An Important Note
This game will contain mature themes, and situations which may cause unpleasantness in sensitive individuals. While not the principle theme, the start is certainly adult - your character will be exposed to some great traumatic event, which should greatly weigh on them. If you are not comfortable with this, this is not the campaign for you.
Character Creation Rules Ability Scores: 30 Point Buy - 18/7 before racials is fine, but the more munchkin-esque your mechanics (especially with 30 points), the more your background will need to be exceptional.
Starting Level: 6 - tell me where you put your stat increase please.
Races: Dwarf or Oread - Oread submissions must either take Dwarf Blooded and/or the following Alternate Racial Trait-
Mostly Dwarven:
A few oreads have appearances much closer to those of their dwarf ancestors; in fact, they may not even realize their true race. Such geniekin appear to be dwarven, save perhaps minor features like unusual eye color, and they count as humanoid (dwarf) as well as outsider (native) for all purposes (such as humanoid-affecting spells such as charm person or enlarge person). These geniekin do not automatically gain their associated elemental language (but may select it as a bonus language if their Intelligence is high enough), gaining Dwarven in its place. This ability alters the geniekin’s type, subtype, and languages.
- Additionally, if you opt for Dwarf Blooded, you may substitute Stonecunning for any of the following: Barrow Scholar, Behind the Veil, Rock Stepper (which would stack with the Oread feat Stony Step provided the conditions for both are met), Sense Aberration, Stone Singer, and Voice in the Darkness.
- I would consider an Adopted (as in the trait) character from another race, but your presentation will have to be markedly exceptional, and your mechanics will be under greater scrutiny.
HP: Max.
Classes: Any Paizo, any archetype. Third party archetypes (but only archetypes) may be permissible on a case-by-case basis.
Variant Multiclassing is also acceptable.
Background Skills are in effect - with the exception of the new skills, Artistry and Lore.
Feat Tax Variant is being used.
Three traits following the normal one-per-category rule. You may take up to two drawbacks for additional traits, but you should make them count, and expound upon them in your background. I'm also fond of "reflavoring" the traits - for example, if you take an "- of the Society" trait, you need not have been a Pathfinder, or Aldori Caution, you need not have ever met a Swordlord. However, replace these with something else - find a way to justify the trait's new applied background in yours.
16,000 GP, no more than 9,000 of which may be spent on a single item - if you need to go slightly over, just ask, but no more than 9,500.
If you would like to see any of the other variant rules Paizo has released being used (Stamina, Equipment Tricks, Skill Unlocks, etc), make a note of that and I'll check it out - I like most of them, but to include everything right off the bat is not only a bit much, but might also be dissuading to people not intimately familiar with all of the options. The only one I know I do not wish to use is the Hero Points system. Likewise, if you'd like to be Mythic, I would consider that as well - though your "moment of ascension" will come in-game - just note that, as well as what path you'd likely take.
I'm looking for a posting rate of one post/two days. This campaign will rely on both of us to tell a story - as such, I expect expository and detailed posts, so we can have a bit more time to work on them. During combat this can be curtailed a bit - we may even step up to 1/day over long encounters, but I'll leave that to the discretion of the player(s).
This is a solo story - I will only be selecting one individual. However, if two players would like to submit shared backgrounds and intertwined characters, I will consider taking you both.
Backgrounds should be detailed and well-thought. Your character must come from, live in, and have relationships with a community of Dwarves. You may have adventured in your past - so long as "home" is a Dwarven settlement. On that note as well, you are starting at level six - you didn't get that way by sitting at home with Pa drinking ale and singing, so tell me of some of the things you did.
I appreciate variety, so if you are able, it would give you bonus points to pick a type of Dwarf other than the standard Five King's Mountains resident. There are the Pahmet and Ouat in Osirion, the Mbe'ke and Taralu of Mwangi, and the "desert Dwarves" of the Shattered Range, as well as the standard variety but located in the Kodar and Mindspin Mountains, and Kalsgard in the Land of the Linnorm Kings. Additionally, you make create a new group living elsewhere on Golarion, particularly a region not detailed by Paizo - you may take as many liberties as you wish with this, but you'll have to expound upon them more than the others, since I'll know only what you tell me about them.
Your background - as well as the general appeal of your character - will be the primary method of selection. Make it count.
Please answer the following questions in your application - place them under a spoiler, or you may PM them to me if you are uncomfortable doing so in public.
Questions About YOU:
1. What is your age and time zone?
2. What is your experience with Pathfinder? Note that I do not mean this site - I can't rightly judge someone on criteria I myself do not possess - but the game in general.
3. Is there any particular topic that makes you uncomfortable? I will not tolerate this turning into Erotic Roleplay, but would have no qualms about a character seducing an NPC or having intimate relations - the details will just be off-screen. On the same lines, sexual assault will not be included in this game. However, Darklands denizens are by-and-large truly Evil, so scenes of violence, torture, slavery, and the like will probably come into play. I also appreciate vivid combat descriptions, so details of how your axe strike injured your opponent should be expected.
4. What scares you, the player? Note that it seems as though the majority of people on here are working adults, so the answer to this should not be as simple as "spiders" or "snakes," but more along the lines of "I'm worried I've wasted the best years of my life playing fantasy games instead of developing genuine relationships with people in the real world." :)
5. What, if anything, would drive you to take the life of another person? Again, in the real world. Would you kill? For what?
For the last two, do note that I am tailoring this game to the selected player. The most powerful scenes in media are those which resonate with us on a visceral level.
I'm not setting a hard deadline for submissions just yet - holidays are rapidly approaching, and I'm asking more than is typical from you regarding your character history. When interest fizzles, I'll set a date - and we can be flexible, provided most everyone is in roughly the same spot.
