Let's go with the "Start with 10" ability score generation system detailed on page 19 of the Pathfinder Playtest Rulebook.
For your new PC's backstory, feel free to use the Hell's Rebels Player's Guide and my first post in the Gameplay Thread for inspiration. Also, I plan on utilizing some NPC protagonists in this campaign--young scions from the lesser noble house of Solstine. The Solstines are based in Kintargo's Redroof district and have mostly removed themselves from high society and political intrigue; they are mostly a house of artists and entertainers now, though one branch of the family tree has produced three adventurous souls (who you may work into your PC's backstory, if desired).
Jayson Solstine is the eldest of three siblings at age 24. This warrior has served as a caravan guard and a bouncer in recent years, but Lord-Mayor Thrune's proclamations and curfew have curtailed his prospects in these fields. Jayson's mumbled on several occasions about his dislike for Thrunies, and recently coldcocked a Queensman bully who was picking on a street vendor; luckily, there were no witnesses to this affair. Jayson spends much of his free time practicing swordsmanship in the basement of an abandoned warehouse in the heart of Redroof.
Jolina Solstine, 22, is a recent graduate of Alabaster Academy in Villegre district across the Yolubilis. She still spends much of her time there acting as a tutor to its newer students. She's more outspoken against the lord-mayor than her brother, going so far as to help organize weekly protests in Villegre Park.
Carlissa Solstine, 20, is the youngest of the three siblings. While she seems to be just another Solstine entertainer, singing at dancing for coin at several Redroof and Temple Hill taverns, those who know her best know she's no happy-go-lucky performer. The young lady has already organized a small cadre of contacts throughout the district and is active in supporting those hurt by Lord-Mayor Thrune's policies and rabblerousing to build resistance against the tyrant.
I knew I was missing seeing something. :)
I'll get to work on this over the weekend.
I knew I was missing seeing something. :)
I'll get to work on this over the weekend.
No problem; I'm still a week or two away from being able to start.
Also, since it looks like 3/5 of the current Madness players were interested in this side game (unless Leora changes her mind), I'm recruiting 1-2 more players from another game I'm in on these forums. All the folks in that game are good roleplayers, are active posters, and seem to be generally all-around good folks.
I'll be working on this Tuesday/Wednesday in more detail but my initial leaning is towards a caster of some sort, likely a cleric or sorcer type.
Do the three from the main campaign have characters yet that you want us to work around with our ideas? Also, starting at Level 1? And how long do you think the game will go (in terms of levels, as opposed to time)?
So far, we have only a vague 'caster' (cleric or sorcerer).
We'll be starting at 1st level. No idea how high we'll get. I guess it depends on how fast the action moves along (generally, snail-slow in a PbP game), but I'm hoping to get up to level 5 by the time the new rules officially drop next August. At that point I think we'd do a poll to see if everyone's interested in continuing (likely after tweaking the PCs to the new ruleset).
Hey kids! I uh, have no idea what i'll play but will sort something out later on. Thanks for the invite :)
Decided to go sorcerer, I am almost finished with building her.
Any opposition to me repurposing a character from an aborted Council of Thieves game? I'd run him here as a rogue, potentially taking a fighter archetype.
I have no complaint.
Also, starting wealth for purchasing equipment is 150 sp (took me a while to find that in the rulebook).
Okay, here is Varius Liberare. Character sheet shouuullld be complete.
Concept: Varius is a naive noble dandy who has renounced his noble house and has decided to establish himself as a hero. However he's not quite sure what to do with himself so is looking for a cause, and 'down with House Thrune' fits perfectly - particularly since martial law makes staying out late drinking very difficult.
Build: I've gone with a kind of swashbuckling rogue as well as a talker. His build is meant to represent someone who is trained in fencing and archery, social niceties, and just got into places he shouldn't for fun.
Varius was born to nobility in only the broadest possible sense, being fourteenth in line to the Lordship of House Rufano. Rufano is beholden to House Khollarix, one of the least of the 'great' Houses of Cheliax. His house's strategy to gain influence was full-out diabolism, and an over-the-top fanaticism that has made Rufano a bit of a joke in the other houses. Varius was aware of none of this, and as a young child partook in the family's diabolist rites with incredible glee. It was natural he be trained to join the clergy.
However, he was a terrible student, lacking the patience and willpower for proper obedience to Asmodeus. He forgot the long chants, always hesitated on the animal sacrifices, and was hated by the house cleric. His poor performance lead to increasingly brutal punishment, which quickly shook Varius of his love for Asmodeus and the rites. He began to hate the cleric and Asmodeus. As his daily training became increasingly difficult, he escaped when he could to spend time with friends or at the one thing he did have passion for, weapons training with the guard captain.
As Varius grew older, he became cynical about the church itself, and saw through the endless chances, bloody sacrifices, abusive clergy, and complicated hierarchy. He saw it as a con artist's trike. Everybody had delusions of grandeur, even a mediocre cleric in a noble house nobody cared about, and he saw his family and the cleric as just playthings of the lesser devils they managed to attract the attention of. As he grew into adulthood, he escaped more and more, having joined a fencing club that was fashionable among young nobles. There, he was a bit of a darling, and greatly enjoyed the popularity and ability to practice something he was actually good at.
This finally came to a head when the cleric demanded that Varius slit the throat of a vagrant as a part of the rite. Varius refused, and a scuffle broke out where Varius intimidated the cowardly cleric into letting the vagrant go. Varius then went to his father, and very clearly laid out his intentions. He would leave House Rufano, give up his right to inheritance and his family name, and make his own way. Considering his son a problem and embarrassment, his father acquiesced and forced Varius to sign a contract that he would not disparage his House in exchange for some money and the freedom to leave the estate grounds.
Varius took on the name Liberare, translating roughly to 'The free' in old Chelaxian. He has been out of his home for two months, and it's been a miserable time thanks to the imposition of martial law. He's spent most of it drunk and trying to dodge the Hellknights after curfew. During this time he has really felt the underbelly of Kintargo; the poverty, the terror, and the cruelty of House Thrune. Knowing how to do only one thing, which is fight, Varius is now looking for a cause he can contribute to in order to break the rule of Thrune.
I'll go with a fighter. Someone has worked with Jayson on the caravans. She's not happy about her jobs drying up because of the latest Thrune proclamations. She grew up in Redroof, and has a criminal background.
Mona
Half-elf fighter 1
Chaotic, Elf, Human, Humanoid
Percep +2; Senses low-light vision
--------------------
Defense HP 19 Hero Points 1 Res 1
--------------------
TAC 15; AC 18
Fort +3; Ref +6; Will +1
--------------------
Offense
--------------------
Speed 30 ft.
--------------------
Statistics
--------------------
Str 14 (+2); Dex 18 (+4); Con 12 (+1); Int 14 (+2); Wis 10 (+0); Cha 10 (+0)
Skills Acrobatics +1, Athletics -1, Deception +1, Intimidation +1, Society +3, Stealth +1, Survival +1, Underworld Lore +3
Feats Half-elf, Sudden Charge
Languages Common, Elven, Orcish
Other Abilities attack of opportunity
Other Gear hide, light steel shield, longbow, longsword, arrows (20), backpack, purse (47 sp)
Hero Lab and the Hero Lab logo are Registered Trademarks of LWD Technology, Inc. Free download at https://www.wolflair.com
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I'll go with a fighter. Someone has worked with Jayson on the caravans. She's not happy about her jobs drying up because of the latest Thrune proclamations. She grew up in Redroof, and has a criminal background.
MONA ** spoiler omitted **
Sorry, but I can't pass up a good (or bad) pun....
A character named Mona with a criminal background, eh? I immediately thought: "Mona Fleecer."
Har har!
This is Drogeney.
I've got the mechanics portion of my character down. I'll get the description/background written up in the next few days, though I already have a rough idea of what it is in mind.
I now have a background added to the profile as well, though it may get refined some.
Tentative plan is for me to start reviewing submissions tomorrow.
Tentative plan is for me to start reviewing submissions tomorrow.
Yeah...that isn't happening. Hopefully tomorrow.
Other potential allies for your characters' backstories: the priests and lay members of Songbird Hall (temple of Shelyn), secret members or associates in the cult of Milani, or maybe even vigilantes whose friends were killed or imprisoned during the Aria Park Protest or in the Thrune crackdown since that iconic event.
I was hoping for a tiefling angle for the nearby slums of the Devil's Nursery, but that ancestry hasn't been included in the playtest.
Doh! Forgot that I meant to include some connections in there.
Yeah, the fact that tieflings aren't in this yet saddens me. I suspect they won't be an ancestry though but an entirely different race, though I could see doing on "outsider ancestry" race and just handling the rest via heritage feats.
*EDIT
I added a section on the siblings if you want to OK it.
Oh yeah, allies. I was too busy just repurposing my background to the player's guide i forgot about that thing.
Varius could easily set up a friendship with Carlissa Solstine, likely from being a well-tipping regular at the taverns she plays at and clearly enthusiastic to get involved in something seditious.
It seems like we've only got 3 players at the moment....
Arani, motteditor--still interested?
Still only have three players....
I'll be rethinking this whole thing over the next few days. The new iteration of Pathfinder doesn't lend itself well to PbP, with the additional actions each round, as well as unpredictable reactions.
I'm considering posting monster stat blocks at the start of each combat so the players will know if they hit and how much damage they cause; each player would then have to modify that statblock after their turn to reflect any changes for the next player to post.
While I want to try to do 'block initiative' to keep things moving (especially since I have a limited posting window each day), reactions make that an iffy proposition. A reaction with a powerful effect might make players who've already posted want to retcon their actions upon seeing the results of an unforeseen reaction.
The games I've watched on Twitch have a lot of retconning, but at a live game it can be handled quickly; I'm not sure if that's the case in PbP.
If anyone has some ideas that might allay my concerns, please post them.
Well I'd personally like to just go for it. If we need a fourth I can see if there's anyone from one of my games who is interested. The issue of dealing with reactions in a PbP format may be complex, but I'd like to tackle the problem and see what can be worked out. The community will likely come up with conventions to deal with this over time and we can see how things are working with others. Mostly I'm just interested in the game.
I'm playing in a PF2 playtest game. It's going all right. I don't notice too much retconing, but there have been times when something didn't work as expected.
OK, I'll push forward, aiming for a potential start next Tuesday after Veterans' Day.
Anyone know of a player or two who might be interested in joining?
Let me do some fishing.
Found someone! chillblame has been consistently posting in a Carrion Crown game I'm running that's just about to hit book 5.
Hi, spiderbeard said you needed another player.
I player sorcerers in pf1, so trying out the sorcerer in pf2 sounds good. I'll run up a character and background in a little bit. Tentatively, my characters background might by sort of a street rabble raiser, idealistic and wanting change.
Edit. Hmm, noticed someone else is playing a sorcerer. I might shift.
Extra edit. A cleric seems like a good fit. On to creation.
Btw, I take it we are using the 1.6 updates?
Btw, I take it we are using the 1.6 updates?
Yes. I've downloaded it but haven't taken a look at it yet.
Welcome to the game!
Thanks. Still nutting out my character. Should have it done, with background in a day.
Here is my character, in basic. I'll do up a profile tomorrow, as it is a bit late here.
Hell’s Rebel Character. Human, Male, acolyte, cleric of Sarenrae.
Str 10
Dex ++ 14
Con + 12
Int 10
Wis ++++ 18
Cha ++ 14
AC 15 TAC 12
Scimitar +1 1d6
Ray +3 1d6
Unarmed +1 1d3
Fort +3 ref +2 will +6
Perception +5
Acolyte: gain student of the canon feat, trained in lore Sarenrae
Ancestry: versatile heritage, gain a general feat
Anathema
Channel energy 5/day
Deity and domain
Ancestry: Natural ambition, gain a first level class feat
Class: Expanded Domain, gain initial healing domain
Student of the canon, religion check, crit failure is just failure
Battle Medic
Religion +1
Medicine +5
Diplomacy +3
Survival +5
Dominion fire, healing (limited)
Cantrips
Guidance, detect magic, light, Prestidigitation, shield
Level 1
Bless, command
Scimitar 1d6(s) forceful sweep bulk 1 11sp
Hide armour +3AC dex+4 check-3 bulk 2 20sp
Backpack 1sp
Ordinary clothing 1sp
Flint and steel 5cp
Healers tools bulk 1 50sp
Religious symbol wooden 1sp
belt pouch 4cp
waterskin 5cp
64sp 6cp
I've fallen behind on everything lately. My current plan is to print out some character sheets at home tonight, and then fill 'em out with your characters tomorrow.
Looking at Monday, November 19 for the start date, but I might push it back to the next Monday if I'm not quite ready and/or folks have holiday plans.
No holiday plans for me.
I have the HeroLab online beta for PF2. It's helpful, and I think it's free right now. It runs off on any web browser.
Gaa! The 19th came up fast!
I'll aim for 11/26, as I'm working on some game aids that I hope will help with the game's organization.
No worries! Long-term commitment and all that. We'll be here.
indeed
OK, I've been dragging my heels getting this campaign off the ground. Starting around Thanksgiving wasn't my best idea to start with....
"Redroof Rebels" is now officially scheduled to kick off on Monday, December 3rd. I'll be taking a final look at the characters over the next couple of days and will get back to you if I find something off or something I don't understand.
Did a quick once-over of my sheet. I had an unspecified Lore skill I'm calling 'Gourmand'. Basically he knows a lot about fine food and drink.
Felitcia - I think you're shorting yourself 8 hit points as you get to add your ancestry hit points to your class hp at first level.
Varius: Thanks for taking a peek at some of the character builds. I FINALLY got my printer to spit out the updated character sheets, so I'll be taking closer look at everyone's PC later today and likely into tomorrow.
Waiting on our 4th player to chime in.
I'll have a post up tonight. I got super busy, and haven't had a chance to post or get my alias up. *Sigh*
Heads up in a few busy days but should be able to resume regular posting shortly.
Sorry, have had the flu. Back now.
Sorry folks. I meant to post this a couple days back but had an issue with wifi.
There's a list of Exploration Mode tactics on p. 327 of the Pathfinder Playtest Rulebook, with these tactics fully detailed started on page 316. So far, only Varius has given me his tactic--Wandering--which means he's moving along at normal speed, perhaps outpacing the rest of the party (depending on what tactics others choose).
I hope we haven't lost Basil, or that he had a relapse of his sickness.
Happy Holidays!
You as well. Have a great day.
Merry Christmas!
Merry Merry!
Late merry xmas.
I'm not having the greatest end to 2018. Nothing major, just a lot of little aggravations, including my scanner telling me it needs certain software if I want it to scan the maps I was planning for using for the abandoned farm. I THINK I downloaded the files today at the library; we'll see how things work out when I get back home to my printer.
The current plan is to post the map and a game post on Monday (assuming the scanner works; or maybe I can whip up something else tomorrow). I'll be without internet access on New Year's Day, but hope to get back to daily posting on Wednesday January 3rd.
Happy New Years to all!