Way of the Wicked (Inactive)

Game Master Whack-a-Rogue

So, you’ve decided to walk the Way of the Wicked, have you? Are you sure you have what it takes? Your journey will not be an easy one, and it will most likely end in dismal failure. Still, while you’re alive, the rewards will be great.

This is not your typical Pathfinder campaign. Those goody two-shoes, save the world, Captain America, “For Honor!” types? They’re your sworn enemies. Those awesome Celestials and Good-aligned Dragons that are cluttering up your Bestiaries? You’ll be fighting them.

This AP will almost certainly end in a TPK. That’s kind of the point. You’re playing out the story of a group of nameless Mooks who become BBEGs. As such, you most-likely WILL be killed by adventurers in a final climactic battle. Yes, it will be glorious and well worth it. Plus, if you somehow survive, you’ll have earned some SERIOUS bragging rights.

Campaign Info: The campaign takes place in Golarion’s distant past. Aroden is still alive. The island nation of Talingarde (where this adventure takes place) is located where you’d normally find the Eye of Abednego. The dominant (aka only) Deity here is Mitra. Think of Sarenrae as a LG holier-than-thou type, and you’ll have the general idea. Your characters are heinous criminals who’ve been captured, sentenced to death (or life in the salt mines – a slower, more painful death), and thrown in Brandescar Prison (think Alcatraz). Your sentence will be carried out in three days. Oh, and before you ask: Yes. You actually are the despicable scumbag the Talireans think you are. For more info, there's a link to the Player's Guide at the end of this post.

Character Creation Rules: None yet. I'll be doing this recruitment in stages. PbP games have a tendency to die out early on, but if we get a good group together, the odds of success increase drastically.

To start things off, tell me about yourself. How long have you been playing Pathfinder? What are your rules knowledge and optimization skills like? Are you experienced with the PbP format? If you are, but your game/s ended early, what happened? What kind of combat/social balance do you like? Do you have previous experience with the WotW AP? That sort of thing. Make me like you. :-)

That's all I'm looking for right now. If you have a character concept, feel free to share it, but I most definitely DO NOT want a character submission at this point. I haven't even told you creation guidelines yet. ;-)

I'll keep this open for a week or so before moving on to the next phase.

Player's Guide

i'll dot for now, i have a few ideas just need to consider if either would fit. both would end up being true neutral don't know if that's okay.

The campaign includes biological warfare and slaughtering innocents. If you can make that work with a neutral alignment, I'll consider it. For now though, I'd rather hear about YOU. Not prospective characters. ;-)

Dot.

I can provide references, bribery and shameless flattery on demand.

Hello!

I don't really like to talk about me, but here goes. I've been on the forums for a bit over a year, mostly playing in games but sometimes running them. Of the games I've played in that have ended, the one I'm most proud of was The Long Vigil, a game that was a cross between Hogwarts and Boot Camp. It ended when the GM's wife had a child. Other games have ended due to inactivity on the part of the GM or, in two sets of cases, due to huge changes in my life (deaths and cross-country moves).

As for the games I've run, I'll go into greater detail. The first, a Curse of the Crimson Throne, and the second, a Carrion Crown I adopted, were both dropped due to the aforementioned changes I faced. The third, a Kingmaker game, is nearing the end of Book One and going strong. I've also run a single PFS scenario all the way through and have two homebrews going.

I don't consider myself a huge optimizer. I know the "best" builds for a lot of different classes, and I like to read the guides to see what the biggest mistakes are before I build something, but I'm not looking to create a combat monster or a master of Diplomacy or anything. I consider versatility to be more useful than awesomeness at one thing, anyways.

I prefer a good mix of combat and RP. I have no problem with exploring a character, but Pathfinder is, at its core, based on a wargame, and it works best if there's at least some combat. I don't mind inter-party conflict, so long as it cuts off before actually murdering each other.

My gaming history goes back to the mid-2000s with 3.5, when I played in a long-running campaign that ended at about 13th level. After that and a few offshoots of it, there was a hiatus (with a few one-shots as interruptions) until 2014, when I first found the forums. I've been playing Pathfinder on and off for about 2 years, and consider my rules knowledge to be pretty decent, but I still look things up frequently (always before I post).

Character Concept: I'll need to think on it for a while. I've got an idea for a somewhat insane spiritualist with a bastard of a husband for a phantom, but it's just an idea at this point.

How long have you been playing Pathfinder? Since 2010ish
What are your rules knowledge and optimization skills like? I GMed for local PFS (Think I made it to 1 star) got tired of dealing with a table full of synth summoners with cheese stats and little to no role playing so quit that. I can optimize, so can anyone with Herolab and basic 9th grade math skills.
Are you experienced with the PbP format? Yes, very much so. I have been doing them on this forum for about 4 years now. This is my second account because I was having trouble keeping track of all my aliases.
If you are, but your game/s ended early, what happened? Many games ended early, but the time spent was productive. There seems to be some players that really enjoy the character creation process, but not the game itself.
What kind of combat/social balance do you like? I prefer when something can be solved multiple ways-Combat, Stealth, Social Skills, Magic. I have done entire real life sessions doing nothing but roleplaying, but also some sessions of just one giant combat. I am pretty easy going I enjoy most games.
Do you have previous experience with the WotW AP? The only experience I have with this app is making a character for it back when it first came out for another PbP that never took off. I enjoy the idea of an evil campaign, and have run a few in the past. Actually I am running one now on these boards.

*Shamelessly copies the format - what? We're evil*

How long have you been playing Pathfinder? Since late 2013
What are your rules knowledge and optimization skills like? I frequently GM, and in complicated games. While I don't have the rules totally memorized, I would say I'm quite familiar with them. My optimization skills are moderate - I generally avoid overpowered builds, and prefer to build for flavor instead of raw power (though I do try to be optimized enough to contribute).
Are you experienced with the PbP format? Yes. It's the majority of my gaming.
If you are, but your game/s ended early, what happened? Many things. Usually, it's because the other people stopped posting, which is part of what motivated me to GM stuff myself. I now run quite a few games.
What kind of combat/social balance do you like? I prefer a fairly even split. Among other things, I think having lots of social encounters encourages players to diversify their characters, resulting in less-ridiculous combats and deeper characterization throughout the game. That's basically never a bad thing.
Do you have previous experience with the WotW AP? I almost GM'd it for someone. I have the material, but haven't read through very much of it, and would hold off on doing so.
What would I prefer for this game? In my experience as a PbP GM, I've found that smaller groups tend to be more successful, especially for longer games. PFS is kind of a special case, where people have more reason to finish stuff, so I think those games are more successful. Anyway! My ideal format for this game would be 3 players, maybe under gestalt rules, to improve the likelihood of it remaining active.

(Also, I need build rules before I can truly say I'm interested. XD I'll figure out a character after I see those.)

'Sup.

TheChelaxian is my alias, a supporter of Her Infernal Majestrix (who is not yet born in this adventure :( ) and her infernal allies and masters.

I love Pathfinder, it was the first RPG I played when I first began 'bout four years ago. My first campaign IRL as a player was Council of Thieves, which remains my favorite despite its "flaws". I've played on and off since then, GMing Rise of the Runelords twice and PBPing on other sites; the latter would die from lack of GM continuity usually.

I have no XP in WotW, but my favorite characters to play are LE in some form or fashion, so I'd love to give the adventure a shot.

As for style, I love good RP, and I don't really build optimized warriors. I generally favor mages or old-fashioned "Blood and Battle" types and avoid skill monkeys as I can't get it in my head how to play them :P. Clerics are an odd beast but I enjoy the challenge they present to me. As said before, LE is my favorite alignment, when any of the other lawfuls or NG/NE as close seconds.

That's kind of me, but if you want more, I guess ask? Best of luck to any and all!

Hi!

I have been playing Pathfinder since 2012, but have been roleplaying for most of my life, though I have spent most of my time as a player and very little time behind the GM screen. Most of my experience with Pathfinder is limited to short lived games in real life before having to get together every week started wearing on people and what I have played here on the boards and a bit over on myth weavers. Therefore I have spent a lot of time building and theorycrafting characters, so I'd like to say my system mastery is somewhat high compared to my level of play. Despite that I usually make my characters more for flavour than combat effectiveness. Of the games I have been in most are ongoing, a few have dropped from the GM disappearing and once I myself had a few huge life alterting changes in a very short period of time that took me away from the internet for a while, which lost my place in one game, which still ended shortly after when the GM disappeared. Outside of Pathfinder I have experience with D&D, World of Darkness, Iron Kingdoms, and a bit of Shadowrun. I also happen to partake of almost every other geeky hobby under the sun: video games, board games, fantasy novels, miniature wargames, Magic the Gathering, etc.

I've played a single session of WotW in real life, but I love the idea of the campaign, most certainly from a Lawful Evil perspective, which is one of my favorite alignments in the game. That single session involved a lot of fire and explosions my GM did not expect, but it was a lot of fun. Unfortunately the GM decided he didn't like running pre-written adventures.

I have always been more on the roleplaying side of the roleplay vs. combat spectrum, but I still love a good combat, I just like it if there is opportunities to get creative in said combat. I do find it tedious when as you said players post 15,000 words about what their character ate for breakfast. I understand that you can do more in a post in PbP than when you have the spotlight in real life, but I still find if someone writes too much it starts to alienate the other players from a chance to react to what your character does.

I don't have a specific character concept yet, but I do prefer the tragic fall and descent over the psychotic.

How long have you been playing Pathfinder?
I got the core rule book back when it first came out, but didn't play Pathfinder until finding these boards back in 2012
What are your rules knowledge and optimization skills like?
I have a terrible memory, so rely on HeroLab and the SRD. I really don't consider optimization in buiding a character or even as I level, I just go with what fits.
Are you experienced with the PbP format? Been PBP-ing here since 2012
If you are, but your game/s ended early, what happened? In most cases, the DM disappeared without a word or due to Real life stuff. A couple were stopped by consensus, a few I bowed out due to the campaign not being a good fit.
What kind of combat/social balance do you like? I like a slight edge to non-combat antics , 60/40.
Do you have previous experience with the WotW AP? Got into one with a fighter, we made it to the introduction with Thorn.

Dot.

I've been playing pathfinder since 2012 but it has mostly been either in person or online games over things like Skype. I am familiar with general play by post formats but I have never done one on here. I like the concept of them and with my schedule the way it is I think that play by post works better for me. I can always hop on for a few hours a day and write up some posts, but getting on at the same time every day to do teamspeak or skype is not something Im capable of right now.

Originally got into 4e around 2010 and played some random disorganized homebrew stuff with some friends. Ended up meeting a group that ran 3.5 and played a short campaign with them and a few one shots. Pathfinder was my favorite of any of the systems Ive played though, despite never having a pathfinder campaign that managed to reach the end of a planned campaign. One of my most interesting pathfinder experiences was playing through most of the first book of Way of the Wicked in an online roll d20 group. It fell apart before we could really finish unfortunately and it was something I've always wanted to try again. Its not a common AP to see run though so I was pleasantly surprised to see it on the site went I decided to come and try play by post here.

Im by no means a rules lawyer though I dont generally like to see things being blatantly disregarded. There are some systems I dont understand especially well because I just havent seen them in action a whole lot. As for optimization I've been in groups with min-maxers and while I can see the appeal for some it isnt there for me unless the entire party is agreeing to go all out.

I really would love to play through Way of the Wicked and hopefully get further than I did previously. Since I played a caster then Id probably want to play something martial this time. Looking over the Crimes of the Forsaken I feel like something cool could be done with a Ranger who hunts humanoids to enslave them and got caught trying to acquire some merchandise in Talingarde.

How long have you been playing Pathfinder?
I've started with the 3.5 edition and then moved to pathfinder... in total, I think for almost 10 years.

What are your rules knowledge and optimization skills like?
I have a good rules knowledge, since I used to be the GM in my RL games back ago. About optimization, it really depends on the nature of the campaign. If the GM starts the recruitment with "this is a truly difficult/epic/deadly campaign that you'll probably die" (like rappan athuk as an example), I tend to optimize a little more, but in general, fluff is far more important than a bunch of numbers. Also, by optimize I understand a full functional and well-balanced PC, even if my class/feat/race choices makes it really good in one aspect... stupid brutes (with absurd high physical and dumped mental) and anemic casters (dumped physical and high mental) will never be my thing, since I hate to play in a game with them.

Are you experienced with the PbP format?
Only have half a year around this forums, but really enjoying it! Since I live in a farm in Brazil, this is the only way I can play.

If you are, but your game/s ended early, what happened?
To the moment, three games ended, two because the GM vanished, and the other was put on 'hold' to wait for two PCs that got RL stuff to be able to join in (even if I have some doubts they will come back...).

What kind of combat/social balance do you like?
It really depends on my PC. If I made a fighter type, the more combats the better, if a social one is made, the less combats the better... really difficult question to answer.

Do you have previous experience with the WotW AP?
Never played it.

I'm liking what I see so far. It's good to see some familiar faces, too. ;-) To give a little info about mechanics, I dislike the uSummoner and uBarbarian (but the chained versions are fine). Love the uRogue. No gestalt this time, which also means no VMC. I'm also not real keen on the Occult classes but can maybe be convinced if I like the concept enough. It'll be a tough sell, though. Talingarde is primarily human, with a decent Dwarven population. Duergar and Goblins have experienced heavy persecution and are in hiding. All official Paizo races are allowed, though - although making something ridiculous like a Drow Noble won't help your odds of being selected.

My ideal party will have 5-6 members. One slot will likely be taken by my wife because nepotism is a thing. ;-) She's planning some kind of Bard.

How long have you been playing Pathfinder?
I have been playing Pathfinder exclusively for 2-3 years now.

What are your rules knowledge and optimization skills like?
I have a decent rules knowledge as I generally GM real-life games and also on these forums as a PbP. I don't necessarily go for the min/max sort of thing as I generally try to find a character concept that matches their ideals and experiences. I usually try to make a generally more well-rounded character.

Are you experienced with the PbP format?
I have been playing and GM'ing PbP for 2-3 years now.

If you are, but your game/s ended early, what happened?
None of my games have ended early as I really enjoy the PbP format and all that it has to offer.

What kind of combat/social balance do you like?
I like a mixture of social / combat balance as it will allow certain characters to shine in specific areas while making them weak in others. Combat encounters I enjoy are ones that incorporate outside sources and environmental effects along with the bosses and mooks. Sometimes it takes your attention away from what is really important adding an additional layer of threat and difficulty to the encounter.

Do you have previous experience with the WotW AP?
No previous experience with Way of the Wicked.

How long have you been playing pathfinder?
Since it came out. We made the switch when it was still mixed with 3.5. I was a big fan of the Paizo AP's: Shackled City, Savage Tide, and Age of Worms.

What are your rules knowledge and optimization skills like?
Extensive. I have been gaming since 1988. I would say I optimize all my builds. I build crunch first and then come up with the personality and explore that through play.

Are you experienced with the PbP format?
Yep. Longest running game is over two years most others are over a year. I was in 12 games. A couple died over the holiday's. 8 are still active. Rednal GM's one. I can vouch for him he is a good and frequent poster and a great GM. The games that died which is over 35 have all been to GM leaving or other players dropping. I post 10 or more times a day M-F 7:30am-4:30pm from work. So fast paced games are great for me, but slower ones are fine as well.

What kind of combat/social balance do you like?
Depends on the game. I love Way of the Wicked and would love to be part of a group that can make progress through it. I have escaped the damn prison 6 or 7 times now. I have knowledge into book two and would love to see how the rest of the story unfolds. I'm very good at keeping the meta knowledge out of my character and if you think I am using it I don't mind being called on it. My feelings don't get hurt over a game. I'm not sensitive and just love playing and would like to kick some good butt :) So I kind of answered the next question in this one and didn't answer this one. I enjoy the balance of Adventure Paths and this one is pretty good IMO. I play things like vampire and L5R for more social type of games not that you can't do them in pathfinder, but I enjoy the Grand Story associated with pathfinder. I play to feel like I'm on a quest of sorts. It just so happens in this one my quest is to bring a nation to it's knee's before me and make them pay for what they have done being all good and stuff.

[

How long have you been playing Pathfinder
I've been playing for almost roughly a year now, with mostly PFS under my belt, but I've done a steady amonut of Pbp games here that are on-going.

[b]What are your rules knowledge and optimization skills like?
About, well, a years worth. I know the basics but I'm often very permissive on aid from others and often seek it out when I need to figure out a rulng. The way I go about characters is often by picking a general idea, refining it,then using what is availible to create a character that will work with that idea and be effective in play.

Are you experienced with Pbp
Very much yes. I enjoy it greatly and fine it as a good teaching tool and way to better express RP. In total, I've around twelve Pbp games. Two of them were completed, one I had to step ou due to IRL, and another that lost its GM (fortunately, another GM is stepping in and were going to play Hell's Rebels :D). The rest are on-going. I often post as much as I can in a day that is appropriate. I don't like posting too much when others have not, to avoid them falling behind or taking control ofthe party.

What kind of combat/social balance do you like
Often, a good mix of both will do for me. Even in combat, a litle RP flair doesn't hurt all that much. I like the world of Pathfinder, that'swhy I play it. It is what wrestled me intoplaying Table tops for the first time.

Hey, YBD's wife here.

Ill be making a bard of some sort. Probably a skirmisher type.

:)

Noce to meet you. :D

An Infernal Sorcerer myself

How long have you been playing Pathfinder?
For 2 years almost now. That's both GMing and playing!
What are your rules knowledge and optimization skills like?
Pretty good. I have a decent memory, so I remember some random stuff. Also I get to know my characters and what they do very well. And if I play with the same group long enough I tend to get to know their characters and what they do as well.
Are you experienced with the PbP format?
Yep been doing a lot of PbP lately. And I have 1 PbP group that is already over a year!
If you are, but your game/s ended early, what happened?
I had one that the GM just vanished otherwise the other 2 AP's im in are doing well.
What kind of combat/social balance do you like? I like hitting things. Most of my characters tend to be melee. The one im applying with here is ranged with a pet for melee. But I have played face style characters and non face character that just love to talk.
Do you have previous experience with the WotW AP? Nope. Always wanted to play it though.

I would like to toss my name into the hat here. This is a character that I made for a different goblin campaign but didn't get in. I think he would fit well into WotW. He is a hunter with a raptor companion.

How long have you been playing Pathfinder?
I've been playing Pathfinder and d&d 3.5 for the last 6 years, more 3.5 than PF actualky (pet peeve of my DM)

What are your rules knowledge and optimization skills like?
High to both. I'm a computers science and maths student(the absolute madman) and I wabt to design rpgs for a living. I know how to build a character that can throw fireballs ala Michael Bay and even managed to understand 3.5's grapple rules.
That said I'd rather play a well rounded but effective character because I don't want to feel useless nor make others feel like that.

Are you experienced with the PbP format?
I'm pretty new to the boards and to the pbp scene, but since I joined the crowds I've managed to grasp the basic concepts and even managed to bluff my way into a few games that I'm still part of.

If you are, but your game/s ended early, what happened?
Call me Lucky Luck because I still hadn't suffer from that.

What kind of combat/social balance do you like?
That I would rather live with men than kill them is certainly why you are alive
I enjoy roleplaying with different NPCS and learn to act/react differently regarding their quirks and traits. But who doesn't love to fight epic battles and clashing swords with foes against impossible odds?
If I get selected I'd like to be an evil wannabe overlord, so a 50-50 balance would be great, with bonus points for alternative solutions!

Do you have previous experience with the WotW AP? None. Zero. Niente. I've read the player's guide so I could know the drill, but nothing else.

How long have you been playing Pathfinder?
I've been playing Pathfinder off an on for the last 6-7 years and I had another 2-3 years of D&D 3.5 experience before that. I've played a variety of characters, but I tend to prefer characters that are mixed martial/casting and have a decent number of skills.

Are you experienced with the PbP format?
I've been playing exclusively on these boards, so you can see the entirety of my experience in my profiles. To give a synopsis, I've been playing for two years and a few months with an average of 3-4 games at a time. I'm currently playing in quite a few other games, so I'm just expressing interest while I evaluate if I have the bandwidth to play this game. :)

What kind of combat/social balance do you like?
I'm comfortable with games that range from strongly socially balanced to those that are predominantly combat. I tend to prefer games that have a fairly even split or a slight emphasis on social interaction. Intrigue games that are all social also interest me and I am currently playing one right now.

Do you have previous experience with the WotW AP?
I don't have any experience beyond applying to a few games.

I have a few concepts in mind, but they'd depend somewhat on what sources you will allow (1-2 would rely on DSP's Path of War). It will also depend on what kind of game you prefer to run (more intrigue based vs more combat based).

• How long have you been playing Pathfinder? I've been playing Pathfinder for about 3 years now, and am currently a Venture-Lieutenant for PFS.
  
• What are your rules knowledge and optimization skills like? I like to think that I am fairly knowledgable about the rules but from time to time someone will surprise me with an obscure thing or two. My characters vary in optimization, and I tend to build fairly well-rounded characters that usually do a few things very well, without sacrificing too much in other areas. I tend to build spellcasters more than martial characters, but currently don't have any real ideas yet for this game.
  
• Are you experienced with the PbP format? If you are, but your game/s ended early, what happened? I have participated in a few PbP games thus far, and two are still active. I'm greatly enjoying those 2 (Mummy's Mask and Legendary Planet), and have seen that PbP can give a very different experience than face to face. The other game I started playing died out when the GM vanished from the boards, never to be heard from again.
  
• What kind of combat/social balance do you like? I prefer a healthy mix of the two. As long as the players and GM are active, social gameplay can be interesting (with a healthy dose of meshing, we don't wait a day every time someone greets someone). Having a clear cut combat time is nice and I tend to prefer the GM rolling initative for all combatants, as it makes it clear that combat is happening, and everyone knows the order relative to the monsters. That said, I think a balance between combat and social is important, and that balance can tip either way depending on the current goals and actions. (Heading to a dungeon? Expect lots of combat. infiltrating the King's ball? Probably going to be lots of talking and skills, and if you get combat you're probably in trouble).
  
• Do you have previous experience with the WotW AP? Nope. I've heard it mentioned frequently on the boards, and this seems like it could be a fun place to play it.

Stealing shameless copy of format. Because I can.

Shamelessly copies the format - what? We're evil*

How long have you been playing Pathfinder? From day one, I am a Charter Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber and proudly support Paizo this way. I have been gaming in one for or another since the early eighties.

[]bWhat are your rules knowledge and optimization skills like?[/b] High on both, in my opinion. I GM for my table and have gmed for most of my groups. My skills at optimization are as high as needed for the task. I rarely play or run fully “optimal” characters, my tabletop game is more about group fun rather than building killing machines.

Are you experienced with the PbP format? Yes..ish. I’m still playing my first ever PbP. Yours. I’ve played in several others tha0t fell apart, attempted run my own and failed, and been fired from another, for reasons we have discussed.

If you are, but your game/s ended early, what happened? Hmm, answered above, as I have to work from a tablet for a few more weeks, I’ll not retype it.

What kind of combat/social balance do you like? I like interaction in the characters and environment, but I also enjoy combat tremendously. Keep me off balance and entertained and I’m happy.

Do you have previous experience with the WotW AP? Only my brief stint in your previous one.

What would I prefer for this game? Clarity of group set up and goals. No wishy washy characters, I want them to be all in.
You mention we are mooks, are we
Low level villains, the ones who will do any thing to make it, the junior Dictators of the game, the future plotters and movers. Stalin, Pol Pot, etc. Real true villins in training.
Or
We are the second stringers, the Minions, the Foot clan, Panic and Mayham, faceless bad guys, comic relief like goblins who lucked into a shot at power? And we are fumbling our way to power by luck and happenstance?

Or some of both.

*blows a kiss to KatsuneSage*

*ahem* Let's answer a couple questions. :-)

DSP Material: DSP is a highly-regarded 3PP publisher, and I enjoyed what I've seen of their Psionic material. Haven't taken the time to really delve into the system, but I did dip my toe into the water with a Dread a couple years ago and liked it. If I accept a Psionic character, though, it'll be from someone I can trust to not abuse my lack of familiarity with the system. Regarding PoW, I've heard good things about it but haven't looked at it yet. I'm going to say no for this campaign simply because I'm too busy to learn another new system right now.

Combat/Social balance: There's a good mix in this campaign. Obviously, it'll start with a prison break, but then you'll have a fair amount of flexibility. You'll spend most of the campaign following orders from an evil overlord, but your instructions will always be quite vague. "X is an impediment to my plans. Take care of it." As such, information-gathering and outside-the-box thinking will help you out a great deal, as you'll rarely be operating from a position of strength. While kicking down the door and going full-on murderhobo is always an option, it may not always work as well as you expect.

On the nature of Mooks: This is the story of a party's evolution from faceless minion to eventual evil overlord. Every BBEG has to start somewhere, and so do you. Of course, you'll probably get sick of following orders at some point... Less Foot Clan, more Stalin.

Name's Jeff and my Golarion experience is small. But I've been playing pathfinder rules since they came out. I've only started PvP over the last year. I've been chosen for several most died when RL got in the way of the GM. As to my experience I am currently Gming it.

My character concept is a former guard at the palace who's delusional. He sees what happened as her father not approving of the love he and the princess shared and thus he was sent to Brandescar. In reality he lusted after her from afar, got drunk, and attempted to rape her. He's willing to do anything to be with her again.

I may as well chip in.

My name is Puppy. My experience with Pathfinder is admittedly quite recent. I've been playing since late summer. I have even less experience with PbP. The only one I've ever been involved in succumbed to player attrition and GM technical errors. I have generally been a daily poster, or at least posted several times a week.

I tend to like social play, and indeed, being the party face. I have read the players' guide to this AP but have never played it or seen any spoilers.

@Korak: I feel it fair to mention that your character concept hits my one taboo in this game. No matter how evil the party is, rape (even attempted) will not be tolerated. It would be best if you find a different concept.

How long have you been playing Pathfinder? Dabbled in mid-2012; In earnest since 2014.

What are your rules knowledge and optimization skills like? As a local 2-star GM I have a decent understanding of the combat rules, monster properties, conditions, etc. As a player I have a fairly good understanding of most class features. What I don't have is an exhaustive working knowledge of the more granular lists (such as all spells, feats, etc). As for optimization, I typically start with a flavor concept or cool feat/maneuver in mind and sort of optimize what I can without sacrificing the cool-ness factor. I like to think I usually pull that off.

Are you experienced with the PbP format? I have played a few small campaigns, but those were during the halcyon days of Google Wave. I have not played by post since I started playing Pathfinder.

If you are, but your game/s ended early, what happened? To my memory, most games finished nicely. However, the campaigns were never so long as to expect a breakdown. I know I had one or two fail to really start. Recruitment/backstories would begin, then the GM would just stop coordinating at all.

What kind of combat/social balance do you like? I definitely love a good social solution, if possible. Most of my characters tend to reflect that; though I obviously build in some sort of combat flow to each character. I also usually prefer spell-casters to martial. I know that's not the question, but I wanted to point it out anyways.

Do you have previous experience with the WotW AP? I do not. However, I enjoy the concept of a truly malicious face character that gets to let out his inner demon when it comes to intimidation and bluff.

All right, I need actual build rules before I can be sure I want to play the character... but I'm thinking about a Psychic with the Rebirth discipline, possibly with memories of past lives driving them to dislike the current regime and work to undermine it.

Do we have to stick with one 'crime', or can we have someone that did several things, even if most of them are just flavor and not taken as traits?

Where does this AP start out?

The entire AP takes place on the island of Talingarde. Geographically, I've placed it near the Shackles. It begins right after you get arrested and sentenced to Brandescar Prison - an escape-proof maximum-security facility reserved for the worst criminals.

When will be seeing more details on character creation?

When do you think you will pick you evil villains? I like how you went about the recruitment. I think it's way more important to have reliable posters then anything else. If games don't keep moving they die.

For the most part, I'm liking what I've seen so far in terms of interested players. Let's move on to Phase Two. :-) New applicants are still welcome, by the way.

If you've finished telling me about yourself, now it's time to submit a character CONCEPT. I don't want any crunch yet. Tell me why you're a big enough threat to society to end up in the most secure prison in the realm. Despite its religious intolerance, Talingarde is still a LG nation, after all, so stealing someone's coin purse won't cut it. I want something interesting, not too lengthy, and within the capacity of a Level One individual.

"I'm submitting a Fighter. His name is Bob the Fighter. His backstory is 'Bob is a Fighter who likes to fight things.'"

"A meteorite smashes into the Underdark, and within the debris the Drow investigators find a baby - my character. The dark elves would have normally killed such an aberration on sight, but instead they decided to sacrifice him to the local dragon, in an attempt to appease his anger. They left him at the entrance to the red wyrm's lair, but instead of eating the baby, the dragon took him to a nest, filled with the monster's clutch.

The dragon left to do whatever it is dragons do, and my character could tell that he was in a bad spot, So he grabbed a rock and smashed all the dragon eggs around him. The father dragon returned to find his brood massacred, and snatched the baby up in one bite. But my character had grabbed a large shell from one of the smashed eggs, and used it to lodge himself in the dragon's gullet. Instinctively, the dragon tried breathing fire to clear the obstruction.

Well, red dragon egg shells are, of course, naturally fire-resistant, so the flame slammed up against the stuck shell, and the dragon exploded into a million pieces! The baby was thrown clear of the blast, and landed safely in the comfort of the nest. A group of human explorers found him a few days later, sleeping after another fine meal of barbequed dragon. He thought they were going to be angry at him, but they declared him a hero for killing the dragon, and returned him to the surface to be raised by a local noble family." *continues for another eleven pages*

"When the first child disappeared from his bed one dark night, the general consensus was that he'd simply run away and would be back in a day or two when he got hungry. When he never returned, the town guard was notified, a search was made, but no traces were ever found. When the second child disappeared from her bed one dark night, the general consensus was that something strange was going on, but no clues were found. She never returned, either. When the fifth child disappeared from his bed one dark night, a general alert was sounded, city guardsmen began regularly patrolling the streets, and parents began keeping weapons close at hand. Then the most recent lost child came home. His mind completely shattered, and tear-tracks leaving permanent facial scarring, he was able to give no useful information. The only words he ever spoke were in a fearful whisper, 'The Cloaked One is coming...'

Finally, after weeks of constant alert, a trap was set - with the guard captain's own daughter used as bait. The mysterious kidnapper fell for the ploy and was caught, but not before slitting the girl's throat out of sheer spite. During interrogations, he spoke no words - even under threat of torture. Now, he sits in a Brandescar cell to await his execution. The missing children were never found."

It's still not time for build rules, but here's the list of allowed classes.

Spheres of Power
Everything is allowed. I own all the materials and contribute to their Patron campaign. In fact, spontaneous arcane casters are highly encouraged to use spherecasting, although I'm not requiring it for this game.

Ultimate Composition
Maestro and Cantor classes are allowed - as are all related archetypes. I love this system for Bards.

Dreadfox Games
Swordmaster

Flaming Crab Games
Undead Summoner alternate class

Rite Publishing
Divine Channeler

Kobold Press
Battle Scion and White Necromancer

Rogue Genius Games
Death Mage and Time Thief
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As you can see, there's a lot to choose from, and if there's a specific archetype that isn't mentioned here, feel free to ask. I have too many to list here, but 3PP bloodlines, mysteries, domains, and archetypes are also available upon request. One final thing: I want a picture of your character. This is very important and WILL play a role in the selection process.

Zogg is a specialist in his clan. He's the one that they send out to retrieve runaway slaves. His clan tends to be hired by those who want it done quick and cheap. As slavers go, his tribe has a reputation of being brutal but always giving a good price for merchandise. On his latest run, the slave that he was sent to retrieve had once been the son of a noble. Now he was another runaway. He and his animal companion tracked the runaway until they found him in a longshanks town. They waited quietly for the slave to leave town, but when he did he had other longshanks with him. Well the others werent in the contract so he and Bitey killed them, took the slave and headed for home. On the way they were surrounded by other longshanks in metal. Too many! The slave yelled and screamed that he was important and the others that he killed were sons of different nobles. Zogg could get them to listen that this one was a runaway, so he tried to fight them and told Bitey to flee and get help. He lost. When he woke up amazed to be alive he was in a cage, in change. Then the longshanks sent him here. To this rock. Well he would get out of here and get his revenge on the longshanks and get that slave back to its master.

So my idea here would be that his companion got away and followed after him trying to find a spot to free him. As a total he probably killed around 5 nobles recapture the runaway. And you could have it that the runaway wasnt a runaway but someone wanted him kidnapped and hired Zogg to do it. Otherwise if Bitey was captured that would be up to you as GM. He is a hunter for class and would probably stay that throughout.

I have always found religious zealotry to be fascinating. My concept would be a follower of a LE deity, Zon Kuthon type, that was attempting to burn down a church of Mitra. Not wanting to make me a martyr, but also not wanting me to spread my opposing views to other prisoners, my character would have been kept in some form of solitary confinement.

I might go with an antipaladin since you are making them LE. I have always thought they should be LE.

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