Okay, sorry folks stinking last couple of days, missing dog passports and airport and vet runs, plus work, have made things very hectic and sleep very scarce.
So I will do my reviews and comments tomorrow, and the deadline will be Tuesday, with selection and game start on Wednesday, to give everyone time to respond to those comments. My apologies for the delay.
No Problem, life loves throwing monkey wrenches at folks or dumping a box of them on someone.
Yeah, RL always gets in the way of fun. Not to worry, we'll be here.
Ive used the time to think about the mechanic of my character some more and make a few changes (swapped the Dodge feat for Persuasive and the Skilled racial ability for Silver Tongued, swapped out the Create Water cantrip)
Sounds like a plan. Good luck with all the pet stuff.
Here's another applicant to add to your very large pile Placeholder.
Amandine is a Psychic Detective Investigator. She is a young half-elf who has worked her way out of the slums, and is now looking for employment that will put her skills to their fullest use. She has put the word out to friends of hers who are better positioned to find her a match. If Lady Lotheed happens to speak with any of them, Amandine will come highly recommended.
Amandine is gifted with an especially acute intelligence that she uses quickly and flexibly. She may not always be the most beautiful woman in the room, but her personality more than compensates. She is keenly witty, and able to draw on her considerable knowledge of many subjects to build rapport with anyone. Amandine is aware that her half-elven heritage is often viewed as somewhat transgressive in Taldan high society. She is also aware of how alluring a hint of transgression can be.
Primary Skills: Amandine is particularly adept at listening, observing, and asking innocent but revealing questions. Her talent for assembling snippets of information into insightful reports and profiles is unmatched.
Supporting Skills: Purloining documents and other items. Confidence games. Blackmail, Information brokering, Seduction, and Influence.
One will find Amandine highly suitable for almost any situation that requires tact, insight, and a light touch.
I'm still tweaking background and need to finish purchasing gear, but the character profile is about 95% complete.
May I present Sorel, the psychic bloodline sorcerer for consideration. A gifted negotiator from a small noble family, hoping to one day work his way into the senatorial to change Taldor from the inside. Adept at changing minds or melting them with his mind magic, Sorel is ready for any fight social or otherwise.
My question for you is if Lady Martella Lotheed is from the city of Oppara, which is where Kunala grew up, due to his father being in the military. I was going to have her contact with Kunala be through a mutual dancing instructor (all noblewomen need to know how to dance). But if she isn’t from Oppara, that would be just silly wouldn’t it.
I do not think it is tacitly stated, but my impression is that she likely came to Oppara in her mid to late teens. Given that she is actively social dancing lessons make sense, as long as you are cognizant of the fact she was not a child at the time and was already maneuvering politically, etc.
@Deminus, looks good, I would like to see a personality writeup though as I find Hedonism a little difficult to square with Abadar. I can see it being reconcilable, but would like to understand your take on it.
He advocates cautious, careful consideration in all matters, and frowns on impulsiveness, believing that it leads to the encouragement of primitive needs. Abadar discourages dependence on government or any religious institution, believing that wealth and happiness should be achievable by anyone with keen judgement, discipline, and a healthy respect for all sensible, just laws.
@LizArdoc, I don't feel like I know anything about what kind of person Liz is and I do not really see her having any reason to feel patriotic about Taldor. Why does she want to craft golems so badly, why did she choose Taldor, how did she become attached, etc. What relationships if any does she have?
@TheUnthinker, love it, hit all the notes, and a skim of the crunch looks solid :)
@Noya Yuuki Aiba, I would want a lot more. Why does she want to be a warrior, what are her elven half origins, how did she learn to fight, what are her Ulfen origins, why were her parents in Taldor. Other than her favourite foods, and desire to prove herself as a warrior I do not have much of a feel for her personality. You also seem to have rolled stats, and I believe you are a little over the point buy, though I am exhausted and could well be wrong :)
@Olivia Vernisant, looks great, I feel I have a decent grasp of the character and she's well suited to the setup.
@Panos Berylium, not sure the description and avatar gel very well, and I confess to having a bad habit of thinking of the avatars more than the descriptions after a while. Other than that very minor detail it all looks great :)
@RHMG Animator and @Damrak Lendar, thank you for the list proving very helpful, much appreciated :)
@Amandine Santon, looks brilliant :) Student of philosophy has to be one of my favourite traits, and fits well here.
@Frightmare Man, the background is excellent, do you have any stats - forgive me if I have missed them.
@Sorel Taragate I am afraid Aasimar were not on the list of allowed races, I always find myself tempted by them as they are just mechanically better and thus prefer not to include them. Otherwise it looks great, and I think the Aasimar blood can be easily edited out.
I hope I have addressed everybody, but very much doubt it. I will be setting up the game tomorrow, and making my selections tomorrow night, and checking in throughout the day. I already know it is going to be extremely difficult to choose between such a fine array of characters :)
I hope I have addressed everybody, but very much doubt it. I will be setting up the game tomorrow, and making my selections tomorrow night, and checking in throughout the day. I already know it is going to be extremely difficult to choose between such a fine array of characters :)
Having had to do the same recently, I hear you... I ended up setting up two campaigns and running them parallel, simply because I wanted to GM for so many of the characters. Good luck!
@GM
I know when I run a recruitment a character submission list helps a lot in looking over all the characters easily.
@LizArdoc, I don't feel like I know anything about what kind of person Liz is and I do not really see her having any reason to feel patriotic about Taldor. Why does she want to craft golems so badly, why did she choose Taldor, how did she become attached, etc. What relationships if any does she have?
Well the Ardoc family from Kaer Maga are noted for being golem crafters as well as being a sexist crime family, so she was getting locked out of following her dream of also being a golem crafter. Taldor represents both the old way she left behind and the potential to change things so women can advance in both political,magical,spiritual areas. She does have professional relationships and managed to become a scribe due to her good writing skills and worked her way up as far as she can. If she can back the right horse, she might be able to found an academy that allows both men and women.
"Snips says 'e took a peek at all of ya. Says you awl ah real nice, real good people. Oi figga' that means you should check your feedbags, and then frow 'em out if any food's missin'. Fella looks round as a pig." Chana grins, then pats the rat on her shoulder.
@GM
Stats Not rolled, used 20 point-buy and racial trait (Kindred raised) that added a +2CHA with the standard +2 floating stat.
Noya's a bit of a tomboy and learned to defend herself from a young age, primarily from her parents (one Ulfen(quarter-elf), the other half-elf (Ulfen)).
Though her experiences added a twist in how she fought.
She grew up in a community that was not as welcoming/friendly to those with non-human blood.
Though her family was self-sufficient they still needed things in town and the local kids at times didn't play nice with her when she was in town.
So she had to learn to defend herself from her bullies and they picked on her not just because she had elven-blood,
but because she was fighting on par with the bullies and getting better.
Their constant lose or draws hurt their pride and egos so they continued to pick on her hoping to proved they are the better.
Now not all the kids were bullies, some were her friends so she can trust others. She requires folks to earn her trust,
though she'll still try to be diplomatic to strangers hoping to not make more enemies.
Still working out more for her background and personality, but RL required focus.
Man, that's a lot of people to choose from. Good luck, Placeholder... :)
not sure if you noticed me, but I did rework background stuff
Oh, cool, I had ended up hitting some turbulence this weekend and finding time to whip up a character ended up seeming of beyond me, so with things getting extended I found the time to put together some crunch. Stechris's fluff has been attached again for good measure. The sheet is a touch rough because I haven't done his shopping or anything yet, but the core of what he does is there and it's just one or two minor pieces I can fill in if he's accepted, but my weekend turned out unexpectedly insane too. Hopefully he's distinct enough from what Tangle-Foot is going for, even if as level 1 Bards there is a certain level of obvious saminess that's inevitable.
Stechris Nickham was happily born into such a role, but he had other aspirations, like attending the Kitharodian Academy and pursuing his love of the arts. The presitge of such work was not equal to that of military service, but Stechris believed honing such talents may be the key to charming his way further up the social ladder, that he might ingratiate himself through such means to some powerful noble scion, or even find a noble's hand in marriage with his fame. Ambition took him, as he wished for something greater than simply to record history; he wished to be a part of it, wished to make it. From an early age he threw himself into learning etiquette and how to deal with nobility more readily than most children would, with the intention of being ready for such a time.
Stechris's father Jorick rose up in prominence as well. An accomplished scribe whose fast, deft hand never left a single mark out of place, he found himself the scribe of High Strategos Maxilar Pythareus himself, an incredible honour that Jorick was incredibly grateful for. Performing well in this role could have launched the family's stock much further and perhaps even come with a rise up the social ladder, but Jorich had grown up just low enough on the social ladder to see the plight of the lower classes, and found himself arguing with the commander about certain issues that the more traditional military leader vehemently disagreed with him on.
Perhaps it was the way Jorick said it, perhaps it was the idea that Maxillar as a matter of pride would not let a mere scribe stand against him in front of his men, perhaps there was some other slight that Jorick hadn't even known he'd committed that turned the commander against him. Whatever the case, it took mere days for allegations to arise that Jorick Nickham was a social radical who changed what the dictations he was told to write down to fit his own social views. There was no proof he had written anything but precisely what he had been told, but it was enough to have the Nickham family stripped of their titles and of almost all their wealth, taken in retribution and in lieu of imprisoning Jorick; the sort of prison sentence a knight would have earned paled in comparison to the stripping of a family's wealth and prestige, and being sent tumbling down into the ranks of the Unbearded proved a much more bitter and scathing punishment.
Stechris was a teen by then, and all of the comfort he'd known vanished overnight. His dreams of attending a bardic college were dashed, as the family only had what small fortune they had stashed away. It was enough that they never starved, but for Stechris, the idea of losing all luxury and comfort was devastating. His dreams crumbled and he knew that his chances of finding his way back up were gone. He could have accepted his fate and become a destitute street performer, seeking pittance from nobles, but he refused to give up. Those same talents he believed could bring him to higher station weren't gone, he'd simply have to develop them himself, and find new ways to use them.
The streets required their own skills that Stechris had to develop. He learned how to sneak, how to pick pockets, how to listen in on conversations. Rather than getting a real job or plying a dead end trade he believed would only distract him from finding ways to redeem his family name, he resorted to thieving here and there where needed. Eventually, he realized that such talents could be easily employed with nobility as well, that his knack for sneaking about and going from the vibrant center of attention to the quiet, slinking shadow was almost too easy for him. The more he learned his way around it, the more confident he felt in exploring and expressing the idea that such unsavory talents could do something for him.
Fake names and personas soon filled in, as Stechris began to experiment with lies and dsiguises, further developing his means of infiltrating the upper class. Were he to truly make a move, he would need to have an identity other than Stechris Nickham, though he now mostly called himself Chris. His last name carried too much baggage, and so he often claimed his name was simply Chris Nicks when he didn't feel like concocting an elaborate lie for himself. He knew not to feel bad about his lies; lies were what had put him into this predicament, and it was lying his way back up and finding a means of redeeming his family that would surely save the day.
His performances soon became notable enough that despite a lack of classical training, Chris found himself occasionally paid to perform for the events of minor nobility or merchants. Parties that were the lowest of high society. It was there where he could charm his way into information, zeroing in on the most loose-lipped gossips for dirt. Rumours were powerful tools; they could be traded for information, or even simply used as leverage or blackmail. A forged letter and a vague threat were sometimes all it took to loosen up some information or even simply some money. It was not the act of an upstanding man, but the secrets Chris dug up were rearely about the upstanding and the moral. In his mind, the idea of abiding the law had died the moment his family was slandered into poverty; he needed only walk the line of being a good man and not hurting those who didn't deserve to be hurt.
The system was irreparably broken, and Stechris didn't believe he could fix it all himself, but he could at least right the wrong done to his family, right other wrongs along the way, and perhaps if he could find his way to a position of prominence, put his charmed words and sharp wit to work at righting as many wrongs as one man could.
Chaotic Good Medium Humanoid (Blah)
Init +7; Perception +5
------------------------------------------
DEFENSE
------------------------------------------
AC 13, touch 11, flatfooted 12 ( +1 Dex +2 Armor)
HP 9 (1d8 (8) + 1 Con + 1 Favored Class)
Fort +1, Ref +3, Will +3
------------------------------------------
OFFENSE
------------------------------------------
Speed 30 ft.
Melee
-Longsword +3 (1d8+1/19-20)
Spells Known
0th (infinite) DC 13: Dancing Lights, Detect Magic, Prestidigitation, Read Magic
1st 2/day DC 14: Ear-Piercing Scream, Sleep
------------------------------------------
STATISTICS
------------------------------------------
XP
Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12 Wis 12, Cha 17
Base Attack +0; CMB +2; CMD 13
Feats: Improved Initiative, Weapon Focus (Longsword)
Traits: Reactionary, Disgraced Noble
Favoured Class: Bard (1 GP)
Skills: Bluff +7 (+9 to coneal his identity), Diplomacy +8, Disguise +7, Knowledge (Local) +6, Knowledge (Nobility) +6, Intimidate +7, Linguistics +5 (+7 to spot forgeries), Perception +5, Perform (Singing) +7, Stealth +5
Languages: Common, Kelish, Celestial
Equipment: Longsword, Leather Armor
Current encumberance:
Money:
Carrying capacity:
------------------------------------------
SPECIAL ABILITIES
------------------------------------------
-Class Abilities-
Bardic Performance 7/day: Satire (-1), Countersong, Distraction, Fascinate
Not sure if not being mentioned/reviewed means good or bad, but good luck to everyone anyway!
"Psst! Over here!"
The old gnome tries to get the attention of the man who seems to be juggling 20 different things at once. Instead, the man's head swivels with confusion as he looks about for the source of the voice.
"Er . . . no, down here. It's me, Bimble Ficklebopper. I guess I can be easy to overlook . . . but hey, I heard you might have an opening available? I think I'd be a good fit. I've got plenty of knowledge and experience. And though my hair might be graying, I promise you I'm still as bright as ever where it counts!" Bimble taps the side of his head with his finger for emphasis, and tries his winningest smile.
@GM Placeholder Welp totally missed the race restrictions somehow. Edited Sorel to be half-elf.
Good luck everyone! I'll work on finding a better avatar picture, there just don't seem to be very many of teenagers.
Thanks for the feedback GM, it's not something done in most recruitments.
I'm adding the last bits to background, physical description, and gear this morning (hopefully).
Good luck everyone!
I do not think it is tacitly stated, but my impression is that she likely came to Oppara in her mid to late teens. Given that she is actively social dancing lessons make sense, as long as you are cognizant of the fact she was not a child at the time and was already maneuvering politically, etc.My question for you is if Lady Martella Lotheed is from the city of Oppara, which is where Kunala grew up, due to his father being in the military. I was going to have her contact with Kunala be through a mutual dancing instructor (all noblewomen need to know how to dance). But if she isn’t from Oppara, that would be just silly wouldn’t it.
Thank you, I will assume Kunala, his sister and Lady Martella had a mutual dancing instructor named Syrio.
Unfortunately, due to working over these past few days, I have not been able to put Kunala's backstory 'to pen.' I will have it done later this evening, well at least before sunrise. Unfortunately that will put me beyond the Tuesday deadline. Please let me know it that is ok.
@Deminus, looks good, I would like to see a personality writeup though as I find Hedonism a little difficult to square with Abadar. I can see it being reconcilable, but would like to understand your take on it.
He advocates cautious, careful consideration in all matters, and frowns on impulsiveness, believing that it leads to the encouragement of primitive needs. Abadar discourages dependence on government or any religious institution, believing that wealth and happiness should be achievable by anyone with keen judgement, discipline, and a healthy respect for all sensible, just laws.
Deminus is hedonistic in an Epicurean sense. He doesn't regularly indulge in excess, but is focused on taking part in - and being seen at - every social and cultural event attended by the influential and well-to-do. His need to be seen as someone important and influential is a part of his hedonism, and also why he seeks to conceal his Elven ancestry, and why he wears a ring that appears to be worth more than it actually is.
Good luck everyone!
@GM
Stats Not rolled, used 20 point-buy and racial trait (Kindred raised) that added a +2CHA with the standard +2 floating stat.
Ah, thank you, was not aware of that alt racial trait, you do have a line above your stats listed as rolls, which is a little confusing :)
Having had to do the same recently, I hear you... I ended up setting up two campaigns and running them parallel, simply because I wanted to GM for so many of the characters. Good luck!
It is tempting, but I want to be realistic and avoid any risk of burn out, its easy to get over enthused and forget that life can get busy - this last weekend has been a somewhat painful reminder of that. If I felt I could do two iterations well I would, but I would rather do one well than two poorly.
not sure if you noticed me, but I did rework background stuff
I will be checking everyone again before making my final decisions, so anyone who has reworked should be fine, unless you specifically wanted me to check it and give more feedback? Generally speaking unless there is something significant I only want to give feedback once as there are a lot of entries. I anticipate that check will commence in 3-4 hours.
Ah, thank you, was not aware of that alt racial trait, you do have a line above your stats listed as rolls, which is a little confusing :)@GM
Stats Not rolled, used 20 point-buy and racial trait (Kindred raised) that added a +2CHA with the standard +2 floating stat.
I used an old text template and forgot to change 'Rolls' to 'Stats'
so I can check the point buy of the stats before racial stats get applied to them in the Main Stat block area
Stechris's fluff has been attached again for good measure. The sheet is a touch rough because I haven't done his shopping or anything yet, but the core of what he does is there and it's just one or two minor pieces I can fill in if he's accepted...
** spoiler omitted **...
I appreciate that, easier to find everything in one place. I have no problem with a few undotted is and uncrossed ts in regard to crunch. Though I always find if I need to buy gear quickly the various class kits are a great place to star, though I wish they had not packed them all with ten torches to make them ludicrously heavy.
Shopping can be easy with the kits, but especially for characters like Bards, I like to get caught up in the little bits and pieces of alchemical items and tricks that just open up more options at a time where they have the best chance of working. Not being a full caster or full combat class, having the options of throwing those sorts of things around is fun but can take quite some time, so I'm glad the finer details aren't super vital to have in place for selection. Throwing the stats in line and knowing how to fill the sheet in with them is something I can do in my sleep, but there's no way to do shopping without some bookkeeping.
Not sure if not being mentioned/reviewed means good or bad, but good luck to everyone anyway!
I had thought I had reviewed Andre previously, I had certainly read his entry, sorry about that. I'll take another look and give you some feedback.
Looks great to me, the last "Andre" section was an especially illuminating in a nice brief form and gave me a good feel for the character :)
I'm a big fan of the kits but there are always things in them I don't really want. If it's an urban campaign I just mark things like torches and the inevitable iron pot as being at home and don't count their weight unless they actually travel somewhere.
@Tazo, boop, boop, boop, is that what a radar sounds like?
@Sorel Taragate, great that should do the job :)
@Panos Berylium, more the short haired and clean shaved thing directly clashing with the avatar that caught my attention. It won't be a consideration at all as far as selection goes so you can safely leave it for if/when you are selected if you wish to.
@Amandine Santon, it isn't? Damn it! LOL, I am generally unreasonably picky and probably expect a little more in terms of word count than the average recruitment, so I think its only fair I try and make my expectations a little clearer.
@Kunala, I can leave you until my last entry to check, not sure if that will be sufficient but that ought to give you 3-4 hours. Please do not name the dancing instructor Syrio thought, love GoT, but its a bit too direct a reference for my taste. I was always disappointed he never turned up again, despite being 99% certain it wouldn't have played out as brilliantly as I imagined it, and would likely devalue things a touch.
@Deminus, ah okay, that works for me, I'm not sure I would use hedonistic to describe that, but we are now on the same page :)
I'm a big fan of the kits but there are always things in them I don't really want. If it's an urban campaign I just mark things like torches and the inevitable iron pot as being at home and don't count their weight unless they actually travel somewhere.
I used to that, but the stuff kept being bizarrely handy so now I generally pass it off to the parties resident mule :) One of my wizards iron pots saved his life twice and is now a modified headband of intellect. Blocking an acid spout on a statue, and capturing an Oni in a faintly puss in boots manner.
@rorek55, your background could use an edit, there are a few grammatical errors, and seemingly odd word choices that make it a bit difficult to parse in places. You probably should be in Oppara rather than Kessen, or have some reason to head that way, though its not necessarily a big deal. It seems like he was shorter than a halfling when he was 17? Since you note that he is taller at 19. Halflings are about 3ft.
|
um... did I link the wrong character? I never talked about him being shorter than a halfling O.o. And I hadn't stated where they were, so moving them to Oppara is easy. Especially if the "main" branch of the Lotheed reside in Kessen (I haven't had time to look over the players guide lately due to finals week)
just to be sure, here is a new link- Derick Ravenmoore Lotheed
@My mistake entirely I went through your aliases and picked the first Derick I saw, assuming there would only be 1, d'oh!
@rorek55, Derrick looks great, no issues I can see :)