GM ShadowLord's Tyrant's Grasp

Game Master The Rising Phoenix

I'm going to go ahead and post here because new posts weren't showing up in Gameplay for me, but things are off to the races in Gameplay!

Alright, the important person in Feena's life is the priest of Sarenrae, Gregory, who purchased and then freed her from her slavery in Katapesh and brought her with him when he was assigned to the church in Rossler's Coffer.

As far as connections with others Feena is likely known to everyone at this point. Even though she has only been in town for half a year or so she is known to be very inquisitive and is the caretaker of a small library in the the town (whether this is at the temple/shrine to Sarenrae or the town has it's own small library depends on the town I suppose).

I'm building the Roll 20 game still, so I don't have that available quite yet. I'm doing two of these games and I only want to build it once and then copy it, so the game isn't ready for you to join quite yet. In the meanwhile however, here's a map and layout of town to help give you the feel of where you are.

Roslar's Coffer.

@Feena - The old church of Sarenrae is outside of the town proper and not displayed on the map. Due to the recent incidents with the Reaver, it is no longer actively being used. Town residents are now using the Shrine of the Seven Roses (the local temple).

It looks like everyone but Varryk has jumped into Gameplay (yay!). I'll tentatively put a sticky on the wall to give you to the end of this weekend to fiddle with your crunch, but if you need more time just ask.

Once you are all finished please let me know so I can give your profile a final glance and copy down your stats into some pre-made dice macros for easier use later.

I'll give you guys a couple of days this week to feel out some pregame RP and we can get going once everyone is ready with their crunch and has has the chance to do some interactions with the rest of the party. It's up to you when you want to begin, so let me know when you guys are ready, otherwise I'll just engage popcorn mode and enjoy the fun part! :D

Sure thing. Ya know you could jump into the fun with a NPC or two. Just saying...

Did you have a chance to look in the later books for suitable fanged baddies for Raj’s Vengeance or shall I go with Feral Heart?

For Teamwork feats, the only one that I can see in the list and would be effective for Damian is Ferocious Loyalty. I can take something that would benefit others as well, as long as it doesn't require Damian being in melee range.

Sure thing. Ya know you could jump into the fun with a NPC or two. Just saying...

Did you have a chance to look in the later books for suitable fanged baddies for Raj’s Vengeance or shall I go with Feral Heart?

Don’t worry, I will. I want to give you guys a chance to get your posts in first.

As for the books, no I have not. Why don’t you go feral heart for now and since we have time before it’s a major issue I will check them and get back to you.

Works for me.

So where would I find a small library that needed tending or is there one? I would think either the schoolhouse or the keep?

I went through to double check and Marya’s stats should be all done now!

So where would I find a small library that needed tending or is there one? I would think either the schoolhouse or the keep?

Both would have a library of sorts, the keep would be much larger and a broader range of arcane topics whereas the schoolhouse is just rudimentary topics and history.

A couple questions regarding the Sarenite religious building have come up. The name of this church was the Bastion of Light and here is some lore that all from that area would already know.

* * *

Roslar’s Coffer was once a quiet, remote village. The ancient church that stood just outside of town proper brought pride to the townsfolk. Children laughed and chased one another along the cobblestone roads while farmers took shade under the boughs of the trees.

Then the orcs came.

The church was set alight, children taken, farmers slain and their crops burned. The village would have been lost entirely were it not for the few brave warriors and clerics posted there. Though the orc threat was ultimately defeated, a monstrous creature known as a red reaver used the chaos to claim the old Sarenite temple and the surrounding area as its territory. The red reaver has been a black mark on the history of Lastwall ever since. Its arrival in Roslar’s Coffer prevented the villagers from taking the church and the surrounding area, while the reaver spends its time swiftly dispatching any who stray too close. In the years since the reaver’s arrival, Lastwall has sent several companies into the red reaver’s territory in the hopes of killing it or at least driving it off, but none have been successful, and with each passing year the creature seems to grow stronger.

It took a decade, but the Pathfinder Society eventually mounted a successful assault and dispatched the reaver. The townsfolk no longer lived in daily fear of the reaver and life in Roslar's Coffer slowly returned to normal once again. The Society still maintains a small presence in town as the help oversee the effort to finish reclaiming the church and bringing it back to its former glory.

The Bastion was an important military stronghold and religious ritual site. The histories mention powerful rites performed on fallen crusaders within the Bastion, and some say the Sarenite clerics found a way to cleanse undeath from a corrupted soldier. The Bastion of Light was also notable for its intricate stained-glass windows depicting Sarenrae and her avatars. When Roslar’s Coffer was invaded by orcs, the Bastion was burned but, much to the amazement of the villagers, it remained standing. Out of fear of retribution from Sarenrae, the orcs left the great windows intact, and on most days the rising sun brightly illuminates the interior.

The church served as a fortified stronghold during the early years of the Shining Crusade. Housing numerous Sarenite warrior priests and other heroes of the Shining Crusade, the church not only served as a staging ground for various military actions but also acted as a place of redemption, researching rituals and techniques to cleanse the souls of the warriors transformed against their will into undead monstrosities by the Whispering Tyrant and his servants.

Unfortunately, many of the details related to these rituals were lost as the clerics developing them were called to the front, never to return. In a blessed font within the temple, a helmet rests beneath the crystal waters. The helmet was originally placed there as part of a cleansing ritual, though exactly what was being cleansed remains unclear. Those who survived the orc raids on Roslar’s Coffer that remember the local legends tell different stories. Some say that the helmet belonged to a noble warrior who was transformed into a fearsome undead knight, with his helmet placed within the font after his defeat so that his soul could be fully cleansed and released to the afterlife his mortal deeds had earned. Others claim that the helmet is the source of the font’s blessing and that it was placed within the font by a righteous warrior who survived many battles against the Whispering Tyrant’s undead hordes due to the helm’s blessing. Magical divinations do little to clarify the truth of these stories, for the helm reveals no special magical properties when subjected to detect magic or similar effects, and more potent divinations such as legend lore reveal only the same conflicting stories surrounding the helm’s origins, assuming they reveal anything at all.

4707AR - Orc raiders from the Twisted Nail tribe overrun the small village of Roslar’s Coffer in southern Lastwall, displacing its residents.
4708AR - Roslar’s Coffer is reclaimed from the orcs, but in the interim, a creature called a red reaver has moved into the Sarenite cathedral just outside of town.
4718AR - Pathfinder Society agents slay the red reaver nesting outside Roslar’s Coffer in their quest to recover an artifact of the Shining Crusade.
4719AR - The current year.

Okay guys, sorry it took me a bit and the post is light. Big work weekend, unfortunately! Should be good to go now though.

I went through to double check and Marya’s stats should be all done now!

Marya looks good!

Is anyone else ready for me to look over?

I’m done!

I have one more request before we advance gameplay to start. I'd like each of you to have a brief encounter with your identified NPC connection. It can be brief if you like, but I'd like to get a gist of what you had in mind for that character before we officially start the game.

Raj is done as well - aside from the teamwork feat.

RE: ID'd NPC
Raj hasn't had time to meet anyone yet but it would play out similar to how he got 'flustered' by Feena. In the case of the NPC, it wouldn't have to be about her beauty. If you like, I'll write up a scene between the two of them that establishes the connection. Let me know.

Gotcha GM, will do so. I'm ready to go, I just haven't added in the Story Feat yet.

Hey Varryk, as the two stealthy/scout-y guys, it might make sense for us to coordinate our Team feats at later levels, if you are down for that.

I took ferocious loyalty as my teamwork feat so Damian and I can pair up that way, if anyone else is interested in grabbing that. It just makes sense for Marya lore wise

Did ShadowLord waive teamwork feat pre-reqs? If I missed that post I apologize but... Ferocious Loyalty says This feat is available to werebears, werebear-kin, and those who associated with these creatures.

I wish it didn't say that because Ferocious Loyalty would dovetail with Feral Heart like crazy!

Also, we should really coordinate on the teamwork feats, since they won't do much good if several of us don't have the same one. I could do Ferocious Loyalty, but we just want to make sure we're on the same page.

Did ShadowLord waive teamwork feat pre-reqs? If I missed that post I apologize but... Ferocious Loyalty says This feat is available to werebears, werebear-kin, and those who associated with these creatures.

Where does it say that?

I—and I assume Shadowlord was when putting together the list of feats—was going off what it says on Archives of Nethys

It's here on d20pfsrd and it kind of makes sense since the feat was offered in the Blood of the Moon expansion which is pretty much all about lycanthropes.

Also, we should really coordinate on the teamwork feats, since they won't do much good if several of us don't have the same one. I could do Ferocious Loyalty, but we just want to make sure we're on the same page.

It looks like at least a couple of us have tentatively taken "Shake It Off" for the moment. I'm happy to switch. I'm flexible on what I take.

I'm flexible as well. I'm down for some crossover, Raj. If I recall correctly though, GM said we need to meet the pre-reqs for Teamwork Feats. I think I'd like most to pair up with the melee types for Broken Paw Gambit and it's follow-ups for more AoE's down the road, especially as I'm likely going to go down the Snap Shot tree eventually.

I’m done!

Looks good sans teamwork feat. Can you write up your NPC Connection and throw that into your profile for a quick reference for me please?

Gotcha GM, will do so. I'm ready to go, I just haven't added in the Story Feat yet.

Looks good, just add the story feat and write up the NPC connection for me.

Raj is done as well - aside from the teamwork feat.

Looks good from the teamwork feat.

Raj hasn't had time to meet anyone yet but it would play out similar to how he got 'flustered' by Feena. In the case of the NPC, it wouldn't have to be about her beauty. If you like, I'll write up a scene between the two of them that establishes the connection. Let me know.

Did ShadowLord waive teamwork feat pre-reqs?

No, I did not waive prereqs for the feats, but neither did I see a prerequisite for this one when I checked. I've never actually seen this prerequisite before today. I used two locations to build this list of teamwork feats, Nethys and Heroalb, not the d20pfsrd. Neither of the two locations I referenced have this prereq listed and don't own that particular book unfortunately.

Since Nethys is official and d2r0pfsrd is not, we'll forego the perquisite for this one if that is what you want.

@Varryk - No problem. Given your build that makes sense.

OK, let's try to herd the cats here... After a quick scan up-thread and at character sheets. Apologies if I missed some update...
.

Tentative Team Feats
=================
Feena - ? (likes Elemental Comixture, Shielded Caster, Shake It Off, Swap Places)
Vlad - Ferocious Loyalty? (likes Shake It Off, Escape Route)
Marya - Ferocious Loyalty (likes Escape Route -> Swing About)
Varryk - Shake It Off (likes later Broken Paw Gambit -> Wounded Wing Gambit)
Damian - Ferocious Loyalty
Rajuna - Shake It Off (OK with Shake It Off, Duck & Cover, Swap Places. There are better Roguey feats but they be of limited benefit to others)

There are some decent overlaps here, we've just got to settle on the 2 or 3 feats we want to focus on now. It look like Shake It Off, Escape Route, Swap Places, and Ferocious Loyalty.

Thoughts? Any changes to the table above?

Escape Route and Swing About are not available to you at this time. Here is the list from the recruitment page:

TEAMWORK FEATS
Allied Spellcaster
Back to Back
Broken Wing Gambit
Circling Offensive
Collective Recollective
Combat Medic
Coordinated Defense
Coordinated Maneuvers
Distracting Charge.
Duck and Cover
Enfilading Fire
Elemental Commixture
Ensemble
Extend the Bulwark
Feint Partner
Ferocious Loyalty
Intercept Charge
Look Out
Overwhelm
Phalanx Fighter
Seize the Moment
Share Healing
Shake it Off
Shielded Caster
Stealth Synergy
Swap Places
Swarm Scatter
Swarm Strike
Tandem Evasion.
Tandem Trip
Target of Opportunity
Team Pickpocketing
Topple Foe
Tribe Mentality
Underhanded Teamwork
Unusual Origin
Wounded Paw Gambit

I got up a list of possible story feat choices a couple of days ago but never heard about them. Just thought I'd remind you about it.

Shake off, as I recall, is a really good one we can all use so I'm fine with that as well.

Righto.

Fine with Shake It Off as well, if we want to all take the same feat at the beginning.

Also, pssst. Join the Discord server that GM ShadowLord linked, much easier to have a discussion there.

Not necessarily. We could certainly do 2 feats with a few folks in each group.

UPDATED Team Feats
=================
Feena - Shake It Off (likes Elemental Comixture, Shielded Caster, Shake It Off, Swap Places)
Vlad - Ferocious Loyalty? (likes Shake It Off, Escape Route)
Marya - Ferocious Loyalty (likes Escape Route -> Swing About)
Varryk - Shake It Off (likes Broken Wing Gambit -> Wounded Paw Gambit for later)
Damian - Ferocious Loyalty (OK with Shake It Off)
Rajuna - Shake It Off/Ferocious Loyalty (OK with Shake It Off, Duck & Cover, Swap Places)

Now I'm torn - Shake it Off or Ferocious Loyalty. gah.

@Damian - Wish I could use Discord. This is my work laptop and Discord is on the verboten list. :(

@Damian - Wish I could use Discord. This is my work laptop and Discord is on the verboten list. :(

There are apps for your phone! :D

I got up a list of possible story feat choices a couple of days ago but never heard about them. Just thought I'd remind you about it.

Whoops, looking now.

Shake it off is probably the best feat for me. My Will save won't be fantastic, and later on there will be times I'll be very dangerous if enemy casters get to me.

It probably goes with my background better, too. But I'll take Ferocious Loyalty if the group prefers.

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.

I don't like Eldritch researcher for her, I envision that as more of a wizard one like you say. I think twisted love has enormous roleplay potential, especially if we target more mid-book. Lost Legacy seemingly has a better mechanical benefit as a sorcerer. I'd be fine with either of these!

We could do a three/three split... so Shake It Off would give a potential +3 Save bonus to the first half of the group and the other half would get the benefit to meleers of Ferocious Loyalty, like so:

Feena - Shake It Off
Varryk - Shake It Off
Vlad - Shake It Off

Marya - Ferocious Loyalty
Damian - Ferocious Loyalty
Rajuna - Ferocious Loyalty

I'm willing to go with Shake It Off if you or Varryk would rather jump on the melee combat bennie. FWIW, I play Raj as an aggressive combatant using acrobatics to get flanks and duke it out with baddies. I don't do the slinky-stealthy backstabber, damage-avoidance, sort of rogue - so FL is a good offensive option for me and SIO is a nice defensive tweak.

I think Twisted Love would be my preference. It has a lot of potential for good RP to me and may be easier to work into the story.

We could do a three/three split... so Shake It Off would give a potential +3 Save bonus to the first half of the group and the other half would get the benefit to meleers of Ferocious Loyalty, like so:

Feena - Shake It Off
Varryk - Shake It Off
Vlad - Shake It Off

Marya - Ferocious Loyalty
Damian - Ferocious Loyalty
Rajuna - Ferocious Loyalty

I'm willing to go with Shake It Off if you or Varryk would rather jump on the melee combat bennie. FWIW, I play Raj as an aggressive combatant using acrobatics to get flanks and duke it out with baddies. I don't do the slinky-stealthy backstabber, damage-avoidance, sort of rogue - so FL is a good offensive option for me and SIO is a nice defensive tweak.

I really like this. Let's do it.

It looks like we are just about there!

Why don't you guys flush out the feats and remaining intricacies today and we can plan to kick things off as soon as I get an NPC post from the last few of you. Let's target to have all that wrapped by tomorrow sometime tentatively.

Looks like having some groupings for different characters sounds like the way to go. I'll give this a third vote, and will take Shake it Off.

I'm working on my NPC post and should have it up tonight.

In the interest of RPing, how old is everyone's characters? I want to know if Marya would reasonably call them "kid."

Damian is 42.

You're good calling me 'kid,' I'm thinking I'm 22.

I have been meaning to ask how old Marya is--Vlad's mother died early and he could really use a mother figure!

You're good calling me 'kid,' I'm thinking I'm 22.

I have been meaning to ask how old Marya is--Vlad's mother died early and he could really use a mother figure!

I have her listed as 31 in my profile. I'm less than a month away from 31 myself, so I figured I could channel those "cynical early 30s feelings" :P

Perhaps you'll be able to channel Vlad into some productive attitudes as surrogate older sister. :)

Varryk is 25 and seems both older and younger in very different ways.

Raj is 23 - technically too old to be a rogue but it fits him.

Raj is 23 - technically too old to be a rogue but it fits him.

I absolutely see it. I always saw those as more guidelines anyways. I mean Ezren is a first level wizard and he's old.

For Marya, I figured early thirties makes sense for someone who essentially learned to be a cleric, dropped it, then had to relearn how to be a cleric all over again.