.

Well I liked that partially because the Archetype was set up such that when the Eidolon departed, the Summoner would gain Rage and I just thought that would have worked brilliantly for this.

Or maybe the summoning is him manifesting his anger/true form in limited bursts - reaching out to touch his power through cracks in his bindings - cracks that, over time, he widens (gaining power as he does so) through his continual struggling.

AND JUST LIKE THAT YOU MADE IT WORK AGAIN. Totally a different way for the anger/power to manifest, I dig it. I also absolutely love the idea that it's the same creatures every time, and that he knows them. That'll give me some more great things to play with. You're all over this. :)

The Company of Fire and Shadow

Love this.

As far as backstory stuff goes, I also really love the notion that at least some of you had a prior expedition to search out a goddamn genie, and that's how I got roped into this. I think that's a really neat idea to play with. I don't know how long we've all been going together, but my Eidolon is certain to trust you more than I will.

I actually had a vignette come to mind this morning about how the Summoner would have reacted to his awakening. I might pen it down if I can find the time. This week is absolutely insane, and the weekend is PAX, so I'm somewhat budgeting hours at the moment.

Heya. Kris said I should come by and check out the game. I've been excited about Mummy's Mask for a while now and would love to play.

Off-hand, I'd say wizard. Divination/Foresight wizard with the Devotee of the Old Gods trait, descended from a long line of Garundi arcanists. I'm thinking he learned magic from some sort of secret society that his family's a part of, maybe linked to Nethys or the old gods. I'm kind of thinking along the lines of a less xenophobic version of the Medjai from the Brendan Fraser Mummy movies.

His interest would be twofold, with the primary being the preservation of ancient relics ("No, don't break down that door! Look at the carvings on it depicting Pharaoh Suchandsuch receiving the tablets of Maguffin from Nethys!") and the secondary being the recovery of something or other his society believes is hidden in the necropolis.

Human, probably, as boring as that is; maybe Elf, though they're a minority in Osirion so I'd have to shoehorn it in to the background.

Hullo, Karl!

Folks, if Karl is in as well, we're in good shape.

Karl, if you went with that concept, safe to assume your guy would be high Know:Arcana and History? Cause if that's the case, I'd be delighted to back Izra's History and/or Arcana down a peg, switch out a trait, increase her Appraisal, and maybe pick up some Dungeoneering. She'll still need History and Arcana, for the concept, but again going with teamwork, if your guy knows the story behind something, she can figure out the price (which might or might not cause some friction...).

Does anyone have a good Know:Local?

@YR: I like the idea of this being our first adventure post-freedom. Your guy being frustrated as he realizes the limits of his new-found "freedom," and testing the strength of his bonds seems like good RP opportunities. He could be accompanying us because he literally doesn't know anyone else, and his Eidolon convinces him that it's better not to be alone, or we could go with the whole, "Wait! Did you say Wati? That place is doomed! Some kind of plague - which is a shame, because I remember my cousin Flame-Butt saying he thought there was an artifact there that could break the binding spells that force Djinn into bottles..."

The only reason I hesitate to go with TCF and S is that the dwarf is unrepresented there...

Torin is a Zen Archer Monk. He is represented by nothingness. His absence is his presence. :oP

You're welcome.

(And: Greetings, Karl!)

Izra Kayal wrote:

The only reason I hesitate to go with TCF and S is that the dwarf is unrepresented there...

Wait, you don't see it? Really?

Torin is a Zen Archer Monk. He is represented by nothingness. His absence is his presence. :oP

You're welcome.

(And: Greetings, Karl!)

Heh. Excellent!

Karl, if you went with that concept, safe to assume your guy would be high Know:Arcana and History? Cause if that's the case, I'd be delighted to back Izra's History and/or Arcana down a peg, switch out a trait, increase her Appraisal, and maybe pick up some Dungeoneering. She'll still need History and Arcana, for the concept, but again going with teamwork, if your guy knows the story behind something, she can figure out the price (which might or might not cause some friction...).

Yeah, this guy would have Know: Arcana and History maxed out. Probably Engineering or Dungeoneering, too, if I can figure out a way to get them as class skills.

I'm zeroing in on it being an elf. I'm thinking these pseudo-Medjai could be an all elven or half-elven group dedicated to the preservation of these ancient sites. While rare in Osirion, elves would make sense as protectors of the pharaoh's tombs or old gods temples since they can live 10 human generations in one lifespan. What's ancient history for other people is something that their grandfather told them war stories about when they were a kid.

Primary role will be buffing with a little bit of battlefield control, and he can fall back on bow or longsword in a pinch.

... Engineering or Dungeoneering, too, if I can figure out a way to get them as class skills.

Also check Mathematical Prodigy.

Found Dungeoneering but only for Human and Aasimar, sorry. Maybe someone else will have better luck.

There's also Secret Knowledge which works on any chosen Knowledge skill.

@YR: I like the idea of this being our first adventure post-freedom. Your guy being frustrated as he realizes the limits of his new-found "freedom," and testing the strength of his bonds seems like good RP opportunities. He could be accompanying us because he literally doesn't know anyone else, and his Eidolon convinces him that it's better not to be alone, or we could go with the whole, "Wait! Did you say Wati? That place is doomed! Some kind of plague - which is a shame, because I remember my cousin Flame-Butt saying he thought there was an artifact there that could break the binding spells that force Djinn into bottles..."

Probably a combination of both of them, with the added throw in of the Eidolon feeling indebted and convincing me that I am as well. I'm really going to try to find time to pen out the scene I have in mind.

Izra Kayal wrote:

Karl, if you went with that concept, safe to assume your guy would be high Know:Arcana and History? Cause if that's the case, I'd be delighted to back Izra's History and/or Arcana down a peg, switch out a trait, increase her Appraisal, and maybe pick up some Dungeoneering. She'll still need History and Arcana, for the concept, but again going with teamwork, if your guy knows the story behind something, she can figure out the price (which might or might not cause some friction...).

Yeah, this guy would have Know: Arcana and History maxed out. Probably Engineering or Dungeoneering, too, if I can figure out a way to get them as class skills.

I'm zeroing in on it being an elf. I'm thinking these pseudo-Medjai could be an all elven or half-elven group dedicated to the preservation of these ancient sites. While rare in Osirion, elves would make sense as protectors of the pharaoh's tombs or old gods temples since they can live 10 human generations in one lifespan. What's ancient history for other people is something that their grandfather told them war stories about when they were a kid.

Primary role will be buffing with a little bit of battlefield control, and he can fall back on bow or longsword in a pinch.

If you can get Dungeoneering down, I can switch to Religion. Planes and Religion are good focuses for Izra

Yay, Karl! Karl is also of the rocking persuasion.

You didn't present it as a suggestion, but I actually like the summary you threw out before your list, Izra: Tooth, Claw, Fire and Shadow. It's to the point and encompasses all aspects.

Zennity aside, if we switch out "Tooth" with "Fist," or possibly "Bow," we'd cover everything but Karl's contribution. In alphabetical order, in the latter case. :P

As far as Knowledges go, the Summoner gets so few skill points that I probably won't be good with them, but the Eidolon and I should be able to cover Kn. Planes, at least. The Eidolon does let me choose 4 additional skills to be Class Skills though, so I could maybe manage another one if that would be better.

Being an actual Outsider, I have Planes well covered. (+10 or 11 right now)

Between Karl and I, we'll probably have most of what we need in the Knowledge dept. Although, you might be another candidate for History, which would have been "current events" to you. :-)

@W_R: Is the rich parents trait in play? I would re-fluff it as Torin being financed by the church, but it does kind of mess with early game power dynamics, so I wanted to run it by you.

Rich Parents is fine. I'm personally not a big fan of it, but that doesn't have anything to do with game balance. I just think it's a bit of a trap. I mean, sure, it's a nice boost very early on, but once you've leveled once or twice the extra starting cash is usually barely a blip. But as I said, I won't stop you from taking it if that's what you want.

Ray - DM preference thing here, do you want a separate alias for the Eidolon or should I generally write them together into one post?

I'll leave that up to you. The second alias can be handy. But I understand how it can end up being more work for the player. So really my preference is whatever makes you the most comfortable.

@W_R: Oh I agree, but you did give 3 starting traits, which is pretty generous. Personally, I think it's a design flaw to have different classes to have different starting gold. Everyone should start on equal footing.

re:Skills: Torin can grab the Wati native trait if we need Know(local), as it seems that history and religion are already represented. Do we have anybody with ancient osirian or sphinx languages?

re:Name: Torin would argue for Torin Ironbeard and associates, but when that wont fly he'll grudgingly accept the band of the flaming shadow (or whatever).

When it comes to company names "brevity" is a good idea. You'll want something you can say quickly. And won't mind hearing over and over again. Here's some rough ideas off the top of my head. You don't have to pick any of them, I'm just trying to give you a little creative kickstart.

"We are the..."

Deft Hand
Noble Assembly
Feral Order
Sacred Band
Silver Shroud
Phoenix Guild
Sylvan Company
Blessed Scrolls
Harrowed Haven
Gleaming Helm
Quill Conglomerate

When it comes to company names "brevity" is a good idea. You'll want something you can say quickly. And won't mind hearing over and over again.

Yeah, I'll admit I was reaching by the end there. But you guys get the idea.

Being an actual Outsider, I have Planes well covered. (+10 or 11 right now)

Between Karl and I, we'll probably have most of what we need in the Knowledge dept. Although, you might be another candidate for History, which would have been "current events" to you. :-)

Oh cool, I'll totally do that. I like that idea.

re:Skills: Torin can grab the Wati native trait if we need Know(local), as it seems that history and religion are already represented. Do we have anybody with ancient osirian or sphinx languages?

I'll be speaking Ancient Osirian for reasons which should be obvious. I was planning on "Blood of the Pharaohs" since there weren't really many Campaign Traits geared to what I wanted to do. It's close enough, really.

I'll leave that up to you. The second alias can be handy. But I understand how it can end up being more work for the player. So really my preference is whatever makes you the most comfortable.

Mmm, I'll have both. There certainly will be circumstances where I'll only use one, but I'd like being able to be adaptable depending on the circumstances.

"We are the Shadowfire."

(Or the Shadowfire Claws)

I rather like Shadowfire.

Kinda catchy. Go team Hokage! :-)

re:Skills: Torin can grab the Wati native trait if we need Know(local), as it seems that history and religion are already represented. Do we have anybody with ancient osirian or sphinx languages?

I don't know if I can justify Sphinx, but my guy will definitely have Ancient Osirian.

My Summoner's basically ready, though I'm still working on Feats/Equipment/Evolutions for my Eidolon.

This is probably close enough. I may do more tweaking over the coming days.

Kwin's going to be a bit wimpy/sub-par at first but I don't think further tweaking will help much, so I'm good to go.

Though if Kwin can learn to sling taunts even half as well as Elan, he'll be golden...

Hey folks!

I'm almost done with Izra, but I'm having trouble finding a trait. At least, I was sure it was a trait - until I had trouble finding it.

Does anyone know the trait that gives a bonus on Appraise, and lets you determine whether what you're appraising is magical if you beat the DC by 2 (normally, you have to beat it by 5)?

I read it recently, and now can't seem to find it to save my life.

Help?

Keen Appraiser

Torin is mostly done.

Did we ever decide on how the company formed?

Not yet (as far as I know). In his original/baseline backstory Kwin "went walkabout" from his clan when he reached the age of majority. If I stay with that portion then it's pretty wide open as to how he got involved; y'all can pull him in to the picture however best fits your needs. So, I say figure out what fits best for you, and I'll work Kwin into that structure.

Keen Appraiser

Torin is mostly done.

Did we ever decide on how the company formed?

Thanks for that! For some reason, even the D20pfsrd site wasn't pulling it up on a search for "appraise" benefits.

As for the company origin story, I think we got the base of it as follows:

Ahmed's Eidolon (who is a subservient Djinn of some kind), in an effort to find and free her master/[insert relationship here], who had been imprisoned for [at least 1,000 years], hunted down (or caused to be hunted down) Izra, to put together an expedition to "find an artifact containing a powerful being, who will richly reward those who free him."

Izra, for reasons she never really explained, took the job (possibly when other, more experienced Treasure Hunters wouldn't) - although she would have insisted on some form of payment up-front, as well. Between Izra and Suri (the Eidolon), the rest of the group was assembled.

A quick sketch, based on what's been shared of character backgrounds so far, would look like this:

Izra probably has known Karl's character as a source of information in the past, and so she would've gone to him for help in interpreting Suri's clues. I suspect he would have insisted on joining such an expedition to ensure that they weren't going to release some major evil power.

Either or both of Izra and/or Karl's character would probably also have known (or heard of) Koshu, and hired him as a guide/bodyguard for the trip.

I don't really know much about Torin, but it's possible that he and either/both of Kwin and/or Karl's character knew each other prior to the group forming. Whether together or separate, both Kwin and Torin would probably have been hired to join the group. I can see Kwin having heard the group discussing things in a tavern or along the road, and inserting himself in a "hello, folks! Going exploring? Oh, you definitely want me along on this expedition!" fashion. Whether he sold himself as a door opener,a trap specialist, bodyguard, or something else, I don't know.

Torin would either have been brought along as a package deal with Kwin (at Kwin's insistence), or hired separately as "Dwarves know about underground stuff, and where we're going is underground. We'll need one!" (I can see either of Suri or Kwin making that claim).

Suri isn't terribly bright, but she is (or could claim to be) guided by magic/prophesy to those who would best (or were destined to) help find and free her master. Izra would probably buy that. So even if someone wouldn't (on the face of things) look like an automatic fit for the group, if Suri insisted enough, Izra would go with "you're the paying client, you can hire who you like."

Then we all went on a lovely adventure, found Ahmed's jug, freed him, and then discovered that he wasn't as free as we'd all hoped. Even worse (as far as Izra was concerned), his limited freedom/power meant he wasn't able to provide that "rich reward" Suri had promised us. (Possible exception - Karl's character might feel he's gained immeasurably, by finding someone with first-hand knowledge of events from so long ago, who likes/can be persuaded to share that knowledge)

Anyhoo, the group, somewhat dejected/frustrated (some members, anyway) and mostly broke, decide to go to Wati, and see if they can win one of the tickets to explore some of the tombs. Ahmed is convinced to come along for one or both of two reasons: 1) He owes us for freeing him, and 2) There might be something in Wati to help free him from his shackles.

What little treasure the group did obtain was probably used to get them to Wati, register the group in the lottery, and house them until the draw.

Anyone else have input/preferences here?

Also, as for the group name, did we settle on Shadowfire, or are we still looking?

The only tweak I have to the above is that I'm playing Ahmed / Suri less as Master/Servant and more as personally close - presumably as former lovers, though D'jinn culture should be fun to play with. I'm less interested in the master/servant idea. For all intents and purposes, I'm planning to have Suri be the more, ah, "dominant", or at least assertive of them.

Presumably Suri's injecting herself into the Material Plane takes a degree of energy, which will explain her somewhat weakened state (and departures). Ahmed is literally bound to it at current.

The gap in time between when Ahmed went missing and when he was released is due to a) Suri not knowing for x number of years that he was captured. The D'jinn are generally rather solitary, and Ahmed in particular was always something of a loner. b) Even "Okay he's been gone awhile" still means having to search for him, and as stated, her powers are weakened as is her ability to search. c) Hell, she may have searched another plane before this one. d) The wizard who had Ahmed imprisoned wasn't exactly broadcasting that he had a D'jinn. e) Presumably the jug and Ahmed were found in some kind of tomb, so who's to say how long they were even buried.

I like the idea that Suri offered more than she could possibly have paid for, driven presumably out of passion and desperation. Presumably, as well, finding Ahmed could have lead to treasures, but the idea of having found just him is pretty great.

I still want to draft up a backstory / vignette for them, but I might not have time before this kicks off.

Sounds reasonable, though I'd temper Kwin's "you need me" vibe a bit. Sure he's young, overconfident, and somewhat unaware of his own mortality. But he's not an egomaniac (Doc's in a different game, haha). When he learned of the expedition he'd definitely insert himself any way he could, but it would've been for the adventure and excitement, not because he's ego-driven. (Plus as I said before, his culture will have him deferring to his elders and the more experienced as a rule.)

He probably would've presented himself as a skilled duelist (more finesse-based support than a brute-force "body guard" type) with some knowledge of locks and traps. Torin, if you want to do the suggested "Mutt and Jeff" thing, Kwin would insist on a package deal because he knows the traps have to be spotted before they can be disarmed. The first time he steps on a bear trap, there goes his trapper reputation (not to mention his foot... and I'm already running a pegleg Oracle, thank you very much). We'll have to work out how you and he met, though. Maybe Kwin did something typically young-person-foolish and Torin saved his bacon, so he feels obligated?

Random comment: Since Oracles draw power from the heavens/planes/whoever happens to think they can serve their needs -- and not necessarily by choice -- maybe Suri, desperate to find help, forged a random connection (or sort of inserted herself into an existing pipeline), and Izra is who she got (and vice-versa). That would fit nicely with the "guided by magic/prophesy" thing, and could justify a weaker, secondary link to Izra along with the strong existing one to Ahmed.

Izra is a Pharasmin. One who died inappropriately, and was sent back. So yeah, she is pretty open to prophecy.

She gives the impression of being somewhat mercenary - slow to commit to anyone, but 100% loyal to her word once given (or bought, go the whispers) - but she has her reasons. She doesn't really see the need to share those reasons, but those few who know her well (probably not anyone in the party, yet) are pretty sure those reasons are related to Pharasma.

I'm almost done with her. I should have her stats and whatnot posted to the alias page by Sunday.

I'm good with Kwin and Torin being a duo, with Kwin being the face of the operation.

Torin is a disciple of Abadar, so he main motivation is going to be getting buried treasure back into circulation and if that just so happens to make him fabulously wealthy, well now that's just the burden he'll have to live with

Hey, guys, the game should be starting tomorrow night. Just need a few more things. If everyone could list me their feats and traits that would be great because I plan on building your characters in Hero Lab for easy reference.

I'm good with Kwin and Torin being a duo, with Kwin being the face of the operation.

... if that just so happens to make him fabulously wealthy, well now that's just the burden he'll have to live with

Ray:

1) Is being listed on the profile sufficient or do you need them pasted here as well?

2) How about I just send you Kwin's .por and you can import? Far quicker/easier than you rebuilding him.

I'll go ahead and list them here, since I made a last-minute swap-out:

Ray:

1) Is being listed on the profile sufficient or do you need them pasted here as well?

2) How about I just send you Kwin's .por and you can import? Far quicker/easier than you rebuilding him.

Not everyone has them listed yet, which is why I ask. And if you'd rather just email me the .por file you could send it to wicked.raygun5@gmail.com. Or if you have a dropbox that could work, too. I'd appreciate it.

It's on its way.

I forgot about the "time out" feature while updating Izra's sheet. *sigh* I'll finish re-doing that tonight.

In the mean time:

I'm suddenly in doubt as to whether Koshu's favored enemy should be humans or undead. On one hand, I can see him having had to fight off raiders and thieves on his expeditions, but then he could have encountered undead as well, if perhaps not so many. I was leaning toward humans, but a campaign called Mummy's Mask suggests that undead might be a better choice...

A little help deciding, guys?

Human is always useful, but "The Half-Dead City" does sound kind of undead heavy. Six of one, half dozen of the other.

I like Djehuti knowing Koshu and suggesting/hiring him as a guide. As for joining the expedition, he probably presented himself as an Orisionologist (which he is) looking for a capable group of people to travel with (which is reasonable, if not exactly true). Them finding and freeing Suri's master at the end of the first adventure, if we're going with that, would've shown the group to be both capable and a potential threat since they've already shown they're willing to mess with extraplanar powers.

And he would've had to have been dragged away from Suri, as pointed out above- sure, he was born under Keleshite rule and has lived under 3 pharaohs, and he knows people more than half a millenia old, but Suri was potentially around when his order was formed around -1400 AR. She might have been in Tumen before it was abandoned; that's an amazing opportunity for someone from his order. I'd imagine that he tries to talk to her as much as Ahmed allows.

I don't know how political the AP gets, but I'm also thinking his order (need to come up with a name other than 'like the Medjai from the Mummy movies') was probably involved behind the scenes with the elves trying to take over El-Shelad around the time of the Garundi restoration. I also can't decide if they'd oppose the Ruby Prince opening up dig sites all over the place or if they'd be okay with it because giving official sanction means there's oversight. Maybe there's disagreement over the policy but since they're elves and it's only been a few years they're waiting to make a decision.

Him knowing Izra from before the formative adventure could make sense, too. Keeping tabs on mercenaries who hire out to escort tomb raiders is right up his alley.

Kwin can do face duty but you'll need to be his "flywheel." He's still an exuberant youngster and will need your mature wisdom (how old is Torin, anyway?) to keep him grounded. Hmm, a kitsune teen with a dwarven father figure. Man if that's not a wicked formula for something! Though whether disaster or comedy relief, I can't say.

I would put Torin just shy of middle age penalties (solely because I don't want the penalties). I see him as more beard than anything else, a dwarven cousin Itt, if you will. Between beard and bushy eyebrows, there's very little for people to get a read on and that, combined with the usual dwarven gruffness and greed, causes people to assume the worst of him (not without good reason). Kwin would provide a more chipper go between and Torin would be happy to let him do the talking, all the while listening and watching.

I'm suddenly in doubt as to whether Koshu's favored enemy should be humans or undead...

A little help deciding, guys?

I would go for undead. It fits thematically, but I imagine that either would probably be fine.

Koshukhep, I agree either could be justified. I say don't worry about which will be more game-effective; go with what fits better with your vision of the PC. But then I'm more role than roll, so I'm biased.

I love the "Cousin Torin" mental image, hehe... as a dwarf you're even about the right height.

I should mention (to all) that I was referring to Kwin being the face for the duo only. With CHA 13 and no ranks in social skills yet, odds are good someone else will be more effective as a party face. I mean, it'll get massively better at L2 when I drop a rank on Diplomacy (class skill), and I'm willing to give it a go in the meantime, but a +3 is nothing to brag about, really.