I'm generally very picky about GMs and character creation rules. I do have a very large spreadsheet of race/class/campaign trait combinations that I want to play, but I try to tailor each application to both the specifics of the game world and the recruitment's applicant pool - the scattershot method where you adapt one character to every possible AP just never made sense to me. All of this tends to decrease the number of recruitments I apply to and takes a lot more work, and I'm still not picked most of the time, including some of my favorite and best-made characters.
Although, maybe I'm lucky after all, since out of the 5 games I've joined here, 4 are still going, with the longest one coming up to a year now. There have been plenty of disappearing players and long breaks (I'm not exactly the most consistent poster either, FWIW), but nobody has given up on them yet.
(Also, if the GM doesn't explicitly say it's okay, general practice seems to be to not RP in the recruitment thread. Has to do with clogging things up and making it harder to find questions, applicants, etc.)
Ive been on here for a couple years now and have yet to join a game that lasts longer than a couple months before falling apart 'sigh', fingers crossed.Ha ain't that the truth! It's not all bad, games that last longer than 3 months tend to stay the course in my experience, so if you're persistent you can find some gems.Hahahahahahahaha...20+, yeah...
And then you join a game that's already in progress, wait two months to get your character introduced, make six posts, and then someone else drops and the GM scraps it all.
PbP is actually short for Pathfinder but Painful.
Sorry to hear that, it sounds like either you've been very unlucky or conversely I've been lucky. Still there is a real barrier 2-3 three months in once the honeymoon period has worn off.
I had a very good campaign, but I died, and it was society, so since I didn't have another character in range, I was out.
I had a very good campaign, but I died, and it was society, so since I didn't have another character in range, I was out.
That is quite unfortunate.
My last AP attempt faded after we TPKd for the second time. Posting had really slowed to a crawl by that point as well.
I've had two really good ones that have been long running.
The rest crashed within 3 months, yeah.
Hm. Dotting, I suppose. I have a Samsaran that I've been tossing about in my head for awhile.
Oh! Let me elaborate! I'm new to this site, not play by post or forum based games. I've been an active member of rpol since 2004. I run my own game that uses the majority of pathfinder rules. It's just set in Faerun. It has been active for almost 6 years now with 1 player having been there from the beginning. She has gone from level 3-10.
I'm just old (school) and refuse to learn anything passed 3.x. I also like to play warriors. I don't like being a squishy. Clerics are my favorite casters and half-orc is my favorite race. Back in the day when Warmages were a thing, I liked them because their job was to blow stuff up. Warmages also made for great assassins at about level 12 if you dipped Rogue or Ranger.
So I know -how- to play and I am certainly familiar with the pros and cons of PbP as well as a huge number of applicants. It's just the pathfinder world, the APs, and navigating this site in general.
Which reminds me. How, where, and which character sheets are most used or seen? I typically use myth-weavers to store mine. Everything is nice, easy, and right there.
Also. What is this organized play / pathfinder society thing I keep seeing?
Thanks!
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Imagine if Pathfinder at home is Song of Ice and Fire, PFS is a procedural. It is pathfinder played in scenarios (much like episodes) and three episode arcs (moduals and series of senarios). There are characters, story threads and major events that shape the overarching story.
Your character advances through and death means the character is gone (there are ways to raise later) but the consequence are real in that you don't just get to roll up a new 7th level pc.
Which reminds me. How, where, and which character sheets are most used or seen? I typically use myth-weavers to store mine. Everything is nice, easy, and right there.
I shamelessly recommend my Character Creation Guide which will help you create a neatly formatted character sheet right here on the boards.
I personally think that the main thing to keep in mind to keep a game going is not to depend on the DM, DM's in a game are looking for people that will build their characters up and give them opportunities to RP. have side conversations with people (your party) . don't be reactive to what a DM does be proactive to get to know the others in your group and you will have a better time in the campaigns.
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I have like having a chat or discord serve to make out-of-game conversations easier than forum posts. It has been pretty good so far.
I also find things can get bogged down in decision making, which can get boring when things start getting repetitive. I find knowing when to call for a vote really helps.
Finally compliment others. Pc to pc and player to play. Part of playing role playing games is entertaining your friends. This is lost without effort in PBP. You don't get to see reactions or hear laughter so you should make up for this. It will make your game much better.
I agree completely. It's on the players to build relationships and drive the story. The GM is primarily there to try and keep us on track and guide the way, but it's on us to make the group work and keep it going.
A lot of people don't think about the fact that if a campaign is getting bogged down and there hasn't been a post in a while you can just throw a comment out in character, and a push out of character, to get it moving again instead of just waiting for others to post.
And yes, compliments or comments to each other both in and out of character are very good to help keep the group going.
This is kind of a rehash of what darkwing said, but I remember the hardest thing for me when I started pbp was to remember to be a little more assertive. Don't wait for someone to ask you what you're doing, just say it, talk to the other pc's or npc's talk about what you're doing in downtime and if someone else isn't talking much you can try to bring them in to the conversation. There were whole conversations I didn't take part in just cause I didn't speak up.
Everyone could benefit from reading Painlord's guide to play by post and the precessor from Doomed Hero. They propose ways to mitigate these issues.
I find that if people are posting every day then a game is way more likely to last long than if people are only posting a few times a week. It keeps the game fresh in everyone's mind and keep people interested.
As someone who runs a very successful game of their own, the most important thing I can say is to truncate the time tables. You know it can take weeks or months to clear out 3 rooms of a lighthouse. So instead of making it 10 rooms with 23 baddies plus a big bad, 6 rooms with 12 baddies and a big bad is sufficient.
Also, player advancement with their characters. Nobody wants to sit around and talk about the treasure they didn't get, the prestige class they don't qualify for, and the incomplete quest. You've got to level the party, hand out some loot, wreck a few big bads, and make the player feel like the last 6 months was worth their time so they are invested to stick around for the next 6.
As a GM, I'm a combination of the narrator and world builder. As a player, I'm a cross between the butt kicker and the power gamer. I'm not a murder hobo, but being able to stare down (up?) the ogre with a greatclub and say something sweet like, "I'm gonna shove that club up your butt and turn you into a popsicle!" things stay interesting. One of my all time favorite quotes is, "I'll kill a man in a fair fight. I'll kill a man in an unfair fight, or if I think he's going to start a fight, or if there's a woman involved, or if he bothers me, or if I'm getting paid. Mostly just if I'm getting paid. But cutting on yourself, raping and eating people? When does that get fun?" -Jayne Cobb
My point is, I play a pretty straight forward type of character. I play Jayne. The man they call Jayne.
Submitted Characters
Campincarl9127 - Vance Leroung, Human (Chelaxian) Transmuter Wizard
Shalm - Stilu Kaijitsu, Human (Tian-min) Paladin of Irori
Fenris105 - Rain Iyavak, Half-Elf Shifter
Remnar - Kurt Iron, Tiefling Fiend Flayer Magus
Hawksw0rd - Zero Sephyrus, Half-Elf Bladebound Kensai Magus
Sir Longears - Olaff Olaffson, Human (Ulfen) Fighter (Viking?)
Dripping Shapshifter - Lives-in-Ewer, Human Oozemorph Shifter
PJP - Selia D`Averam, Half-Elf Wild Whisperer Druid
eriktd - Zvetlana, Human (Varisian) White-Haired Witch
Mat_H - Kapenia, Changeling Seducer Witch
Oniwaban - Unnamed Cleric, Dwarf Cleric
oyzar - Evan Rivers, Half-Elf Summoner
DarkWingD - Remma'Mor, Samsaran Investigator
FangDragon - Rix, Human Magus
pauljathome - Nikka, Halfling Druid
Trinam - Monica, Human Rogue (UC)
Grandlounge - Ryn, Half-Elf Oracle
DarkWingD - Remma'Mor, Samsaran Investigator
theasl - Takota, Human Divine Tracker Ranger
Kobolum - Shasyli Vyraelys, Sorcerer
Codanous - Sunishi Teinori, Human Ninja
HighwayHitman - Juno Rainmaker, Half-Orc Fighter/Barbarian
22 Apps. That is a lot.
That having been said, I am announcing deadline.
For a fun writing bit in this last week, you may submit an RP sample here in thread between your character and any of the NPC's. Please spoiler this sample so we don't have page after page of RP. Failure to do so will not harm your chances, providing a sample may not necessarily help you, but this will definitely be a tool I use in consideration.
Any guidance as to what kind of interaction we should be having with the NPC, such as the general situation or topic? This will be fun either way but a lot easier to do with a prompt to start from.
You may direct any appropriate action. If Shalelu is your link to the town by way of trait, perhaps describe what caused you to meet. If Ameiko is your link, same story. Ditto Koya. If you don't have a link to the town, describe what caused you to come to be in the town, you may include an NPC as appropriate should you choose to. I will not lie, part of this is to ensure to me that you have in fact read the player's guide for this AP and understand the setting before we delve into it.
Well, I'll give it a try. I decided to go more roleplay than storytelling so instead of describing how Ameiko and I met I went with a recent conversation between us discussing our current situation. I did a little extra research on Sandpoint and its history on pathfinderwiki to flesh it out a bit. Also tried to keep it short since you don't want to read our amateur novels lol :P
After a busy weekend night at the Rusty Dragon, Kapenia and Ameiko sit down to have a drink and reminisce before cleaning up. Noticing that Ameiko seems a little down, Kapenia is curious.
"Hey sweetness, what's up? I'd think you'd be more high-spirited after how much money you brought in tonight"
Ameiko sighs and grins "You're right, but I'm a little restless. Now that I'm the eldest in the family, it seems like I'm tied to this place more than ever. Sure, I'm heading up the Kaijitsu glassmaking business and have a say like anyone in the four families, but that interests me much less than running this place. Hell, I'd love to get away for a while. Even though it didn't go as planned, I miss my short time with Sandru on the road."
Kapenia nods. "I understand. When I came into town with nothing but what I could carry and a new name, I was happy just to find a quiet place to stay for a while. I'm glad that young Deverin boy had his eye on me and introduced me to you. Can't say that I didn't prod him a little in that direction though" she says with a sly grin. "You're right though. This place is a little small for my tastes now that I've been here for a while, and I kind of miss having other Calistrians around. I don't understand why the cathedral doesn't have representation for the Savored Sting anyways...three of the six deities represented don't normally even have full temples, including Desna, whose priest runs the place." Shaking her head "I'm happy here. You're the first real friend I've had, and my only family since my mother abandoned me and my father sent me away, but I miss moving around and having my way, I mean MAKING my way, with new people in new places. If you ever decide to leave the family business to your little sister and move on, I'm at your side if you'll have me." Another sly grin "Plus, that Sandru is kinda cute too. I wonder what he thinks of me, or what might change if we went on the road with his caravan"
Ameiko finally perks up and laughs "Be careful with that one. He's a good man, but I wouldn't let Koya know you've got your eyes on him. She's pretty protective of her adopted son and I don't think she'd trust your intentions. Hell I'm not always sure I do."
Kapenia finishes her drink and gets up to wash the mugs. "Oh sweetness, you know you can always trust me. I'd never hurt you, and all I'd do to him is give him what he needs, whether he knows it or not"
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Just fixed a few stat errors and increased the specific ties to Sandpoint.
Ryn Lye is a short stalky half-elf. So mismatched are his features that he has been accused of being half goblin dog. One blue one brown eye, a mess of tangled curly hair, his beard is patchy and unshaved. His posture is poor and little effort is put into his clothing.
Rye is neither as bright nor a graceful the elves and half-elves of his conclave he is a lumbering oddity. His fate was sealed the day he was born, which was the day his great-grandfather, the previous lorekeeper, died.
The elves say that when his grandfather died his spirit and the spirit of the past lore keepers were bound to him. This altered the course of his like in several ways. First, Ryn was plagued by spirits beyond his control. This made studying magic and history very difficult for him. The strange occurrences that followed him we unlike those of his predecessors and pushed him towards the outskirts of society. As Ryn grew he found a second well off spiritual energy within himself. It was the will of battle itself. Again, this was unlike the previous five lorekeepers. There had not been a warrior guardian of knowledge in centuries. The last was an ancient elf Glynis who served to inspired Ryn to take control of his power. He did his best to fill the role of seer and protector of tradition. At best he performed adequately. His mother was smart and his father graceful and they provided as much guidance as they could.
Half-elves live in small communities that can protect themselves, but the lorekeeper’s job is to keep the stories for all of them. His job is also to remind the elves and half-elves of the elder’s tales like those of their parents’ parents’ who joined the ranks of the Shining Crusade to drive Tar-Baphon’s armies from the banks of Lake Encarthan. The lorekeepers often travel between towns, to collect tales from these places. From there they move on to broader regions looking for isolated individuals that are scattered throughout nations.
Koya Mvashti was a close friend of Ryn's family often provide spiritual guidance to Ryn and helping him manage his powers. Between lessons, she regales him with stories of her own travels, as well as adventures real and imaged that head about. As children Sandru Vhiski and Ryn would listen for hours, then he would come and play in the half-elf conclave. Ryn and Sandru have been close their whole lives. Ryn lack of master of his ability has prevented him from aid in recent sand point crises, but Sandru stepped up gaining the respect of the town. This a sparked Ryn's ambitions to do more and be better. He wants to prove to be his friends equal should the need arise.
Half-Elf Oracle 1; Ancient Lorekeep Warsighted
Neutral Medium
Init: +5 Senses: Perception +3
DEFENSE
AC: 15 Touch: 11 Flat-Footed: 14
HP:11
Fort: +2 Ref: 0 Will: +2
OFFENSE
Longspear +3(1d8+6 20/x3)
Ranged: Sling +1(1d4+4)
Oracle spells known:
1st 4/4 Cure Light Wounds, Divine Favor, Shield of Faith (CL 1; concentration +3)
0 Detect Magic, Guidance, Read Magic, Stabilize
STATISTICS
Str 16 Dex 12 Con 14 Int 12 Wis 7 Cha 14
Base Atk:0 CMB +3 CMD 14
Skills: Diplomacy +6; Knowledge (arcana) +5; Knowledge (Religion) +5; Perception +3; Spellcraft +5;
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Feats: Combat Reflexes;
Specials: Martial Flexibility; Curse: Haunted; Mystery: Battle; Dual minded, Flexible half breed, Mismatched, Elf blood, Elven immunities,
Language: Common, Elven
Traits: Seeker, Fate’s Favored
Equipment: studded leather, longspear, quarterstaff, sling (medium), outfit (traveler's), sling bullets (10), compass, oracle's kit
Here it is GM! Let me know if you want anything else. I've used an accent to represent Olaff's skald language but if you prefer, I can get rid of it.
"Motherr neverr rreally mentioned you orr yourr motherr... baba Niska..." Olaff finally broke words, raising his eyes to face Koya, a face at the same time too familiar and too different. His recently deceased mother, Iolana Mvashti, was Koya's younger sister and the resemblance was clear... clear enough for him to feel the loss once again. As fate decided, Olaff arrived in Sandpoint to bury his mother on the lands she was born just a day before Koya's mother, and his until now unknown grandmother, died. The two were buried side by side at Niska's request, perhaps in a strange attempt to bring them closer in death when in life they were apart. "I'd like to think that if I have knew of you, I'd have came herre to visit you..." he then sips and thinks for a couple seconds before continuing. "Nah... I'd not. Ve Ulfen arre not like you Varrisians... ourr bonds arre differrent."
"Yet, here you are..." Koya interjected as she flipped another card from her harrow deck and put it beside the others. She was calm, even if it was possible to see that she was still mourning the loss of her mother.
"Yes... herre I am." Olaff answered after another long sip from his bottle. "So, if ve arre indeed family, the oath is valid..." Koya raised her eyes from her deck of cards for the first time, silent as she waited for him to finally tell her what her mother wanted to talk to him before she passed away. "...baba Niska... she made me promise herr to accompany you if you everr vent on a long trrip... to ensurre yourr safety..." He tried to sip from the bottle once more, but it was finally empty, so he got up, having difficulties to keep his balance, and walked towards the door. "I'll go now, aunt Koya orr vateverr you vish me to call you... I'll go beforre I make anotherr oath... just don't forrget to tell me if you intend on making a long trrip... as I've said, I've made an oath, and I don't have anything betterr to do anyvay..."
Excellent, a deadline and a writing opportunity! I'm particularly swamped with work today so I will see about getting the RP sample done tomorrow.
Eh, seems like plenty of interest. I'm going to withdraw Kurt.
I hate homework ;)
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I leave a cliffhanger ending because the player's guide suggests that the answer will happen in the AP.
Ameiko continues her story, “I grab them both by their collars and with a swift kick threw them out in the mud. Gregor landed face first, so I said, ‘there now your mouth has a reason to be that filthy’.
Sandru interrupts, “you swear all the time.”
“So? His mouth was full of dirt, so the joke works.”
“No, it only works if you don’t want them to swear.”
Ameiko looks to Ryn for support.
He smiles, “Ameiko’s right. Just because she swears that does not mean that she can’t tell other people they shouldn’t. But, there is no way Gregor is going to listen. Three times that guy has tried to open a keg by punching it. Three-times he has been treated for broken hand bones by Koya.”
Ryn hears the what sounds like chimes only to realize, too late, that he is tapping his spoon on his plate repeatedly.
“You’re going to crack the plate in half if you keep that up.” Smirks Sandru.
Ryn drops the spoon with an even louder clatter.
“Okay…ummm.”
Both guests wait patiently giving Ryn a chance to collect his thoughts. They are used to this.
“You both have already been out traveling here and there. You have your own stories and that’s my job to collect stories.I should collect them. The stories...”
Ryn stops and takes one more breath. He sits up remembering what his mother taught him about speaking and what Koya taught him about quieting the ghosts.
“You both have taken journeys. Upon those journeys, you accrued stories. This means that you are farther along the path of lorekeeper than I am despite this not being your tradition. You both have helped me train as a righter over the years and I am grateful. Madame Koya has provided exceptional guidance as a spiritual mentor. And I hear you are leaving on another caravan expedition.”
Ryn takes another breath trying to keep focused.
“I would like to accompany you and Madame Koya on this journey I need to be leaving soon anyway. You both understand the time pressure I am under, so I should be leaving as soon as I can and though it is not an elven story I would like to be able to recount Madame Koya’s tale to rest of Sandpoint.”
Ryn leaves the pause hanging in the air.
Submitted Characters
hustonj, here, again.
I believe Gudada has been fully adapted and is ready for evaluation.
Varisian Entertainer Unchained Rogue.
Waking in his mother's hovel, the young Varisian stares at the ceiling, watching the flickering shadows thrown from the dying candle. After a few moments of trying to pretend it is just another morning, Gudada forces himself onto his feet. He stands, looking at the final black candle for a moment before removing the ball of black wax stubs from a pouch and pushing them down onto the flame, snuffing it out and adding the stub to the ball. He takes a few moments to roll the ball, working the new stub into the mass, before putting it back in the pouch. Grabbing the pouch and a wineskin sitting next to it, he leaves the hovel, heading for Koya's. As he walks, his face and presentation fall comfortably into the showman, waving at and greeting the citizens he passes in the early morning streets.
Koya, Sandru, and the Varisians of Sandru's caravan are waiting for him as he walks up. 'Dada stops and looks at the gathering, nodding to each individually before turning to Sandru and Koya. "Thank you for honoring Nadya with your presence this morning." He starts to add to that simple statement, but thinks better about it, leading the group on to the church's graveyard instead. They gather around a recent, unmarked grave in the pauper's corner.
Sandru digs a small hole at the foot of the grave, a couple of feet deep, and steps back. Gudada puts the wax ball into the hole, and covers it over again, with the dirt Sandru just moved. He speaks as he moves slowly around the grave. "Nadya, the 40 candles have burned. If you let them, they have burned away your anger, your frustration, and your pain from your life, converting them to memories that have no control over you. We hope that you can focus on the positives in your life, on your children and the things that we have done with the gifts that you provided us. That you can celebrate your life as well as ours."
He produces the wineskin, removes the cap, takes a drink and passes it to his right. The Varisians each give a short whoop as they accept the wineskin before taking a short draw and passing it to the next person in the circle. When it makes it back to Gudada, he also gives a whoop and takes another sip. "Today we celebrate your life, and wish you well on the last great wandering. Joyfully follow Desna as she leads you to the last great caravan, and take your place among our legends." The young man pours the rest of the wine at the head of his mother's grave. "Join us in celebration even as you leave us!" Once the skin empties, he drops it on the ground at her head, and steps away from the grave.
As he moves back, Koya steps forward and performs the final Desnan rituals. Once complete, she says simply "There is no longer anyone here." The group turns and scatters, wandering off in apparently random directions until they have left the graveyard, and then turning back to their homes and caravan.
Gudada stops at the graveyard entrance, watching the others as they leave, the showman slipping from his face as his tears finally begin to show.
So before I get to the prompt I wanted to know how you’re going to handle leveling. Will you be using experience or the far more common milestones?
“It's rented, actually.” Shasyli closed the door behind Shalelu with a bit of nervousness, the nervousness that always came whenever Shalelu visited her. “So what do I owe your unexpected visit?”
“Rented? So you're looking to buy a house to call your own?” Shalelu asks with a smile, but her false friendliness has already betrayed by the lack of sound with each step of her boots.
“Yes. So what do I owe this visit?” Shasyli wasn't going to let Shalelu dodge her question. She wanted to know why Shalelu had visited her, mainly to seek relief for her tensing nerves.
“I heard you were back in town and decided to come visit that's all. I'll be heading to the Rusty Dragon after I leave here, you're welcome to come with me if you want.”
“No thank you. I need to save money right now not spend it.”
“There's not a lot of gold in dancing.”
“No there isn't. I was actually thinking of expanding my field of work, use what you taught me to do a little hunting.”
“There's not a lot of gold in hunting either.”
“No. But there's more in hunting then there is in giving dancing lessons to the local children. Besides, you taught me some useful survival skills and you're the best ranger around.” Shasyli gave Shalelu her own forced smile.
“Well why don't you come to the Rusty Dragon with me and I can give you some pointers over a pint. I'll pay, of course.”
“Thank you but no, I'm sure you and Ameiko don't want me there to prevent you from drinking each other under the table.” Shasyli couldn't keep her hesitance out of her voice. She didn't want to have it a long conversation with Shalelu about what she had been doing the past few years since they've seen each other. And while she was normally proud of her work and faith she knew that Shalelu wouldn't approve.
“I see. Well alright then, I better get going. Have a good day Shasyli.”
“Have a good day Shalelu,” Shasyli said as Shalelu made her way noiselessly to the door. “Hey Shalelu.”
Shalelu’s last step fell with a thud. “Yes?”
“Do you remember the time you dared me to throw a rock into that sleeping swamp giants mouth?”
“No, I said, “Shasyli, don't throw a rock at that sleeping swamp giant.” And then you said, “Don't tell me what to do, Shalelu.” and then you threw a rock at a sleeping swamp giant.”
Well if we're going to be doing this... Screw it, I feel artsy.
"Remind me again why we're jumping through trees?"
“The forest hears you if you talk."
"Lelu... c'mon. Really? You're gonna pull that card?"
"You're the one who wanted to tag along."
"Didn't think you were going to go all covert assassin on me..."
"You could go back to your smithy."
"No! No! I think I'm good. Really could use the day. Or a week. Month, maybe."
"Then we're treerunning. Quietly."
"Right... gotcha."
...
...
...
"Seriously though--"
"Monica."
"I'm just asking! What are you looking for?"
"A competent student."
"Okay, ouch? But also, seriously."
"...Goblins. We've heard reports of trouble."
"See? Was that so hard, Lelu?"
"Horrendously."
"Tch, you know... this is why it's so hard for you to make friends."
"I have friends."
"Yeah, me. Maybe that cutie at the bar."
"She's the friend. You're an idiot I have to keep out of trouble."
"Oi, oi. I'm not an idi-AGH! Owowowowow!!"
"I told you to focus."
"You could have caught me!"
"You wouldn't have learned anything. Besides, your tree climbing needs work."
"My tree climbing is--"
"I hear something."
"Huh?"
"That singing. From the north, can you hear it?"
"No, but I'll ta--"
"Okay, that I heard."
"The goblins are celebrating. They've found some sort of weapon... We should head back and warn the townsfolk."
"Right. Great. And then what, we go out and stab them to death?"
"Not we. You."
"Whaaaat."
"It's up to Sandpoint to defend itself."
"And that means me doing all the wet work how?"
"I thought you said you wanted time off from work."
"...did you just sass me?"
"Don't know what you're talking about."
"That was sass! I'm being sassed! By Lelu!"
"We need to get this information back to Sandpoint, and quickly. We can discuss your work ethic later."
"Uugh... I can't believe you... whatever. Fine. I'm coming."
"Good. And Monica?"
"Yeah?"
"If you fall again, I'm going on ahead."
"Don't worry. There's no way that'll h-WOAH."
So before I get to the prompt I wanted to know how you’re going to handle leveling. Will you be using experience or the far more common milestones?
An excellent question! For several reasons I will be using milestones.
a) Extra bookkeeping bad / annoying.b) I'll be skipping several (many) non-essential fights. Now we'll still have a fair number of fights, but whereas in tabletop RP the fights are decently speedy, the slog in a dungeon crawl of PbP can cause the game to bog down and lose steam.
c) Pretty much just the above two.
I humbly present the RP sample for Vance Leroung.
"No, no! I swear! The imp pulled his pants down in front of the entire class!" Vance breaks out in laughter again, sitting back and brushing his dark hair out of his face.
Across from him Sandru sits with one elbow propped up on the table, shaking as he controls his laughter. "But wait, this was your professor of conjuration? How did he even get into the Acadamae if he can't keep an imp under control?"
Vance leans forward, biting back his laughter. "And the last thing he said was 'Even with the weak devils never let your guard down!'"
"Yeah, let your pants down instead!" Sandru says, which causes the laughter to ring out over the inn again. Ameiko glances at them from behind the bar, smirking and rolling her eyes. After a bit longer the laughter fades down to the occasional chuckle as the two regain their composure.
Sandru gestures down at the scattered papers. "You know you're never going to get that paper finished if you stay up drinking with me all night."
Vance scowls, sweeping a few of the papers off the table dismissively. "Oh who cares. It's enchantment. I loath enchantment. Professor Hiyak hates me anyways."
"All the more reason to do good on the paper, so he doesn't have an excuse to fail you." Sandru bends over, sweeping up the papers and brushing some dirt off before putting them on a corner of the table.
Vance grumbles, sheepishly thanking Sandru and pulling all the papers to his side of the table. He sees the ale stains and sighs. "Well I was faking my way through it anyways, probably best to start over." He drops the papers back onto the table, then looks up hopefully. "Have you thought any more about that long caravan contract?"
Sandru picks up his mug of ale, shrugging and looking down. "Oh I'm still considering it. Have to make sure I can get everything together." He looks up with a knowing grin. "But you're just procrastinating again." He waves Ameiko over, ordering a cup of water. "Sober up, finish the paper. I know you're smart enough." He sets up to leave.
Vance sighs, taking the cup of water. "Fine. But I'm making up for it tomorrow. I have to talk to professor Covary about my graduation thesis. I have no idea what I'm going to do."
Sandru gives him a reassuring grip on his shoulder. "Come on, you're one of the smartest people I know. And Covary sounds like she's really nice, I'm sure you'll work something out." He drops some coins on the table and heads for the door, waving over his shoulder. "And yeah, see you tomorrow! If you get the paper done!" The door closes behind him.
Vance sighs, taking a long drink of water and pulling out a fresh stack of of papers...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~
The next evening
"Sandru! Sandru!" The doors of the Rusty Dragon slam open as Vance clambers inside, breathing heavily and holding a rolled piece of parchment.
"Hey! Don't break the door!" Ameiko shouts at him.
"Oh-sorry. Sandru!" Vance runs over to where the rogue is sitting at his usual spot.
"By the light, what? Catch your breath kid."
Vance holds up the scroll, waving it around like it was a prize. "See this? This? It's permission for an independent research project!" He exclaims loudly.
Sandru stares at him for a moment, blinks, then tentatively says "Congratulations?.."
Vance pushes back his hair, laughing. "No, no, you don't understand. You remember that pygmy storm roc I have? The one I helped save from the cracked egg? Well Covary persuaded headmaster Ornelos that figuring out a way to restore its original biology was good enough to be an alternate graduation thesis!"
Sandru smiles and raises his mug. "Hey, good for you! Told you that you'd figure something out."
Vance sits down, eyes sparkling with excitement. "No, Sandru. I was given permission to look for a solution. Abroad." He pauses, speaking low. "As an adventurer."
Sandru stares at him silently for a moment, then cries out his excitement and embraces the young wizard. "Ameiko, drinks! And keep them coming! We have good news to celebrate!"
Indulgently she replied, ”Ohh you are blessed. A sign of the Godesss’s favor!”
”Really?!” I could barely contain myself, it seemed certain fortune was about to come knocking.
”But of course! Desna loves all young children who eat their greens and do their homework.”
”Homework’s boring though, I thought Desna was all about freedom and traveling your own path?”
”It’s true you have to find your own path, but to fully appreciate the world it is a Desnan’s duty to understand and know what’s in it. Come have a look at these maps, the sphere of the world is very wide in deed!”
I loved Aunty Mvashti’s maps, while she wasn’t able to travel any more, she could transport you with her words to the many many places she had visited in her youth. The names all seemed so exciting exotic, The Eye of Abendego, distant Kelesh and Vudra, Absolom the greatest city on Golorion! Today she brought out a faded map of fabled Tian Xia which was far across the Embaral Ocean, bordering the eastern shore of exotic Casmaron.
”Aunty all these names sound so strange: The Minkai Empire, the Chang Liao Jungle, the Eryiu Forest, Kim Loai Hills.”
”They have their own language Rix, it’s little wonder they sounds strange to your ear.”
”Who did you say was their ruler again?”
”His august majesty Emperor Shigure Higashiyama, who occupies the Jade Throne with his court in far off imperial Kasai.”
My mind wondered, trying to imagine what it must be like in somewhere so foreign, ”Have you ever been there Aunty? What was it like?”
”No but perhaps someday you will.”
”Really? What makes you say that?”
She just smiled before becoming coming serious, ”Rix, you’re a good boy. I’ve never asked anything of you and your family, but there’s something I’d like you to do for me. Something that as much as my heart aches to, I know I can’t.”
”What Aunty? What do you want me to do?” How mysterious I thought!
”One day Koya is going to realize she wants to go on a trip. I love her more than life itself be she can be stubborn at times, you know how she is. I need you to promise me you’ll protect her.”
”Sure Aunty but, what can I do? Wouldn’t Dad be better or Sandru, I’m just a boy…”
”Your father is settled here, like me he has planted roots. Besides Rix you won’t be a boy forever. So will you do it? It will be a long journey…”
”Sure Aunty of course!” I replied easily, it all sounded very exciting and equally improbable.
”Bless you boy, you make an old woman happy knowing somebody will look after her daughter.”
At the time I hadn't known what to make of that. Me protect Koya on a long journey?! She was older than my dad! Now of course, well Aunty Mvashti’s words seemed prophetic. I wonder what else she'd seen...
Two days (and several hours) remaining!
I look forward to re-reading these, but don't look forward to difficult choices ahead.
Sapiens' submission here! Should you decide, in the end, that Bladed Brush should not work with Slashing Grace, I'll tweak the mechanics.
The roleplaying sample is on its way.
Sapiens' submission here! Should you decide, in the end, that Bladed Brush should not work with Slashing Grace, I'll tweak the mechanics.
It is so decided. "Acting as" does not make it so, and thus they would not work. It is not a one handed weapon, though it acts as it in some situations.
ScorchedOne, my thanks to you for running a game. It is because of people who step up that the rest of us have games to play. That said, I am going to withdraw from consideration on this one.
Good luck, and have fun!
Sapiens' submission here! Should you decide, in the end, that Bladed Brush should not work with Slashing Grace, I'll tweak the mechanics.It is so decided. "Acting as" does not make it so, and thus they would not work. It is not a one handed weapon, though it acts as it in some situations.
Ok, I switched to a rapier and changed his archetype to Courser.
The soft sound of sobbing carrying through the trees interrupts his thoughts, the half-elf can't help but be intrigued and goes to investigate. In a clearing he spots a girl crying and clutching herself in pain. Evan is shocked when he realise it's Ameiko. She's so beautiful even when crying. I wish I could help her, make her stop.
He stands still for a moment to watch her before he finally gather his courage to call out. “Hello! Ameiko! I didn't expect to see you here.” When she looks up and notice him, he continues. “What troubles you so?”
Ameiko looks up, wipes her tears and shakes her head. “It’s none of your business Evan.” She says in a dismissive tone. As she speaks, Evan notices that she got a bruise herself. He nods and touches his stinging cheek gingerly. “Yes, sometimes we just need to be left alone. To get away from all the troubles. That's why I'm out here too.”
The half-elf pauses for a moment. He spots her samisen and get an idea for how to change the topic. “You play such beautiful music on your samisen. I see you carry it with you today. Could you please play a bit? Something gorgeous to listen to is always nice when your feeling troubled.” As is it to look at someone as stunning as you.
Ameiko ponders the request before reaching for her instrument. “Yes, I can do that. She starts playing and a hauntingly beautiful and sorrowful melody fills the clearing. Evan's heart swells with emotion. Tears form in his eyes as he sits down to listen.
The melody is calming, but it also makes Evan think about all the things he wish were different. I wish my father wasn’t reacting so violently so often. I wish I could do something to stop him. But I can’t, I’m powerless, I’m not strong enough to fight him. There’s a faint hint of something else inside his mind, something unfamiliar. Evan tries to reach for it, but it’s gone, if it ever was there. I wish I could impress Ameiko, get closer to her. But anyone getting close to me are getting closer to my father, I don’t want him to harm her. It’s too risky. I’m not strong enough to protect her, not strong enough to have anything to offer her...
Ameiko finally stops playing, a resolute expression on her face. “You are right Evan. Sometimes we just need to get away from trouble. I’m going to venture out from Sandpoint. See what the world have to offer.”
Evan is surprised at her statement. Ameiko had been around for as long as he could remember. Is she just going to leave? I kinda wish I could go with her. Leave my father behind. But that would mean leaving Aludriel behind as well. Can I leave her to face his wrath? Also I wouldn’t be very useful to Ameiko. I’m not strong and I don’t have any other particularly amazing abilities. Wishfully the half-elf nods and forces a smile on his face before he replies. “Maybe it’s for the best. I wish you good luck on your adventure. Hopefully you’ll discover many awesome things.”
“I hope so too Evan. It’s better than the situation as it is here. I should head back...” Evan looks on with longing as she leaves before he decides to head back as well. He rushes after her. “Wait up! I’ll go back to town with you.” At least this way I get to walk a bit longer alongside her, even if I can’t go with her on her journey...
As the time approached, Zvetlana made sure she was still presentable-- not something she usually cared about, for in truth she was often very wild in her appearance-- but she wanted to make a good impression tonight. She wore a multicolored Varisian dress, with her white hair pulled tightly back and held in place with her mother's kapenia scarf. This helped to cover up her large forehead, which along with her large hands made her self-conscious about her mysterious heritage.
When she heard the wagon approaching she tried to hide herself, for she had no wish to see Koya's adopted son Sandru tonight. The two of them had never gotten along, especially after Koya's mother Niska died. Zvetlana had been looking after the extremely elderly woman and moved in with her when she got sick. No one was surprised when she died, but Sandru seemed to suspect Zvetlana of taking advantage of his adopted grandmother. In turn, Zvetlana suspects Sandru's reputed Szarni connections, and wonders if he is taking advantage of his adopted mother. Svetlana intensely dislikes him, and is sure the feeling is mutual.
Fortunately, Sandru was nowhere to be seen when Zvetlana clapped outside the door and Koya invited her inside. She smoothed her skirts as her host brought tea and made them both comfortable. She sighed loudly when Koya asked her what was on her mind. "Dear Auntie," she said with a grimace, "As I'm sure you're aware, I have never known my father, and my mother left town to travel when I came of age. As such, I have no one to advise me on important life decisions such as the crisis in which I now find myself. You have always been kind to me, and taken a neighborly interest in my well-being. I wonder, then, if I might ask your help, or perhaps I should say: your counsel. Would you read me my fortune?"
Madame Koya was surprised and excited, as Zvetlana had hoped she would be. It had seemed to her that Koya would take any opportunity to divine the will of her goddess. "Drink your tea," she croaked happily, "and then we will see what Desna sees in your future." As they sipped, Koya asked her guest a few exploratory questions, "to help narrow down the signs, to make the goddess's will easier to translate." The crisis, Zvetlana explained, was primarily spiritual in nature, but also involved domestic matters. Travel, too, was part of it. No to affairs of the heart, which had caused a look of slight disappointment to appear on the old woman's face, quickly replaced by a puzzled frown as she tried to figure out what was going on.
Finally, their cups empty, Madame Koya took her guest's in both hands and swirled around the leaves while chanting a prayer. "I want you to focus on the sepcifics of your circumstances, and try to frame a question as clearly as you can," she murmured. Then, she held out the cup for Zvetlana to peer inside. "What do you see?" she asked. Zvetlana gasped, and in a shocked voice said, "Why, I see a butterfly! A butterfly!" She stood and hugged Madame Koya. "Oh thank you, thank you Auntie, you have helped me so much! Oh, that makes me feel so much better. Such a weight off of my mind." She shut her mouth and let the silence work.
She watched poor Madame Koya struggle with wanting to ask her outright what the question she had asked was, and the desire to puzzle it out on her own. "Let me get you another cup," she finally declared, "and you can tell your dear auntie all about it." As she stood and busied herself, Zvetlana smiled. Halfway there, she thought. When Koya came back, she sat a little closer, and gave her an expectant look. Zvetlana wondered somewhat maliciously what would happen if she begged off explaining anything and just left. But no, she decided, she couldn't do that to dear Auntie Koya.
"Well, Auntie," she began, "Since Mother Niska passed, I have felt so adrift in the world. I thought many times of going to temple, to pray to the gods, but I have never felt as though I belong there, for I was not raised in any of the many faiths our cathedral honors. My mother, I think, favored Shelyn, and I have no idea what gods my father held sacred. I have decided to choose a deity to follow, and I hoped you could set me on an appropriate path. And it seems to me you have! Desna's symbol is a butterfly, yes?"
When Zvetlana left several hours later, she was bubbling over with joy. It had worked exactly as she hoped! Koya had invited her back the next evening to teach her the basics of Desna's worship, and promised to sing for her one or two hymns. And, because the cathedral was so imposing, Zvetlana was welcome to pray at the Mivashti's shrine, which would give her a reason to visit as often as she liked. Her reasons for ingratiating herself with the old woman aside, she found she genuinely liked her, which made latching on to her-- the same way she had attached herself to her mother-- enjoyable and easy. Thank Desna, she thought. Your blessings have already improved my life significantly.
Out of 23 submitted characters, 10 have also submitted a roleplaying sample. 6 hours left on the clock. The wait is almost over. 6 hours left on the clock. Good luck SchorchedOne, may you be so lucky as to end up picking a party that works well together and well for your game.
"May Desna grant me luck to be one of the chosen ones." Evan prays out loud while looking up at the stars.
"Wrong way of thinking about it, Evie. 'May I be chosen, or may Calistria guide my blade right up everyone else's--"
"MONICA."
"...I was gonna say backpack. So that their stuff would spill everywhere. Really."
Keep in mind 5 hours left just means until closing. It will take me some time to come up with a list. Or lists.
Don't stress it. We've waited so long, we can stand to wait a bit longer. Sorry about messing up the timezone when mentioning the deadline in my previous post.
I just wanted to be sure to clarify it. :) Little over 3 hours, though honestly, I could mostly make decisions now. I just picked Noon because it's a nice honest time.
good luck to everyone, this looks like it'll be an interesting story no matter whose chosen.
Yup, good luck guys!
Best of luck all!
So I would like to change my character from Renna_mor to my homage to Ash vs evil dead series, Ash Willaims; A brawler by trade he doesn't care about worldly treasures or P.C. terms such as Tein men, "pajamas-masters" I was thinking about how he would fit into this campaign and decided as a used Wagon salesman, that owns his own broken down wagon that he would take on the journey and see what happens. Planning is for losers.
---- RP example------
Sandru walked up to the Old broken down wagon where his old friend Ash used to hang out. called "Delta" the thing was in a absolute wreak apparently though the wagon had some memories from his friends past life still in it.
Knocking on the door of the wagon he heard "come in" in a sloughed up kind of way, entering the place Sandru almost got stopped at the scent of unwashed clothes and beer. There laying on the couch was his old friend Ash, a beer still in his hand. "I'm thinking about leaving here within a couple of weeks to see some sights" Sandru said with a little hesitation. " I wanted to know you would be ok." Ash picked himself off the couch with a little wobbling, "Why wouldn't I be, Sand. Cant you see I'm living my best life." he motioned around the room with a beer bottle. "don't be like that Ash, you know what I meant." Sandru replied.
"Yeah, I know. You need a driver?"
"You sure you can pull yourself away from this paradise?" Sandru said sarcastically.
Smiling Ash pulled grabbed another beer, "Sure it looks run down, but I can get it moving in a week, " putting the beer flagon on the table next to the others a small strain followed by a crash as everything hit the floor as the table collapsed. "Maybe two?" Ash replied.
And that's time. hustonj and Sapiens, I did get your characters added to my list, and Darkwing I will change your character under consideration from Remma to Ash.
Expect to hear back shortly.
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Do not let the amount of time this appears to have taken to detract from what I think of the quality of your applications. I had mostly, as I said, made this decision 3 hours ago and only had a few changes to consider in the meanwhile. I've been reviewing my list since it started, and have delved deeply into your current characters, your character/posting history, and basically everything.
Thank you all for submitting your concepts for consideration. I strongly pondered doing a second table, and those not chosen if I do open up this or another AP know that you are on my list as having applied, which I also take into consideration. That having been said, so as to not dally and cause any further stress on the parts of our applicants, here are the chosen several:
Characters
Campincarl9127 - Vance Leroung, Human (Chelaxian) Transmuter Wizard
Remnar - Kurt Iron, Tiefling Fiend Flayer Magus
Sir Longears - Olaff Olaffson, Human (Ulfen) Fighter (Viking?)
pauljathome - Nikka, Halfling Druid
Grandlounge - Ryn, Half-Elf Oracle
Codanus - Sunishi Teinori, Human (Tian-Min) Ninja
Sapiens - Leandro Mvashti, Human Swashbuckler
You may head over to Discussion and post in, I'll have an IC post up in another short while.