The sleepy village of Heldren has rarely seen so much excitement or concern. Hunters from the nearby Border Wood speak of unnaturally cold weather at the height of summer that descended on the forest just days ago. Heavy snow followed, and those who returned spoke of an uneasy presence in the woods, as well as new, dangerous predators. No one knows what this event means, but the town’s soothsayer, Old Mother Theodora, claims dark times lie ahead.
There's nothing like a good ol' winter vortex to inspire me to run five adventurers through the
The Reign of Winter Adventure Path starts in the sleepy village of Heldren in southern Taldor, but quickly moves outside that small village into far-flung locations well beyond the dreams of most inhabitants of the Inner Sea.
I think it's an incredibly fun and evocative adventure, but I want to issue a warning right up front - this AP is quite railroad-y. If you go with the flow and let the adventure sweep you away, I truly believe it'll be a lot of fun. If you push back, it'll just bog things down and make the experience less than it could be.
None of that is to say that there isn't plenty of room to roleplay, to build and evolve a character that you want to play, and to make the adventure your own. It just means that you know what you're signing up for - so please carefully consider that as you decide if you want to apply and what type of character you decide to build.
I like to give people time to really think about what type of character they want to play, so I won’t be closing recruitment until Monday, February 18 at 11:59pm EST. By that time, all submissions should include a completed version of each of the following (you can do this through an alias or not, that's up to you):
- Stat block built using the Character Creation rules (below)
- 1-3 paragraphs on your character’s background (including your reason for being in Heldren)
- 1 paragraph on your character’s look and personality
- If you are aiming for a particular build that isn’t obvious from your 1st-level stat block, please call that out as well
After recruitment, I’ll likely follow up with the selected players on a few other things, but that’s good for now.
Character creation will follow creation rules for a new, 1st level Pathfinder Society character (20-point buy, 150gp starting gold, two traits, etc.) with the following exceptions:
- Campaign Traits: 1 of your two traits should come from the Reign of Winter Player’s Guide (which is free!).
- Background Skills: We will be using the Background Skills alternate skills system.
- Races: You can choose from any of the Core, Featured, or Uncommon races (but keep in mind both the benefits and the drawbacks of a more exotic choice).
- Background Skills: as mentioned above in character creation
- Automatic Bonus Progression: we’ll be using the Automatic Bonus Progression system from Pathfinder Unchained, which removes +2 ability score belts and headbands, cloaks of resistance, rings of protection, amulets of natural armor, and +1-+5 weapons and armor from the game, but gives you the bonuses they usually provide as part of leveling up. This allows players to use their hard-earned gold on more interesting items!
I think that's all for now - please reach out with any and all questions you have as you're coming up with your character concepts, and I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone comes up with!
I'd love to have a chance to play through this AP from the beginning.
I'm thinking of a bloodrager with Northern Ancestry--still pondering the bloodline.
There's nothing like a good ol' winter vortex to inspire me to run five adventurers through the
Can you elaborate on why you're only running five of the six books? I assume that's what that sentence means.
From your profile's campaign tab, it looks like you're GMing five other campaigns, currently. Is this correct?
The GM wishes to get a party of 5 PCs for this campaign. I'm fairly certain they don't mean to run only 5 of the 6 books...
Can you elaborate on why you're only running five of the six books? I assume that's what that sentence means.
From your profile's campaign tab, it looks like you're GMing five other campaigns, currently. Is this correct?
Dragoncat is correct - five PCs, not five of six adventures. And a few of my campaigns are inactive. I'm currently GMing three and playing in one.
dotting in!!!
The GM wishes to get a party of 5 PCs for this campaign. I'm fairly certain they don't mean to run only 5 of the 6 books...
Dragoncat is correct - five PCs, not five of six adventures.
Oh, jeez. Reading comprehension fail. Thanks for the clarification.
Sounds neat, dotting for interest. Off the top of my head maybe a witch of some sort. Never run one of those before.
still new to the boards, mind if i dot in too?
still new to the boards, mind if i dot in too?
Please do, and welcome! Take a look at the character creation guidelines above, including what you should including when submitting a character for consideration. And let me know if you have any questions!
thank you :)
Your PFS rules, does that include Classes too? or are there classes you would like to be left out?
This makes me want to rejigger Tio Ringa, a character I made for a Reign of Winter game a long time ago, but strangely enough, I don't think dreamscarred press is generally kosher for PFS. I'll put some thought into some things, though.
So, here i have Nippy, or Nip, how ever you longshanks want to call him
He is a white scaled kobold, native to the frozen north. And well, he would like some payback for what ever caused all the problems his clan has endured. Come snow, blizzard or even giants, he will make sure they all regret they messed with him.
Nippy
White kobold hydrokineticist 1 (Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Classic Monsters Revisited, Pathfinder RPG Occult Adventures 10, 91)
CG Small humanoid (reptilian)
Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +6
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Defense
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AC 17, touch 14, flat-footed 14 (+2 armor, +3 Dex, +1 natural, +1 size)
hp 9 (1d8+1)
Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +0
Resist cold 2
Weaknesses light sensitivity
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee dagger -1 (1d3-2/19-20) or
. . light pick -5 (1d3-2/×4)
Special Attacks kinetic blast
Kineticist Wild Talents Known
. . Defense—shroud of water
. . Infusions—draining infusion (DC 13)
. . Blasts—cold blast (1d6+2 cold)
. . Utility—basic hydrokinesis
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Statistics
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Str 6, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 17
Base Atk +0; CMB -3; CMD 10
Feats Point-Blank Shot
Traits elaborate trapper, northern ancestry
Skills Acrobatics +7, Bluff +7, Craft (traps) +8, Diplomacy +7, Perception +6, Profession (miner) +6, Stealth +11; Racial Modifiers +2 Craft (traps), +2 Perception, +2 Profession (miner)
Languages Common, Draconic
SQ burn (1 point/round, max 4), crafty, gather power, kobold cryomania, mental prowess, mind over matter
Other Gear leather armor, dagger, light pick, bedroll, flint and steel, masterwork backpack[APG], masterwork trapmaking tools, sewing needle, signal whistle, 26 gp, 7 sp, 6 cp
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Special Abilities
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Burn 1/round (1 nonlethal/burn, 4/day) Burn HP to gain greater effects on your wild talents.
Cold Blast (Sp) Level 0; Burn 0
Crafty Kobolds gain a +2 racial bonus on Craft (traps), Perception, and Profession (miner) checks. Craft (traps) and Stealth are always class skills for a kobold.
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white only).
Draining Infusion (DC 13) Blast only effects targets with the same subtype as your blast, but ignores DR, immunities or resistances
Energy Resistance, Cold (2) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Cold attacks.
Gather Power (Su) Move: reduce the burn cost of a blast by 1 or Full-round: reduce the burn cost of a blast by 2
Kinetic Blast (Sp) The kineticist can unleash her kinetic blast at a range of 30 feet at will.
Kobold Cryomania +1 to the save DC of all cold spells you cast.
Light Sensitivity (Ex) Dazzled as long as remain in bright light.
Mental Prowess (Su) You can't accept burn unless you can reduce the burn to zero.
Mind Over Matter (Ex) Use Charisma in place of Constitution for wild talents.
Point-Blank Shot +1 to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at up to 30 feet.
dotting as this sounds interesting.
Dotting for interest. Thinking an Elven Bard.
Dotting, will PFS creation rules continue into the future? So no Item Creation ever or anything like that?
I have a halfling druid I'd like to submit. I just need to do some tweaking as he was built for a 15 point buy reign of winter game
Working on a ranger that will eventually move into Arcane Archer. She'll be half of a sibling team.
Hah this is perfect for some method acting, it'll be real easy to nail the adjectives and feel considering the weather right now. I'm interested! I'm about to leave work and will bounce around some ideas when I get home.
I don't think I'm going to be able to rework Tio into something I still feel resembles him thematically, so I'm going to be looking at some options that have nothing to do with him as well. Tio and Lagun may still return as some sort of Spiritualist and Phantom, but as of now, I'm not sure of anything!
Subject to change but right now I'm looking at an aasimar arctic druid with nature bond fire or a snowy owl depending on party makeup
This character was in a Reign of Winter campaign that washed out very quickly. I can adapt him the the character creation rules pretty easily, I think. Originally we rolled for stats.
Working on a ranger that will eventually move into Arcane Archer. She'll be half of a sibling team.
I'm the other half of said sibling team, planning on bringing an Eldritch Knight for my half. :)
Are drawbacks allowed? I have several characters in mind, are we allowed to submit more than one?
Dotting, I have finished reign of winter once, is that a problem?
A few people have asked me to clarify what I mean by PFS rules, so I'll try. Think less about the restrictions that PFS puts on characters, and more about the build rules (so things like 20 point buy, 150 gp starting wealth, two traits, etc.). If you have an option you'd like to use that's banned by PFS, just post it here and I'll take a look. And we won't be using PFS rules on crafting, item purchasing, etc. - that will be standard Pathfinder rules. Does that help?
Are drawbacks allowed? I have several characters in mind, are we allowed to submit more than one?
No drawbacks, and I'd prefer if you just submitted your favorite character concept, and really spend that extra time building the backstory / motivations, etc.
I have finished reign of winter once, is that a problem?
Not a problem assuming you can keep the metagaming to a minimum!
Everything looks good so far!
Okay, in my efforts to figure out what to play, I ended up cataloging all the submissions (which I frequently do anyway, it seems). here's a link to the spreadsheet I made. I think I got everyone, but I probably missed someone, so the sheet should be editable for missed/future applicants if people other than me want to use it.
And I still don't know what to make. Hmmm....
There seem to be plenty of damage-dealers, maybe a utility-based character?
I shall return.
Thanks for the spreadsheet!
Almost done with my character's backstory and personality. Then comes the equipment...
Okay, finished rebuilding Gii here as an Inquisitor. He'd previously been built to play RoW specifically, so I will probably just flesh him out a little more for this campaign.
Basically, he's a priest of Nethys who has come from Absalom to study the magics of the North, and ostensibly start a Church of Nethys in Heldren. He's probably never going to actually get around to that, at least not in a meaningful way, but he's at least started giving sermons in the few weeks he's been in town. He's probably at least reasonably well-known in the town by this point, though people's opinion on magic and/or foreigners will likely color their opinions of him.
Though he's an aasimar, it mostly shows is his sapphire-blue eyes and the vaguely metallic sheen of his hair. He can, however, manifest a halo of white light around his head, but generally chooses not to do so because it freaks other people out.
Mechanically, Gii will club stuff with his heavy iron-bound holy book (and even throw it at folks with the Magic Domain), act as a knowledge/skill monkey (9 skill points a level, plus Background Skills!) and be a passable party face (Skill Focus linguistics into Orator at level 5). As a Prepared spellcaster, he'll be a lot more versatile in his spells known than most Inquisitors, so he should be able to help out with various things as well, given preparation time.
This is Dragoncat's submission: a fey-blooded bloodrager and a member of Heldren's militia with an interest in learning about his true origins.
Okay so it looks like we're magic heavy in applicants so I'm going to switch it up to an arctic-ish elf (darkvision, frostmelding, elemental resistance) rogue. Would you allow the unchained rogue? Or counterfeit mage archetype?
The vortex has hit hard... so I'm going to bundle up tonight and come up with something. Thinking a barbarian.
I'd like to submit my Artic Druid Linge. I haven't played her in a while, but she should fill all the requirements.
I'm at your disposition for any modification! :)
Whoops. Looks like there is an errata that says the Holy Book doesn't actually count as an improvised weapon, so Surprise Weapon wouldn't be a valid trait choice for Gii. Gonna swap that to Student of Philosophy and take Intimidating Prowess instead, so I can go full Intimidate down the line.
I'll be submitting a Skald...looks like a fun adventure path.
I believe some type of elven shaman would fit well with this group. I can get stats an more later tonight
I'm dotting into this as well. I started PbP awhile ago, took on more than I could manage at one time, and burned out. I'd love to get back into it if you're willing to consider me.
This character never quite got a chance to spread his wings before the game he was in crumbled. Reign of Winter would be a suitable home for him. Going to reskin him as a Two-Weapon Fighter rather than Titan Fighter Barbarian.
Shalm, obvious late-book spoilers aside, how do you feel about firearms?
I've been looking at the Gun Smuggler rogue, but I don't think the Stolen Shots ability would fit within the framework of the campaign.
Background: Darmok is a child of Averaka, a half orc settlement on the isle of Flintyreach. Raised there all his life from parents who are both half-orcs as well, he has never had the trouble that half-orcs raised in the tribe of one parent or the other might. He was involved early on in raids through the lands of the Linnorm Kings, and from there grew in strength and tapped into the primal well of anger that was his birthright. Having support at all times in his endeavors as being for the good of community and kin, he grew in strength and took on further challenges until it was clear that his destiny lay outside the city.
Travelling first among a war-band roving from the North, and later with various caravans, he found himself besieged by bigots and race purists. He could not understand it. He took up work guarding whatever paid well, and became disgruntled, which led him to mercenary work. He tends to take trophies from his greatest conquests, which he brings home to Averaka whenever he visits, which is getting more rare. His parents are still there, as are several siblings, but he could not live one life in the safety of their settlement, he had to live many lives until one finally catches up with him and claims him for the grave. A caravan has brought him to Heldren, which he doesn't mind as they're more tolerant than some places on the continent, and when not guarding he plies his trade serving up meat that he hunts himself. Aiming to be self-sufficient, Darmok made sure to be able to survive on his own anywhere on Golarion.
Appearance / Personality: Darmok is a tall half-orc, brutish in appearance but without the brow ridges or other features which might suggest a diminished intelligence. He has hair and eyes of brown, hair braided tightly to keep it from becoming obstructive, which falls near his shoulders. He carries an orc double-axe, and hopes to one day learn to use it properly. He is lightly armored, the better to move swiftly about the battlefield and strike down foes. He is generally soft-spoken outside of combat, and fierce within it. Given that most others are wary of his appearance and size, it makes sense for him to leave the talking to those more suited for it. There's something he has to prove, whether it's to himself or others, and sometimes that plays out poorly as a competitive streak.
Dotting for now. I plan to submit Lily but she needs some tweaking yet.
Another question, about an entirely different concept: the Frostborn region trait is from Dwarves of Golarion, but from the text given it doesn't seem to be restricted to dwarves - I don't have the actual book to check. Would the trait be okay for a non-dwarf character?
I suppose if I were to ever run a Witch, this would be the AP for it.
Would you consider allowing the pre-errata Scarred Witch Doctor? It used to be a really cool, thematic and unique caster, and now it's just an average, but extra powerful, caster.