Hello! Really glad to be here, can't wait to start the game with you guys!
Hello everyone! I'm Kat, and I'm thrilled to have been selected along with you all. My character is Ilystria; she'll be the one keeping everyone alive (hopefully). As a fey creature, my idea for her is to be curious, kindly, a bit strange, and equal parts childishly naïve and startlingly insightful. Hopefully I can do the concept justice.
Anyway, I'm happy to coordinate backgrounds with anyone. Ilystria would have spent much time with the Professor over the decades she's known him, so it could be that she may have traveled alongside your character before.
Either way, I'm looking forward to playing with you all. And thank you, Iazulin!
Hello there! I'm Sapiens, I'm a 23-years-old Computer Engineering student from Italy, and this will be my first PbP campaign, though I have about five years' worth of real life roleplaying experience. I'm thrilled at this chance!
Nasrin will be foreign-looking in Ustalav, since I think that Kelesh would be like real world Persia/Iran, and will mainly take the role of frontline fighter (and maybe protector through Bodyguard) and provide a bit of arcane magic (mostly through items, though, since my spell list is mainly combat-focused). She can also Intimidate and use Knowledge (arcana, religion and planes).
About the backgrounds, I don't think that I would have had a chance to meet any of you other, unless you visited Kelesh, Absalom or Varisia.
I got the letter from Kendra and I'm replying right now.
Yep! Just got your letter.
Ilystria-It'll be fun to play with a Gathlain, I've always loved them-I'm currently playing a Gathlain sorcerer in another PbP. I was actually looking through your background, and I noticed that you spent some time with a pack of werewolves. Romulus has lived on his own for most of his life, but when he was about 15 (about 11 years ago now) he ran into a pack of werewolves and managed to bluff his way into them believing he actually was a true lycanthrope, and not just a skinwalker. Maybe our paths crossed then?
Also, I just wanted to point out that this party is a veritable wolf pack. Between mine and Ilystria's animal companions and my ability to turn into a wolf...should be fun.
@Iazulin I have, yes.
@Romulus I'm definitely excitedly to play a Gathlain. I actually hadn't heard of the race until I started planning a submission for this recruitment and took a look at the "Other Races" at Paizo. I would love to think that Romulus and Ilystria could have met back then, but unfortunately Ilystria hadn't started to live with lycanthropes until fairly recently (after she became an Oracle, which I had as a few months before the game starts). =/
But I thought the same thing in regards to the wolf pack. I think Ilystria would feel right at home with Romulus, Mara and Fenmaer. When Romulus shifts, though, does his type change or is he still considered humanoid? I ask because I'm pretty sure the next revelation I'm going to get is Friend to Animals. And I'm curious as to whether Speak with Animals would work, too.
I'm pretty sure his type changes-I took the houseruled feat that the GM made, it's identical to Bat Shape except I take the form of a wolf instead. So it's basically an at-will Beast Shape II, except I only get 1 form. As far as I can tell, I'd just become an animal, lose the humanoid type, and then get a boost to physical scores but keep my mental ones. Speak with Animals would probably work then. Which would be good, because a translator would be very useful, haha.
And that's fine, with the backstory-it could be very interesting to play out, actually. Romulus is VERY frightened of werewolves, as he's worried about actually turning into one someday. Meeting someone who's actually lived amongst them would both intrigue and freak him out, I think.
If that's the case, and those two abilities will work when he's in his wolf form, then it looks like I picked the right mystery. Lol.
I'm confused on the distinction between the two, though. What separates a Witchwolf from a werewolf?
So a witchwolf is just a kind of skinwalker. Usually skinwalkers are descendants of lycanthropes, and they can do a kind of partial shift into a more bestial form, at will. Romulus just takes it a step further-he can change into an actual wolf, but he isn't a true lycanthrope. He doesn't get the defensive abilities of a werewolf, doesn't afflict people with lycanthropy, and he doesn't involuntarily transform, like an afflicted lycanthrope. Basically, skinwalkers are pseudo-werebeasts. They have a hybrid form, like lycanthropes, but unless they actually take the feat (which I have), they can't transform into an animal form.
Oh, I see. Thanks for that, I couldn't find out the difference myself.
So I read over Rom's background; Ilystria's spent most of her time on the Material Plane avoiding human civilisations herself. If Romulus fled into the Shudderwood after Lepidstadt, maybe they could have run into each other there some time? Just spitballing. I meant it when I said I'm happy to coordinate backgrounds.
Ooh, can Ilystria be pack alpha? She could be two feet of terror.
@Romulus, if you want to just say your character is a werewolf while using skinwalker statistics that would be fine.
Hmm, interesting. He'd be a natural werewolf, then? Because accursed ones have the whole involuntary transformation thing going on. Also, I feel like being able to spread lycanthropy would be kind of powerful, especially at these lower levels.
@Ilystria-You're definitely pack alpha, that's just a given :P And yeah, I feel like it's definitely likely that we would've run into each other at some point. Although it seems that in the Shudderwood, most of the fey would be people you try and avoid at all costs-the Worldwound seems to have really screwed them over. Rom's SUPER wary of just about everybody, for pretty good reasons. He's a werewolf (I think I might just go that way, I can't really pass up the opportunity, now can I?) who lives in a demon-infested forest. You can't really trust anyone there, can you?
I meant keeping the mechanics as is but changing the flavor. Your powers would all be the same, you'd just be able to say "I'm a werewolf" instead of "I'm a skinwalker", if that makes sense.Hmm, interesting. He'd be a natural werewolf, then? Because accursed ones have the whole involuntary transformation thing going on. Also, I feel like being able to spread lycanthropy would be kind of powerful, especially at these lower levels.@Romulus, if you want to just say your character is a werewolf while using skinwalker statistics that would be fine.
That sounds great, actually. Let's just go that way then-I'm a werewolf!
Yes, pack alpha! Oh, this is already shaping up to be a great game, and we haven't even started.
I can understand Romulus being wary of everybody; Ilystria is going to be wary of most humans initially. Maybe the two happened upon each other in the forest when they were alone (except for Mara and Fen). Maybe Romulus didn't spook because she didn't look like a twisted fey (whatever they might look like), and Ilystria didn't spook because she sensed he wasn't entirely human, what with that +5 to Knowledge (nature) and all. Unless you want Rom's new werewolf status (and congrats on that) to be harder to discern.
Thank you, thank you, Iazulin! You'll make me blush if you keep that up. =) I can't wait to see what you cook up. I'm excited to be playing a fey; I think it'll be a challenge--how does a human accurately represent something so alien, right?--but I've been doing my homework. I've been reading Fey Revisited, and what few references to fey I can find in Pathfinder Tales.
Do you have any pointers from playing your Gathlain, Rom?
Well, when he's deep in the woods Rom tends to stick to wolf form. He's a little stronger, faster, and it just makes things easier for him. So if you saw him at a distance, it might be kind of obvious that this one wolf is a lot smarter than your average wolf. Might be something that Ilystria would want to look into.
As for Gathlain-I'm kind of in the same boat as you, my campaign with Roosevelt (my sorcerer) only started a few months back on the forums. I'm trying to portray him as a kind of happy-go-lucky guy, who doesn't quite *get* the societies he travels to. He loves (absolutely LOVES) gnomes, and kind of fanboys over them whenever he meets some. Also, stuff kind of hits the fan wherever he goes. Sometimes it's his fault, sometimes it isn't. Honestly, I've kind of accidentally made him into a combination of the Doctor and the fey from the Dresden Files (which if you haven't read, is an absolutely amazing book series, and the fey in it are absolutely terrifying). He also has a pet treant named Toorg (wildblooded fey bloodline is awesome) who has more kills than anyone else in the party.
I'm so excited for this campaign, thanks so much for all the GM houserules so far-I'm having a blast already and we haven't even started yet! I just hope we can make it through Harrowstone in one piece.
Well damn, guess I am the last one to the party! Very excited to receive the email and be chosen with all of you (nice end to a long day of work). Sadly I have no animal companion, so I do not round out the wolf pack, though I am demonborn, so I am a bit of a beast.
Mathias brings a strong melee focus with a divine twist (going to multi into either Inquisitor or warpriest), as well as a broad skill set. He fills the iconic role of the Byronic hero of Gothic literature. Not a full blown antihero, Mathias is lost in his torment and balances close to the line between light and darkness.
Illystria will effectively be our 'alpha', as she has the charisma in the party.
So a demon, a fey, a werewolf, and a woman walk into a funeral...
@Romulus I was just thinking that having fey and werewolves was very Dresden File-y and then you turn out to be another reader, this is great.
I also love how we split the social skills between us, I think this will make for some seriously bizarre conversations.
Can't wait to start this wolfpack! My codename will be Desert Wolf.
Is everyone ok with using roll20?
For maps, right? I haven't used it yet but it's perfectly fine by me.
Yeah, I'm cool with using roll20 for maps.
I'm just wondering how the villagers are going to react when they see us. I mean, me and Nasrin could be fine-I can pass for human. But I'm not too sure about Mathias, he might at least set off some alarm bells. And well...unless we try and disguise Ilythria as a really ugly baby, there isn't much we could do to hide the fact that she's basically a plant fey. It's gonna be real interesting when we meet the simple, horribly xenophobic residents of Ustalav.
You are the bluffer, Rom, but I'd say we could pass Mathias' scaly skin for an illness and Ilystria as either a really weird gnome or someone's familiar.
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Hey, hey, cool your jets, pal. A human baby should be lucky to look like Ilystria. =P I had the same concerns, though. Not to mention the two wolves that'll be trailing the group. Hopefully, Ilystria can be charismatic enough to convince the villagers to overlook all of that. According to the numbers on Ravengro's population, there are a few halflings, elves, half-elves and other pointy-eared races; maybe the citizens there won't be that bad. But, if they are, that's what the wolf pack is for, right?
I like that each of the character's has their own social expertise, too. Like each of us is a different part of the "face". Should be interesting if the group ever has to interrogate someone.
EDIT: I'm fine with using roll20 for combat, too.
So a demon, a fey, a werewolf, and a woman walk into a funeral...
Hopefully at least another normal height person walks into that funeral, or the punchline to that joke is going to be that the Professor's coffin has to be dragged to its final resting place. Lol.
Mathias wears a heavy overcoat with a sizeable cowl he can pull up to hide a majority of his features. While the generic ability is Scaly Skin, as written it is a thickened hide, and he has a pallid appearance (likely equally disconcerting to the superstitious folk of Ustalav), almost as though he was one of the dead....
Small question: how do we want to handle spells and different languages? I was thinking something like
In a flash of anger, Nasrin curses in her native language. "!ممکن است شیطان خوری که می"Kelish:May the demons eat you!
And in the same way
Nasrin points her hand with the palm upwards. "Świcie kwiat, oświetlić drogę!"Spellcraft DC 15:Four bright spheres of light appear out of thin air and start orbiting around her.Dancing lights
I'm alright with other notations, just wanted to get in sync.
I've taken the habit of copying everything I write before previewing, Paizo hungers for words.
Oh, that's the worse! I use liberal use of the preview button and that seems to store the post safely enough for me.
At least this gives us time to get to know each other and our characters a little better.
I could post, but I wanted to wait for other people, I guess we're in different timezones but it feels kind of lonely...
I meant to have Ilystria give a speech, too, but migraines have a way of draining all the creativity out of me. I'll have a post up shortly-ish.
Really sorry for the hold up, guys-long story short, I got a new job a few weeks ago, and I'm still in that stage where I'm trying to figure out how to juggle it with my old job. Which means that some days I get home and then just kinda collapse into bed, despite having posts at least planned out. I'll try to not let it affect my posting too much, but that's just the situation at the moment for me.
I'm just happy that the wolf pack's staying intact.
If you feel that I'm pushing too hard, stealing the spotlight or trying to "lead" the party where I want, please tell me so that I can balance my roleplaying. This is my first PbP campaign, and in my real life group we used to discuss every plan for half an hour before acting.
Not at all! I don't really concern myself over those kinds of issues. That said, I might be oblivious to the possibility that I could be guilty of the same now and then, so if that's the case and anyone is bothered by it, please let me know.
I'm happy either to discuss the group's plans out of character, or to let the plans develop through roleplay.
OOC, I'm fine with any of the options presented so far: graveyard stakeout (which I think would be a fun scene to roleplay anyway), going to talk to the priest, or going to bed and visiting the temple in the morning. Ilystria would be more hesitant about the graveyard, but willing to go through with it if the group feels it's necessary. She's operating on the assumption that, if the cult were going to mutilate the Professor, it would have been easier to go about it right after he was killed. She's too naïve to understand any motivations they might have to wait.
I agree that watching the graveyard could be morbidly funny, but on second thought it would be a choice of splitting the party or leaving Kendra unguarded, and I don't really like that.
Going to the priest now could be time-effective, but we would end up at night in a necromancer-infested town. One way or another, anyhow, we will need to either leave Kendra alone when we go to the tomb (and later the Harrowstone, I guess) or bring her with us. Myself, I think that going to the temple tomorrow morning, then to the crypt would be the safest bet, but narrowly dodging a TPK is one of the great things in life. In case we want to stake the graveyard out, I think we should all go and leave Kendra somewhere safe, like the temple of Pharasma or perhaps the inn. We may even leave one or both the wolves with her. Of course, then, leaving her alone this night could be harsh, so... I'm good either way, let's just not split the party.
Additionally, if Kendra can use magic, we could buy her scrolls of vanish, sanctuary and such defensive spells, in case we need to leave her alone.
I also think going to the temple in the morning would be safest, but I'll let Romulus and Mathias weigh in on what they/their characters would like to do before I make another post, if that's alright.
Yes, let's decide together. Kendra being a wizard could be very, very useful, since my selection of spells is very narrow.