cynarion's Carrion Crown PbP

Game Master cynarion

Helaman wrote:

Ok Dragomir Vuk is finally finished - Back story, description, equipment.

Only two comments in terms of things to look at: you have Dragomir's ethnicity as 'Ustalavian', but this isn't an ethnicity; pretty much all the natives of Ustalav are ethnically Varisian. They are the settled cousins of the travelling Varisians from Varisia. Other human ethnicities aren't terribly common in Ustalav, but of the others Ulfen and Kellid are the most likely candidates. Chelaxians tend to stick to the coastal countries.

Secondly, you have Suspicious as a trait, but I'm not seeing where it plays out in Dragomir's background. Reading through his story about his childhood, I almost expected to find Indomitable Faith there alongside the campaign trait. Can you illuminate me as to where Suspicious comes from?

I was going to write a note about roleplaying Dragomir to his Intelligence/Wisdom level, as in parts of his background he seemed a bit smarter than his stats suggest, but dumbing him down would actually reduce his appeal. I like him as he is--a naturally talented amateur mercenary who is now wondering what to do with his life, but who has his faith in Pharasma (if anything, I'd love to see that played up more) and his raw strength to fall back on.

Good luck!

I'll hammer on the suspicious thing some more - basically domestic abuse, being abused by those his father hired him out to etc has made him suspicious, that said I figured the mercenary side would imply naturally suspicious (good mercenaries never completely trust their employers) and I'll pop that in.

Varisian is the way I'll go. Not sure if I get that as a language or am just speaking common.

On the play to intelligence and wisdom, I've not made them dump stats - they are 10's. He has an everyman intelligence and commonsense. Your average labourer (for instance) is capable of spurts of intelligence or insight slightly above the norm and can be occassionally be a bit denser than normal or less tuned in as well. Generally your 'everyman' type is capable of doing what they are trained for with the occasional flair.

In his field of experience, he'll come across a bit smarter... in areas where he has no experience he'll come across as more ignorant. Magic? WTF... Undead? Mama said to throw Salt at them... etc I probably am writing his commonsense/insight quotent a bit higher (closer to a 12) but again, in area's pertaining to his experience.

I agree with you that dumbing him down would make him a less flavourful character. He is, as you said, a naturally talented amateur mercenary - one who is more world weary than most his age. He's meant to be the 'commoner' experience and 'everyman' yardstick, not a highfaluting adventurer type (even if he ends up as one) or the educated rich or exiled noble etc... he's salt of the earth commoner in his outlook leavened with his training and experience in arms.

As for religion, he's Ustalavian - its part of growing up where he grew up. Pharasma is one of the major religions of the region and in a occupation where death is a constant possibility, its good to have the Lady of Graves on side. He's not especially pious... that said, yep, you've picked up on the ground work for him to grow into religiosity later - not sure where it will take him but it adds another layer to his personality.

** spoiler omitted **

Nope, no need for him to be a Kuthonite. Just because Nidal is where shadowcasting originated doesn't mean it's the only pocket of shadowcasters in the world. I'm sure small groups of individuals have stolen the talents and spread them by now.

Having said that, I don't know to what extent shadow spells have the 'evil' descriptor; you may need to take that into account.

Cynarion, you must have powered up with a double-espresso... because you are tearing through your reviews this evening! 8O

Actually, I don't drink coffee; the short version of a long story is that my day was interrupted by a call from our alarm monitoring company telling me that our house alarm had gone off, so I had to go home to check things out. Fortunately it seems to have been a malfunction, so I had the rest of the afternoon at home, and a long list of reviews to do...seemed like a good idea! : )

Not suprised an Aussie doesn't drink coffee, tho I am sure you had atleast some caffine from tea....

OBTW, have you seen the "Tome of Secrets"from Adamant - made for and printed by Pazio? It has a much better 1/2 Ogre in it than the one in the Beastiery.

I like that one as well - its not a bad book all in all.

Anyways, I've beefed Dragomir Vuk up on his background to more draw on the suspicious angle - born of abuse, developed during training and learning to sense out people before and during brawling and honed by a professional need.

Cynarion, I've just done some substantial revisions to the background section of Nik's page. I added more details on Nik's early life and some on Surge, as well. Hopefully, I won't have made you redo any work. I promise I'm done now.

Geez... i step away from my computer for a day and Cynarion cooks through half the submissions.

Things are starting to get exciting around here.

: rubs hands together impatiently :

Reikou wrote:

After reading a few of these reviews, I have a feeling that I'll have to expand both of my character's background a bit to stand a chance... but I'll just wait for the reviews and see what you think the main problems are. ;)

Heh!

I remember you mentioning something to the effect that you hoped Reikou's sudden transport to Ustalav didn't sound too much like deus ex machina; relax, it doesn't. It makes more sense than a 1st level character making their way over the Crown of the World or sailing from Minkai to Varisia, that's for sure.

Am I right in assuming that Reikou's alternate form is a human of Tian-Min ethnicity, given the Forest of Spirits is right next door? I suppose if he were from the northwest then Tian-La would also make sense. Not that this has any in-game effect, I am just interested. : )

Perhaps contrary to your expectations, I think I know a fair bit about Reikou already. Between his stated alignment, his reactions to the Professor, his reluctance to fully embrace his potential destiny (at least so far) and the fact he's a Life oracle, I reckon I have a fair insight into his likely state of mind and how he would work with others.

So no additional comments from me, save to say that if we're still going when the Advanced Races Guide comes out (which I expect we will be) and you are selected, then you are welcome to mine that book for whatever will be useful in more fully defining your race. If you're selected we can talk then about whether we retcon stuff and swap in whatever is new and shiny in the book.

Good luck!

Thanks for the review!

Ah, I had been meaning to pick a specific Tian ethnicity for Reikou's human form, but it had slipped my mind. After doing a quick check of the Dragon Empires books, I think his human form would appear to be Tian-Min. I'll write in what both of his forms look like on the background in a moment.

Thanks for leaving the option of the advanced race guide open! I always love having more character options :D

Hey folks, just going through some housekeeping on the Campaign Info tab and I have a few questions and things to say.

Stuff about Inquisitor.

That sounds great! Thanks!

donato wrote:

Here is my Mwangi witch, Adwa Namandi. All information is also on the profile.

I have only a few things to ask about Adwa.

His tribe actually practices Juju. They summon wendo that possess the corpses of the fallen for a length of time.

As for his role, he would be there first and foremost, to learn. Eventually, he would devote himself to destroying undead as he sees them as betrayers to the spirits in comparison with those he deals with prcticing Juju. Also, he's there to follow the Professor's wishes.

Matrixryu wrote:

Alright, I've finished up the background for my Inquisitor....*snip*

Intriguing!

Okay, so given there are no mechanics for me to compare with backstory here (yet), I figure I might as well outline my expectations based on the background you've added.

I'm guessing moderate to good physical stats with a high Intelligence but middling Wisdom...Charisma could go anywhere, but probably isn't super-high. Of course, this could cause issues with spellcasting, since Wisdom is the inquisitor's spellcasting stat, so perhaps I will be proven wrong, and perhaps there will be more emphasis in Theron's life henceforth on listening to his intuition and taking stock of the situation before him rather than his own innate prejudices.

If that's the case, some expansion on the effect Professor Lorrimor had on Theron's worldview would be welcome.

I can't see any archetypes that sound particularly useful for Theron, although his faith in Iomedae should make for an interesting character, especially as it appears to be a cornerstone of his life. To that end, I'd be willing to offer him the A Shining Beacon trait, but modified so that it affects undead. (Or something like it, this is just the one that came to mind.)

Having an inquisitor faithful to Iomedae will also give the whole Adventure Path a different feel; those loyal to Pharasma will be happy about destroying the undead but much less zealous about the other wrongs that need righting, whereas an Iomedaean is pretty much honour-bound to solve every problem they come across.

Which makes an Iomedaean an excellent tool for a GM looking for the party to swallow some plot hooks. ; )

So what do I mean with all this rambling?

Essentially I like the flavour, I like the direction, and I am intrigued to see how Theron would work in the context of this Adventure Path in particular. Good job, and good luck!

Thanks! Yea, this guy will definitely be the type to swallow almost any plot hook that is thrown at him, lol.

I see your point about Theron's background suggesting that he doesn't have a high Wisdom stat. I had been trying to show him falling into the "being too quick to judge" trap that some inquisitors fall into, but maybe I should have shown him giving the professor a bit more benefit of a doubt? I'll take a look at modifying that.

Thanks for the offer on the Shining Beacon trait modification, though I'm not completely sure it fits since Theron seems to be partially focused on hunting down those who are responsible for the undead rather than the undead themselves (though admittedly, some of them will probably be undead anyway, haha). I'll have to think on what some good traits for him would be.

As for the rest of his stats, I'm thinking he will be fairly balanced. At least 12s in Con, Int, and Cha. A focus on either dex or Str...

You know what? I'll just try and post TWO builds for this guy when I make his alias. That way you'll be able to know what to expect, lol.

I'm actually going to be removing Yark from contention and only going to be submitting Tomnus as I think he has the best ties into the campaign.

Tomnus wrote:

Here is mathpro18's fighter. Sorry for the delay...been a busy couple days. He is fully built with background so let me know what you think.

I really like his background so I think this will be my only official submission for this game.

Howdy!

Okay, first things first, I will be using the revised DC for Antagonize as listed here, so if you made an assumption about the utility of the feat based on the way it's printed in Ultimate Magic, let's clear that up. (I still think it's a nifty feat, but now at least it isn't pretty much an autosuccess.)

** spoiler omitted **

Other than that, Tomnus is an interesting character. It's not usual to see a fighter with knowledge of mathematics or the Mathematical Prodigy trait, so he's quite intriguing in that way.

Edit: one other question; what's a Taldan doing in Ustalav? He's a long way from home.

Good luck!

Okay I'll edit the background and see if your concerns can be addressed. As far as him being Taldan I forgot that I had that ethnicity chosen for him. Though I might stick with it and rework the background around that since it needs reworking anyway.

Not suprised an Aussie doesn't drink coffee, tho I am sure you had atleast some caffine from tea....

Eh? You do know that British influence ended more than a hundred years ago, right? We're no more (or less) likely to drink tea or coffee than anyone else.

As it turns out, I don't drink any hot drinks. They put me to sleep regardless of their caffeine content.

Background has been updated let me know if I need to make any further tweaks.

OBTW, have you seen the "Tome of Secrets"from Adamant - made for and printed by Pazio? It has a much better 1/2 Ogre in it than the one in the Beastiery.

Can't say I have; if I were to allow any third-party stuff into the game it would probably only be on the GM side of the screen and involve the Tome of Horrors and/or the Advanced Bestiary. I have seen enough of a track record from both those books to trust them.

It also depends on your definition of 'better'; if the half-ogre in the Tome of Secrets is even remotely civilised, it's not 'better' in my book--I like the mutant hillbilly thing Golarion has going on with its ogres and am not keen to rock that particular boat.

[Adwa's] tribe actually practices Juju. They summon wendo that possess the corpses of the fallen for a length of time.

Ah, I forgot about that exception. Thanks for the tip; I will remember to look that up when assessing Adwa for final selection.

cynarion wrote:

Matrixryu wrote:

Alright, I've finished up the background for my Inquisitor....*snip*

Intriguing!

I see your point about Theron's background suggesting that he doesn't have a high Wisdom stat. I had been trying to show him falling into the "being too quick to judge" trap that some inquisitors fall into, but maybe I should have shown him giving the professor a bit more benefit of a doubt? I'll take a look at modifying that.

I understand what you were trying to do and think it's a great idea--I just think to get that idea across in the background more needed to be made of Theron's initially suspicious outlook. So make him sound more unwilling rather than unable to spot the difference, as it were. Still, I know what you meant and that's good enough for me.

Thanks for the offer on the Shining Beacon trait modification, though I'm not completely sure it fits since Theron seems to be partially focused on hunting down those who are responsible for the undead rather than the undead themselves (though admittedly, some of them will probably be undead anyway, haha). I'll have to think on what some good traits for him would be.

Purity of Faith? Divine Warrior? Birthmark? I'm sure you can come up with plenty on your own though. : )

You know what? I'll just try and post TWO builds for this guy when I make his alias. That way you'll be able to know what to expect, lol.

I look forward to it!

I'm actually going to be removing Yark from contention and only going to be submitting Tomnus as I think he has the best ties into the campaign.

Thanks for the update.

Cynarion, I've just done some substantial revisions to the background section of Nik's page. I added more details on Nik's early life and some on Surge, as well. Hopefully, I won't have made you redo any work. I promise I'm done now.

Heh, no problem. In case you're hanging around waiting for my review, I will get it done shortly; I have been struggling to comprehend the way the synthesist changes the summoner class, and how feats and so on work now that you don't actually have an eidolon class feature. I am working towards the more lenient interpretation of the rules as written, but it has taken me a while to comprehend how it all works and bridge the rules gaps the devs didn't fill adequately.

You can expect a review shortly.

Heh, no problem. In case you're hanging around waiting for my review, I will get it done shortly; I have been struggling to comprehend the way the synthesist changes the summoner class, and how feats and so on work now that you don't actually have an eidolon class feature. I am working towards the more lenient interpretation of the rules as written, but it has taken me a while to comprehend how it all works and bridge the rules gaps the devs didn't fill adequately.

You can expect a review shortly.

Gotcha. I took me some time, too. I've had to make some educated guesses here and there. If selected, we'll just briefly make sure we're both thinking along the same lines so there are no hiccups when the game starts.

Since I haven't said anything in a while, I am still here and hoping to be considered.

Since I haven't said anything in a while, I am still here and hoping to be considered.

Thanks for checking in, it does help to know who's still around!

Now, onto Nik's review. Then some real work. ; )

Since I haven't said anything in a while, I am still here and hoping to be considered.

Awww... and here I thought you were brilliantly RPing a bookish and quiet Archivist. ;)

Cynarion, I've just done some substantial revisions to the background section of Nik's page. I added more details on Nik's early life and some on Surge, as well. Hopefully, I won't have made you redo any work. I promise I'm done now.

Okay. The review:

Now that's out of the way...

I see you have selected the Varisian ethnicity for Nik. Does that mean he's from Ustalav? If so, I have a query about his presence on a Chelish expedition to the Mwangi Expanse; Cheliax is a long way from Ustalav, and a 1st level character being accepted onto such an expedition would be a little odd if you ask me. It's around 1700 miles from Caliphas to Westcrown, for instance. Add another 300 or so if he wanted to get all the way down to Corentyn. That's a long way for a 1st level character to travel.

If you're willing to permit me a suggestion, I think it might make more sense for Nik to be Chelaxian himself, living in Cheliax to begin with. Then his expedition would make more sense, especially if he was a member of what was (once) an upwardly mobile family with aspirations to grandeur. Getting a son sent on a theoretically simple and safe trip to the Mwangi Expanse wouldn't be beyond the realms of possibility. Then if it all turned to crap, perhaps the Professor was there at the time--and that's when Nik got to know him, when they together saved the members of the expedition. Inspired by Greatness would still easily apply.

Then maybe because the expedition was a failure, all the members of it were shunned and Nik's family exiled to Korvosa. Then it's only say 600 miles or so--as the crow flies--to Lepidstadt. How does that sound?

Of course, Nik is your character, not mine; the suggestion above is just that--a suggestion. What I'm baulking at is the concept of an Ustalavic native being drafted to a Chelish expedition to the Mwangi Expanse. Why would Cheliax even advertise for volunteers in Ustalav? It just pings against my 'doesn't make sense' radar. I know you have Nik's father down as a Chelaxian trader, but that's a pretty tenuous link to his homeland.

###

One other thing I'd like to see about Nik is a little bit more clarity around the chronology of his life. I think because you've added some new sections in that on the page come later, but in terms of Nik's life come earlier, that's got me a little confused. Were Nik's experiments with mage armor before or after he met Professor Lorrimor? Did Nik meet the Professor before or after his expedition to the Mwangi Expanse? I think Nik's background could do with a bit of a realignment to put it all in chronological order, it would make his story easier to grasp.

No problems with Surge, although if you can give me an alignment for Surge that would be great. On a rules front I am assuming that a fused synthesist detects similarly to someone who's possessed.

And I don't mind if you ramp your power levels up; I will simply adjust the encounters accordingly. : )

That's it! Good luck. : )

Braeden Alucard wrote:

Since I haven't said anything in a while, I am still here and hoping to be considered.

Awww... and here I thought you were brilliantly RPing a bookish and quiet Archivist. ;)

I'm in ur library, readin ur books.

Yes, lolcats; my secret shame. I once spent an entire day forcing myself to have email conversations using nothing but lolcat pictures. It was hilarious.

All right, two announcements to make. The first is much overdue.

Announcement #1: Crafting
I know I said I was going to outlaw crafting of mundane items, but some unintended interactions with the gunslinger class and some helpful discussion from you lot helped me to realise that what really bothered me wasn't the crafting of mundane items per se, it was the fact that by RAW, you can (for example) craft a masterwork sword with nothing more than a camp fire and a mallet.

So for this campaign, all crafting rules are accessible by all characters at all times--but I get final say over whether any particular crafting is possible at any given time. You will not be able to forge a masterwork katana in the middle of nowhere using only the voices in your head for assistance.

In addition, I will not slow the campaign down to let you craft things--the world doesn't revolve around your need for a shiny new sword--but if you have to stop and move on for some reason you may retain the progress you've made up to that point.

Given that this announcement is coming so late in the piece (albeit it was foreshadowed a bit), I have no problem with people making adjustments to their characters in response to this announcement after submissions close. Also, as I mentioned earlier, the successful applicants will have a couple of days to fine tune their characters after the party is selected, so I'm even more happy for you to make such changes then. You can trust me when I say moving a skill point into a Craft skill is not what's going to make the difference and get your character selected.

###

Now...

Announcement #2: Less than 24 hours left!

As I type this, there are 21 hours and 9 minutes left to submit your characters. If you haven't done so already, get moving! : )

I will do my best to review any last-minute characters, but can't make any promises as I do have my own life to lead as well as posting to these boards.

Good luck everyone. : )

Regarding Announcement #1: Crafting...

Would marijuana farmer be considered a Craft skill or a Profession?

Its totally important to Karrik's build.

So, my solution to this whole thing is basically to say that when considering feat, trait and other selections that have prerequisites, to consider the fused synthesist to be the entity taking the feat, trait or whatever. In other words, Nik could take Power Attack (prerequisite: Str 13) even though he only has a Strength of 10, because when fused he has a Strength of 16. He just can't use it when he's all by himself without Surge around.

This is also how I've determined the rules to work. I think I've even seen some supporting comments to that effect from Sean Reynolds or someone.

I would say that Surge and Nik have a shared feat pool, but I'm not entirely sure I've really thought my way through all of the consequences of that statement, so I'm just going with my interpretation above--that the fused Nik is the one who qualifies for selecting new shiny things as he goes. Does that sound okay to you?

My understanding is that mechanically speaking, Surge doesn't exist as a separate being. Merging is basically a series of stat and ability adjustments like raging and getting stat bonuses and rage powers. So Nik is the only one with feats or skills and he continues to have access to them whether he's merged or not. He just might not qualify for some of them depending on his state.

I see you have selected the Varisian ethnicity for Nik. Does that mean he's from Ustalav? If so, I have a query about his presence on a Chelish expedition to the Mwangi Expanse; Cheliax is a long way from Ustalav, and a 1st level character being accepted onto such an expedition would be a little odd if you ask me. It's around 1700 miles from Caliphas to Westcrown, for instance. Add another 300 or so if he wanted to get all the way down to Corentyn. That's a long way for a 1st level character to travel.

Though native to Ustalav, he hasn't lived there for some time. That's something I meant to include but forgot about. Nik is in his early 30's now and his parents died about 10 years ago from plague. For the last decade plus he's been doing research and the safer sorts of expeditions/excavations all around the Inner Sea area. He might have been as near as Korvosa or something. However, you do bring up a good point about the distance. He'd need an airplane to cross it in time to return for Lorrimor's funeral. Perhaps, I'll put the expedition further in his history and say he'd already returned to Ustalav, maybe to pay his respects at the 10 year anniversary of his parent's death?

If you're willing to permit me a suggestion, I think it might make more sense for Nik to be Chelaxian himself, living in Cheliax to begin with. Then his expedition would make more sense, especially if he was a member of what was (once) an upwardly mobile family with aspirations to grandeur. Getting a son sent on a theoretically simple and safe trip to the Mwangi Expanse wouldn't be beyond the realms of possibility. Then if it all turned to crap, perhaps the Professor was there at the time--and that's when Nik got to know him, when they together saved the members of the expedition. Inspired by Greatness would still easily apply. Then maybe because the expedition was a failure, all the members of it were shunned and Nik's family exiled to Korvosa. Then it's only say 600 miles or so--as the crow flies--to Lepidstadt. How does that sound?

If you don't like my above idea, I can work this in instead.

Of course, Nik is your character, not mine; the suggestion above is just that--a suggestion. What I'm baulking at is the concept of an Ustalavic native being drafted to a Chelish expedition to the Mwangi Expanse. Why would Cheliax even advertise for volunteers in Ustalav? It just pings against my 'doesn't make sense' radar. I know you have Nik's father down as a Chelaxian trader, but that's a pretty tenuous link to his homeland.

Because of his travel and work in the more "civilized" areas of the Inner Sea which I forgot to write about and you couldn't have know, I hope this will make more sense.

One other thing I'd like to see about Nik is a little bit more clarity around the chronology of his life. I think because you've added some new sections in that on the page come later, but in terms of Nik's life come earlier, that's got me a little confused. Were Nik's experiments with mage armor before or after he met Professor Lorrimor? Did Nik meet the Professor before or after his expedition to the Mwangi Expanse? I think Nik's background could do with a bit of a realignment to put it all in chronological order, it would make his story easier to grasp.

Yeah, chronology is a little iffy the way I wrote that, huh? I'll clean it up.

No problems with Surge, although if you can give me an alignment for Surge that would be great. On a rules front I am assuming that a fused synthesist detects similarly to someone who's possessed.

By the rules, an Eidolon must match the alignment of the Summoner. But, again, Surge isn't technically his own entity and doesn't have an alignment.

Made some changes. Hope they appeal.

My understanding is that mechanically speaking, Surge doesn't exist as a separate being. Merging is basically a series of stat and ability adjustments like raging and getting stat bonuses and rage powers. So Nik is the only one with feats or skills and he continues to have access to them whether he's merged or not. He just might not qualify for some of them depending on his state.

I think we agree. And I think if you're selected and we come across any exceptions in play, we can deal with them then.

By the rules, an Eidolon must match the alignment of the Summoner. But, again, Surge isn't technically his own entity and doesn't have an alignment.

Except for spells like banishment, I agree with you on the mechanical front. And because Surge and Nik have the same alignment, abilities like detect alignment won't get confused--unless Surge has 'actively evil intents' that aren't shared by Nik, in which case he would detect as evil whereas Nik wouldn't.

However, beyond the mechanics, Surge is definitely his own being, and eidolons typically have their own agenda, as you've alluded to in Nik's background--in this case, Surge wants to see what life's like on the Material Plane. That agenda may or may not manifest itself or change over the course of a campaign, and understanding how, when, why and if an eidolon decides to sever its connection with its summoner has always for me been one of the most important parts of the class. Summoning an eidolon is not the same as summoning a creature via summon monster; it has its own set of consequences, and thanks to the fact that the eidolon is a willing partner (not commanded), it's a fascinating potential avenue for character exploration.

Made some changes. Hope they appeal.

Great, everything makes more sense now. Thank you!

I would like to submit my Undine Cleric of Gorzeh, or if you wish to go by the showmen's name THE TYPHOON LORD OF THE INNER SEA!

Eitherway I hope you enjoy reading about this character as much as I did creating it. I kinda came up with his second trait let me know if it's okay or if you want me to change it. All my info is on my alias and if I missed anything or if you have questions let me know.

Libby wants to be considered. :)

Rasputin17 wrote:

Wow that took awhile. Anyway, I think I've completed Vel Miro's character stats and backstory. Please Let me know what you think when you've got the time.

I've got the time if you've got the money...

(Sorry!)

Anyhoo, Vel Miro.

Firstly, I like the relatively subtle way you've included a downfall in Vel's story that explains why, as a 1st level character, he's incapable of the feats described in his background. Broken fingers and a significant scar will do that to you. : )

I'm also a fan of the very consistent feat and trait selection you've taken, it's clear that the almost mythical stories of Vel's capacity for deceit and manipulation are based in at least some kernel of truth. Good job there.

I would like to hear more about Vel's relationship with his eidolon, and also whether you as a player want to involve the original Infernius in the adventure in any way, or whether you simply see him as a foil for Vel's history, and that Vel has now moved on.

Good luck!

Thanks. I might try and write another short story before the end of this to illuminate Vel's relationship with his eidolon if you don't mind having to read some more. If I do I'll try to make it worth your time.

As for Infernius, I won't mind seeing him in the adventure if I get chosen. As I wrote, there's a debt there that Vel feels needs paying. I'm not saying it has to be a necessarily violent encounter but there is still an enmity of Vel's, a lasting bitterness that he tries to hide. It'd be a good idea to explore it. That is, only if I get picked. >;)

Alright, here's an alias for my inquisitor submission. The fact that someone already had an alias named Theron made me have to actually come up with a family name, haha. I've updated his background and posted rough versions of both his melee and ranged builds. I'm leaning a bit towards ranged, but if the group needs another tank I'll just go sword and board ;)

Btw, at the moment I'm not favoring either of these characters more than the other, so if you pick one just pick whichever one you think will contribute more to the campaign (not that this wasn't the idea already) ;)

One question since I ended up picking the Purity of Faith trait. Would it be alright if I used the idea you had for your Shining Beacon modification and have the extra save bonus count towards undead rather than outsiders?

Oh, and dice rolls...

4d6 ⇒ (4, 1, 5, 5) = 15 x 10 = 150g

I would like to submit my Undine Cleric of Gorzeh, or if you wish to go by the showmen's name THE TYPHOON LORD OF THE INNER SEA!

Thanks for submitting! First, a disclaimer: I am writing this review from a crowded train carriage on my phone. Apologies in advance for spelling errors or omissions. I will tidy the review up later tonight if it seems necessary or when/if I get the chance.

Firstly, the deity's name is Gozreh, not Gorzeh.

Secondly, ---I was wrong about secondly. Carry on!---

Thirdly, I would definitely prefer it if you stuck to existing traits rather than creating your own. Without access to my books or a computer, I'm unsure whether there's a trait that grants Perform as a class skill, but I do know the evangelist archetype does just that; see the existing submission for Lem Longbarrow to see a good example.

As far as Zandu's story goes, he has an eclectic background. Being a sideshow freak in early life is a rich vein of potential characterisation to explore, but I am keen to understand how this early life affected Zandu in a lasting way. Is he bitter? Has he moved on? Does he use his early experiences as a lesson he draws strength from?

I'd like to see some more depth in the submission. Tell me more about who Zandu is as a person rather than just the events in his past.

Good luck!

Secondly, clerics have to match the alignment of their deity. Gozreh is Neutral, so Zandu would have to be Neutral too.

Just wanted to point out that a cleric's alignment actually only has to be within one step of the deity's (unless this is a houserule that I missed) ;)

This one fits pretty well both with Zandu's travels in a Varisian sideshow and his desire for Perform as a class skill.

Varisian Wanderer (Varisia):

You were raised among or have spent time with a group of Varisian nomads, whether travelers, Sczarni criminals, or entertainers, and have learned their ways.

Benefit: Choose one of the following skills: Perform (choose one type), Profession (fortuneteller), or Sleight of Hand.

You gain a +1 trait bonus on this skill, and it is always a class skill for you.

Libby wants to be considered. :)

All right, same disclaimers as above. : )

Firstly, 'Sczarni' isn't an ethnicity. It's a faction of Varisians. Saying 'Sczarni' is an ethnicity is like saying 'mafia' is an ethnicity. So I'm working on the assumption that Libby is Varisian.

In terms of background, I'm struggling to make the links between the mehanics of the demagogue archetype, in particular the 'Famous' class feature, and Libby's current situation. I can see how it fits with the personality you've constructed for Libby, but there seems to be a gap outlining Libby's history as she becomes a demagogue.

From another angle, I think Libby's connection to Professor Lorrimor is relatively weak. If I consider the central conceit employed as a hook for the AP, you're essentially suggesting that the Professor would remember and seek to reward in his will a woman who took his money and ran rather than accept his help. That doesn't sound like the kind of relationship that the Professor would remember with fondness. There's also a mismatch between the background of the Making Good on Promises trait and Libby's attitude to her abandonment of the Professor.

Beyond that, if Libby is even remotely earnest in her devotion to Asmodeus, she would have broken one of the central tenets of his faith: honouring a contract. That makes her rather contradictory in her outlook and history.

Anyhow, those are the issues as I see them. Good luck!

cynarion wrote:

Secondly, clerics have to match the alignment of their deity. Gozreh is Neutral, so Zandu would have to be Neutral too.

Just wanted to point out that a cleric's alignment actually only has to be within one step of the deity's (unless this is a houserule that I missed) ;)

Nope, no house rule. Just an error on my part. My apologies to Zandu. I will edit the post if I get the chance. Thank you kindly for the correction! : )

(Can you tell I've never played a cleric?)

I'll see what I can whip up!

well i'm having some technical difficulties, but once paizo lets me edit my aliases and choose avatars i'll submit my idea. Right now, breifly what i have is an urban barbarian named Rolof Vegason, born of a Kellid father and an Ulfen mother. I'll be taking the "on the payroll" campaign trait. Rolof will be something of a sellsword, just like his parents before him( who were likely employed by the professor in decades past) Living in Ravengro since his early teens, he'll be a fearsome warrior but well adjusted to city life

Any feedback on this early information would be appreciated

well i'm having some technical difficulties, but once paizo lets me edit my aliases and choose avatars i'll submit my idea. Right now, breifly what i have is an urban barbarian named Rolof Vegason, born of a Kellid father and an Ulfen mother. I'll be taking the "on the payroll" campaign trait. Rolof will be something of a sellsword, just like his parents before him( who were likely employed by the professor in decades past) Living in Ravengro since his early teens, he'll be a fearsome warrior but well adjusted to city life

Any feedback on this early information would be appreciated

Only two real pieces of feedback for you. Firstly, being a Ravengro local is actually a negative for this AP. Having a local in the party actually invalidates the first half of the first chapter. So I'd strongly advise you to change that (which fortunately, due to the Professor's peripatetic lifestyle, shouldn't prove difficult).

Secondly, I've always struggled with the concept of an urban barbarian. You will want to sell me that concept well if you want to be selected. I realise that's not exactly 'fair', but the selection process is inevitably a subjective one.

My problem with the urban barbarian is primarily that it takes an established class and neuters its flavour for a handful of lines of (to me) ill-conceived and ill-supported fluff about civilisation softening "the mind and the body".

I'm absolutely not saying no, but you'll have to work that bit harder, especially with so many other excellent submissions for me to choose from.

Lastly, while an Ulfen/Kellid union wouldn't be unheard of, it would be uncommon in Ustalav, and Rolof would not be treated well in the monocultural, suspicious, settled-Varisian-supremacist, insular society of Ustalav. That's not a problem, but you should prepare for the character to be dismissed as irrelevant by well-to-do Ustalavic society.

Only two real pieces of feedback for you. Firstly, being a Ravengro local is actually a negative for this AP. Having a local in the party actually invalidates the first half of the first chapter. So I'd strongly advise you to change that (which fortunately, due to the Professor's peripatetic lifestyle, shouldn't prove difficult).

Secondly, I've always struggled with the concept of an urban barbarian. You will want to sell me that concept well if you want to be selected. I realise that's not exactly 'fair', but the selection process is inevitably a subjective one.

My problem with the urban barbarian is primarily that it takes an established class and neuters its flavour for a handful of lines of (to me) ill-conceived and ill-supported fluff about civilisation softening "the mind and the body".

I'm absolutely not saying no, but you'll have to work that bit harder, especially with so many other excellent submissions for me to choose from.

Lastly, while an Ulfen/Kellid union wouldn't be unheard of, it would be uncommon in Ustalav, and Rolof would not be treated well in the monocultural, suspicious, settled-Varisian-supremacist, insular society of Ustalav. That's not a problem, but you should prepare for the character to be dismissed as irrelevant by well-to-do Ustalavic society.

Okay, not from Ravengro, easy enough. I've considered the repercussions of an Ulfen/Kellid union and i'm alright with it. If anything it contributes to his barbarism running thick in his veins from his Kellid father and his Ulfen berserker mother. My thinking is that Rolof learned to fight under this combined tutelage while his traveling parents made their livings as sellswords. The professor ,traveling abroad and being in need of protection, employed Rolof's parents before him and Rolof once he was old enough to swing his sword . This blend of old world fighting styles combined with the need to be a successful diplomat in order to make a living as a mercenary lends itself naturally to the urban barbarian in my opinion. I understand your doubts about the archtype but i dont't get very hung up on the whole barbarism angle, Rolof will likely multiclass into a rouge in later levels, to reflect more skilled growth.

I'm having problems with my account, too; I can edit my profile but it won't save. Will keep trying.

I was having some major issues with editing yesterday as well, but I found that things seemed to clear up when I switched from firefox to IE. Don't know if it was the switching browsers or having a fresh session that fixed it.

Waitwaitwait... so you're saying switching to IE fixed the problem.

I flat-out don't believe you. :P

Sweet Jesus, it's true. I can access my account and aliases if I use Internet Exploder.

The Mayan apocalypse thing might be real after all.

Sigh... I have to re-think my whole world-view.

I was having some major issues with editing yesterday as well, but I found that things seemed to clear up when I switched from firefox to IE. Don't know if it was the switching browsers or having a fresh session that fixed it.

Tried it, and it failed.