Hi there, Sanosuke! Congrats, and welcome. I'll get back with you later tonight after I get home from work. For now, if you could get your alias up with all of your info and character creation stuff, that would be most helpful.
Thanks a ton for picking me. I've been wanting ro run Germon for so long. It was just tough to find a campaign to fit him in. One that revolves around him is perfect. So again thank you for this opportunity.
Now I can post daily from my phone. Usually work gives me time for quick checks and little posts. For big posts, I need ro be on lunch or off work. To make modifications to my Alias I need my PC. So when I get home tonight I will get that fully up to date. I am usually up late so after I get off work I will be online for about three to four hours.
Again, Thanks for picking me. I will endeavour to live up to your expectations.
Okay, Germon is all set and good to go.
Now what were the other things we needed to sort out?
First of all, I'm curious: How much information do you already have on your companions and other characters in your life?
Also how old are you?
Germon is a piping 20 year-old youngster.
Germon knows his Brother Edan Falleyas who is a 21/22 year-old wizard in training.
Germon is aware his brother casts magic, not exactly sure what schools he studies or what his style of combat is like, the two boys went to different schools and though they are close by fellowship, they don't know each others personal lives THAT well. They do understand one another even though they are opposites of one another. I was inspired the the Thor movie and their relationship is loosely based on Thor and Loki. Germon almost blindly loves his brother and trusts him completely. What Secrets Edan may not have shared with his brother are yours to evolve as you choose. Or I can take control of him. Purely up to you how much control of my brother you want me to have.
Xayla on the other hand is a big mystery to Germon. She's not much of a talker and even when Germon was younger and hearing stories from Suspanna about their homelands, she didn't speak much of Xayla.
Here is a summery of what Germon knows of Xayla
-She is a Young pretty Drow Ranger outcast from drow society for some reason and from somewhere in the darklands. And she is Suspanna's daughter. The rest is up to you.
I have a Story for each of them all panned out if you want to use that but you are free to come up with your own. I will work with either way you wish to go. The story is about Germon, not them. If you feel it would fulfill some kind of plot to kill them off, then by all means. I tossed them in there for flavor, to be used as party members, or to simply have been a brief part of Germon's life and will have moved on now or later.
My knowledge of Yarward is very limited. I know he is a rival in to my family and he is powerful. Enough so that it is within his right to hunt us to the ends of Golorion and back. Anything else would be your call.
I would be fairly knowledgeable of Magnimar so to help that and you out, I kicked a skill point out of Heal and stuck it in Knowledge:local. You can then feed me knowledge on Magnimar pending on how I roll that check.
I tried to detail my story but keep it loose so you can mold it as you see fit. I am an experience GM and have run MANY players in solo games, so I know how to work on your end. It's thrilling to be on the receiving end for a change though. Especially since the adventure path is made for my guy. Too cool.
OK, right on. I'm glad to see how open-minded you are with your story. I promise I won't abuse that. I'll share a few things about myself as a GM:
I don't fudge dice. This isn't as much of a thing on PbP, since everyone's rolls are transparent, but I won't change up numbers and stats on the fly.
Conversely, in this type of game, your character won't die. At least, not permanently. There will be repercussions, though.
I'm all about player focus. This includes building a story around your character, giving you lots of options, and saying "yes" more often than not. For example, if you're fighting in a bedroom, and I have't detailed the contents, you could say "Germon grabs the bedsheet and throws it on the thug." Since I hadn't specified that there was no bedsheet, you can feel free to assume that there is. In other words, feel free to take liberties.
I keep open communication. If you want to go a certain direction, or don't like where we're heading, tell me. I want to make this a fun game for you, because in my book, happy players==happy GM. You've said that you're experienced at solo play, so I'm more than happy to hear your advice and input.
Normally I use maps and minis, but I'm thinking we'll try mind's eye combat, at least at first. Maybe if there is some sort of complex tactical situation, I'll put up a map to work with, but I think we can just go with imagination for now.
I prefer improvisation. I have not prepared anything but the opening scene for this game. I take feedback and self-made hooks and run with them.
Finally, I like to keep it real-ish. Running away is a legitimate tactic, noncombatants exist and can die, people run out of food, monsters in ruins need a place to go to the bathroom, etc. I like making it possible for players/characters to think things through logically.
Now, back to the story at hand. It sounds like I can stat up your companions. As for control, I would treat your companions almost like I would a familiar. I am happy to auto-bot them in combat, but don't expect anything too creative. At any time, you can jump in a declare a move for them. The same applies to non-combat. I would run them mostly in the background, which works well since it seems like you're the party face anyways. If you need one of them to say/do something, go right ahead. However, there may be times when they make life difficult for you, get in the way, or undermine your plans unintentionally - just like friends in real life.
I just have a one more questions about Germon before we start, and I'm sure more stuff will pop up as we go.
How quickly do you plan on getting to Kaer Maga? Do you want to just get there as soon as possible, or do you want to play out some of the travel adventures?
I will stat up Edan and Xayla and get ready for the first adventure.
And, one more thing: I took another look at your character, and I'm really glad I picked him. I just noticed that you speak "drow sign language." How cool is that? I'll have to make sure to fit that in somehow.
Thanks. Running solo games can be tricky and are often most fun when the GM takes liberties in things that affect the player. Often enough I use in story hooks to lure the player into certain quests. One thing I have notice with all the players I have had in solo games, they are FAR more creative and innovative and even tend to let loose in ways they normally wouldn't in a group.
They also attach themselves to NPCs more often and roleplay a heavy storm. Groups don't roleplay out stuff as much and it is all about the adventure party. When it is just one person, it is about them. Think Bioware games for example. KOTOR, Mass Effect, Dragon age. Those are good sources of inspiration for a good single player adventure. So expect a good deal of roleplay and interaction with NPCs from me. I also notice single players attempt some strange but cool tactics in fights. If I'm in a struggle, I my try strange things that don't have rules so be prepared for that.
Now, my adventure. Kaer Maga seemed like the best destination for my character, perfect even considering the story.
The Mushfens seem to be infested with boggards, a reasonable low level challenge but one to be wary of. Plus I am sure you got plenty of ideas or options.
As far as I am concerned, the journey can take as long as you wish. Sometimes long journeys can lead to a real good feeling or even a sweet high when you finally reach the destination. If you have other things you wish me to accomplish elsewhere and don't want to waste time on that particular trip, then by all means make the journey a quick one.
If you have lots of options and ideas FOR this first journey, then I'm game to take on what you got no matter how long it takes to reach this destination. If you got caves, ruins, or dungeons to explore along the way, monsters to face, people to meet, or any other hooks or side quests then I say BRING IT! You set the pacing. I'm just glad to be having this kind of adventure. Gonna be fun.
Now a few things I forgot to point out about how I plan to play Germon.
1. He is not a looter. I know Pathfinder is a game about getting the good stuff and as much as possible. But seriously, I don't feasibly, see people waltzing though dangerous lands picking up every gosh darn item they come across. Kill a band of 8 brigands, now I have eight longswords, eight hide armor, and a bunch of other stuff I can sell later. No, where would you even put all that and why lug marginally worthless stuff around. Unless it is needed, easy to carry, or particularly valuable or useful, Germon will leave it.
EX. I fight and kill a bandit with a crossbow, a longsword, chain shirt, 20 bolts, two Potions of CLW, 25 gold, a waterskin, and a club. I would only take the weapons only if I need them, leave the armor, take the water, coin, and potion. That is simply how Germon will handle loot. I prefer my coin come from valuable finds, or jobs well done.
2. Germon never got out into the wild much. He is a bit unfamiliar with stuff outside city walls, he is also dangerously curious. He loves discovering new things. We pass any strange ruins or caves in the Mushfens or ANYWHERE along the way and he is likely to poke his head in. I play to Germon's wisdom and lack of outside experience. Kind of why Edan is there. Edan is more cautious than Germon is and I expect you to use Edan as a warning system if I am poking around a situation that could get Germon killed. Just saying.
Ex. Germon sees a rattle snake in the grass. There is a good chance he wouldn't know it is dangerous. May even try to interact with it. His well read brother Edan on the other hand would pull Germon baack and say that thing is dangerous. Theres an example. if there isn't some kind of obvious warning, Germon will likely mess around with dangerous stuff. Thankfully this does not often apply in dealing with people. Germon is much better at that. This doesn't mean I want you to keep me out of the wilds, it just means you can play to my curiosity and you don't have to try hard to hook me into exploring a ruin or dungeon. Also, I fully expect Germon to grow and mature, given enough experience, not points but actual experience, he will get wiser, smarter, and all around better in roleplay rather than in just stats and Crunch.
3. Character build. I am currently a Cavalier, while that is a mounted form of warrior, it isn't one I plan on taking many levels in. Mounted combat is hard to use in Pathfinder so I will likely only have the one level in it. The rest will go towards bard and either fighter, or some other combat class until I reach Battle Herald. If that path is at all an issue, I can figure out something else within my characters persona. I like this guy but if Battle Herald is a bit too difficult to run, then I can easily adapt Germon to a different future goal that still fits into his Story. If your cool with it, then I'd like to know how you plan on handling the leadership feat. That is pretty much what Germon is going for.
4. Roleplay. I am a huge fan of in game roleplay. Dialogue and interactions with other characters is just as much fun as combat and I believe they should be balanced. I've played in too many games where it was all about the fighting and there was no story or 3 dimensional characters. Summerizing encounters with NPCs can get boring. I go into a bar and talk with the barkeep, it's fun when the barkeeper has name, personality, and something to say. Doesn't have to be too much, just as much as you can handle and I won't be picky or critical on how your NPCs act or behave. If that is what you think they should say or do, then by all means.
So yeah, I hope all this helps set up our game. I am giving you pretty much free reign with the one exception that I will go where I please and do as I do. Well as Germon will do at any rate.
P.S. Suspanna taught Germon Drow Sign Language. If you notice, in my Alias's Full name, Germon also has a Drow name listed. It's what Susanna called him. I hope you plan on putting Drow in here somewhere, doesn't need to be soon but eventually. Always been a fan of these things.
Any other questions, comments, or concerns about Germon or me? Always helps to know the players perceptions and tendencies too. How we like to play.
This is good. It seems like we'll get along famously.
As for your character build, have you considered taking the standard bearer archetype? It basically just switches the timing when you receive your banner and your mount. If you aren't taking 5 levels of cavalier, you'll never have to waste a class ability on a mount that you may not use much. Of course, if you keep the mount, I'll do what I can to give you a chance to use it, too.
Okay I gave Standard Bearer another look. I like having a free loyal mount that can get stronger as you go than a banner that merely allows +2 against fear and +1 to attacks ONLY on the charge.
It will be cool, even in dungeon crawl I can make use of the mount. It is an animal companion that I can find plenty of uses for.
I almost considered Beast Rider as a possibility. If I took three levels in cavalier followed by the Boon Companion Feat, I would be able to ride an exotic mount at level seven. Like a rhino, or a dino, or even a Roc. Really like the idea but it is a bit too uncharacteristic for Germon so I let it go.
I am good with how he is built.
Thanks for the suggestion.
So, is there anything else you need or are you ready to get this party started?
I'm ready to start. If you want to share the stories you have for Edan and Xayla, I'd love to hear them.
I'm starting the gameplay thread right now. I always like to start off with a bang, so here we go.
Few things to note and a question.
First off, Star Dancer is germon's animal companion and functions like a Druid's pet so it is not likely I will let him go easy. A forgot to put my pet's stats in my profile as they are different from a traditional horse.
Second, in case you were curious, there is no romantic interest between Xayla and Germon. The two know each other but Xayla is not very revealing to him. Hence Germon knows next to nothing of her. He sees her as an innocent victem he must protect. If anyway romance, if you even plan on running a romace, is up to you.
Lastly, I am curious about leveling. How is that and XP to work? We killed a Boggard, do we get XP? Do we split in among the party? What is the advancement pace set at?
I wasn't expecting you to ditch the horse, but Xayla doesn't know that. And as for romantic involvement, know that I won't initiate that. If that is something that comes up down the line, then so be it, but not for now.
On to XP. I always, always forget to hand out XP, so stay on me for that. I will just give you 1/3 of the XP for something, and the entire party will level up together. The boggard was worth 600 XP total, so 200 for you. We're on the fast experience track.
One more thing, I'll be only semi-available for this upcoming week. I'll try really hard to get at least one post per day, but I have to ask for patience in case I can't.
Okay have fun. I am incredibly patient.
I have to apologize to you Germon. What was intended to be a week's hiatus has developed into more than that, and my priorities have developed quite a bit as well. I won't be able to participate in these games for a while yet. A may be back later on, but I don't want to promise what I don't know. For now, I'll say that I am on leave for an unknown amount of time. Thank you for playing with me. I've enjoyed your company very much.
And, a special apology to you, as we have just started. I had great hopes for this game, but I can't continue. Thanks again.
I can wait. I will always be checking in. You will find I can be extremely patient.