Welcome! Feel free to Dot in the Gameplay so that it gets added to your campaigns section. You can then delete the dot to keep the thread clean until we start up.
Please work on finalizing your character and setting up an alias. For the alias be sure to include relevant important character information in the Race section. This is a good example of relevant info:
HP 36/36 | AC 12 | T 12 | FF 10 | CMD 13 | Fort +3 | Ref +3 | Will +4 | Init +4 | Perc +11
Please make sure you include your background, motivations etc in your alias.
We will be getting started by the 13th, possibly the 12th if everyone is ready by then. Use this to discuss among yourselves and ask me any questions you may have.
Hey everyone.
I'm currently internetless much of the time so posting from the phone. This may make doing the full details of Caspians alias up a bit difficult but I'll do my best!
Caspian is a very well connected nobleman, so he could easily have met all sorts of people. Anyone want to build some connections.
I will have Alessand up by tomorrow evening. Also posting by mobile.
Alessand spends a great deal of time doing charity work and carpentry work, usually at the Basilica of Aroden. He is very poor, and his tools are the only thing of value he owns. He could have met anyone simply by virttof being a craftsman.
The intent is to play him as a holy man, with some really fun intricate parts to this later.
Hey all. I'll probably get Adrian's alias set up some time this evening.
I haven't been able to find much information about the Merosett family,so hopefully GM Dak can help me pin down a little more about them and where Adrian best fits (main family, cousin of the main family, etc.). That said, I see Adrian being fairly well-connected in scholarly and upper class circles, though perhaps not as much as Caspian. It's entirely possible he and Caspian have met before, and if not, he certainly knows who Caspian is.
I think this is going to be a lot of fun!
And delightfully different from my all female other table. :)
Yeah, I played in an old Hells Rebels game on here that died quickly, but with an all female group. Definitely a different experience.
Caspian, being well connected, probably knows Cyrene's family name (since she never abandoned it) as her parents were the victim of some serious dirty politics. He may also know Cyrene as well, she mostly does odd jobs as a sort of bodyguard for political clients so she remains on the periphery of the political area.
That actually goes for most people with a background or knowledge of nobility or politics. Cyrene's parents were not major nobility, but it possibly would have been a minor scandal when everything came to light.
EDIT
Damn boards hiding my dot
Alessand is probably the poorest AND most likely to be both accepted and marginalized at the same time. He is of Qadiran descent, but is also an aasimar. His faith has just come out of a long tenure of being illegal. So he will be both poor and cautious.
As to knowing anyone, Alessand would likely know Cyrene. Given that she does bodyguard work, she would likely have inspected his tools and other items to ensure he wasn't an assassin. Dirty peasant, yet he is an Aasimar. So strange.
That and he works from the Basilica of Aroden, so anyone with dealings there would know him through Father Basri.
Not really sure who Alex might know. He probably knows of any of the upper class and may have met anyone who is also poor. A thief by trade he is a human looking fetchling who doesn’t try to hide his heritage and is actually proud of it, he is something of a cross between Robin Hood and catwoman mentality wise and can usually be found at the temple of calistria. Profile should be good to go in an hour or so.
Hey all! I'm looking forward to this. Will try to get Anabella's stats up in an alias ASAP. I'm also posting from mobile, but only for the next few days--I'm traveling to visit family tomorrow morning, will be back home by Monday evening.
There's a very strong chance that Ana might know Alessand, since she's also a hidden worshiper of Sarenrae (though on the other hand, who knows--maybe the temples of Sarenrae in Oppara are so underground that they haven't yet met!). She would also probably be familiar with the characters from noble families, since she moves in those circles as well.
Looks like we have an arcanist, cavalier, rogue, cleric, and TWO inquisitors...should be a fun group! :)
Ok, here's Ana's profile! GM Dak, would love it if you could look it over and let me know if all's ok. In partiular, I have some traits and and inquisition I want to know whether you approve. All flexible.
The inquisition is from Inner Sea Intrigue. It's the Clandestine Inquisition, available here.
Alright Alex should be good to go, If anyone sees something wrong please let me know.
The alias should be mostly good to go. Might add an appearance description later, and I need to make an avatar decision, but otherwise it should all be there.
@Redac There isn't actually a whole lot about the Merosett family so feel free to to be flexible with it.
@Anabella Everything looks good.
@Alexius No issues that I see.
So I probably know Cyrene at least by name, Adrian as a passing acquaintance (do you duel sir? ;)) and couldn't pick Alexis or Annabelle out of a line up if I was told who to look for! This is setting up Well!
Anyone who pays attention to the noble scene will know (of) Caspian. Whether you think good or bad things is up.to you!! :D
Just noticed, we're all either C or A names...
Alex might actually know Adrian as an information broker. I don't know if Adrian would be willing to by info from someone like Alex?
If Alex had ever gotten hurt, Alessand may have healed him. Alessand is known for his charity work. Even for fetchlings. And, as I read a few things, Anabella and Alessand may actually know each other for faith-based reasons.
I believe my profile is complete.
That certainly makes sense, Alex isn't much of a fighter and I doubt all of his heists have gone of without a hitch, especially early on. Alex would also be happy to help Alessand in repayment if he ever needed a thief haha.
Since the Merosett family is pretty wide open, I was thinking it might work best for Adrian to perhaps be the eldest son or second son of the main part of the Merosett family. It's apparently a big family, but being really directly connected in that way might give the Family Ties drawback some more meaning and weight. I'm pretty open, though.
Since they run in the same circles, it would make sense for Adrian and Caspian to have met a handful of times, though not much more given Caspian's distaste for mages. Adrian would probably also know who Anabella is, and the two may have met at some point. He might also know Cyrene's name, if not Cyrene herself.
Alex would most likely have to have been introduced through some third party, but Adrian would buy information from him that he comes across during his work.
The best I can say for Alessand is that maybe he and Adrian were in the same building at some point, but otherwise Adrian would have no idea who he is. :P
Anyway, my alias should be just about done.
Being from the poor district and helping the Basilica of Aroden being maintained, Alessand really doesn't have a lot of pull. He is very much a charitable one. Given that we have a couple nobles around, I'm certain he is more of a "background person" or "servant-type" to them. He does bargain a fair price for his services, though.
I agree that Ana probably doesn’t know Alexis at all, has a nodding acquaintance with Adrian (how close we can figure out—she hasn’t been back in Taldor for all that long, so probably depends on the most recent social season!), and would know OF Caspian and Cyrene. I do think it would be fun for her to know Alessand—up to you, Alessand, if you think we’re aware of each other’s faith, or if we just know each other through charitable work.
Also: it seems that we have three Young Reformers in the group...I was debating between that choice and Child of Oppara, is there a benefit to us diversifying our campaign traits?
Not particularly Anabella. Nothing really links into the campaign traits apart from a small bit at the beginning.
@Adrian. Depends how seriously you take magic. Caspian is laid back enough that Adrian wouldn't be completely judged, as long as he isn't really a stuck-up jackass! ;)
@ Anabella: Alessand would probably have met her through charity, and he uses a spell called detect the faithful in his background (Not legal in campaign), so he would have figured it out and approached her right before legalization of their faith.
Alessand is afraid that the legalization of the faith is a trap. Thus the assistance at the Basilica of Aroden and being a hidden priest. He is hoping he is wrong.
@Caspian: He takes his study of magic fairly seriously, and there might be a bit of that sort of "magician's attitude" -- it might take a little play for me to iron out exactly how much. Still, Adrian is pretty gregarious and doesn't conduct himself quite like a lot of the really snobbish and elitist mages Caspian might have met.
@Caspian: He takes his study of magic fairly seriously, and there might be a bit of that sort of "magician's attitude" -- it might take a little play for me to iron out exactly how much. Still, Adrian is pretty gregarious and doesn't conduct himself quite like a lot of the really snobbish and elitist mages Caspian might have met.
Do you think you're better than everyone else because you are a mage? If so, Caspian will be polite but he doesn't like you much (too much like Bartelby!), if you can actually be a human who happens to have magic then they'll get along fine! :D
Profile completed btw.
(Profile Completed)
Just doing a quick runthrough, Cyrene probably knows Ana, Caspian and Adrian most of all, due to prior family conections, or her work with nobles keeping them within her general knowledge or awareness.
In the case of Alexius, she probably has heard of him more by reputation. With her familys fall from grace, she might not have the influence she might have previously, so she would have relied more on streetsmart connections. I doubt she has met him before, but has probably heard a few whispers.
As for Alessand, she has probably heard of him and his charity aims, but I find it difficult to see their paths crossing before. If Alessand regularly liaises with or petitions various nobles, then she might see him a bit more often, but if Alessand spends a lot of his time in the Narrows, she might have less interaction with him.
@Anabella As Caspian noted there isn't anything special about the traits, aside from some guidance on the GM side of things how they could effect something at the beginning of the game. However, I roll my own way :D. So that guidance - while helpful, won't come into effect. As such, having the same campaign traits isn't an issue.
Went ahead and kicked things off. Excited to get started :D.
As a side note, I know Thanksgiving is coming up and I'm aware that posting may be limited for some next week. If you can maintain 1/day posts great! If not, I understand and enjoy your holiday (if you celebrate it). Just be ready to jump back into 1/day posting after next week.
Also, for some reason, it keeps bugging out when I try to edit the campaign to add the link for the maps. As such, I will add it here in the meantime.
We won't need it for awhile, but if you want to join the game there I can get portraits and access setup correctly. If you don't have an account, it is completely free to sign up. Let me know once you've joined and your name that you joined with and I will add your character portrait and give you access to move them around.
Yay, they fixed the Campaign Section. So now Pics/Maps should be at the top of the thread for easy access to relevant pictures I post and to the maps when we get there.
Dak, out of curiosity, do you have any particular info/plans for the Clement family? I'm happy to improvise, but I haven't found anything in the literature besides references to Ana's mother.
Currently, there aren't any specific plans but that could always change if something comes that I feel would add to the story. I.e. there are some potential things that could happen (insert evil GM grin) but we'll see how it pans out.
If there are any conflicting things that occur I'll PM you or if you ever want to do something but have questions feel free to shot me a PM. As I noted, I prefer this to be a collaborative process so I am more than happy to work with you all.
Great! I'll assume, then, that my dad is at least alive. ;)
I would suggest that its not vital to 'claim' a task, just as long as we keep a list and make sure its up to date.
Spoil the Wine: 0/1
Martella Aide: 0/?
Influence Okerra: 0/1
Steal Items: 0/?
Spread Rumors: 0/?
We can link that to a list of locations and influence as well.
Made a spreadsheet that may help.
Maybe add a column to track successes?
Looks useful though!
Definitely saves us from constantly scrolling back to the tasks post
I think bluff for assisting the sabotage for Alessand. Then moving to help assist with something more savory. This way we have a lookout. We should all work in pairs or trios if possible.
Everyone should pick a "short" task and a "long" task. We do as many short tasks initially as we can, then move to the more delicate tasks.
Also, the forgery should implicate someone else for the thievery that will disgrace them. Any long term enemies if the soon to be Queen...
GM, can multiple party members do multiple tasks?
Like, would Alexius (for example) be able to help with Aide AND then do Sabotage later or is everyone doing everything at the exact same moment
Adrian has the Linguistics to forge damning evidence if need be. Bluff, not so much.
He should probably take the lead on trying to influence Okerra -- intimidation isn't his strong suit -- or otherwise helping to gather information about one of the other two nobles.
I think it's possible to do more than one thing, though I'm not positive. If it is, we should try to collaborate as much as we can.
Without spoilering too much it goes in rounds, so we can chop and change as much as we want. Hence why I'm saying not to get too narrow focused. If one person is having bad luck someone else can easily step in :)
Alexius could definetly take the lead on the theft (it's kind of his thing) and if Caspian can get him into the kitchens he could sabotage the bottle.
also how long is this gala supposed to go for?
Yeah, looking at everyones strengths, Alexius would be super useful at Sabotage / Aide. Actually Alexius is useful in all of those tasks
For Cyrene, I'm probably best at the SM / Perception / Stealth stuff, so Discovery, Spy, and possibly the Fraud thing, assuming someone else could take care of the Linguistics thing.
Also how long is this gala supposed to go for?
It's all over one night, but within that we have a lot of 'mechanical time' to work with. Short of truly abominable rolling we should be fine. :)
Honestly I could fill in on any of the jobs so I’ll let everyone else work out where they want to be, the fraud task is the only one I would have real trouble with since I don’t have linguistics.
Yup as Caspian noted we will essentially go into "initiative", then the evening plays out over a certain number of rounds. In addition to your tasks various events will also occur during the evening and it's up to you to decide how you approach things.
If you want you could all go together and work on one task, split up into groups and work on a few tasks at the same time or everyone go do their own thing. You can respond to events or completely ignore them if you choose.
One thing to keep in mind, certain NPCs, in order to actually have an effect on them, you will need to influence them. You can learn their strengths and weakness so that you know the best approach to take when trying to influence them. It may help to refresh yourselves on the details of social combat on page 14/15 of the players guide.
Also, remember my note in the Tasks description. What I listed were the most likely skills to be used. If you come up with other creative solutions you are more than welcome to attempt them.
I am making a plan, please chime in here everyone!
Aide. Longest task. Alessand will move here after the fraud is completed. Any others who wish to help can join here.
Fraud:. Short task, Alessand bluffs Adrian in, works as a lookout, then they move on to other tasks. Implicate an enemy for the theft.
Politicking: Anabella would do well here. So would Adrian and Caspian.
Sabotage: Caspian and Alexius:. Caspian gets Alexius in, and helps locate the bottle, Alexius does the difficult work. Heck, Caspian could have any others he wants with to help search for the bottle. This should be a relatively short task and we could all do this first to make our plans final here.
Spy:. This is a duo or trio. Long task. Someone who knows the general should say hi, allowing Cyrene to get into position, via stealth, then we wait. Annabella could be the one to say hi.
Theft: Alexius plus Cyrene (Alexius does the work, again, Cyrene is the lookout).
Did I get everyone? Is this a good plan or good idea?
Caspian is happy to do the aide job. He's pretty well suited to it. So find the bottle quickly and then move on to doing as my big sister tells me!
Just want to make sure before I move us forward no one needs to buy anything and/or has something else they need to do. Otherwise I will move us onto the night of the Gala.
Alex plans on getting two items before the gala, a disguise kit and a symptoms kit, he plans on getting them through the guild though so there’s not really any shopping involved.