RainyDayNinja's Untitled Campaign (Inactive)

Game Master RainyDayNinja

You trudge through the old worn-out streets of your home town late at night, heading back to your parents' house after a jam session with your friends, when a flyer posted to the town message board catches your eye. You tear it from the nail and read the announcement:

It's always been your dream to get signed with Pan-Throm Recordings, the biggest enchanted music stone producer in the whole world. A measly 100 gp isn't much, but it could be enough for you to finally go to Barger City and try to catch your big break. Clutching the flyer to your chest, you run back to tell the rest of your bandmates...

I'm recruiting for a campaign centered around the PCs' band, and their quest for fame and glory. This would be kind of a practice campaign for me, since I've never run one before, so I anticipate it will be relatively short. If you hadn't noticed already, it's going to be rather tongue-in-cheek, so some level of goofiness is expected and encouraged.

I'm looking for 4-6 players, and expect an activity of about one post per day. If you're interested, post your character details, including name, background (keep in mind that all the PCs live in the same small town, and are already a band), instrument, and multiclass/role you plan to play. I don't need to see stats right away, so you can wait until after the roster is finalized.

Character creation notes:
-Of course, all characters have to be bards. However, in order to get a little specialization in right off the bat, characters start at level 3, and are allowed a single, one-level dip in another class. Further levels gained will be mostly as bards, but every 3rd level can be taken in another class.

-20 point buy.

-150 gp starting wealth. (You're a garage band. What did you expect?)

-In order to make them a viable choice, Dwarves can take their -2 penalty to DEX instead of CHA.

-Anything in the PRD is fair game. Core races only.

-2 Traits allowed, as long as you can make them square with you currently living as a nobody in a small farming village.

-Since you are in a band, Perform checks will be crucial. Plan accordingly.

Dottong. The name Rekkstuff Halen came immediately to mind.

Oh so looking forward to this.

Now.....
Drunken brute 1 savage skald 2 half orc drummer?

or

Infernal bloodline sorcerer 1 magician 2 elf lead guitar?

or

Ninja 1 Court bard 2 Gnome manager.

or

Alchemist 1 detective 2 bassist

or

Celebrity 3 vocalist.

or.........

I'll try making a half elf urban barbarian/bard guitarist/backup vocalist. With smasher asap.

Dunno what I'll be yet, but I'm in.

Consider me on board! Concept to follow after much ponderance...

I am claiming the chair at the back.
Half-orc drummer to follow shortly.

Now to google everything Ringo, Lars Ulrich, Micky Heart, Roger Meddows Taylor, and Tommy Ramone ever said.

Is any 3rd edition material available? This sounds like an awesome campaign, but there's a lot of really cool bard stuff in 3rd edition I've not yet been able to use as a player that I would really like to bring to bear.

On that note, how many rounds of music counts as a 'use' for bardic music use-activated ability? (The very most I personally would recommend is 2, since the bard gains 2 uses per level, and the extra music feat grants 6 rounds (which would be 3 uses compared to the 4 uses of 3.5's extra music.) 1 round = 1 use could be workable too, but you're the GM, you make the choice :P

Please answer these, and I'll make my decision and (if I decide to play) start crafting a character :)

Is any 3rd edition material available? This sounds like an awesome campaign, but there's a lot of really cool bard stuff in 3rd edition I've not yet been able to use as a player that I would really like to bring to bear.

On that note, how many rounds of music counts as a 'use' for bardic music use-activated ability? (The very most I personally would recommend is 2, since the bard gains 2 uses per level, and the extra music feat grants 6 rounds (which would be 3 uses compared to the 4 uses of 3.5's extra music.) 1 round = 1 use could be workable too, but you're the GM, you make the choice :P

Please answer these, and I'll make my decision and (if I decide to play) start crafting a character :)

Sorry, no 3e material allowed. And just 1 round of bardic music to activate.

Is it alright if my character doesn't exactly perform during the song, but rather uses Perform (Oratory) to work up the crowd beforehand (doing introductions, etc) and then stands off-stage during the performance, doing special effects via dancing lights and such?

EDIT: He could potentially also be the "face man" who negotiates new gigs.

In line with the tongue in cheek-ness promoted by the first post, I believe I will go with:

A Dwarven Bard from the Land of the Linnorm Kings.... who plays the piccolo. Laughed at while he grew up for playing such a small and girly instrument when all the cool kids were playing the bagpipes, Tobar ran away from home.

He financed his run through the world by stealing his dad's armor and weapons and has just sold the family axe into hock for another few weeks of rations, but man the big break is just around the corner...

I'll pore over the archetypes and see if I want to dip a level to show he was forced into fighter school by his father before getting the courage to follow his dreams of being an alternative music icon.

On a practical note - a quick question:
What technological level are we setting the instruments at? - I'd love for Tobar to have both the piccolo and contrabassoon as his instruments of choice, but the contrabasson wasn't invented until the mid 18th century.

On a practical note - a quick question:
What technological level are we setting the instruments at? - I'd love for Tobar to have both the piccolo and contrabassoon as his instruments of choice, but the contrabasson wasn't invented until the mid 18th century.

Oooo good question. I am seeing our drummer using bongos but dreaming of a full kit, high hatand all.

@Jiggy: You could use Oratory to work up the crowd during instrumental sections as well, or specialize in spoken-word songs a la William Shatner or Rex Harrison. Or you could use your dancing lights for special effects, but either way they would still require Perform checks as part of the skill challenge. And I doubt there will be any shortage of "face" characters in this party.

@Mark: That all sounds good. I'm not going to be picky about the technological level of the instruments, as long as they're not electric (although a magic-based theremin could be interesting...)

RainyDayNinja: Excellent - will post up some details once I've got it mostly sorted.

Considering Sea Singer so that the band can have a mascot....

kyrt-ryder wrote:

Is any 3rd edition material available? This sounds like an awesome campaign, but there's a lot of really cool bard stuff in 3rd edition I've not yet been able to use as a player that I would really like to bring to bear.

On that note, how many rounds of music counts as a 'use' for bardic music use-activated ability? (The very most I personally would recommend is 2, since the bard gains 2 uses per level, and the extra music feat grants 6 rounds (which would be 3 uses compared to the 4 uses of 3.5's extra music.) 1 round = 1 use could be workable too, but you're the GM, you make the choice :P

Please answer these, and I'll make my decision and (if I decide to play) start crafting a character :)

Sorry, no 3e material allowed. And just 1 round of bardic music to activate.

Thanks anyway then. Good luck with your campaign RDN

Potential Band Members Thus Far:
Trinam - Half-Elf Lead Guitar / Back-up Vocals, guitar smashing raging rocker
Jiggy - Spoken Word, and in charge of the Pyro every rockin band needs some pyro action.
Poor Wandering One - Half-Orc Drummer
Mark Sweetman - Dwarven Woodwind, both piccolo (for most stuff) and contrabassoon (for the ballads)

I'm tempted...

Upon reflection, I'm thinking a Sound-Striker Bard Bassist/Back-up Vocals.

Win. Pure-epic-win. I'm looking forward to seeing how this game pans out!

Potential Band Members Thus Far:
Trinam - Half-Elf Lead Guitar / Back-up Vocals, guitar smashing raging rocker
Jiggy - Spoken Word, and in charge of the Pyro every rockin band needs some pyro action.
Poor Wandering One - Half-Orc Drummer
Mark Sweetman - Dwarven Woodwind / Emo Balladeer, piccolo and singing
Edgar Lamoureux - Sound-Striker Bard Bassist/Back-up Vocals

If needed I can step up and be a lead vocalist, playing piccolo on the side similar to how guys like Bob Dylan use the harmonica.

RainyDayNinja - I know you stated PRD only in the original post, but I was hoping to get a few additional things approved from Paizo products. They've been identified in the crunch spoiler above and I can provide details if you would like?

@Mark: The trouble is I don't have access to those products, so I don't know what those things do. If you give me the details on them I'll consider it, but I just don't want to open up a free-for-all where everyone is asking for half a dozen things from half a dozen other books that I don't have.

RainyDayNinja - completely understand, and have provided details below for your perusal.

I'm still interested even if you don't like the look of any of those.

I'm going to go ahead and say no, because if I allow those, then EVERYONE will want them, and I'd probably just end up raising the DC on your Perform checks to compensate. I'd rather you think of creative ways to use your other skills to help your performance (or hinder your opponents').

Plus, if you use up all your spells on the concert, what will you do when combat starts? Keep in mind that there will still be combat encounters (at least as many combats, if not more, than Perform challenges), not to mention other skill challenges. So while becoming a hyper-focused Perform monkey might let you rock the first show, you might not survive to the second.

Not a problem sir - will limit myself to only what is on the PRD then.

I'll probably re-jig a bit to a Court Bard archetype, so that we can get Satire and Mockery going when we need it. Change out the Skill Focus (Perform) for something more combat worthy...

Consider him an emo Goth face painted Norse Dwarf who sings depressing songs about his feelings and plays an absurdly small flute ;)

Rekkstuff VanHalen is starting to come together... Dude is a urban barbarian (plus smasher if I can stack them, haven't looked yet) with catch off guard, and his bard archetype is archaeologist. This is because he's both the guy who jury rigs things when they break (usually because of him), and he's more lucky than skilled.

Screw high end optimization, I'mma make me a bard who beats things to death with his masterwork guitar.

Dotting. I don't have time to join but I have GOT to see where this goes....

@Trinam: I heartily support that choice.

Also, HP gains for each level will be handled the same as in PFS. That is, max at 1st level, then the expected value for your hit die, rounded up (d6 -> 4, d8 -> 5, etc.) for all others.

Is 'Contract Law' a valid language to take?

Is 'Contract Law' a valid language to take?

Pretty sure that's either Infernal or Abyssal? :P

Trinam wrote:

Is 'Contract Law' a valid language to take?

Pretty sure that's either Infernal or Abyssal? :P

12 int and 3 ranks in linguistics. I gotta take something for the rest of the languages after those two. God this character is hilarious. :D

Go with something off the wall like Aklo, for those deep and meaningful lyrical interludes ;)

Go with something off the wall like Aklo, for those deep and meaningful lyrical interludes ;)

Aklo's evil fey language, isn't it..?

...Perfect for what is effectively a metal band member.

It would be no substitute for training in Profession (Contract Lawyer), but I would allow Contract Law as a language.

Mark Sweetman wrote:

Trinam wrote:

Is 'Contract Law' a valid language to take?

Pretty sure that's either Infernal or Abyssal? :P

12 int and 3 ranks in linguistics. I gotta take something for the rest of the languages after those two. God this character is hilarious. :D

The feat "Cosmopolitan" from the APG gives you two more languages, while simultaneously making two (INT, WIS or CHA-based) skills into class skills.

Already spent my feats, and already have all the good ones as class skills. He currently speaks common, elven, aklo, abyssal, infernal, and contract law.

He also lacks a spell component pouch. This was originally an oversight, but when I realized I'd have to downgrade from a masterwork guitar to get one...

In character, he clearly sold the pouch for the last 2 gold towards his baby. It's what any rocker would do, and he breaks things anyway.

Plus, if you use up all your spells on the concert, what will you do when combat starts? Keep in mind that there will still be combat encounters (at least as many combats, if not more, than Perform challenges), not to mention other skill challenges. So while becoming a hyper-focused Perform monkey might let you rock the first show, you might not survive to the second.

Now I have to guess how to balance combat- and skill-oriented feats/abilities.

Let the obsessive indecisiveness begin...

Hey hey HEY! Victor the half-elf here! Just wanted to pop in and make sure my stats all meet GM approval. Click my name and check out my profile, where my stats are divided into convenient spoilers.

With Jiggy being rather indecisive, he may tweak my starting gear and/or spells known between now and the first session, but hopefully that won't be a problem.

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got an avatar to choose...

I'm getting stuff together still, but he's coming together.

Bassist/Back-up vocals, Roger B. Right.

OK, Victor looks good as far as I can see. So it looks like we've got the lead "singer" spot filled.

OK, Victor looks good as far as I can see. So it looks like we've got the lead "singer" spot filled.

Wait, what? Victor's the talker, and Roger's "back-up" vocals.

Rekkstuff VanHalen has a alias, but needs a sheet. Will be done by tomorrow.

Rekkstuff VanHalen has a alias, but needs a sheet. Will be done by tomorrow.

Same here, pretty much. So many shiny, shiny decisions. I know, however, that Roger is not going to be multiclassing.

Roger, you look like you need a laxative. But maybe that's what you were going for. ;)

No, I just need a laxative. :P

In that case, I cast grease on what ails you. Fail a DC 14 reflex save and you're golden!

Wait guys. What's our band's name?

I vote 'The +1s.'

That has to be the strangest use of the spell I've ever heard of. In any case, I don't think I want you within the range needed to accurately target where that needs to go. :/

Edit: I second "The +1s"

Wait guys. What's our band's name?

I vote 'The +1s.'

For that matter, what genre are we?

@Roger - Don't worry, I can relieve you from 30 feet away.

Clearly, we are the inventors, lords, and kings of metal.

But of course. What else would we play? Jazz? Pffft

"The +1s" sounds okay to me.

So who's the lead singer?