I adore Victorian horror and this sounds awesome. Thinking of creating a morally conflicted, vaguely Oscar Wilde flavored character, most likely a Witch.
I've been wanting to give the Occultist class a spin. This sounds like an appropriate campaign.
I originally made this character for a different campaign. She has been rejected at several tables since just due to the more adult nature of the archetype (seducer witch).
I'm happy to reskin or remove the sexual aspects of her if you want, I'm really just attached to her as I wanted to play a CHA based witch with major face skills. This seems like it might be the PERFECT campaign to put her in.
Please let me know if you're OK with the archetype, and if so I'll reskin her to meet the character creation guidelines you put out.
Usmo here. Build is mostly done, currently working on backstory and personality. For the most part, the character has useful utility from skills, Inquisitor class features, and spells, can do a bit of healing, however, in terms of combat, it is focused on being a frontliner(will be upgrading to heavy armor as soon as I have the gold), and some control with Summons.
OK. I read the player's guide and fell in love with the setting. I redid the profile so here's Kapenia's updated crunch. 1 question: background skills?
Although they are in the profile, here are her background and personality for easy access:
Elisa Hartwill was born and raised in a farming family in the small hamlet of Wicken. Unbeknownst to her parents, she was a Veil May changeling, the spawn of a Blood Hag. The backbreaking life on a farm was not something that she enjoyed, and she was always looking to find an easier path. Due to her Veil May natural ability to charm, persuade, and fool others, she incorporated herself into Father Gromwell's church not just listening to his sermons but preaching herself, using her skills to fool everyone into believing that she had a piety and reverence that she never actually felt.
As she came of age, she was not impressed with the possibilities presented to her as she did not want to continue using her skills to fool a small peasant population, nor did she want to settle down with a simple farmer for a husband. She managed to convince her family that she was better suited to go to Castorhage to try to spread "the good word" to the poor heathens of the city.
Her plan was something completely different however. When she arrived in Castorhage she began using her wiles to insinuate her into any beneficial situation that she could, seducing and enchanting any man (or woman) of decent means to live as comfortably as possible without needing to work. After some time she came to the attention of a woman known only as "Hornet" who took her under her wing.
Hornet was a member of The Great Coven and had recognized Elisa's heritage and knew how to utilize her. She bade her create a second life and take the name "Kapenia" in order to work in secrecy and began to train her and use her for the Coven's ends. As Kapenia began to learn to harness her arcane powers and improve her skills, she would be sent to seduce or influence people based on Hornet's needs. She would distract witch hunters so that other members of the Coven could escape, befriend enemies and plant evidence or rumours so they could be removed, or other similar tasks. She was occasionally hired out to do side jobs for other unnamed groups such as seducing men and then spending until they were in debt so that a merchant would have a hold on them or they were forced to work in sweatshops out of the way. She was never told the reasons for her tasks but enjoyed her new life, as she was able to live comfortably or sometimes better without having to do any work other than seduction, manipulation, or merely bluffing others.
She continued to work closely with Hornet, building almost a mother daughter relationship stronger than that she had ever had with her "real" mother back in Wicken. While in Castorhage she also had the opportunity to work in many different quarters with different types of people, allowing her to build a small web of "friends", suitors, and tools that she could manipulate at will.
Despite her love of her new life, she always felt she should maintain at least a superficial relationship with her family in case it all went bad and she had to return home to Wicken. She made sure to visit twice a year, every winter for her birthday and at the end of every summer for the harvest festival.
Elisa Hartill is a charming, friendly, down to earth young woman. She is somewhat shy, blushing uncontrollably at any attention from a man, but also extremely devout, and would never do anything inappropriate to sully her reputation or her family's. None of this is actually true.
Internally, and as her alter ego "Kapenia", she is a vindictive, manipulative, selfish woman.
Kapenia will be the first to enchant or seduce any man or woman who she can in order to obtain status, ease of living, or social prominence. She has no qualms about using someone for a short time and then either ruining them or simply disappearing when she is done with them. She associates herself with The Great Coven, but is not a worshipper of the Green Man but instead pays service to the Ash Queen, as the latter's use of lust, betrayal, and lies suit her much better. She is quick to take offense and will go our of her way to try and ruin someone who she believes has slighted her, but is willing to hold grudges for long periods and take her time to do it "right", often continuing to befriend or even romance someone so that the revenge is that much sweeter. Alternately, if someone gets past her suspicions and she begins to trust them, she will be blind to their own machinations and can be used herself. She is a woman of long term enemies and friends, and is very hard to be convinced that she is wrong about someone after she puts them in one of these categories. Anyone that does not fit into her view of friend or enemy is simply a tool to be used for her own ends.
Her actual personality is very malleable. She has spent so long putting on false fronts to others that even she can often fall under her own spell, continuing to act a part without completely understanding herself. Under it all she is purely driven by her motivation to use others in order to improve the situation for herself and those that she feels are her friends.
She's primarily a face but given the atmosphere of the AP I put her more into her bluff/sense motive than diplomacy. She's also a witch, so arcane caster primarily in control and debuffs, with a lot of charm and enchantment going on. Personality wise she's a selfish and pretty ruthless manipulator who has a double life. Kapenia in the city is a very different person than Elisa back home in Wicken.
I think the only potential issue GMs have had with the archetype is the 8th level ability, and as I said I'm happy to reskin it, or just skip it completely and take a hex at 8th lvl instead.
I read through the players guide and I’m loving the setting. Decided to work on a human Sorcerer; I’ll have her posted in the next day or two.
Wow. A type of setting and atmosphere that I absolutely love. Not to mention exploring the themes of anti-heroes and gray morality. I wouldn't miss this opportunity for the world.
I skimmed over all the player resources, and as the week goes on I'll have time to go through them in detail. However I do have one quick question: Would the Vigilante class be a good fit for this campaign? I have an idea in my head for a Skinwalker Vigilante who uses his social identity as somebody who tries to go through the right legal channels to improve the city, but at night uses his vigilante persona to shift into beast form and...dispose of the problems that can't be dealt with legally. Very much adheres to the idea that society needs parentalism for the masses, who should be taught that doing things the right and official way is how to enact change, and thinks that a number of more able-bodied and minded people should shoulder the burden of dealing with the dark complexities of humanity. Of course, such individuals should be granted more prestige and power for their efforts and sacrifice. Although he is trying to do good for those around him, it comes from a condescending and self-serving worldview.
OK. I read the player's guide and fell in love with the setting. I redid the profile so here's Kapenia's updated crunch. 1 question: background skills?
It says we are using them in the OP "We will use background skills. You may choose two."
Unless you were asking what they were, in which case here
Backstory and personality information have been added to profile. I’m still fiddling around with things, but, for the most part, this should be done. I listed out a few people he knows in Castorhage and Wicken.
For the most part, he is someone who is less than fond of the current state of affairs in Castorhage, and would very much like to see a change to a more competent and less corrupt administration, violently, if need be.
It says we are using them in the OP "We will use background skills. You may choose two."
I have no idea how I missed that. Thank you. Skills in profile updated.
I like this idea.
How quick are you to make a paladin fall? Or if they do, how hard will you make it to atone?
You see, I am thinking of a character loosely based on Samuel Vimes from the Discworld series - gritty, pissed with the system and how corrupted it is, trying to change the world for the better from the inside, and clinging to his own small flame of justice.
I don't want to play, as you say, Stupid Good, though, but it would be neat to see someone struggling with their internal ethics and the horror of the world around them as something they can't change overnight. In short, I'd like to try a sort of candle in the night character. I understand it could be difficult, but hell - what fun would the game be if there weren't challenges? Especially RP challenges!
For the record, Vindictive Bastard archetype is always a good option for people worried about paladin's falling. Or barring that, the Absolute Loyalty trait is an easy way to atone, if one can justify it.
Cool. I can work with that. I was unaware of the archetype and trait - it's been a while since I kept up with new stuff coming out. I think the last book I really read in depth was Unchained. I skim d20pfsrd every now and then to keep refreshed, but when there's so many books...it's a lot to keep track of.
I'll get working on it. :-D
This is djdust's PC. Crunch is done at least. Will give the players guide a read over soon, but I already have a story idea in mind.
Fluffy bits are started, I did not see mention of Wicken's Church of St. Alman or Father Gromwell in the players guide. I'd like to use that as my campaign trait, did I miss something?
RPwise, Ben is a bookish intellectual, shy and clumsy in social situations, as well as disturbing and creepy. Definitely not a face, but should be fun to play :)
Combat wise, heavy debuffer at first, gaining some light healing and an army of undead minions as time goes on.
Dot this sounds awesome.
Here's my submission - a Primitive Elf Mesmerist who usually hangs out in the Artist's Quarter and Booktown. I feel like she'd get along rather well Kapenia...
Appearance
Female elf (primitive) mesmerist 1 (Pathfinder RPG Occult Adventures 38)
CN Medium humanoid (elf)
Init +8; Senses low-light vision; Perception +6
--------------------
Defense
--------------------
AC 15, touch 12, flat-footed 13 (+3 armor, +2 Dex)
hp 9 (1d8+1)
Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +2 (-2 vs Enchantment)
--------------------
Offense
--------------------
Speed 30 ft.
Melee scorpion whip (aa) +1 (1d4+1)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (10 ft. with scorpion whip (aa))
Special Attacks hypnotic stare (-2), mesmerist tricks 5/day (false flanker), painful stare (+1)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 1st; concentration +5)
. . 1/day・dream
Mesmerist Spells Known (CL 1st; concentration +5)
. . 1st (2/day)・obscuring mist, unnatural lust[UM] (DC 15)
. . 0 (at will)・light, mage hand, prestidigitation, read magic
--------------------
Statistics
--------------------
Str 12, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 14, Wis 11, Cha 18
Base Atk +0; CMB +1; CMD 13
Feats Improved Initiative
Traits affable
Skills Artistry (choreography) +9, Bluff +9, Craft (bookbinding) +7, Diplomacy +8 (+10 Primitive Elves only, +10 to gather information.), Lore (Artist's Quarter) +10, Lore (Booktown) +8, Perception +6, Perform (dance) +10, Perform (sing) +8, Sense Motive +6 (+8 Primitive Elves only), Stealth +5; Racial Modifiers +2 Artistry (choreography), +2 Perception, +2 Sense Motive
Languages Common, Elven, Tli’liik, Xaon
SQ artistic devotion, city knowledge, consummate liar +1, focused devotion, heightened sensitivity, know your own, languages, wicken shepherd
Other Gear hide shirt, scorpion whip (aa), bookbinding tools, entertainer's outfit, masterwork tool, 22 gp
--------------------
Special Abilities
--------------------
Artistic Devotion (Ex) Primitives are forever seeking the perfect expression of their form. They gain a +1 bonus on any trained Artistry and Craft skill check, a +2 racial bonus on checks with any one Artistry or Craft skill, and they may treat that skill as a class skill.
City Knowledge (Ex) Primitives gain a +4 bonus on Lore checks related to one city district and a +2 bonus on Lore checks related to one other city district. Lore checks related to either of these two city districts can be made untrained.
Consummate Liar +1 Counts as Combat Expertise for some feats.
Focused Devotion (Ex) A primitive may reject a class skill in order to increase his maximum permissible ranks in an artistic devotion skill by 1. This increase can be gained only once per class skill, regardless of the number of sources that enable it as a class skill. Fu
Heightened Sensitivity (Ex) Primitives receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception and Sense Motive checks. They receive a –2 saving throw penalty against enchantment spells and effects.
Hypnotic Stare (-2, 30 feet) (Su) As swift action, target creature takes penalty on Will saves.
Know Your Own (Ex) Primitives gain a +2 bonus on Diplomacy and Sense Motive checks versus other primitives. This stacks with the bonus from heightened sensitivity.
Languages (Ex) Primitives begin play speaking Common and Elven. Primitives with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Celestial, Draconic, Gnome, Halfling, Infernal, and Orc. Having grown up in the Blight, they have had a much greater opportunity
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in dim light, distinguishing color and detail.
Mesmerist Tricks (110 feet, 5/day) (Su) Implant hypnotic bond with allies. granting edge vs. foes.
Painful Stare (+1, 1/round) (Su) As a free action, hyp. stare target takes extra precision dam from a hit.
Wicken Shepherd (Ex) Your family farmed sheep on the hills above Wicken. Life could be tough, especially in the winters, but it was rewarding. (+2 Initiative)
--------------------
Touch (which is apparently short for something, but she's never bothered to clarify) is one of the city's so-called "primitive" elves - those who have taken much of the Blight into themselves and turned their focus to art. She is a permanent resident of the Artist's Quarter, where she lodges at The Queen's Grotto, a place that's part gallery, part school, and part theater.
She was born in - and grew up in - the town of Wicken. where her parents act as shephers tending various flocks of sheep. It was her parents who taught her worship of The Ash Queen - and the secrets behind the queen's true identity. Touch has even helped with the occasional animal sacrifice for rituals, as well as other aspects of the faith that would be considered shocking and head-turning anywhere but Castorhage (where, frankly, most people would barely bat an eye - sure, it's wild, but it's far from the most scandalous thing most people have heard of). As a member in good standing within the cult - although not a leader in any sense of the term - Touch is familiar with the rituals and processes of both the Ash Queen and Shupnikkurat and can generally get along with other followers.
To a lesser extent, Touch is fond of Papyri, a goddess of the written word. While not a worshiper, per se, Touch occasionally makes books of her own to sell and generally gets along with those in the bookbinding trade.
As an artist, Touch is particularly fond of song and dance, both of which lean towards the sensual. As a primitive elf, she's often happiest when she's expressing herself through the arts, and she's as good at creating new dance routines as she is at performing them. She's also been known to charm or bluff her way through situations when called for.
The influence of Castorhage seeps into its residents, and in Touch, they've manifested in the powers of a mesmerist. Just by looking at someone, she can weaken their mind and make them more open to new things - like her penchant for discreetly casting Unnatural Lust and watching the entertainment from a safe place. She's best described as someone with an impish sense of humor - she's willing to trick people for fun, but rarely wants to make them suffer.
As a result of her focus on the performing arts, Touch is more affable and friendly to people besides primitive elves than most of her kind - though this is better understood as tolerance and a desire for attention more than liking them. To her, most people are a crowd waiting to give her adulation - the few she calls her friends are much dearer to her heart, however, and she often goes out of her way to help and support them (ranging from satisfying their desires to giving them a place to sleep to going on adventures and escapades - both of which, incidentally, are often used as material for her songs and dances).
Her main goals in life are twofold. First, like much of the city, Touch wants to be wealthier. Artists are difficult to classify in the city's caste system, but at the very least, many of them can earn enough to maintain an opulent life in the artist's quarter.
Touch gets along well with the Triad, a Xi'en gang with multiple facets that maintains a significant influence in the Artist's Quarter's Little Xi'en district. While not Xi'en herself - indeed, Touch is not even human - her interest in their songs and dances eventually won them over, and she's now welcome throughout most of the district. They also taught her Xaon (the language of the local Xi'en and Gtsang groups) to help her maintain the connection - and later Tli'liik, their thieves' cant. Over the years, she's become quite fluent in Xaon, and her obvious mastery of the tongue means both groups tend to treat her as a friend instead of an outsider when she uses it around them (and the thieves and pickpockets likewise when she uses Tli'liik - indeed, one bit of her clothing is actually a message in Tli'liik marking her as someone to leave alone). She's not a true insider because she's not a member of the Triad (or even just a member of their ethnic groups), but she's treated much better than the tourists, and more than once she's put on performances (or helped design them) at no charge when they needed a bit of help. In turn, they've occasionally turned up at her official performances to give an air of popularity to her, helping her reach greater heights and wider audiences.
While she spends most of her time in the city in the Artist's Quarter, Touch has also spent a bit of time in the Booktown area across the Town Bridge, plying her trade. She's actually released several books of her own - mostly books on choreography (a major focus of her artistic obsession) sold both within Booktown and in the Artist's Quarter.
Touch is not an expert in combat. While she carries around a whip, it's more for show than self-protection - when in trouble, she's more likely to raise a fog to hide herself and dart away unless she has friends around to protect her.
Howdy! This looks like a ton of fun, and I kinda adore Castorhage so I can't not apply. I'm thinking a spiritualist will be the right way to go; I'll have more once I've put everything together. That, or maybe a Roof-Runner Hunter...
Seems like the occult classes in general are a popular choice here. XD
As far back as I can remember, I've wanted to be a guard. Growing up on the streets of Wicken, my friends and I would play Guards and Thieves, and I was always the guard. It seems weird, I know, but a city guard saved my mom when she was pregnant with me from a couple of muggers who didn't seem to want to leave any witnesses. She told me the story growing up, about the copper who just happened to be patrolling the streets, rounding a corner just as they drew blades, even after she'd thrown them all her money. He took a mortal wound during the fight, but three men lay on the ground, and my mother didn't have a scratch on her. She never even learned his name, and I'm alive because of him.
I'm alive because of a guard, and I figured maybe, when I'd grown up, I could help other people in the same way. I also figured by moving to a bigger city, I would have more opportunities to actually help people.
I pretty much figured wrong.
Three years I've been working these walls, these alleys, these dark, disgusting streets of Castorhage. Damn do I miss Wicken. The Blight is hell, only without the warmth and personal attention from that which is slowly killing you. I've seen rape, murder, prostitution, slavery, and more walking these streets. I know the corners they occur on, and they know me - because they know, unlike the other guards, I will turn them in. Yeah, my career has suffered. I'm still a lowly grunt after all this time, even though I'm working harder than those around me...and yeah, ultimately, bribes go in the right hands, and these disgusting monsters are back out on the street in no time, but really, what else can I do? I can't just turn a blind eye, can I? My captain seems to think so. He's practically said to do so in those exact words.
I'm pretty sure the only reason I haven't been sacked, or worse, is because nobody really >wants< to be a guard in this town, so they keep who they can. That and the lieutenant seems to have a similar mindset to my own, even if she's better at the politics of, you know, not having other guards beat you senseless after you turn in someone who was lining their pockets. I will admit, those beatings have grown farther apart since she said she'd take care of it.
I'm tired of it. Something has to break, the system or me, and I'm worried that one day it's going to be me. I just pray I can save a few more lives before I finally snap.
I didn't want to name other people in particular, because I'm not sure who you will pick at the end of all of this for your group, but just growing up as a kid in Wicken would give him plenty of opportunities to know others. He left for the Big City to Make It and Help People, as it were. However, after years of work as a city guard (I plan on throwing Profession: Guard as one of the BG skills), he's a little bitter and disenfranchised towards his original dreams.
Mechanically, I'm thinking classic sword and board, maybe two-weapon fighting with shield bashing and the like. I haven't 100% nailed that down. I just have an idea of a gritty, grizzled, pissed off guy who wants to do good in a town that just won't have it. Probably a human. Perhaps a shadowlamp half orc if I decide to not go paladin, (which if I did, would be spell-less - and the Queen's 4th seems interesting...), but perhaps another melee class. Honestly...a lawful good bloodrager might even work, or possibly urban ranger. I'm still working the mechanics out, as I've only really got the concept and some story working, so far.
Ok, I'm ready. Here's everything:
"Ben" Mharjaek
M Grimspawn Tiefling Occultist (Necroccultist) 1
N M Outsider (Native)
Init +3; Senses Darkvision 60ft; Perception +4
--------------------
Defense
--------------------
AC 16, touch 13, flat-footed 13 (+3 armor, +3 Dex)
hp 10 (1d8+1)
Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +2 (+4 mind-affecting)
Resist Cold 5, Electricity 5, Fire 5
--------------------
Offense
--------------------
Speed 30 ft.
Ranged Light Crossbow +3 (1d8/19-20x2)
Melee Light Mace +3 (1d6+1/x2)
Dagger +3 (1d4+1/19-20/x2)
Special Attacks None
Spell-Like Abilities Death Knell (1/day) (Concentration +5)
Occultist (Necroccultist) Spells Known (CL 1) (Concentration +5):
Level 0 (at will) [DC 14]Grave Words, Touch of Fatigue
Level 1 (2/day) [DC 15]Inflict Light Wounds, Restore Corpse, Ray of Enfeeblement
--------------------
Statistics
--------------------
Str 12 (+1), Dex 16 (+3), Con 12 (+1), Int 18 (+4), Wis 10 (+0), Cha 9 (-1)
Base Atk +0; CMB +1; [ b]CMD [/b]14
Feats Weapon Finesse
Traits Deathtouched (Mind-Affecting), Alman Preacher
Skills (*BG Skills) Acrobatics +2, Appraise +4, Artistry +4, Bluff -1, Climb +0, *Craft (Alchemy) +8, Diplomacy -1, Disguise +3, Escape Artist +2, Fly +2, Heal +5, Intimidate -1, Kn. Arcana +8, Kn. Planes +8, Kn. Religion +8, Perception +4, Ride +2, Sense Motive +0, *Sleight of Hand +8, Spellcraft +8, Stealth +2, Survival +0, Swim +0, UMD +3
Languages Common, Elven, Gnome, Abyssal, Aklo, Necronomus
SQ
Implements Necromancy (x2)
Mental Focus Necromancy (5/5)
Resonant Powers
Necromantic Focus (Su) The implement grants its possessor greater power over the undead. Whoever possesses the implement can control an additional 2 Hit Dice of undead for every point of mental focus invested in the item (to a maximum number of Hit Dice equal to 4 × your occultist level). Any spellcaster who bears the implement can add it as an additional focus component for a necromancy spell he casts to create undead. If he does so, he can create an additional number of HD of undead equal to the additional HD the implement allows him to control (apply this effect after doubling the HD of undead for desecrate, if applicable).
Undead creatures take a –1 penalty on saving throws against spells cast by the bearer of this implement for every 4 points of mental focus invested in this implement.
Focus Powers
Mind Fear (Sp) [DC 14] As a standard action, you can expend 1 point of mental focus to cause a living creature to succumb to fear.
The target must be within 30 feet of you, and it can attempt a Will saving throw to negate the effect. If the target fails the save and has a number of Hit Dice less than or equal to yours, it is frightened for 1d4 rounds. If the target fails the saving throw and has a number of Hit Dice greater than yours, it is instead shaken for 1d4 rounds. This is a mind-affecting fear effect.
Necromantic Servant (Sp) As a standard action, you can expend 1 point of mental focus to raise a single humanskeleton or humanzombie from the ground to serve you for 10 minutes per occultist level you possess or until it is destroyed, whichever comes first. This servant has a number of hit points equal to 1/2 your maximum hit point total (not adjusted for temporary hit points or other temporary increases). It also uses your base attack bonus and gains a bonus on damage rolls equal to 1/2 your occultist level. At 5th level, whenever the necromantic servant would be destroyed, if you are within medium range (100 feet + 10 feet per level) of the servant, you can expend 1 point of mental focus as an immediate action to cause the servant to return to full hit points. At 9th level, you can choose to give the servant the bloody or burning simple template (if it’s a skeleton) or the fast simple template (if it’s a zombie). At 13th level, when you take an immediate action to restore your servant, it splits into two servants. You can have a maximum number of servants in existence equal to 1/2 your occultist level. At 17th level, the servant gains a teamwork feat of your choice.
Other Gear Dagger, Light Crossbow, Studded Leather, Light Mace, Cleric's Kit (This includes a backpack, a bedroll, a belt pouch, candles (10), a cheap holy text, a flint and steel, an iron pot, a mess kit, rope, soap, a spell component pouch, torches (10), trail rations (5 days), a waterskin, and a wooden holy symbol) Scholar's Outfit, Belt Pouch, Flask Holy Water, 20 Doses of Salt, 4 Doses of Urea, Coin: 20 GP, 0 SP, 0 CP
--------------------
Special Abilities
--------------------
Racial Traits
Darkvision Tieflings can see perfectly in the dark for up to 60 feet.
Fiendish Resistance Tieflings have cold resistance 5, electricity resistance 5, and fire resistance 5.
Heritage: Daemon Spawn Daemon-blooded bringers of devastation are shrewd and swift, but their plans frequently exhibit exploitable flaws. +2 Dex, +2 Int, -2 Wis.
Native Outsider Tieflings are outsiders with the native subtype.
Prehensile Tail Many tieflings have tails, but some have long, flexible tails that can be used to carry items. While they cannot wield weapons with their tails, they can use them to retrieve small, stowed objects carried on their persons as a swift action. This racial trait replaces fiendish sorcery.
Skilled Daemon-Spawn gain a +2 racial bonus on Disable Device and Sleight of Hand checks.
Spell-Like Ability Daemon-Spawn can use Death Knell once per day as a spell-like ability. Caster level equals class level.
Background Traits
Deathtouched (Mind-Affecting) At some point you were tainted with the corruption of the undead, and you have gained some of their defenses. You gain either a +1 trait bonus on Fortitude saving throws or a +2 trait bonus on saving throws against mind-affecting effects (your choice).
Alman Preacher You spent many hours in Wicken’s Church of St. Alman, absorbing Father Gromwell’s religious stories that filled your head and heart with dreams of Heaven and Paradise. +1 trait bonus to Heal checks, and Heal is a class skill.
Feats
Weapon Finesse With a light weapon, elven curve blade, rapier, whip, or spiked chain made for a creature of your size category, you may use your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength modifier on attack rolls. If you carry a shield, its armor check penalty applies to your attack rolls.
Class Features
KnacksAn occultist learns one knack, or 0-level psychic spell, each time he selects an implement schools (including when he again selects a school that he has already learned to use). These spells are cast like any other spell, but they can be cast any number of times per day. Knacks cast using any other spell slots because of metamagic feats applied to them, for example, consume spell slots as normal.
Mental Focus (Su) An occultist can invest a portion of his mental focus into his chosen implements for the day, allowing him to utilize a variety of abilities depending on the implements and the amount of mental focus invested in them.
An occultist has a number of points of mental focus equal to his occultist level + his Intelligence modifier; these points refresh each day. He can divide this mental focus between his implements in any way he desires. If an implement is lost or destroyed, the focus invested in it is lost as well, though the occultist still refreshes those points of focus normally.
Once mental focus is invested inside an implement, the implement gains the resonant power of its implement school, and the occultist can expend the mental focus stored in the implement to activate the associated focus powers he knows. If a resonant power grants a bonus that varies based on the amount of mental focus invested in the implement, the bonus is determined when the focus is invested, and is not reduced or altered by expending the mental focus invested in the item. Once all of the mental focus in an implement has been expended, it loses its resonant power until mental focus is once again invested in the implement.
The implement grants its resonant power to whoever possesses it; the occultist can lend the implement to an ally to assist that ally, but if he does so, he has difficulty casting that implement’s spells (see Implements) and can’t expend that implement’s focus on focus powers until he retrieves the implement or refreshes his focus.
The occultist refreshes his mental focus once each day after receiving at least 8 hours of sleep. After refreshing his mental focus, the occultist must spend 1 hour preparing his implements and investing them with this power. Mental focus that is not used before the next time the occultist refreshes his focus is lost.
The occultist can choose to save generic mental focus inside his own body instead of investing all of it, but expending this focus comes at a higher cost.
Any focus power the occultist activates with generic focus costs twice as much mental focus to use (and to maintain, if applicable). The occultist can expend his generic focus through an appropriate implement on any focus power he knows, but an implement he didn’t invest any focus in at the start of the day grants no resonant power.
Necromantic Bond At 1st level, a necroccultist gains access to only the necromancy school of implements.
He must select necromancy for his implement mastery.
Each time he gains an occultist level, a necroccultist can add one necromancy spell from the wizard spell list to his occultist spell list and his list of spells known. The necroccultist can’t choose a spell of a higher level than he is able to cast, and he adds the spell at the same spell level it appears on the wizard spell list. At 14th level, he doesn’t gain an additional school of implements.
Instead, at 14th level, the DCs of saving throws to resist a necroccultist’s necromancy spells and necromancy focus powers increase by 2.
This ability alters implements and implement mastery.
Implements (Su) At 1st level, an occultist learns to use two implement schools. At 2nd level and every 4 occultist levels thereafter, the occultist learns to use one additional implement school, to a maximum of seven schools at 18th level. Each implement school adds one spell per spell level of that school of magic to the occultist’s spell list. No spells from any other school are considered to be on the occultist’s spell list until he selects the associated implement school. He can’t use spell trigger or spell completion magic items from unknown schools without succeeding at the appropriate Use Magic Device check. An occultist can select an implement schools more than once in order to learn additional spells from the associated school.
Each implement schools is represented by a small list of objects. Every day, the occultist selects one item from that school’s list to be his implement for the day for each implement school he knows. The occultist needs only one such item to cast spells of the corresponding school, unless he selected that implement schools multiple times, in which case he needs one item for each set of spells gained from that school. Implements don’t need to be magic items, and non-magical implements don’t take up a magic item slot even if they’re worn. Implements that are not magic items are often of some historical value or of personal significance to the occultist, such as the finger bone of a saint, the broken scepter of a long-dead king, the skull of a mentor’s familiar, or the glass eye of an uncanny ancestor.
Whenever an occultist casts a spell, he must have the corresponding implement in his possession and present the implement to the target or toward the area of effect.
This act is part of casting the spell and doesn’t require any additional action. If the occultist lacks the corresponding implement, he can attempt to cast the spell, but must succeed at a concentration check (DC = 20 + the spell’s level) to do so. Spells cast by an occultist without the appropriate implement are always treated as if they were cast at the minimum caster level for the spell in question (caster level 1st for a 1st-level spell, caster level 4th for a 2nd-level spell, and so on).
Each implement schools also grants a base focus power. This power is added to the list of focus powers possessed by the occultist (see Mental Focus below). In addition, each implement schools grants access to a number of other focus powers that the occultist can select from using his mental focus class feature.
See implement schools for a complete list of implements associated with each school and their focus powers.
Focus Powers (Su)At 1st level, an occultist learns the base focus power from both of his two implement schools (see Implements below) and can select one more focus power from the list of those available to him through those schools.
Whenever the occultist learns a new implement school, he gains the base power of that school. In addition, at 3rd level and every 2 levels thereafter, he learns a new focus power selected from the options granted by all of the implement schools he knows. The occultist can use focus powers only by expending mental focus (see Mental Focus).
Unless otherwise noted, the DC for any saving throw against a focus power equals 10 + 1/2 the occultist’s level + the occultist’s Intelligence modifier. The occultist can’t select a focus power more than once. Some focus powers require him to reach a specific occultist level before he can choose them.
It was 66 years ago a bundle was found on on the steps of Wicken's Church of St. Alman. Inside was found an infant thought to be dead. But then it's pupiless eyes flicked open and a black, forked, snakelike tongue flicked out between sharpened teeth as it hissed at the nuns who had found it. Saying quick prayers to Mother Grace over the child creature, the nuns brought it in from the cold to be raised an orphan. They took it upon themselves to save the soul of this wicked creature.
What was a feral creature grew up to be an intelligent, well-behaved, bright young boy, although disturbing to gaze upon. Ostracized by the other orphans, and shown little affection by the clergy, Benjamin, as he had been named, took to work in the more secluded areas of the church, the basement libraries, the mortuary, and the catacombs. As a young man he trained in the seminary and showed himself to be of scholarly mind. He even assisted in funerary rights and autopsies and became caretaker of the catacombs beneath the cloister. It was there, in secret, that he began whispering to the dead. He learned from them of his true heritage and name, Mharjaek.
Drawn by his dark curiousity, Mharjaek often stole away from the cloister to make trips to Booktown and the Seminary districts of Castorhage, searching for occult grimoires to learn more secrets of the dead. He quickly became endeared to the cosmopolitan city. Unlike in the small town of Wicken, in the twisted streets of Castorhage, he did not stick out like a sore thumb. As he perused the great galleries and libraries of the intellectual centers he became a welcome face amongst the store-owners. That is until he began asking the wrong questions and accruing debts and library fines. In particular, a Raksasha merchant named Vuludash has it out for Ben for failing to return a rather rare and pricey grimoire. He was able to make a contact amongst the Fetch in his necromantic studies, a lovely dhampir woman named Ketura, who has also managed to garner his affection and lust. Ketura is a Deceiver amongst the Fetch, a position which earns her some prestige but also puts her in much danger.
He has kept his studies well hidden from the eyes of his mentor Father Gromwell, whom Ben does not wish to disappoint. He remains active in the church, and behaves in reverence to Mother Grace, however, he is driven to learn more about himself, his parents, his own origins, and his ties to the undead. He uses his position in the clergy to stay fed and housed, as well as for it's access to cadavers and the catacombs. Most of the churchgoers have learned to grow used to his presence, although, still, few are those who approach him with any sort of friendliness.
Ben, too, has grown to prefer this isolation as it allows him to better keep his secrets. Rarely does he confide in anyone, except perhaps Ketura. Lately, he has found his scholarly trips to the Blight have become excuses just to see her.
Benjamin, as he introduces himself, is bookish and shy, clumsy in social situations, and even a bit creepy. He has pallid skin which is cold to the touch and is completely hairless. His pupiless eyes blink twice with nictitating membranes. He has shark-like teeth and a black, forked tongue which flicks out randomly like a snakes. His ears come to a sharp point, and furthermore, he bears a tail that whips around and grabs on to things as if it had a mind of it's own. He dresses sharply, in dark scholarly clothes when he's about town, and even wears a pair of spectacles. He stands silent and composed most the time, although his tail whips about when he's excited or nervous. He prefers to stay in the background, unnoticed, and quickly grows uncomfortable when approached. He speaks in a hissing manner.
I'm happy to adjust his backstory to incorporate other PCs if chosen. Especially if they were involved with the Church.
For everyone regarding wicken While the details of you time in Wicken are very flexible, it is critical that you are tightly bound to the community. You might have been gone for a while but your childhood and time in Wicken were generally happy and you sincerely care about the village and its people.
Quick question on this. Kapenia is kind of a sociopath, so I'm not sure as written she "sincerely" cares about the village and its people. As she's written now however she does care deeply about the safety and security of Wicken and her reputation there as it's her place to escape back to if her life in the city doesn't pan out.
Is that enough of a connection, or should I redo her background and personality a bit to give her a more emotional base there?
I'm happy to adjust his backstory to incorporate other PCs if chosen. Especially if they were involved with the Church.
I second this. Especially as this seems like it is going to be a lot more roleplay than roll-play, I think it's a great idea to get together and sync up backstories and relationships. I want to keep the same basic concept but meshing with the group is much more important than any specific detail in the fluff.
Obviously that's for the people who are chosen. Looks like we already have 7-8 interested and almost a week still to go on recruitment.
I'm very interested in this campaign and all the expectations you've outlined sound solid. I'll be starting the character creation process right about now!
I'm also always down to make adjustments and additions to my backstory to incorporate other PCs, should this character be selected. It seems that at least one other person has a character who was working for the City Watch as well.
Vagrant Erudite here.
I really feel like challenging myself with the paladin and not just a lawful good meleer, so I believe I will stick with a spelless pally archetype and human.
Rallek, yeah I was skimming the aliases and noticed that too. I could change the aforementioned lieutenant to be Sergeant Smiles, and heck, we could work in a childhood friendship and/or rivalry from growing up in the same town.
Something like "Yes, Rallek was here, and of course it was good to see a friendly face, but even he'd changed since the years had gone by. He didn't look the other way, either, but my old friend didn't bother with the red tape or paperwork. I could never prove it but I'm sure he did something to that child prostitute's pimp we caught. We never saw another kid...at least in his stable...but he still won't tell me what happened. All I know is that pimp walks with a limp and shivers any time I mention former officer Lamora. Yeah, former. He had enough sense to get out. Guess I'm just a stubborn fool."
Hope that wouldn't be intruding Rallek.
If you're looking for names, since it never got used and I like the name, I'm gutting my Pietro Morvan alias and rebuilding it for this submission...so officer Pietro Morvan should be ready ASAP. Don't bother with the alias yet. I haven't rebuilt the stats on it. Just giving a heads up.
Sounds like a good setting for an Investigator. I'll look through the guide and have someone ready in a day or two.
I finished just about everything except Pietro's gear, and of course, tweaking the background story.
There's just not enough points to have a decent strength, dex, con, AND charisma, so I ditched two-weapon in favor of a strength-based two-handed build. Since I've often described him as pissed off, I decided to go with an intimidation build, as such is both useful for getting people to throw their weapons down and surrender, etc, a result Pietro would rather see than pointless death.
I present Pietro, the Pissed Paladin Primreaper ('cause Scythe - 'cause he grew up on his grandfather's farm)
Ok, looks like I need to rework the backstory a bit. I was thinking the church was more of a cathedral with a clergy and nuns running an orphanage sort of thing.
Further questions then:
Who ran the church before Father Gromwell?
Is St. Alman affiliated with Mother Grace, another diety, or is he his own diety?
Is there an orphanage in Wicken?
Where do the good folk of Wicken bury their dead?
Vagrant Erudite here.
I really feel like challenging myself with the paladin and not just a lawful good meleer, so I believe I will stick with a spelless pally archetype and human.
Rallek, yeah I was skimming the aliases and noticed that too. I could change the aforementioned lieutenant to be Sergeant Smiles, and heck, we could work in a childhood friendship and/or rivalry from growing up in the same town.
Something like "Yes, Rallek was here, and of course it was good to see a friendly face, but even he'd changed since the years had gone by. He didn't look the other way, either, but my old friend didn't bother with the red tape or paperwork. I could never prove it but I'm sure he did something to that child prostitute's pimp we caught. We never saw another kid...at least in his stable...but he still won't tell me what happened. All I know is that pimp walks with a limp and shivers any time I mention former officer Lamora. Yeah, former. He had enough sense to get out. Guess I'm just a stubborn fool."
Hope that wouldn't be intruding Rallek.
Yeah, that seems to be a fairly reasonably sort of description of Ralleck. He was originally based on Walter Kovacs from the Watchmen series, though, due to not having Kovacs’ parental issues or fascist ideals, he is generally a more pleasant person to be around. The concept has moved away from that since then, but, even so, he does have a willingness to engage in fairly brutal vigilantism, even after leaving the Watch, having long ago given up on operating within the confines of the law. Assuming both our characters are selected, I’d be down for incorporating some sort of friendship or frenemies, I expect Pietro would be one of the few people in the Watch Ralleck would respect, even if Ralleck’s attitude and actions would often clash with those of more LG individuals. And, well, the differences in the preferred methods of Inquisitors and Paladins would always be entertaining to rp out.
Frankly, my character cares a bit more about art than morality - though her artistic inclinations don't lead to anything overly weird. XD Castorhage is........ well, it's kind of a bureaucratic evil. No matter how hard one person tries to stomp problems out, the city has so much inertia that it's probably going to come back as soon as you're not looking anymore. Despite her alignment, I decided to go with a genial personality that should be able to work with others well enough.
rutaskadis here. I was also wondering if St. Allman's has nuns or an orphanage; still tweaking this character's backstory (I have a habit of writing absolute novels for my characters), but a large part of it depends on the kind of upbringing an orphan or ward of the church would have in Wicken.
Since we're already comparing characters I took a look at Touch. I'm pretty sure Kapenia and Touch would have the potential of an interesting relationship on one front with the Ash Queen connection.
Since Kapenia is very suspicious of potential female rivals, and also hides her Ash Queen connection from most people (anyone in the Wicken side of her life, and anyone she doesn't trust on her Blight side) that relationship would either end up being pretty secret, or at least take some time to even develop since she'd need to actually trust Touch first, not just be pretending to trust her. Could end up being a VERY interesting love/hate friends on the surface/frenemy underneath it type relationship. I kind of hope we both get picked if just to be able to develop that.
I really love heavy RP campaigns and this looks like it could end up being absolutely wonderful :)
Full sociopath will be tricky. A lot of this Adventure Path relies on relationships and someone that cant build attachments or connections might find motivation wanting. On the other hand someone who is slow to trust and slow to care will probably be fine. Only caring about people for selfish reasons is fine as long as she can genuinely care. I think if she really has no emotional attachment to other humans a lot of the fun and power of this adventure path might go missing. A slightly softer interpretation of sociopath and I think you will be good.
I'll be fine then. As I said she's kind of a sociopath, but that's on the surface. It's more of a manufactured wall to protect herself than it is a bonafide mental condition. She is very able to care about people and ideals. She's inherently selfish and slow to trust, but once someone actually gets through her walls she's devoted to them. That's actually one of her flaws, that she goes from not caring to the opposite extreme and can easily be hurt or taken advantage of at that point.
In terms of Wicken, even though she's not overly attached to any specific people there (pending changes based on party), she is very attached to the town as her fallback plan if life goes to crap, so if anything happened to jeopardize that she'd be on the warpath.
Ok, looks like I need to rework the backstory a bit. I was thinking the church was more of a cathedral with a clergy and nuns running an orphanage sort of thing.
Further questions then:
Who ran the church before Father Gromwell?
Is St. Alman affiliated with Mother Grace, another diety, or is he his own diety?
Is there an orphanage in Wicken?
Where do the good folk of Wicken bury their dead?Okay a little more info on Wicken
The village of Wicken is home to about 150 people with perhaps double that number living on farmsteads within a days ride. Its main economy come from the bountiful orchards all around the city and a small weekly farmers / craft market that draws individuals from the surrounding agricultural lands. Overall Wicken is a peaceful and welcoming community that is moderately prosperous.
St. Alman is something a bit less than a diety. He is a local saint roughly on par with a demi-god. In terms of general outlook and the tone of his church I think we can consider him much like Golarions Erastil but with a much smaller power base and really only worshiped in the area right around Wicken.
There is no set orphanage in Wicken as its far to small a community to have more than one or two orphans at any given time. During those unfortunate times when a child is orphaned the community usually collectively fosters them. They may grow up with one family or they may get passed from family to family depending on each families circumstance. They are usually well taken care of and supported, fostering in Wicken isnt quite as abysmal as in the real world.
Most people in and around Castorhage - including Wicken - choose to cremate their dead as it improves the chance they will be allowed to rest peacefully. A small cemetery exists outside the Church of St. Alman but it rarely finds use.
alright, that changes things quite a bit for me. I’ll give it another go. Thanks for all the clarification :)
I dont know vigilante super well. Dont think I have ever had one in a campaign. Let me read through it with a little more attention than I have right now and get back to you. I should have a response for you tomorrow.
I'm new to the class as well, I've just recently become familiar with it. The core concept is explained well in the classes first ability. Essentially they have a secret identity, much like classic vigilante superheroes. Of course my take would be darker, as I have described above.
Looking forward to your thoughts!
It was 66 years ago a bundle was found on on the steps of Wicken's Church of St. Alman. Inside, the former caretaker [insert name] found an infant he thought to be dead. But then it's pupiless eyes flicked open and a black, forked, snake-like tongue flicked out between sharpened teeth as it hissed and squirmed, [insert name] uttered a quick prayer to his patron saint and took the child in as an orphan.
What was a feral creature grew up to be an intelligent, well-behaved, bright young boy, although disturbing to gaze upon. Father [insert name] raised Benjamin, as he had been named, as his own, and yet it took the townsfolk a while to grow used to the child’s eerie presence. Ben exhibited a surprising intellect and often secluded himself with whatever sparse books he could find in the small agrarian town. Father [insert name] often took him into the surrounding countryside to harvest medicinal herbs, and educated Benjamin in their applications and ceremonial properties. Benjamin even took to learning by heart the ceremonial prayers of St. Alman, including birth, coming of age, and death rites.
He made few friends as a child, but for those who earned his trust, he proved to be a loyal friend in return. Yet, he could not shake the feeling of being an outsider in a close knit community. The rumors eventually made their way to his bat-like ears, that no one in the community had been pregnant before he showed up, and his parents were likely from the big city, Castorhage. When his adopted father passed away, Ben stayed with the body in the church and overnight. In the witching hours of early morning, as Ben wept over the body, he heard a mad whispering coming from Father [insert name]’s dead lips. Strangely not frightened, Ben leaned in to hear the secrets of the departed. In the mad ramblings, he heard what he knew to be his true name, Mharjaek.
In the morning, Ben was noticeably absent as the townsfolk gathered to light the funeral pyre. In truth, the young man, having lost the only family he had known, ran off in the night towards Castorhage. Using a bit of coin he stole from the church coffers, he rented a small room above a bookstore in Booktown. He gained employment as a clerk in the store, Vuludash’s Rarities Emporium. The owner, Vuludash, was a raksasha with keen taste and a ruthlessly competitive temperament. The shop was filled with rare and valuable tomes, as well as relics and artifacts from antiquity. Vuludash, perhaps observant of Ben’s fiendish heritage, groomed the boy and let him peruse the occult grimoires at his leisure at night. Determined to gain entrance in the academies of the Seminary, Ben did not take his studies lightly. He found and affinity and deep curiosity for the necromantic arts, and knowing well the authority’s stance on such practices, kept his experiments private and hidden.
When he came of age, Ben passed the entrance examinations with honors and entered into academia. It was in the vast libraries of university he met Ketura, a dhampir woman of particular beauty, for whom Ben quickly developed an affection for. Ketura worked as a librarian, and was keen enough to notice a pattern in the literature Ben was researching. She confided in Ben that she was a Deceiver for the Fetch, a position which gave her some access but which also put her in much danger. In return, Ben found in Ketura someone to confide in, to share his secrets and dreams. He still wished to one day find his parents in the sprawling maze of Castorhage, to make sense of his existence, and to fulfill his insatiable curiosity in the necromantic arts. Finding passage through the target of his lust and affection into the half-drowned catacombs deep under the heart of the great city, Ben found a refuge where he could practice his occult magic.
Some years went by before Ben received a letter from one Father Gromwell, the new priest of St. Alman, inviting Ben to return to Wicken. Ever curious, Ben began to make yearly pilgrimages to his hometown for the summer harvest festival. There he would attend the sermons of Father Gromwell, and in them find a light to offset the inherent darkness in his blood and in his practice.
Benjamin is a being being pulled in multiple directions. In his mysterious origins lies the blood of evil fiends, yet his own upbringing has nurtured a dispassionate if not at least kind heart. He practices despised and forbidden magics in a city held under an iron thumb. His true passion is for greater knowledge, to learn the deepest of secrets. No secret is deeper for him than his own past.
[insert name] belongs to whomever ran the church before Father Gromwell. Being a tiefling who reaches adulthood at age 60, the timeline is a bit tricky. I’ll leave it to the GM to provide a name.
I made some small updates to Kapenia's background, but they are mostly superficial. I did some major updates to her personality to alleviate any fear of pure sociopathy. I also added two parts in the last paragraph where any previous relationships with party members or any GM hooks could be added, but if neither of them are needed I'll just make up a couple names and positions in those blanks. All updates are in the profile but I'll spoiler the new personality here too. I think all that is left is to purchase gear, but I'll probably wait until after selection to see if that's needed.
Elisa Hartill is a charming, friendly, down to earth young woman. She is somewhat shy, blushing uncontrollably at any compliment or attention from a man, but also extremely devout and would never do anything inappropriate with those men to sully her reputation or her family's. None of this is actually true. Internally, and as her alter ego "Kapenia", she is a vindictive, manipulative, selfish woman. Or perhaps, she's actually a mixture of the two. Even she isn't sure.
As opposed to Elisa, Kapenia will be the first to enchant or seduce any man or woman who she can in order to obtain status, ease of living, or social prominence. She has no qualms about using someone for a short time and then either ruining them or simply disappearing when she is done with them. She associates herself with The Great Coven, but is not a worshipper of the Green Man but instead pays service to the Ash Queen, as the latter's use of lust, betrayal, and lies suit her much better. She is quick to take offense and will go our of her way to try and ruin someone who she believes has slighted her or ruined one of her plans, but is willing to hold grudges for long periods and take her time to do it "right", often continuing to befriend or even romance someone so that the revenge is that much sweeter.
Alternately, if someone gets past her suspicions and she begins to trust them, she will be blind to their own machinations and can be used herself. She puts people into three categories; the majority are just pawns to be used to improve her status, next are the enemies who stand in her way and must be humiliated or destroyed, and finally the few friends who she cares deeply about and will do anything for.
Her actual personality can be very malleable. She has spent so long putting on false fronts to others that even she can often fall under her own spell, continuing to act a part without completely understanding her feelings about it. Although she tells herself that she is separate from everyone and none of them matter, she does have two things that she cares about deeply. Firstly is her relationship with Hornet, as that is the basis of her successful life in Castorhage. Secondly is her relationship with the town and people of Wicken, as even though she tells herself she doesn't respect them, they are her refuge to return to if life in the city goes badly and she would fight tooth and nail to keep that ability to retreat alive.
Besides those two, there are individuals in Wicken that she has a grudging respect and liking for {insert specifics after group composition and background relationships are developed}, and several in the city that she enjoys the company of {work with GM to establish several relationships other than Hornet that might be applicable to the story, if not then I'll just make up a couple}. These people have not yet made it through her internal barriers to become true friends but are well on their way.
I think she'll not just fit into a group better this way, but she should be a lot more fun to play as I can allow her to grow and mature even if she doesn't realize herself that it is happening. She might even get to have one of those Grinch moments where all of a sudden her heart grows three sizes...or she might self-destruct and have to rely on the group, building new relationships that way...who knows?
I just realized I missed the second thing Touch focuses on. I should probably go back and revise that soon. XD