House rules/setting info document, as it stands.
A few extra details:
The first chapter of the journey will take you either through the Writhing Wood or on a boat along the Styx, depending on how your characters prefer to travel. Barlily, it is worth noting, is a human-dominated town. Half-elves aren't uncommon, but pretty much anything else is something of a major departure from the norm.
We've got two paladins, a leshy warden druid, a ranger, a summoner or bard, a rogue and a monk/arcanist/summoner/kineticist. I chose more for concept and player than party makeup this time around, so this should be interesting.
Excited to be a part of this! What are we looking at for starting gold and traits?
I think I said you can roll or use the average for starting gold. It's your choice. If you really need some extra money (like, it's critical to your concept that you own your very own water clock), we can arrange something.
Traits I'm not sure about. How do we feel about traits? Do we want to use them? I've never been huge on traits—they feel like just another little moving part that doesn't add much to the game—but if people are interested in using them, I'm not particularly inclined either way.
On a related note: Background skills. These came up twice during the recruitment stage. I'm in favor of using them, I think, but they would mean some retinkering (and learning for those of us who haven't used them before). Thoughts? Any other house rules to consider?
Putting house rules aside, do you guys want to start out knowing each other, or would you rather be total strangers? Or a mix of the two? As a side note, I know a couple of you submitted characters other than the ones I've consistently listed (like KingOfAnything's reaper). They are still options. You guys can still feel free to modify your character concepts—they aren't suddenly set in stone because you made it in.
It feels a little odd being a Monk and a Prince at the same time since you start with such little gold, but I could probably make do with that character. I am considering going the Ascetic Style route and using Ancestral Arms to use some kind of weird weapon to fit with the Monk Prince from a far away land vibes so it just might be tought to afford a weapon on a Monk's salary! Any of my other character concepts would probably be fine with what they get though. Looking at our overall party we have a lot going for us, frontline fighters, healers, spellcasters, skills. I don't think which class I choose will negatively affect us in any way so it makes it a tougher choice!
I personally like traits well enough, it feels like the game has been built with them intended to be taken and are an easy way to branch out a character a little.
I love background skills so I would be all in for those. Another ruleset I personally love from Unchained is the Automatic Bonus Progression as it divorces the game from needing +x magic items to be balanced against bestiary monsters.
I think it might be easiest to see in what way everyone has made it to Barlily before deciding if they know each other or not yet. Some characters may have traveled in together on a boat for example.
As stated in the House Rules document, we are definitely using ABP. We'll likely be using the dynamic magic item creation rules, too.
EDIT: Oh, my bad. I thought I stated that we'll be using Automatic Bonus Progression, but I see now that I never did. At least not by name.
Magic items are rare in this setting—lucky treasures, not extra bonuses to-hit. I will be using a compensation system to keep things balanced, though you don't have to worry about that just yet.
I think Isamu's mostly ready to go. I would like to use Background Skills. I like traits, too--I usually use them to get another class skill or two, since I'm usually taking skills that aren't on a class's list. XD
My character will be new to the area but is a paladin so if there is evil afoot, it will easy to get into the group. I'll get him stated soon with alias.
Preferences:
Traits - I love these, or at least what they are supposed to be. They are supposed to allow your character to diversify and grab skills they don't normally have based on the background chosen. Like if you wanted to make a mildly charismatic fighter and add diplomacy. Or a bard that grew up riding horses. That is usually what I use them for. If the class already has all the skills I need, I just put a +1 here and there on things I like.
Background Skills - More skill points is always nice. And it allows low skill point classes to do more than just what the class was intended to do. I mean cleric gets two and that's likely heal, religion, and diplomacy. That's it. No craft carpentry for a sea loving cleric of Gozreh or knowledge engineering for a disciple of Adbar who wants to build a cathedral.
ABP - where I not playing a paladin, I would not care for this. Picking items is always fun for me and the system forces you to rely heavily on one weapon. Sucks for dual wielders or switch hitters too.
Rant over, build commencing.
Oh, yes, Isamu would be new to the area as well. He might have already run into one or two of the other party members if any would like to have some links with people--I, at least, would enjoy that. But he'd likely not know the majority of the group at first.
I appreciate the option to play one of the more unusual races, but Baylily has the strongest character to me. I think I will stick to her.
Traits are tough when you use a homebrew setting, and I don't find them necessary if we use Background Skills. If you wanted to create a few campaign traits they might strengthen the feel of the setting or provide a mechanical expression of character motivation.
Baylily is from Barlily. She's curious about strangers, so if anyone has been in town awhile they will have met.
Hey cool I made it! Thanks KC!
Paizo actually hid this thread from me for a while (it sometimes does that with random threads for me, and I'm still trying to figure out how to stop it) so sorry about the late arrival. I'll get to making an alias and sheet up ASAP.
I like both traits and background skills. They seem to add depth to characters...usually.
I figured Pix could be summoned from one of the arcane characters, and he's totally unfamiliar with the area because he's from the feywild/firstworld/whatever your equivalent is. It would give him an instantaneous bond with one of the characters, and would help with that eye-opening "whoa" moment.
Also, KC, how do you want me to modify the sprite for balance sake? Or do you just want me to go with the monster pc creation rules as is?
Background Skills - More skill points is always nice. And it allows low skill point classes to do more than just what the class was intended to do. I mean cleric gets two and that's likely heal, religion, and diplomacy. That's it. No craft carpentry for a sea loving cleric of Gozreh or knowledge engineering for a disciple of Adbar who wants to build a cathedral.
Remember, clerics get 4+int in my game, not 2+int.
Also, KC, how do you want me to modify the sprite for balance sake? Or do you just want me to go with the monster pc creation rules as is?
Let's see. It seems like you're going to be the only "sneaky" character, except perhaps the ranger, so your advantages as a scout aren't quite as big a problem. The biggest advantage is flight, though as a melee fighter, that's not quite as big a problem.
I think we'd want to modify the spell-likes—maybe strip some or all of them. Otherwise, I think most of your abilities fit into a niche nobody else is looking to fit into. You could become a deadly melee fighter later on, especially if you choose to pump your Armor Class, but the need to enter enemies' squares should keep you fairly balanced.
I'd like to see the build you come out with before making any solid decisions. It does also depend on what the other players come out with—if the ranger decides to focus on being a stealthy scout, for instance, we might have to review some things to make sure your character doesn't invalidate them.
Background Skills:
Because of the way Knowledge works in this game, I'd say that Knowledge (dungeoneering), (local) and (religion) should be background skills—they aren't good for identifying monsters anymore, after all. (nature), (planes) and (arcana) both still have pretty clear uses (especially since you can still use (nature) to identify animals), so they're still Adventuring SKills.
Monster Lore is an adventuring skill, and is not changed by the presence of Lore—you can still choose an entire creature type or subtype for Monster Lore, even though Lore discourages it.
Hello everyone! I'm very excited for the opportunity to play such interesting characters. Thank you KC. :3
I am a big fan of Background skills and traits for the reasons already mentioned. They are baked into any game I run now.
Was there something you'd like to modify about the origami master archetype?
I'm going do a tiny bit of worldbuilding with her culture and the culture that colonized her island, with your permission. Feel free to put up parameters or cut what you don't like. I'm constantly updating the google doc which features her stats and fluff.
Alright, we'll use traits and BG skills, then.
Was there something you'd like to modify about the origami master archetype?
I'm not sure. I'd have to give it a second readthrough.
I've been going through Unchained. There's a lot of great ideas here. In addition to Dynamic Item Creation, Automatic Bonus Progression and Background Skills, would there be any complaints about using the new poison/disease rules? I'm sure it will never come up, of course. :)
EDIT: You know, I'm not gonna push for it, since this is a lot of house rules talk already, but the mandatory esoteric components rule does offer some interesting flavor. Maybe I'll use the optional rule instead. Or only apply it for certain classes, like witches and wizards.
The more I read on the PRD, the more convinced I am that I need to purchase this book.
Got an alias put together. Not a great picture but its the only one I could find that was an animal and not snarly.
I don't think I can handle how finnicky it would be to be a construct, so unfortunately I think my Wyrwood concept is going to have to hit the curb. Monk Prince is almost finished being built as well, so probably going with him.
Can you open Gameplay so we can dot there?
Sorry, I prefer that the first post of a Play-By-Post be the actual beginning of the game. It's a personal preference.
Lucky7's ranger has been replaced with Garbage-Tier Waifu's alchemist/necromancer/gunslinger.
We can delete the posts after. Also, I hope Waifu doesn't choose the necromancer with two paladins.
Theres's a 1 hour limit on post deletion. :P
Sure, though my own blank post would have to remain to keep the thread in existence. I feel like I'm being overly stubborn, though, so I'll yield on this and make the thread. Just remember to delete your dots.
EDIT: And the thread is made—go nuts.
Hm. It's doing something rather weird. Let me know if you can post on it.
I tried, and it seems to have just silently swallowed my post. Watch it show up in an hour.
Mine too. Might pop up if the DM makes a first point though. In which case we will have failed our first task. Are we not ready for the first post yet? I understand we are missing some people and their builds but the game doesn't have to "officially" start until you say so. I'd like to post an opening scene for my character to get a feel for his quirks.
Good news. It popped up in my campaign thread at least.
Yeah, the thread's borked. I've contacted Paizo about it.
We aren't ready to actually start yet, no. I'd like to start within a week. Combat won't start right away, but there might be skill checks, so I want to give everybody a chance to flesh out their characters. I also want to have a proper first post ready and written up, and I'm hoping to select a bonus slot character soon for the first chapter.
In the meantime, if you just want to get a feel for your character, you can feel free to loosely roleplay in the Discussion thread. I know people who do that. :)
How odd, hopefully they'll get it fixed soon!
Anyone have suggestions for my Wayward Prince's royal title? Here's what I have for a back story so far as a reminder:
The Wayward Prince
The Kingdoms of Ysveil are a group of allied Kingdoms that exist across the misty shores and bays of a vast archipelago. The Kings of these Kingdoms rule together as a council, but a High King is elected from among the current royal heirs whenever the previous High King dies. The High King is supposed to hold no loyalty to his previous house, but in practice favourtism is near universal and the political maneuvering intense.
All royal heirs and Kings in the Kingdoms of Ysveil share the given name Kalamir, they are granted a title when they come of age based on the expectations pressed upon them. The title is either changed or added to when they take up the title of King to represent their rule. The population of Ysveil is mostly made up of humans and elves. The noble houses of Ysveil are made up solely of half elves, true marriages among the noble houses may only be between half elves. They have become their own race this way. Their society believes half elves are more pure and better suited to rule than either humans or elves as they can understand life from both sides and rule their subjects accordingly.
The Wayward Prince is known as Kalamir the ______ (Still haven't decided on his title). The duties of the noble court bored him to tears and caused him no end of stress. His royal tutor was a learned Monk who had always wanted to travel the world but never had the opportunity. His tutor taught him not only mentally, but also physically in the martial arts. When his tutor passed away he vowed to travel the world in his tutor's stead. Deep inside he cannot help but wonder if he used his beloved tutor's death as nothing more than an excuse to shirk his duties and escape the coming election of a High King. Yet still, he makes his way onto a hired ship in the dead of night.
Perhaps something related to his fighting style or weapon, if that sort of martial training isn't commonplace.
Alright, the Gameplay thread should be working now.
We can delete the posts after. Also, I hope Waifu doesn't choose the necromancer with two paladins.
You have a very strong point. Hence why I submitted two additional characters, with the necromancer being a bit of a wildcard XD
As a point, I would like to say A++ on Background skills, but if we aren't using traits, Background Skills are actually good enough for me. I like having ways to diversify my character via the skills they have, and traits were one of the only ways to do that. Some traits can be very power-gamey though.
I will properly decide which character to bring in once I've had a look over my stats for the characters and finalized them. I'm honestly leaning towards Dingo mostly because he covers a decent amount of gaps and he might be a character that gravitates to such a paladin heavy group. I might consider his archetyped a bit more depending on what poison system KC wants to use. The Eldritch Poisoner might be as powerful as the Toxicant using that new system.
That, and him reconciling with his past will be fun to roleplay around some paladins.
So, who wants to have a sprite following them around? "Pixel" might be summoned by Kamali'i as a sort of familiar, or he might be some sort of ally to Baylily. Or perhaps one of the paladin-types has received Pixel's assistance as some sort of Red Cross Knight-deal. Hell, maybe the Seelie (or Unseelie?) Court has some sort of agreement with Kalamir the _______'s family, or all the royal families of Ysveil.
Remember, whoever gets stuck gifted with the Navi lookalike gets to be referred to as "pixilated" by basically half the NPCs you meet. :D
I've decided to go with Yeldrid after all. I am going to fill in his sheet more later, and put in some more stuff about the character.
I do think it would be amusing for Isamu to have a 'sidekick', though I have no clue how it would have happened. :D
I like that first one.
It seems like TGTG has gone AWOL. How are the rest of you doing with your characters so far? Everyone got a reason to travel?
If you can, at least a couple of you should come up with a reason to travel to a specific location. Stay geographically vague, of course, since you will be journeying well beyond the reach of any known maps.
Traveling around doing good is basically part of Isamu's religion. :) So he's always ready to travel.
Yeldrid is a roamer. He gravitates wherever his inclination takes him, or good company can be had. So if anything, going somewhere specific because it is a point of interest is absolutely fine by him. He would have gone there himself if he didn't have a reason. Traveling vaguely is literally what he does and has done since he left the bunker.
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Yeah, sorry KC - I'm having some major issues going on keeping me away from the internet for a while. Just checked in to say you should replace me, and I'm sorry for the inconvenience.
Honestly, I think we're just going to keep going for now—we'll consider a replacement later. Six players is still a pretty big group, and I don't want to spend too much time fretting over it. I'd like to focus on the group we have now, and the bonus slot.
Yeah, six is more than big enough. Hope things get better for you, TGTG!
I have finals on Monday and Tuesday so I won't be contributing much until Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. Hopefully I'll be posting a complete alias around then.
"My spider senses tingle, a great test approaches the chosen ones, beware the..." The mysterious voice in the darkness cuts off abruptly as unseen forces go to work around you.
So, it looks like Baylily and Kamali'i might not be fully completed. Is everyone else ready to roll?
Stats-wise? Yes. Lanuola and Taniwha are all finished. I am working on fluff. Cultural and personal. I'll let you know when the google doc is updated!
Just a question for everyone here. What kind of equipment is everyone bringing along for a potential journey? If people could fill equipment gaps from Yeldrid's list, that would free up money for gunpowder.
Otherwise, Yeldrid is good for play and he is otherwise pretty complete? He just needs a proper personality and goals write-up, which I am doing as we speak. I started it before but accidentally lost it and the annoyance was enough to make me walk away from writing it for a bit.
Yeah, the profile editing is a very messy part of this site. Always ctrl-a/ctrl-c. Always.
Ctrl-a/Ctrl-c is definitely a lifesaver.
Isamu should be 100% ready, though I have some spare cash. I don't have any spare encumbrance, however. XD The problems of a Dex-based build...
Yes. Still have a little gold left too.