Welcome, players!
First of all, I’d like to tell you a bit about myself and my style of play. I am a strange hybrid of old and new styles.
Old:
I love exploration and environmental obstacles.
I’m not afraid to give you more than you can handle. Running away works, too.
I value player skill, meaning that just because your character is INT 8 doesn’t require you personally to pretend to be an idiot. You can still do awesome smart stuff.
New:
I care much more about character-based adventures than site based adventures.
It drives me nuts when and orc, 2 elves, a human, and a half-dragon get together for no good reason but to adventure.
Random player death is not fun.
A few other things:
I will track weather, rations, sleeping arrangements, encumbrance, etc. Those elements make for difficult choices which add tension and excitement.
There is no “plot.” Only goals, adventures, and obstacles. Any story that comes about will be completely emergent, not planned.
Just because you will never die (unless you plan to), does not mean that there are not penalties for failure. Random death isn’t fun, but neither is a cake walk.
This game will be on a human-sized scale, not a superhero or dragon or god-sized one. It will be gritty, especially starting out. Simple, small, and dangerous.
I will roll initiative for everyone. Don’t hesitate to post actions early or post speculative actions. Anything that will keep up the pace is welcome.
Experience will be on the fast track with a lot of ad hoc bonuses. The whole team will level up together.
Make assumptions. If you want to pick up a lamp off the nightstand and chuck it at the guard, don’t wait for me to tell you that there’s a lamp. Just assume.
We are not using alignment for player characters. Enemies that are keyed to a specific alignment will still operate as such, and most NPCs will be locked into a certain alignment. I just don't like the constraints alignment puts on players.
Most important of all, I am on your team! My job is to make this fun for all of us. It’s not to beat you or to be a neutral referee. It’s to facilitate your adventures for you.
Here is a semi-massive bit of text background for the initial setting, and here is a map of it.
And, the character creation starter:
We will start with a character sketch. Try to work up a brief outline answering these questions:
What do you look like?
What is your character’s profession?
How did you end up doing that?
Who are your (or your profession’s) enemies?
What is worth fighting for?
What social class do you belong to?
Remember, these are brief answers to make an outline, not a full description. The goal is to get just enough out there so that we can work together to detail the characters. Here is an example of a character outline that I would use myself:
Cyne Lar is tall human of average build. He always wears the sharpest uniform available to his station, as he is highly invested in the betterment of himself.
He is a soldier in the army of Wygate in service to Irori. He aspires to the office of priest one day to reclaim the honor his family had before his father was caught accepting bribes and his family was disgraced. His enemies are those of the state: marauders, rebels, and the corrupt.
Cyne is a little naïve, but well-intentioned. He will go to great lengths to reclaim his honor, but has absolute integrity… so far.
Hey Jacob
thanks again. I wanted to post that I am here and got the invite. I am posting from my phone so it is tough to answer all the questions atm. I will do so tonight. If I can wait. I may get excited and try to thumb type it all.
Balthe Syndar works for the church of Irori composing hymns. He also "moonlights" as a singer in taverns in the evening.
Balthe Synder first began singing in the church as a young boy, and it was through the music that he felt closest to his god. He can barely remember not writing music of all kinds and after his customary service he gravitated back to the church, and to his music.
His enemies are those in the church that believe music has no place in the worship of a god of knowledge.
Passion is worth fighting for, wherever it lies. Those who keep others from personal enlightenment and happiness are worth fighting against.
Balthe Synder lives in Laheath and is what would be considered middle class.
Very interesting, Vuvu. Your character is part of the formal church, but does not necessarily share the privilege of that organization. As the first poster, you have set the precedent for the other players well.
Remember, everyone, that we are in this together. It is excellent to tie characters to one another in a small way before the game starts. If you have questions, I have answers, unless, of course, your questions are for the other players.
I also want to make one additional note. Irori, despite being the same in name and persona as the Pathfinder deity, does not necessarily have all of his same qualities. He is still lawful and efficient above all, but I intentionally left much room for freedom in interpreting him.
Thanks Jacob.
I am so excited to see what everyone else comes with.
I also thought it would be interesting as I wrote to have a character that is part of the church for religion not power. A stand up member of society that is just slightly off. Did his service in the army, does his service to the church, just not in the normal way. I guess the real question is what does he do it all for? Not sure yet what his motivations are.
1 Question
Do you have any important NPC's in mind? Any important figures that might inform our lives. I am thinking important church figures.
Hi, everyone. Just popping in; I'll be reading and catching up on this discussion thread soon. Full disclosure: as I hinted at before, I can post once a day on any day OTHER than the weekends. I'm virtually a ghost on Saturday and Sunday.
@Vuvu - Once everyone gets their character sketches up we'll move on to motivations, goals, contacts, etc. To answer your question specifically, you are at liberty to invent any such characters that you choose. Since you live in the capital, there are many ranking church officials around at any time.
@Abandoned Arts - I can certainly respect that. Also in the spirit of disclosure, I may have to take turns for you in combat to keep everything moving along. Feel free also to give instructions ahead of time for use in your absence.
Got it. Wasn't sure just HOW sandbox it was.
Just put together an alias for use in this game. No stats, just a different profile.
So, it seems like Sunday is a good day for an unofficial day off. In the future, feel free to post on Sundays but don't feel obligated. It actually works out very well for me this way since my Sundays tend to be busy and unscheduled.
Noted :)
Alright. After reading about Wygate and the theocracy, I've formulated a concept that I feel pretty good about.
What is your character’s profession? Theocratic internal affairs, effectively. I am a church inquisitor, much to the absolute shame and horror of the rest of the inquisition, and that of the church as a whole. I owe my place and my citizenship to a legal technicality orchestrated by the High Inquisitor of the Church of Irori.
How did you end up doing that? That's a long story. I was not born in human lands. At a young age, I committed an offense that saw me exiled from my people - I refused to fight or kill my own kind, even though my lord and chieftain commanded it. An exile serves only one sentence: accompanied by an orcish taskmaster and a band of fellow exiles, I was sent to execute a suicidal raid on the borders of Wygate. Whipped into a frenzy and sent to our doom by the taskmaster, the exiled band of which I was a part was meant only to crash upon Wygate's outskirts and border villages and die. As before, I refused to kill those who had committed no crime against me. My young life was spared by a supremely stern, grim, joyless, and impossibly ancient human man: High Inquisitor Mezmer, of the Church of Irori. I was recruited into a church-sanctioned orphanage and supervised and trained by the High Inquisitor, though none of my peers would associate with me. Neither did anyone dare to challenge or question the High Inquisitor, and as I grew (much faster than my peers, thanks to my heritage), Mezmer deemed me fit for service as an Inquisitor of Irori.
Who are your (or your profession’s) enemies? Who isn't my enemy? The vast majority of my contemporaries, superiors, and "allies" feel nothing but shame at my very employment within their field, and at my station within the church. My own kind regards me with even more contempt; I can never return to the place where I was born. The people of Wygate deeply resent the authority that I wield over them. My enemies are everywhere, but I shall not fear; Irori is my ally.
What is worth fighting for? The redemption of Wygate, as Irori will it... but more than that, High Inquisitor Mezmer, who is effectively my adoptive father. I fight to prove my worth, and in doing so, to prove worthy of the High Inquisitor's sponsorship and intervention. To prove myself is to prove Mezmer right. The High Inquisitor is at least a hundred years old, and looks perhaps twice that. A specter of death, Mezmer has a hacking cough, bloodshot eyes, and is confined to a wheelchair. All the same, his mind is as sharp as his body is frail, and he has lost none of his power as an inquisitor. Feared for his powerful spells and very potent judgments and curses, Mezmer - while he still lives - is truly a force to be reckoned with within the church, and I owe everything to the authority and fear that Mezmer wields. Without his brutally stern and merciless mentoring and training, I could not have succeeded in my field. Without his terrifying reputation and unquestionable authority sponsoring my very existence within the church, I would not survived my upbringing.
What social class do you belong to? Technically speaking, a fine and high-ranking one. I am an inquisitor, and I have special rights and church-sanctioned dispensations that even the Lord Chancellor cannot claim. Realistically (and in the hearts of my contemporaries and fellows), I am lower than the lowest commoner... lower than a stray dog. Within my own organization, I am neither trusted nor tasked with any but the most humiliating assignments and posts. My authority is undermined at every turn, and I am rarely given cause or opportunity to assert it.
Let me know what you think.
Interesting, our characters would almost certainly have met in some capacity. Perhaps even the high inquisitor is one of the ones that sees Balthe's profession as a waste of time, OR he could be one of the supporters of song in worship of Irori.
I imagine that my opinion (informed, in part, by Mezmer's opinion) would be that "you're either part of the solution or part of the problem," wherein the "problem" is the corruption and loss of Irori's message which pervades the church... resulting in the rampant racism, sexism, and exclusion that plagues Wygate (as Mezmer and I see it, at least). We might personally consider the work of a hymnnist to be a somewhat frivolous calling - a pawn in the spiritual battle, as opposed to a rook or a queen - but a pawn on our side... which, when you so often can't trust your own allies and superiors, is just about all that counts.
Then again, I might consider a popular, well-traveled, and well-loved performer to be quite the opposite of frivolous. To my mind, inquisitors do not fight the same battles that warrior-clerics and paladins do. The ability to open a door, get an interview with an important party, drop a name, or spread a rumor could definitely be invaluable weapons for an inquisitor specializing in "internal affairs." A popular and personable performer would be able to do most or all of those things, so you might be a good person for me to know, or to know how to get in touch with, at least.
Perhaps we've worked together before? You have connections and popularity - two things I sorely lack. Not only am I an orc/half-orc, but nobody ever seems to trust an internal affairs officer to begin with. It's our job to find out if you're doing something you're not supposed to be doing, after all.
OO I like where this is going. Balthe is a little bit of a rebel, as with his appearance etc. He would respect her if she shows a passion for what she does.
Here is a thought
What about for some reason the inquisitors sent you to interview the lowly, frivolous hymist and that is how we first met. I will leave it to you to decide what the opinion of the High Inquisitor is, but some of the other inquisitors sent you as a fluff job.
What do you think about somethng along those lines?
EDIT: if the high inquisitor is a supporter of mine, perhaps he stood up for me at some point, that could give us cause to work together, even as the others in your order are against me and my profession
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Tall and thin, with short dark hair and the shadow of a beard. Brown eyes, sharp and alert, but sometimes slightly bloodshot. Dressed in a black coat with black boots and gloves. A gray vest over a white shirt and dark brown breeches. Often carrying assorted vials and pouches.
What is your character’s profession?
Alchemist. He works selling alchemical remedies and sometimes other items less mundane or acceptable to the average person. He is good at his craft and does well, but spends most of his profits on his experiments, and illicit substances - which are also for his experiments.
How did you end up doing that?
He was apprenticed to his uncle, an alchemist.
Who are your (or your profession’s) enemies?
He has competitors, naturally, but it is his extracurricular activities that have resulted in what can be termed real enemies. He and his wife suffered at the hands of an addiction, and it is now the purveyors of drugs and intoxicants that are his enemies, and by extension the criminal element that extorts, blackmails and generally preys upon the weak.
What is worth fighting for?
Family, love and redemption. He has embarked on his current mission to atone for his own wrongs. Wrongs to his uncle and his family, to his wife, and to himself.
What social class do you belong to?
Artisans. He is a craftsman.
This is beautiful. I could not be happier with where this is going. I intentionally didn't specify whether or not the church hierarchy was corrupt to allow that to be shaped by your characters and their stories; but, deep down inside, I really wanted it to just be as corrupt as hell itself. I built the voting system to make it highly corruptible in that each class only votes for the rank directly above it. The common folk have absolutely no say as to who wields the true power, and collusion among ranks is a given.
@Abandoned Arts - I don't if you noticed, since I added it later, but you could have originally hailed from east or south of Wygate, depending on how "civilized" your people are. If they are completely primitive, they would likely have come from the south in the wilderness, but if they were a little more evolved (think permanent structures and rudimentary government), than they could have just as easily come from the eastern tribes of barbarians.
@ Capricornus - I know the feeling. I always dreaded those English papers where I had to write 10 pages on "whatever I want." I'd spend 90% of my time figuring what the heck to write about, and by the time I actually nailed it down, I was way behind. If you want, give me the cliff notes on the one you don't choose and we can work him/her in as an NPC.
interesting. Potentially a bard, alchemist and inquisator. That is fascinating, of course other classes are possible, but that is what pops into my head. If so that is great, I can't think of anyone suggesting that as a three person party.
I also like how none of us went with someone with any real power. Very cool.
Absolutely agree. Capricornus ninja'd me, and I have to run off to a business meeting for a few hours, but I'll have the next steps up when I get back. In the meantime, if anyone has an itch, you can work up a loose way for Capricornus' character to be connected to one or both of the others.
I definitely think I've "investigated" Capricornus' alchemist before. Perhaps I helped to scare him onto the path of redemption. Perhaps he owes me a favor (which I'll call upon as we undertake our first adventure).
It is not far fetched that I have made purchases from him. I will go with the idea that I have purchased mundane items from him, perhaps the draught that removes hangovers, for those nights that I accept too many glasses of wine.
So here is my understanding of Balthe's relationship with the others, a large portion of this is just conjecture and thoughts that might work.
AA
1. Met her when she was sent to investigate him by the inquisition.
2. Found that both of them were supported by the ailing Mezmer in the past.
3. Balthe used his notoriety to open some doors for AA, and in return was tipped off to someone in the inquisition that had ill intentions towards him.
4. Balthe has great respect for her passion for what she does, though they are not "friends" perse, though given time and, I don't know, life or death experiences they could be.
Cap
1. Runs an alchemy shop that Balthe frequents for his mundane alchemical needs. (Do alchemists make ink?)
2. Balthe likes the cut of his jib, and that is the one that he goes to all the time. He likes being a regular at various places.
Whew, that was a killer meeting. Waaaay later than I expected, plus my friend’s tire blew out on the way home.
Alright, now it’s time to get into some nitty gritty stuff. First, make a quick write-up of your character’s rights and wrongs. How does s/he feel about lying? Stealing? Authority? Killing? The unknown? Other social classes? Fate? Do the ends justify the means? To what degree? How important is personal well-being compared to the whole? You get the idea. Don’t feel like you have to answer every question. These are just food for thought.
Next, put together a backstory. This can be as long or short as you wish, but it needs to include at least 5 “events” and 3 characters. Judging from your output up until now, that will not be any sort of problem. I will suggest leaving plenty of detail up in the air as that makes it much easier to work into adventures later on. Sometimes I even go so far as to say something like “Cyne performed a heroic deed while he was in Woostone,” leaving it completely open for later refinement. It’s up to you.
Next, out of your rights/wrongs and backstory, gather a list of friends and foes. These do not have to be blood brothers or mortal enemies necessarily. Even things as simple as school rivals and favorite merchants can serve these roles. Put together a one or two sentence sketch of each one, keeping in mind that these are people that you will encounter, not just throwaway characters. Also, if it fits, denote a particular woe that is caused by a foe of your character. A woe should be relatively simple, but will help get the first few adventure fired up more smoothly. Think along the lines of “I owe this guy money,” or, “that girl stole my thingy.”
After this step is finished, we will move on from the past and into the future! Thank you for your patience and participation so far. I know it seems like a ton of effort for not even starting the game yet, but, I promise, it will be so worth it. One more round of questions and we will be ready to stat up and get started.
Here are the questions part answered. The other chunk will come later, that requires more work
How does s/he feel about lying? Balthe strives to be honest. However he does love a harmless prank, and will fib to do that. He is not opposed to lies when the greater good, or the well being of a friend is at stake.
Stealing? He does not approve, barring a VERY good reason.
Authority? He understands the power of, and respects authority. He often bucks authority in small ways. His hair being long, or perhaps a little bit of stubble on occasion. Especially with his clothing which he will often wear a bit more color than he is supposed to.
Killing? Only as a last resort.
The unknown? To be known.
Other social classes? The poor are to be helped and raised up, the middle class respected and the upper class...respected but messed with.
Fate? It is ours to determine.
Do the ends justify the means? Only in the rarest of occasions. IE killing one innocent to save an entire city, he would consider but it would torment him for a very long time.
How important is personal well-being compared to the whole? The whole is greater, but the he looks to the whole as the plight of the lower classes.
Balthe grew up as the son of a lower level priest, and thus spent a lot of his youth in the church. He understood the meaning and the goodness behind the teaching of Irori, but never really connected with it. At the time there were only hymns on the major holidays. It was during these holiday festivals that he truly would connect to Irori, through the hymns.
He would spend his free time at home composing his own hymns and over the next years he began to understand the concepts of music and singing. He would sneak into the church in the mornings when his father would go and sing his hymns and try to play the organ, which he had a basic knowledge of through his fathers connections.
Event 1It was during one of these early mornings that Mezmer entered to speak with Balthe’s father. Hearing the music he quietly stood and listened until Balthe finished his song. Then he placed his hand on the boys shoulder, terrifying him. Mezmer decided that he wanted to boy to sing at the upcoming festival. From there Mezmer supported his passion as he grew and slowly, the success Balthe obtained created a demand for music at all services.
Just as Balthe was truly obtaining success, with more and more music appearing in services, the unthinkable happened. Event 2 Balthe’s father was murdered in a late night robbery of the church itself.
Knowing that he could never obtain a position in the church, where he could truly earn a living as a hymnast (now an official position at all churches in Laheath) he knew that he would have to serve his time in the military.
Like all other young men who enlisted, he found himself in a squad of 7 men. He quickly became well liked and very popular, though his abilities in combat were only decent at best. He became known for singing rousing tunes to cheer the troops, and even in the battles that he encountered while patrolling the eastern border.
Event 3His unit moved to investigate smoke in the distance, and they were hit hard. Only Balthe, the squad sergeant Valchus, and the squad mage, the elf, Telwyn walked away, and Telwyn had lost an eye.
It would take the three survivors 4 weeks to navigate their way back to Laheath through the well coordinated raids over the border. None of them has ever talked of it. Though they all meet once a year on the anniversary of the ambush and drink and remember their fallen friends.
Their actions, they took along the way back to safety earned all of them the prestigious Platinum Fist for heroism. This leant all three a celebrity that all of them were able to put to use upon their discharge from the army. Valchus re-enlisted and is now the commander of the city guard of Laheath. Telwyn became an instructor at the mage battle academy, and is well respected. While Balthe Event 4 parlayed his talent and success into the position of hymnist at the main church in Laheath.
He was not in the position for more than 3 months before Balnor, ascended to the position of (whatever the second tier of command is) in command of the inquisition. Event 5 Upon his promotion he began a systematic attack on the practice of music in the church, by conducting “investigations” of hymnists in order to discredit them. Balthe had the protection of Mezmer who made sure that “AA” was assigned to Balthe
Friend
Mezmer-The high Inquisitor. Supported Balthe’s use of music to celebrate Irori, and helped him becomes who he is, as well as making hymnist a position in the church.
Vlachus-former squad mate. Now Captain of the city guard. Went through hell together and are forever bonded.
Telwyn-Elf, former squad mate. Now a battle mage instructor. Went through hell together and are forever bonded.
Capriconus-Proprietor of an Alchemy shop that Balthe frequents.
AA-Inquisitor that Mezmer sees as his protege
Darian-priest of the high church, best friend of his deceased father
Dlaya-Balthe’s mother.
Lucera-proprietor of Balthe’s favorite bar-The Lute and the Tankard. Inherited it from her deceased husband.
Fflofrera-on again off again, girlfriend.
Foes
Balnor-Inquisitor who sees music as a waste of time.
Frenkoff-Aquaintance from the army who blames Balthe for the death of the other squad mates.
Johaeen-Rival hymnist from the second biggest church in Laheath.
The criminal underground-Killed Balthe’s father but he has no details till this day.
Popping in to say that today is my girlfriend's birthday, and I've got the day off: no posting for me! See you tomorrow, everyone. Fortunately, I've fleshed out a bit of backstory already. I'll be giving the rest of it some thought in the meantime.
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Stealing: Similar to lying. He finds theft to be a great evil, but he will not feel any compunctions against stealing from a person he judges to be evil.
Authority: Authority is something, like any form of power, that he feels can be and is more often than not abused by those who possess it. He has witnessed it's misuse and corruption many times, and has learned not to trust it. He has more faith in the justice he can find with his own two hands than in that imposed from on high.
Killing: He has never done it, and doesn't know what circumstances might bring him to do so. He believes there are times when it's justifiable to kill, and accepts that execution is a necessary punishment for heinous crimes. He also believes that if it were a matter of preserving his own life or that of a love one or an innocent life, killing is justified.
The Unknown: If such a thing as a rationalist can exist in a fantasy world, he is one. He believes that reason can find out all things. This includes magic and the supernatural. There is a place made for all things in the multiverse, and as such anything can be understood. Magic is one tool to be used, and though it has mysterious workings, he does not consider it unknowable.
Other Social Classes He believes that for the most part everyone is out for themselves or their own families. He has never seen any behavior from anyone of a higher social class that will convince home that they have any interest in helping those less fortunate - quite the opposite in fact. There is a certain amount of envy involved in this attitude, but he does not see the social order as being for the best. He does not like those higher on the social ladder, and believing those below him feel the same as he does, he does not trust them.
Fate: He can't believe that the gods do not exist. There is just too much direct involvement by divine beings in the world, and so he believes that there is fate, insofar as gods use their powers to direct events on the Material Plane. He does not however believe in the infallibility of divine beings or that they have the best interests of mortals in mind, and so fate is not a kind concept in his mind.
Do the ends justify the means?: Short answer, yes. Slightly longer answer, it depends on the situation and one must use one's reason.
I'll work on the others as I have time.
have fun AA
Alright, Balthe, good stuff. As you all are posting up your stuff, I'm putting it together on my end so that as soon as the characters are all statted up, we ca jump right in. Almost there!
I had another image come to mind. How he fought in the army, when it came down to having to fight.
He carried with him a shortsword, and short bow, and a whip though he was not particularly good with the bow. Preferring the sword and buckler. The whip he would only use on occasion to distract foes He is a finesse fighter, making sure to get himself into the right position and finds chinks in the armor, rather than relying on force. Always one appreciate freedom of movement, the heaviest armor he wore tended to be leather, though his squadmates always pushed him to wear at least studded leather and preferably chain.
Not sure if that is worth the time it took to type it, but I only occasionally really have an idea of how a character fights before he is even made.
I've decided on a name (Gunla) and a gender (female). Also, she'll be a half-orc (as opposed to a full-blooded orc). Her race and gender assumes that her sponsorship by the High Inquisitor is a sufficient "connection" to a male citizen to qualify her for rights and a position within the theocracy.
Rights and Wrongs: Gunla would tell you that her most egregious sin was her surrender to Irori's inquisition during her march of exile. She was sentenced to die in that raid; that was the price she was intended to pay for the dangerous and unforgivable defiance of her chieftain. In the Eastern orcish societies, the march of exile serves two purposes: to execute exiles and to instill fear in the pink-skinned races to the West. Reputation and fear keep the pink-skinned races wary of a march on the Eastern orc tribes. Reputation and fear keep the orcish people alive. The orcish tribes of the East walk a fine line between anarchy and order, and it is the unquestionable authority of the chieftain that maintains that balance. To commit defiance is to incite defiance; what she did was as socially dangerous as it was personally virtuous, and her punishment was not an arbitrary one.
What she was asked to do was barbaric - kill members of her own tribe as proof of loyalty and a demonstration of superiority over her peers. Gunla obeyed an instinct - what she now recognizes as Irori’s calling - and refused her lord and chieftain. Gunla does not regret her defiance, but she has since come to realize that all free-willed peoples are barbaric to one degree or another. Choices are meant to have consequences, and Gunla often feels that she should have died in the suicide raid, as she was sentenced to do. Virtues like freedom and the defiance of tyranny so often come at a price, but are not prices meant to be paid?
Five Events: As a very young child, Gunla succeeded in out-battling her equally-young peers in a match of athleticism and martial skill. Her refusal to execute the lowest-ranking competitors (as is the tradition) was the catalyst for her equally-traditional sentence: the march of exile.
During her march of exile, Gunla was stabbed by a member of the Wygate militia. Fearful but virtuous Gunla offered no resistance, but a fellow exile tore the soldier's head off before he could slay her - nearly separating the man's head from his neck. She has since learned of some of the practices of her people, and has turned the scar from that old wound into a scarified ritual tattoo dedicated not to some fearsome orc god, but to Irori.
As a child growing up in an orphanage under the High Inquisitor's sponsorship, Gunla once bit another child on the hand for kicking her lunch to the floor (a meal that she was later made to eat, but not before she was beaten for wasting food). With that began a long rivalry; that child is now a man - and a fellow inquisitor, as luck would have it - by the name of Larz Highby. Despite Gunla's accelerated growth (a trait that she owes to her orcish heritage) and thus her seniority as an inquisitor, young Larz is consistently tasked with more prestigious and high-profile assignments than is Gunla, a fact of which Larz is sure to remind her at every opportunity. Inquisitor Highby still has a scar on his hand.
Later in life, Gunla's military service and overall citizenship was called into question. Mezmer had arranged for her citizenship on a legal technicality, and Under High Inquisitor Mezmer's direction, the inquisition has long been classified as a branch of the military (as well as a civic office and a branch of the church of Irori), but Gunla was nonetheless made to serve in the Wygate militia for a short time. During that time, Gunla was the butt of every joke and the target of every cruelty and instance of "hazing." She does not remember that time fondly.
Certain members of the church fought hard against Gunla’s instatement as a member of the church. After her initiation as an inquisitor was formally cemented, Gunla was threatened by Inquisitor Zach Zeusemande, a senior inquisitor and the former apprentice of High Inquisitor Mezmer. When Gunla did not resign or withdraw from the office of the inquisition, Inquisitor Zeusemande immediately began to arrange for Gunla to receive only the most humiliating and trivial assignments. In a typical stroke of orcish luck, Inquisitor Highby does of course report directly to the high-ranking Inquisitor Zeusemande.
Three Characters: Zach Zeusemande is not only a high-ranking member of Irori’s inquisition, but an extremely wealthy landowner and businessman. In addition to his wealth and influence, Zeusemande collects and “repurposes” magic items and artifacts confiscated by the church, commissioning them for use by those agents and inquisitors under his command. As such, Zeusemande’s subordinates are well-equipped and provided with access to vast resources.
Inquisitor Larz Highby is one such subordinate. Under Zeusemande’s influence, Larz’s grudge against Gunla has been nursed into a near-hatred. Passive-aggressive and condescending in the extreme, Larz is angry, cowardly, over-equipped, over-confident, under-trained, and possessed of a mean streak a mile wide. For Gunla, a truly dangerous combination.
High Inquisitor Mezmer is Gunla’s most steadfast ally. Mezmer is aging and ailing; he is afflicted with a wracking cough and is confined to a wheelchair due to the terrible frailty of his body. Not surprisingly, these ailments and shortcomings only add to Mezmer’s fearsome reputation. Mezmer is a terrifyingly stern and serious man, grim and literal and a diehard realist. Mezmer is virtuous, but not kind. He is unfailingly rigid and lawful in his dealings with others, and almost cruelly merciless in his war against the evils which plague the theocracy of Wygate from within. Under Mezmer’s excessively stern discipline, Gunla has been expertly trained and sufficiently hardened. To these traits, she owes her survival and her authority within the church.
@AA - Another excellent write-up. Gunla's rank definitely gives her legal status, so don't worry about that. Also, I love the name Gunla. It's definitely an orc name, but it isn't gross. It sounds feminine, and maybe even pretty, in a different sort of way.
Still waiting on Capricornus, but we can move on. This is the last step before stats and game time! Put together a list of goals for your characters. I'd like 4-5 short goals, 3-4 medium goals, and 1-2 long goals. Short goals could be completed in one real life session (get a sword, find a job, help a needy person), medium goals can be completed in 1-2 adventures (get a magic sword, earn a promotion, build a homeless shelter), and long adventures are campaign-length (uncover an artifact sword, lead your guild, build the biggest orphanage in the world).
These will be the backbone of the game. Basically, you are telling right now what you want to do in this game, so be thorough and specific. For example, if a character wanted to become a spy, it would help to know more details. James Bond style? Political? Undercover? The more I know, the more I can meet and hopefully exceed your expectations.
Short and medium goals can be adjusted and added later, but make sure to give special consideration to long term goals. These are the equivalent of you real life hopes and dreams. Make them big, pervasive, and attainable.
Finally, and I don't foresee this being an issue, try not to have conflicting goals at the medium level or up. Conflicting sort term goals are resolvable and arguably good if you want some inter-party tension, but having conflicting long-term goals are irreconcilable and make it implausible to continue adventuring together. An example would be person who wanted to be the richest man alive working together with a person who wanted to socialize the government. They may collaborate on small things for mutual gain, but they would never become long term partners.
Once your goals are posted, you can stat up your character.
Do your ability scores however you want. No rules here.
No alignment.*
Traits if you want, feel free to reskin region-specific ones.
Max HP at first level, half after that.
Use whatever third party or archetypes you want, just as long as it is available in the SRD somewhere.
Equipment should be extremely minimal. Necessities only, and cheap ones at that.
Put together an alias, put in the stats, and you're ready to go. If you so choose, I find it helpful to cook up an accent, mannerism, or temperament in order to help me get in character. Your choice.
*Alignment, of course, is controversial issue. If you haven't yet, I suggest you go and investigate some of the discussion of alignment of famous characters - particularly Batman. My reasoning for eliminating alignment is this: It kills character development. Whenever I play with and alignment, I'm always wondering, "would a lawful neutral character do this?" Instead of wondering, I just act the way my character would act, just like in real life. I'm mostly LG, except when I'm CN, but when I'm in a bad mood I'm extremely LN. It changes, so why bother with it?
Also note that the rest of the world will have alignments. Enemies are still susceptible to alignment spells, detecting still works, and buffs with the target "good" still function on the whole party.
Sweet! Excited about this. We are starting at level 1 correct?
And I think all my Stats are 30 ;) But seriously I like being able to make him with how it makes sense.
Level one is correct.
And, yeah, that's really the best way for this style of game. I find that only very new or immature roleplayers want to really pump their stats. You all seem like you understand the RP benefits of being imperfect. My favorite character ever was a war cleric with garbage constitution. He had charisma-based defense using a clever reskinning of combat maneuvers as force of personality and intimidation tactics. He carried a massive banner and yelled a lot. He ended up dying horribly after getting poisoned, though...I won't kill your characters.
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When Eli finally returned to Alfonse's shop full time, he had learned much. Alfonse looked on his nephew with new eyes. He was wary of the boy, now a young man, but his pragmatic side could plainly see the benefits to his business of having such a talented apprentice. Soon they were seeing a rise in profits, and Eli felt the pride of having the things he created being sought after and sold. All the while he started to experiment on the side. He pushed himself to create ever more difficult substances. He also started making his own mutagens and extracts, and to experiment with other things. He started drinking, but because of his Alchemical resistance, it took more for him to feel the effects, and this caused him to try more dangerous and even illicit intoxicants.
Eli, was now stepping out in the community and making a name for himself in his trade. He had a darker and less respectable social life, but using his Extracts he was able to disguise himself so it didn't get back to his family. He made many friends, and struck up an aquaintance with Balthe Synder, who came to rely on Eli's skills for his inks, which had the most vibrant colours. He also used his alchemical knowledge to give himself stimulants so he could keep up with his work. At the age of eighteen, he met someone that would change his life. Marysin Ludovica was the daughter of a local horse merchant. She was a beautiful girl, and anyone could see why Eli would be smitten with her. He saw her one morning as he shuffled back home after one of his nights on the town, and he returned later in the day, and on many subsequent occasions to see her. It would take many of these visits for him to actually work up the nerve to talk to her. She saw something in him. She agreed to let him court her, and after months, they were married. A young couple has need of a home of their own and though Eli was growing more successful, he did not have the means to support them yet, still being an apprentice. Alfonse, no fool, had seen the effects of Eli's experimentation, but the influence of Marysin seemed to calm his excesses, so his uncle granted Eli and Marysin the apartment above the shop to live in. It was cramped, but it was a home. Eli and Marysin were very happy.
Even married bliss could not keep Eli's taste for experimentation down for long, and Eli, wanting to make more money for the sake of his bride - and he hoped for his future family, started to look for ways for his skills to pay off in a larger way. Some of his friends had less than reputable contacts. One friend, a dandy by the name of Case Grammet, had always been a bad influence on Eli, and he knew a man named Konor Quay. Quay was a trader. He sold illicit substances. When Case brought the two together, Konor gave Eli a drug that Konor wanted refined. The money was too good for Eli to pass up, and he started to work. As he did, he began to experiment with it too. He created his own formula, which gave a powerful high with no deleterious effects - or so he thought. Somehow the drug interacted with Eli's mutagen to counteract the harmful side effects, and under the influence of the drug, he convinced Marysin to try it. Marysin, with no such resistance, became addicted to it. Their use of the drug went on for some time, and finally Marysin suffered an overdose. It was Alfonse who found her, unconscious, and brought her to the Crucible to be treated. Eli, finding her gone, went out looking, and as the drugs wore off, he started to realize what he had done. He rushed back to the apartment only to find a grim-faced, and terrifying woman waiting for him. Gunla was relentless in her questioning, and Eli gave up Case and Konor's name. But for some reason, she spared Eli, on the condition that he help her in the future. Eli agreed readily, and when his uncle returned with Marysin, he promised never to become a slave to the drug again. Marysin has not completely recovered. She suffers bouts of withdrawal and sickliness, and Eli does his best to ease her symptoms. She says she forgives him, but she has lost some trust in her husband. Alfonse also has lost trust in Eli, and though they still work together, he watches the young man closely.
Hope that isn't too incoherent. Slammed it together in one go and haven't edited it yet. I slipped Balthe and Gunla into it. I hope that's okay. I left it open for you to interpret their sides of the story. It's late now and I'll get to the Events (many of which are in the background, I think), Friends and Foes, and the rest tomorrow.
Just to let you know, this weekend is a local Con where I will be both performing and running a Pathfinder game. I will be pretty busy with all that, plus making my costume for the Con and Halloween. I will post if I can but please don't be surprised if you don't hear from me a whole lot.
I will be working on the questions tomorrow, but will do a little crunch.
EDIT: hmmm that comes to a 24 pt buy...i know we aren't supposed to look at that, but there it is. I might adjust based off others. Lots more to be done.
22 pt buy, bad math, that seems a little better. I think he is about right, average strength and toughness, moves well, high CHA, smart, wiser than the average bear. Be curious to see where you guys feel you should be.
Also GM is that too much for gear? I look at it as his old military gear, plus odds and ends. I assume he has housing and food provided, but if he goes traveling this is what he takes. Maybe some other odds and ends as I think about it.
@ Capricornus & Vuvu: For my money, having a hard limit on resources makes character-building (which is just as much a part of the game as any other) more fun. Besides that, I like a game with rules - it makes it more satisfying to accomplish something despite the risks and restrictions. I think we should all agree on a point-buy. A 22 buy is high-ish, but reasonable. All agreed?
@ GM_Jacob: Exactly what is meant by "I won't kill your characters?" If the dice say that something that would kill me happens, are we throwing the rules out the window and stabilizing me at -10, or whatever?
AA-It is exactly a "little high" lol, being used to playing PFS. If either of you aren't fans of it being that high I can drop his CHA from the base 16-15 and be a 19pt buy as well. Just seemed right to have that high CHA with his celebrity. At the same time I would not be bothered if one of you went as high as 25. I would be ok to set the line at the epic fantasy line of 25, though I will not go any higher than the 22 I have...if that made sense, a little early in the morning for me still.
I assumed he meant that it is not his goal to kill us, that the enemies will not inherently know our weaknesses, that kind of thing.
@Capricornus - I like it very much. So often, folks make their characters in a vacuum with just the barest skeleton of a life, but you have given your character a job, a family, friends, rivals, and even a house. That gives me a ton to work with.
@Balthe - The gear is totally fine. The adventure will likely start with you in a situation where you aren't carrying around your military gear and rations, though.
@AA -
This is not to say that your characters are invincible or that this game will be a pushover. There is failure, and there are consequences.
Here's an example: due to tactical error or a string of crummy rolls, your party loses a fight against an enemy while they are tracking down a hostage. The enemies are in hurry, so they don't check for vitals before they run off. You wake up an hour later injured, disoriented, and weaponless, and your goal is now much farther away. If you fail to finish the job or decide to give it up, the hostage dies, and the person who asked you to track her down never likes you again.
In that example, death was not involved, but there were strong consequences for failure. In fact, a failure like that usually results in large character development for players and NPCs alike.
Now, if you want your character to die, be it for character development, plot reasons, or just wanting to start a new one, then we can talk about that and make it happen.
of course. Added just a couple things, that seem logical.
I selected this cantrip Song of Serenity My reading of it, is that it is a Full Round action even though it says a standard. Seems that you should have to sing for a full round.
1. Complete his current composition before the next feast day.
2. Celebrate the memory of their fallen companions with Telwyn and Valchus
3. Report to the army for training excercises. (He is basically a reservist)
4. Get away for a night of carousing and tavern performing.
1.Recover the remains of the other 4 members of his squad, and have them interred under his church.
2.Eliminate the Warlord that led the raid that killed them, and threw the region into chaos.
3. Solve the mystery of his father’s murder.
1. Establish music as an integral part of worship in the church of Irori. Perhaps by recovering ancient texts that are able to settle the question of music being encouraged or frowned upon.
2. Own a tavern on the side. (Kind of like a Piano bar, after all he does also love secular music)
2.) Follow-up with some recent assignments. It may be small-scale work - even trivial - but it's my job to perform to the best of my abilities.
3.) Find out more about the Eastern tribes. Few evils are irredeemably so.
4.) Acquire some proper equipment; an inquisitor should carry tools and weapons befitting her station and speaking to her authority.
2.) Inquisitor Highby is a danger to himself and to the subjects of his investigations. Larz is an under-trained, over-equipped pawn, and he must be redeemed, instructed, or relieved of his rank.
3.) Bring to justice or execute Konor Quay. What began as a routine follow-up with a local addict - intended to be low-profile busywork - I will turn into a major arrest, capture, or lawful execution and a credit to my.
2.) Enable or empower the extension of an open offer of citizenship to orcs and free-willed humanoids of all races and kinds. Any willing to submit to the law and commit to the theocracy deserve Irori's welcome.
Looking good, AA. Just waiting on Capricornus' goals. In the meantime, you can fully stat up your characters and get your aliases in order. We're almost ready to go. Thanks for your patience and excellent characters. Everything will pay off soon.
Balthe is fully statted up, I believe. I gave him a little bit of gold (10) so he can function in the city as well.
Just checking in. I understand that everyone is busy, and I am, too. We'll say that all character info needs to be completed on Monday with the intention of starting the gameplay on Tuesday. Thanks.