GM ShadowLord's Tyrant's Grasp

Game Master The Rising Phoenix

Hello! Congratulations on making it into the Tyrant's Grasp adventure path!

You are a group of twelve that will need to be broken into two groups of six. Before we get to that though, there are a few housekeeping matters we need to address as a group.

1) I will be granting each of your characters a free story feat. In the past I've taken the time to go through each of your characters and hand pick the story feat for you. Due to the size of the larger group, I'm going to ask that you go through and pick two or three that you think are appropriate and we'll work together to select the correct one. I only have one condition with regards to these feats, and it applies to everything I do when I provide free items to you: Please don't power-game me with them. I'm not giving you more powers to beat up the baddies in one round each combat, I've giving you the ability to further expand the character depth and build new roleplay opportunities. We likely will not really explore these feats in depth until you are much higher leveled as I want you to work up to the goals over time.

2) You'll need to work on the teamwork feats. This obviously means you'll need to know who your team is going to be, but feel free to talk about possible ones you guys all like in the meanwhile. Reference above stated power gaming caveat!

3) You need to have someone in Roslar’s Coffer you are attached to. My preference is that this is someone you are really close to and care for deeeply (family, friend, loved one) but this does not fit everyone's background. If none of those fit really well, then make it an acquaintance of yours that you are at least friendly with.

4) Did I tell you that I love roleplay yet? If not, I do. I love it even more when my player's can foster roleplay between themselves and fill the gaps without having me to jump in to keep it going. Part of what makes this work better are background tie-ins. Again, this isn't for everyone. But if you can tie your background in some way to other characters then this creates more scenarios for interaction.

5) Team division. I have a tentative team breakdown that I used to create two parties that I then used for player selection. Before I share that, I'm interested to hear if there are certain players you do (or would rather not) play with from among the selectees. Post it here or PM me if there are certain player's backgrounds that you feel work better together than others or if there is just another player you really enjoy RPing with. I'll try to pool these requests and post a group up into separate threads after that.

6) Finish your crunch. While I referenced this during selection, I did not check it or make sure you followed my rules because that wasn't important to me. Make all your changes and get ready to start the game.

7) Last but not least, I picked YOU as a player more than I picked your character. Your character showed me what you can create and what you want to play, but with that being said if you want to change something to better fit the party or aren't feeling what you wrote please talk to me about it and I'm sure we can make it work. My 12 selectees are a little light on arcane so someone may need to accommodate that depending on how the party classes and roles flush out.

I have more stuff about my play style and what not, but I'll save that until we break into two groups. In the meanwhile, jump in and say HI and start talking about the above items. I'd like to try and be finished with all of the above in no more than a weeks time. There is no rush, but I'd like to get started with at least team breakup by the end of this weekend if possible.

Here's a quick reference of what you guys submitted:

CampinCarl9127 - Laurel Thestia - Cleric - Divine Support/Channeler/Melee
caster4life - Samalgee Dorn - Oracle Healer/Support/Buffer
Dakcenturi - Aralah T'forc - Inquisitor Ranged, can switch hit | Traps/Survival/Divine (Inquisitor/Monk)
Drogeney - Feena - Sorcerer- arcane caster blaster/support
ElegantlyWasted - Varryk Swiftshot - Ranger - Ranged Combat/Divine/Survival (Infiltrator Ranger)
Hrothdane - Marya Ilyinichna Belova - Cleric - Cleric, big party buffer and heals, plus some slashy slashy
Kittenmancer - Damian Catus - Paladin - Ranged, channeler, healer (oradin)
motteditor - Mithralline Pierce Cavalier - Melee charger
PatheticWretch - Vlad the Heretic - Fighter - Fighter/Barb; Melee damage and tanking
Phntm888 - Sarela Falrin Witch - Support & Debuff/Witch
stormraven - Rajuna Two Fangs - Rogue - Skills+ | Rogue / Warpriest
Tiessa - Rose - Shaman - Shaman (Speaker for the Past) - skills/support/cc

Greetings all! Thanks for the invite GM!

I'll start reading through backgrounds tonight and then give my thoughts on any possible links or tie-ins as well as potential team work feats. Looking forward to getting this started!

As for the arcane side of things, if we need someone to swap around I could do that. While I'm looking forward to trying out Aralah I have no qualms in changing things up if it is needed for the group as a whole.

Awesome! I'm so glad to be selected, and am really looking forward to this game. GM Shadowlord is an amazing GM, and I love the fast pace and detail of his games. This will be great.

As for my character, though my first level is Fighter the rest will be Barbarian (and eventually Pain Taster), with the likelihood I'll be able to soak up a lot of damage.

Out of combat, I'll be pretty good at Intimidate and Survival.

As for group balance, I am happy to run with any of these great players, but would request if there's a group with a heavier religious bent, that I be in that group for role-playing reasons (looks like there are plenty of options!).

I'll look at Story and Teamwork feats and give some thoughts on that (Teamwork may work better after we have the groups organized?).

I'll also check out potential background ties with other players.

Really looking forward to this!

‘Lo friends! At work so no time to look over the initial post at present, just dotting in! Looking forward to gaming with you!!

Hello all, thanks for the opportunity to play!

1) Are we picking from the story feats listed here?

2) Do we have to meet the prerequisites for the teamwork feats you listed in your original recruitment post? It seems that we gain a teamwork feat at level 1 and level 4, but some of the feats have prerequisites that we wouldn't be able to meet, such as 5 ranks in a skill.

I will wait to see what my group is so we can make the decision on teamwork feats together. Laurel is fairly flexible and could benefit from various of the options listed.

3) Laurel's immediate family is all either dead or missing. Would you want me to expand on the monks in the monastery of Saranrae, or is that something that is already established in the AP?

4) I'm down. Laurel has been here his entire life so there will be plenty of opportunities for shared backgrounds. Of course, I'll have to see who my fellow players are first.

5) On the recruitment spreadsheet, I created a secondary spreadsheet that only includes the accepted players, including links to their profiles, for all to use to reference.

I have no qualms with any of the other players.

6) Crunch is done except for teamwork and story feats.

7) I like where my character is. He's a fairly flexible build that doesn't have any glaring weaknesses, and I can't change his build much without completely changing the core of the character.

Hi all! Very happy to be selected! Thanks for taking two tables, GM. Looking forward to this quite a bit.

1) Hmmm... Interesting. That's tricky but I'll think about it. So far clarifying channel and liberating channel seem awesome since Sam is all about protecting her friends. Edit: Ooh you mean story feats as in an official category? Ok cool. I've never looked at those but it sounds cool.

2) Ranked from my first choice to my last choice: Shake it off, phalanx fighter, lookout, shielded caster, duck and cover.

3) Definitely my parents. Very attached to them.

4) Super down for tie-ins. I'll look for some options.

5) I've played with Dakcenturi before so I know Aralah will be good to play with but I'm sure everyone will be great so I'm not picky.

6) Gotcha. Just realized I made a small mistake in my init. Fixed.

7) Hmm well I am taking the spirit guide archetype which will allow me to pick up some arcane spells here and there on a flexible basis. Question: What do you rule happens if a spirit guide oracle picks up the arcane enlightenment hex for the day? I could help cover a little bit of arcane with that depending on your interpretation. No big deal to me either way.

I've gone though the great backstories of the other players.

For tie-ins with fellow players, as well as teamwork feats, I think it would be better for me to wait and see who's in the group.

As for someone we know in town, is there a list of NPCs we could potentially know? There weren't any in the campaign guide. If not, mine will be my uncle, Arun Bloodmoon, brother of my deceased father.

I’m on the road and don’t have my groupings available to me, but I’ll try to get them up in 30 minutes or so. I was trying to create flexibility, but it sounds like I’m sowing chaos instead. I’ll post my breakdown and if anyone wants to change it that will be fine with me.

I’ll get to the questions above a little later on as well.

Hi all, very honoured to have been selected and have the opportunity to play with such a distinguished ensemble. :)

1) Story Trait: the best fit for Damian is Unforgotten, as he is still searching for his children.

2) Teamwork feats: probably something related to ranged combat, but also depending on teammates.

3) Roslar's Coffer connections: I have several options here, I'll make a separate section in my character profile for them.

4) Background tie-ins: I have a list! So far, the most likely potential tie-ins are with people who live or have lived in Roslar's Coffer:

- Laurel was at the Sarenite monastery at the same time as Damian (while he was still Lori)
- Varryk lived in Roslar's Coffer for a while
- Sarela is born and raised in Roslar's Coffer, also a worshipper of Sarenrae like Damian, and a healer
- Rose has been living in Roslar's Coffer for a while, and Damian may approach her to ask if she can contact the spirit of his dead husband
- Marya has lots of things in common with Damian and also is a resident of Roslar's Coffer. They probably commiserate over the deaths of their beloved partners

5) I would be happy to play with anyone, but I particularly love Marya as a character. :)

6) Crunch is done except for picking a teamwork feat.

7) I looked at how I could make Damian more arcane-y, but sadly didn't find anything that wouldn't significantly alter the character concept.

Had a moment to look over some stuff.

As far as team division, I should be quite pleased to game with anyone else selected for the game. I do think I would like to be in a party with a character that's more extroverted and joyous; it would help draw Varryk out of his shell, which he needs.

For Teamwork feats, I'd very much like to pair up with whatever character in my table will be more melee focused. If we both pick up Broken Paw Gambit, then at 8 or so I can eventually pick up Wounded Paw Gambit.

For my level 4 feat I'd probably take Enfilading Fire to give me a bonus when the foe is flanked.

GM, for my story feat, the one that seems most appropriate given my background is Vengeance, but I would love to hear if you have other suggestions as well!

As far as who in Roslar's Coffer Varryk could be attached to, I could quite easily see his parents returning to re-settle the town.

I would be quite happy to link some backstory to other people! I'll get reading on backgrounds shortly.

I should be able to finish my crunch up at some point today or tonight.

Oh, GM, have you given any thought to waiving PBS as a prerequisite in favor of Precise Shot?

Hiya! Delighted to be here!

1 & 2 - Feats I'll give the feats questions some thought. I'm flexible on the teamwork feat, so long as it doesn't hinge on my magnetic personality. CHA 8 Like others have stated, making that part of the post-split team discussion makes some sense to me. But I will pull together a short list of the team feats (and story feats) I think may be useful.

3 - Attachments This is tricky as Raj is an outsider in many ways. However, he is good for having an awkward crush on some lady in town (PC or NPC). He's more of the quiet, watch her from afar, and realise he-is-hopelessly-out-of-her-league, struggle against his desires, kind of Romeo. If you want samples of what that might look like, let me know. Would that sort of connection work?

4 - Tie-Ins I'll skim some backgrounds to see if anything fits.

5 - Team Div No preferences for me. I will say that Raj is a morally grey character and while he is fun to play off against a party Idealist, if the entire tenor of the party is righteous holy-rollers, Raj would be better in the other group.

6 - Crunch Raj's crunch is finished, minus the Teamwork and Story feats. If we really need an additional arcane caster, I could tweak Raj in that direction or drop in a replacement character who is more of a 'rascally' rogue/spell-slinger.

Looking through backstories, here are some Samalgee could have a connection with:

Vlad: Sam might know you and be extremely troubled by your beliefs and self-flagellation. She would have asked to heal your wounds on multiple occasions. Perhaps a friendship developed through this or just an uneasy awareness of each other. If you became friends, she would constantly try to convince you to stop hurting yourself while healing you.

Laurel: Sam might know you and is probably very sad about what happened to your family. She has probably tried many times to cheer you up with a joke but I doubt that's done much for Laurel.

Varryk: Would Sam know about you hunting the undead? If so, you and her have probably had an argument about it. She's an absolute pacifist and doesn't think that seeking out something that is kind of alive and not harming anyone then killing it makes sense. As a player, I think that's a little crazy but it's how Sam thinks! XD

Will check out others soon but have to go now!

Sam, Varryk certainly doesn’t make a secret of it! That could lead to some lively discussions, especially once the undead actually start hurting people in the campaign.

Alright, here's how I did my breakdown for selection:

TEAM 1
Tiessa
Drogeney
PatheticWretch
Hrothdane
ElegantlyWasted
Kittenmancer

TEAM 2
motteditor
Phntm888
Dakcenturi
CampinCarl9127
stormraven
caster4life

By no means is this set in stone, it's the framework I used for selection to keep it relatively balanced. If you want to switch or see issues, speak now or forever hold your peace! Next post I'll get to your questions, but I'll post this now as that could take some time.

Alrighty! Here are the answers to the questions so far:

1) Are we picking from the story feats listed here?

Those are the ones! I'm not confident that list is 100% complete (there may be more elsewhere), but it looks like a good reference to me.

2) Do we have to meet the prerequisites for the teamwork feats you listed in your original recruitment post? It seems that we gain a teamwork feat at level 1 and level 4, but some of the feats have prerequisites that we wouldn't be able to meet, such as 5 ranks in a skill.

Yes you still need to meet the prereqs. The plan is to continue to offer teammworks every four levels, so again at 8, 12, 16.

3) Laurel's immediate family is all either dead or missing. Would you want me to expand on the monks in the monastery of Saranrae, or is that something that is already established in the AP?

First, don't feel the need to push your story to make this fit. If it doesn't fit, it doesn't fit - no sweat. If you can modify/append some NPC interaction that fits in than that's awesome.

5) On the recruitment spreadsheet, I created a secondary spreadsheet that only includes the accepted players, including links to their profiles, for all to use to reference.

Thank you!

Question: What do you rule happens if a spirit guide oracle picks up the arcane enlightenment hex for the day?

What are you looking to happen here? Gain spells charisma mod number of arcane spells? Seems reasonable to me.

As for someone we know in town, is there a list of NPCs we could potentially know? There weren't any in the campaign guide.

This will work better if you create your own I think. If you are stuck for ideas then let me know and I can help with some.

5) I would be happy to play with anyone, but I particularly love Marya as a character. :)

Don't you worry, the nuances in your characters was not lost on me and I paired you together for a reason! :)

Oh, GM, have you given any thought to waiving PBS as a prerequisite in favor of Precise Shot?

Yes. I'm fine waiving using PBS as a requirement, but I'm not granting it as a free feat. If you want the bonus damage you still need to pick the feat up.

Hey all,

First of all, thanks for the selection, GM. I very much appreciate it, as I've been very eager to play this character. And I'm loving your Ironfang game, so hopefully this one will be as successful.

I'll try to look through everyone's characters ASAP, though I tend to trust GMs and their divisions. I divided up the tab so Team 1 and Team 2 are together, though obviously that can change. As far as Mithralline goes, she'll do well with another character to challenge her. She's outgoing, but she's also someone who will work best with another character to doubt her or push her on to greater excesses.

I'll also look into best options for a story feat and teamwork feat (I'll be granting Escape Route as part of my character build, so having someone else in melee would be nice).

Fan-freaking-tastic.

Hi everyone! I’m honored to have been selected to take part in this journey!

1. Marya was written with Deny the Reaper in mind (it’s in her stat block after all) so I would really like that one. Getting it for free would free her up to grab something else, in which case I’d prob get heavy armor proficiency, as I see her as eventually in full plate like the picture I found. I also made a conscious choice to not give her selective channel at 1, as her not having it is meant to be one of the reasons Hilde died, and she’s still guilty about it.

As for why I’m so attached to Deny the Reaper, as I’ve been thinking about Marya more and realizing that hey, she’s a cleric, and hey, this campaign goes to high level, the concept of her bringing Hilde back to life isnt out of reach, especially since Marya has held onto something with Hilde’s blood, and that feat ties in. As she reaches higher and higher levels, I can see her realizing more and more that it’s actually possible.

2. Escape Route would be my preference. It’s a solid feat and it allows for Swing About later.

3. Hmm...I’ll need to think on this. I’ll see what I can come up with.

4. I agree with Damian that we have a lot of parallel backstory that’s rich for interaction. I’ll look through the others more closely.

5.I’m great with that arrangement!

6. Marya is pretty much done but I’ll look over her again tonight after class.

7. I’m pretty attached to her character concept and her class is very tied to her concept. I’m also currently playing a sorcerer in Wrath of the Righteous and did Mummy’s Mask as a pure bard, so I’d rather keep it switched-up by doing a pure divine character.

Thanks for picking me!

1 & 2 I'll have to think on these some more, might take me until Saturday to come up with much but I'll be as quick about it as I can.

3 & 4 Does this have to be an NPC? Her backstory includes and unnamed Priest of Sarenrae who bought her from the slave auction to free her and would be her connection tot eh town. If this doesn't need to be an NPC it could be another player, if it does I'll get more wrote up about him.

5 The division seems fine to me.

6 Should be good but I will double check. If anyone else wants to look it over feel free.

So, still looking things over, but one thing that stood out, it looks like the two disable device monkeys are in the same party. May need to make an adjustment there otherwise Team 1 may be sad when they find their first locked door or trap :D

Thank you for picking me, I appreciate it!

I'm at work right now, I'll read everyone's background and posts when I get home later this evening and can provide more detailed feedback. I'd like to give everyone a quick summary of Rose so you have somewhere to start to riff off of if you wish.

A quick bit about Rose, she's an elf who has been living in the town for about 30 years. She has been teaching the children of the town for that period of time. Her method of teaching is very hands on, involving roaming around the countryside and learning from everything. She is patterned on an old Microbiology professor of mine who took us out into the field and taught us all sorts of fun things in addition to the practical microbiology. Very fun, not a stuffy school marm type. If you grew up here, you probably were taught by her if you and/or your parents wished, she attracted children to school by making it fun rather than forcing anything official.

She is a Shaman (Speaker for the Past), so has numerous knowledge skills. I'm going to focus her more on crowd control abilities with her backup being a bow.

She came here to ferret around the battlefields, listening to the spirits of the dead, and looking for interesting artifacts that she could return to family members. My view of the dead she speaks for isn't just her own ancestors, but more broadly anyone of the dead with a strong spirit and wisdom to learn from. She doesn't tell people she speaks with dead spirits, she was not treated well growing up by those around her who thought she was insane. She passes off what she learns as knowledge she's researched/uncovered.

She went through the rebuilding, pitching in for everything and helping everyone rebuild from scratch, she's a Reclaimer.

She's generally a very bright, sunny, and optimistic person. She has a 'momma bear' attitude about anyone that hurts people she views as under her 'protection'; she won't hesitate for a second in bringing that to an end.

Her one noticeable quirk is that she tends to have one sided conversations with herself, under her breath if she thinks anyone is around, but if anyone listened in under her cottage window or something like that, you'll have noticed that she can get quite argumentative with herself. (Read my RP bio if you want to know the details, but she's never told anyone her "secret" and tries to hide it. Sometimes she even thinks she succeeds at it.)

I too haven't spent my teamwork feat and am up for story/teamwork feats with anyone.

So, still looking things over, but one thing that stood out, it looks like the two disable device monkeys are in the same party. May need to make an adjustment there otherwise Team 1 may be sad when they find their first locked door or trap :D

That’s...a good point. I did Mummy’s Mask from beginning to end as an archaeologist bard, and damn was that disable device needed.

Thank you for the selection! I’ll look over everyone’s backstories for tie-ins tomorrow when I’m on a computer and not my phone. Regardless, anyone who grew up in Roslar’s Coffer is a good choice, as well as anyone who worships Sarenrae, especially since her father was a paladin of Sarenrae.

My crunch should be almost entirely complete except for the two feats. I’ll figure out a couple of story feats I like tomorrow. For teamwork feats, I’m always partial to Shake It Off, although Escape Route could be useful if I somehow end up in melee.

As for arcane potency, given the number of Clerics that got submitted, I could drop the hedge Witch archetype and either look into a more arcane archetype for Witch or just stick with Bonded Witch. Hedge Witch doesn’t alter the Witch until 4th level, anyway, so it won’t have an impact on my background to lose it.

>:) <-- insert EEEEEVIL DM Smile at that 'accidentally' missing trap-finder for Team 1.

Re: Tie-Ins...
I've looked through everyone's backstory and I don't see a plausible tie to Raj. Guess he'll play the true outsider by really living his Campaign Trait. :)

Team 1

I'd also love a trap-finder, if possible. :)

Looking at backstory ties, you might know Vlad if:

1. You knew his father, Alric Bloodmoon, a native of Roslar's Coffer, who went on to be a hero of the Knights of Ozem stationed in Vigil (where he lived for quite some time, so he's been gone a while). Killed in battle, he is buried in Roslar's Tomb, along with other heroes.
2. You know his uncle, Arun Bloodmoon, also native to Roslar's Coffer, who is an inquisitor of Iomedae.
3. You have been to the Cathedral of Sancta Iomedaea in Vigil, or have associates with the Knights of Ozem.
4. You, along with a group of drunken revelers, beat up a homeless man in Vigil.
5. You enjoy whips and/or pain.

Marya, I think we have some natural leads I'm going to PM you about. I'm happy to tie in with any others, as well.

you might know Vlad if:

5. You enjoy whips and/or pain.

I'll thank you to stay out of my closet, sir!

;)

Vlad the Heretic wrote:

you might know Vlad if:

5. You enjoy whips and/or pain.

I'll thank you to stay out of my closet, sir!

;)

Haha--I should note for the record that he's not into THAT kind of stuff. ;P

He's based on the Flagellant from Darkest Dungeon if anyone's played that game. He seeks enlightenment through pain, and is a complete religious zealot.

As for the teamwork feats, since we haven't started the story or know each other, it's hard to think of these without a little optimizing. Shake it Off or Escape Route would certainly be nice.

Vlad the Heretic wrote:

you might know Vlad if:

5. You enjoy whips and/or pain.

I'll thank you to stay out of my closet, sir!;)

Ok that settles it. I'll move Raj to Team 1 so he can be with Vlad.

Tiessa - you're being traded to team 2!

That should give both teams disable device now.

"Rajuna, allow me to show you my collection of whips..."

This sounds like a great time to usher out our Team 2... The Team 2 thread is open! Time to split up and dive into the details.

TEAM 2
CampinCarl9127
caster4life
Dakcenturi
motteditor
Tiessa
Phntm888

Please hop over to the other thread!

Off to the other thread. Have fun Team 1!

Tiessa - you're being traded to team 2!

Roger.

"Rajuna, allow me to show you my collection of whips..."

LOL

"I usually get taken to dinner first."

I came up with two NPCs in Roslar's Coffer that is connected to Marya!

I think these Story Feats work best for Raj based on his background:
Feral Heart
Vengeance

In terms of Teamwork Feats, based on what Raj qualifies for, these look good:
Shake It Off
Duck and Cover
Swap Places

Also, as long as we have at least two people with a team feat, we could do a couple different feats.

I like what Rose did with earlier in the thread with their character background, and as most tie-in characters for Damian got put in Team 2, I'll do something similar in case Team 1 sees something they can work with.

Damian has been living in Roslar's Coffer for 42 years, being raised by a deaf and mute woman named Suzana (Damian is deaf himself, and while he learned to speak and lip read, he also uses sign language).

17 years ago he started working at the Sarenite monastery - back then he was still known as a rather beautiful woman named Lori. He transitioned about a year before the Twisted Nails raid and became a paladin of Sarenrae. Since the raid he's been wandering the surroundings of Roslar's Coffer, searching for tracks of his missing children. He's good with a bow, and also at making them.

Potential tie-ins:
- Anything related to Sarenrae. While he's no longer formally serving the Dawnflower, Damian has taken her teachings to heart and is a devout follower.
- Bonding over loss of loved ones. Damian lost his husband in the orc raid, and his twin children have been missing ever since.
- Archery and bowcraft (Varryk?)
- Helping people and healing. Damian has always admired the paladins and priests of Sarenrae, how they are able to bring succor to the sick and injured, and also has a very strong protective streak.
- MLM (men loving men). Damian has a lover, but they're in an open relationship. If someone interesting/interested comes along, who knows.
- His twins, Ruxanda and Sorin. They were 11 when the raid happened and should be around 23 when the game starts. Younger characters may have grown up with them, or known them from school.

See you guys in the other thread!

FYI to team 1 & GM: I won't be checking this thread anymore, so if you have something directed at me please either post in the other thread or PM me :)

See you guys in the other thread!

FYI to team 1 & GM: I won't be checking this thread anymore, so if you have something directed at me please either post in the other thread or PM me :)

Same! Have fun team 1!

GM, for my story feat, the one that seems most appropriate given my background is Vengeance, but I would love to hear if you have other suggestions as well!

No problem. I'll need you to name your chosen foe in your profile somewhere.

1) Story Trait: the best fit for Damian is Unforgotten, as he is still searching for his children.

This works for me.

1. Marya was written with Deny the Reaper in mind (it’s in her stat block after all) so I would really like that one. Getting it for free would free her up to grab something else, in which case I’d prob get heavy armor proficiency,

You're all set with Deny the Reaper, go ahead and add heavy armor or whatever other feat you wanted to replace the free one!

I think these Story Feats work best for Raj based on his background:

Feral Heart
Vengeance

Either of those fit thematically, though Vengeance is harder to pull off because you don't have a specific foe defined to meet the criteria (Though I assume you had one in mind). I'm fine with either of these selections, but I'll need to know what creatures they were if you select Vengeance.

I think these Story Feats work best for Raj based on his background:

Feral Heart
Vengeance

Either of those fit thematically, though Vengeance is harder to pull off because you don't have a specific foe defined to meet the criteria (Though I assume you had one in mind).

Actually, I don't. Clearly it would have to be whatever toothy nastiness nuked his village but I left it intentionally vague along with Raj's hazy memories to give the DM some rope to work with.

You're welcome. ;)

If you'd rather I pick the baddies, that's fine with me. I'll put on my DM hat and grab something nasty... if I decide Vengeance fits better than the RP-heavy possibilities of Feral Heart. Raj getting hitched in a survival horror adventure path? Talk about a hard goal to achieve!

The way I want to play the story feats is that you won't really make any headway on them for quite some time. I don't want them accomplished in the first few levels, or even the first book really. I'd like to make them ore of a mid-game story if possible (though it will vary character to character). Let me pull down books 3 and 4 and see if anything jumps out at me for Vengeanace. If not then let's go with Feral Heart.

* * *

I'm opening up gameplay for some pregame roleplay and allow you guys to get some interaction before the real fun begins. Please dot in and start to feel out your character a little bit. Don't worry about the crunch not being done yet for this part.

I'm thinking Fearless Zeal for my Story Feat.

I'm thinking Fearless Zeal for my Story Feat.

Oof. You guys and your crazy goals! Should make for a fun AP!!!

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Dakcenturi has been setting up Discord channels for games that I'm in him with. Since I'm ever-present for those games, I had him add this one as well. Here's his spiel:

So since I was reminded about this in another game and we are just starting up. I have a Discord channel just as a secondary point of contact. I created it after the forum fail of last year where they were down forever so communication could still flow if that happens again.

If we want to utilize it as a backup for communication I setup a channel for this game. Here is the link if we are interested. When you join just say your character name and game you are in so I can set permissions appropriately.

If it's your cup of tea then please hop in and join us. If it's not, no big deal! I'm a big fan of communication :D

Here's the link!

Sounds good to me!

Where’s the link?

Where’s the link?

Whoops! Copying text doesn't copy URL's! I know this, duh. I edited the post to include the link at the bottom.

Apologies, got tied up with a few issues on my end! Will complete crunch shortly.

GM, for Vengeance, I would think that Tar-Baphon and the Whispering Way as a whole would make a lot of sense, but if that is entirely too broad I can focus up. Not knowing the AP, are there any NPC's that Varryk may have encountered during his slavery that would make sense? Or would you rather I create one?

Varryk - Hmmm. It depends if you are going to classify every enemy you encoutner as a minion of Tar-Baphon? :) We can set it this way for now and give me some time to read ahead to see if doesn't make sense. I assume mid-game it will start to come into play pretty significantly.

List of possible story feats:

Lost Legacy: Not sure how to work this one in to the story but I could see her as the heir to some noble house that was believed lost. Her mother could well have been sold off into slavery after being taken as a hostage against a noble or wealthy individual who failed to pay some ransom or another. They never could have found her mother and thus Feena never knew of her heritage.

Eldritch Researcher: I could see the phoenix blood in her driving her to not only guard knwoledge but create more of the same. Creating a new spell, while maybe more of a wizard thing, could as easily be a sorcerer as they are magic as opposed to do magic.

Twisted Love: Not quite sure on this one but I think it might be very interesting. Particularly if she is unaware of said evil thing for now.

Teamwork feats that interest me:
elemental comixture, shielded caster, shake it off, switch places

Working on the important person in her life.