Adventure in the World of Xanaste (Inactive)

Game Master Helix Missionary

Welcome one and all! I'm very excited to get this game under weigh, although that likely won't happen in earnest for a few days yet. As mentioned in the Recruitment post, my family visit has been upheaved slightly, and so there's a bit more going on during this "vacation" than I'd originally planned and hoped for. That said, I should have enough prepared to get us going soon in any case!

For right now, I'd like you all to say hello and put finishing touches on characters, including finalizing aliases. Feel free to dot in Gameplay as well, so that you can keep track of things properly! (Maybe someday Paizo will give us tools to add people to campaigns without necessitating that.) If you want to tweak characters at all from mechanical choices made so far, feel free. And if you don't have access to the core rulebook, please let me know--I'll get you any and all info needed.

Finally, I'd like a definitive answer for everyone regarding where you were when you joined this caravan to Xanaste (doesn't have to be too specific, just a place-name and/or general description), and why you signed on with this motley group. Some of you already have this in your backstories, or at least have hinted at it, but putting it all here will help with gathering it in one place to establish facts.

It's also quite possible some of you joined in the same place, or near one another, and very well may have gotten to know one another by this point, if only slightly! We'll be starting with you all a few days' journey from Xanaste, which means you've all been traveling together (in a group of perhaps two-dozen folk) for at least a week, in all likelihood (and perhaps much longer).

Thanks for the selection. I’ll get the info about joining the caravan posted sometime today.

Thanks for the selection , Helix.
I'll review nuriah once more....see if there's any changes that are merited.

Hello everyone. Excited to be here

Sounds good! I will download the official game from Drive Thru tonight and give it a good read.

Joined Caravan Vixmyr (His home, a human city along the Great Road east of Xanaste)
Reason for Joining One last job, to deliver an Elf prisoner from Vixmyr to Xanaste. He was supposed to return after the job, but has chosen to make a new life for himself in Xanaste.

Thanks for the selection Helix - didn't envy your decision as there were a bunch of interest characters (present company included).

Going to give Brunhard a review before posting in-game. Helix - any specific feedback on my background etc?

Brunhard hails from the coastal city of Cymopol, but has been wandering the lands in his calling as a "hedge knight" (knight-flotsam to followers of the Leviathan). Much of motivation to travel to the Great Holy City is the nearby Sea of Trials...

Essentially he could have joined the caravan at any juncture and am happy to weave a collaborative reason with anyone else :)

Joined Caravan Robbet also joined the caravan in Vixmyr which is about a five days ride from Kelven's Hold.
Reason for joining He joined for three reasons. First, the cavavan was traveling in the same direction as his quarry. Second, it is always safer to travel with others. Third, he realized he did not have enough coin to continue hunting his quarry indefinitely so he joined to boot his funds.

Hey Helix - have an additional question regards starting equipment. I purchased the Complete Armour pdf (which lists all the Weapons and Armours from the Core Rulebook and Main Gauche) - there's a much wider spread of particularly weapons - how open are you to us straying from the starting trappings?

Glad everyone's checked in! As mentioned I'm still visiting family, so I don't know that we'll be fully kicking off the game for a couple days yet, but now's the time to keep fleshing out characters. I definitely encourage any links you want to have, even it's just that you've chatted on the road so far.

Re: Trappings, I'm happy to work with people on fair trade-offs for equipment they'd like to use. I don't want to get as detailed as selling or buying for whatever values, but if you're interested in trading an item out for something similar, let me know. Also bear in mind you get a free Trapping that's something iconic for your Profession! We can work together to make sure it's appropriate.

Apologies for being slow to get my stuff done.

Hedir joined the caravan near it's beginning in the port city of Einsburg, fresh off the boat from his homeland. His fortune telling guided him toward Xanaste, and he picked up with the first group heading there, as it's an unfamiliar road and traveling alone is far more dangerous than he'd like.

@Brunhard: Since Hedir joined in a port, perhaps it was the same city where Brunhard joined the group?

Any ideas for trappings for a Reeve? I’m drawing a blank.

@Hedir: Makes sense - Port of Einsburg sounds good.

@Helix M: Keep forgetting about an iconic trapping. Presuming this item would be more flavour over function? For Brunhard thinking of a Murmillo style helm of antiquity for his.

@Robbet: You mention a dirk in your background - perhaps its one that is symbolic of your past position of Reeve? A ceremonial arm bearing the emblem/sigil of Kelvin Keep on its pommel? Failing that a set of Iron Manacles?

Your Iconic Trapping can be almost anything, within the bounds of (relatively liberal) reason, so long as you can make a case for why it is an item of special relevance to your character and their Profession. A fine and iconic example is the Rat-Catcher and their small but vicious dog. This is definitely a flavor-oriented choice, fitting the theme of men and women who delve into burrows and sewers in search of verminous prey. But it is also a functional Trapping to possess, and like all Trappings can be used for many purposes depending on the creativity of the player.

Basically, while I'd love to narrow it down, it's pretty wide open in terms of what you could choose. I'll say the same, in general, for swapping any Trappings from your Archetype that you don't need or want. Your Warrior doesn't need their Fire-Hardened Spear? Grab some manner of small melee weapon as a backup. Your Knave isn't the sort to carry Lock Picks? Maybe they prefer gambling to larceny, and always carry dice and cards with them.

So again, just let me know what you're thinking for swapping any gear (tell me what you're giving up and what you're taking instead) and for your Iconic Trapping. If we need to work out a balance, we can, but common sense should prevail here.

Also! I'm back home for a few days before leaving again (this time on a short vacation with my roommates), so it is my hope that we can get the game started with at least my first real post in the next couple days. It might be a tad rocky or slow to start, depending on my time and energy while away, but after that things should pick up nicely!

Nuriah will join the caravan to Xanaste a few caravan stops south of the port of Einsburg. It will be a caravanserai at a crossroads, where the caravan trail splits to go south towards Xanaste or east.

Having bid farewell to her friend and mentor Samn, Nuriah now found her self travelling alone. The predatory glances and leering stares from some of the caravan merchants and even some of the guards, led her to realize that she's grown quite used to the imposing presence of her friend.

Quickly identifying the most brazen of her 'admirers', she identified both Brunhard and the elf Hedir as ones she might stay close to , even going so far as to introduce herself.

Nuriah's Iconic Trapping will be a small leather bound notebook. With are the approximate locations of many shrines dedicated to the many faces of the Hooded One. The most recent detail a abundance of locations in and in the environs of Xanaste. Earlier additions refer to many places that have disappeared into the fog of antiquity, their ink faded and indistinct. Whether she'll have the opportunity to discover any of those shrines....only fortune will tell.

@Nuriah: Makes sense - Hedir and myself share a nautical Burgher background (shipwright for me, Navigator for him) so they'll be some degree of common interest between us both.

Alright folks, thanks to insomnia, the first post of the game is indeed up before I take this trip! I don't expect to be posting much, at least for this game, while I'm away, but I'll do my best to check in. In the meantime, I strongly encourage roleplaying and characterizing! Things will take a turn for the dramatic when I get back.

Went with a dirk for my trapping (thanks for the suggestion Brunhard)

No worries Robbet :)

Apologies on the tardy posting Helix - being doing a tonne of research into Frankish/Carolingian Knights and warriors - modelling Brunhard's culture on them.

Need to nail down his trappings and final gold - then get a post up. Appreciate the patience :)

I need to finish listing my trappings, but you can probably tell that I picked a deck of tarot cards as my professional trapping. It seemed appropriate.

Just popping this in my games to let people know I'm leaving later today to visit family for about a week. I should be able to check in and post regularly during most of it, but this weekend might be spotty. That said, I'll be doing my best to keep up here in particular in order to get things really rolling.

Also, Brazod hasn't checked in since things kicked off, and their player (new to the forums) hasn't posted anywhere in over two weeks. I'll drop them a line, but we'll move forward with the four of you if they don't respond, as I think that's still a very solid number for the party.

I'm also going to hopefully use this trip and the time it brings to get our WorldAnvil site up and running. It's definitely a bit of a learning curve, and different from Obsidian Portal, but I like it quite a lot, and think it will work very nicely for this game and setting.

Thanks for the heads up. Enjoy your trip.

Enjoy Helix M - Brunhard's iconic trapping will be a helm of some description... Still mulling which historical era to take my inspiration from...

So, 3 AP per turn.
So one could execute 3 melee attacks at 1 AP per attack?

Would it be cheesy for Nuriah to do so, knowing that she can't dodge the critical strike?

By the standard rules, you can't make an attack action more than once in a turn. There's an optional rule where they grow more and more difficult to perform, but I'm not sure I want to use that since it does drastically change balance of the game--and not in the favor of the PCs, from my understanding.

So sadly, no, no cheesing on offense since you know you can't avoid the attack. That's part of the back and forth of combat, keeping things appropriately Grim and Perilous™.

Whoops. I made to many attacks, I’ll change my last action.

I expect mistakes will be made as we get familiar ( or re-familiar ) with the system :)

I'll give Brunhard another day, give or take until my check-in tomorrow, and then bot if necessary for the second round's actions.

Sounds fair. Thanks.

I will be traveling Wednesday and Thursday but should be able to post in the evening. Just want to give everyone a heads up just in case I can’t.

Just letting you all know that I'm here, but likely won't update this until tomorrow. Headspace is off today and I'm having trouble concentrating enough to write coherently (and well) enough for a full post.

Brunhard: you may indeed attempt to move the horse again. Doing so, however, puts you at ever greater risk of attack from the earthen gnome.

No worries GMH - I'll take the chance... Brunhard's a knight after all; Facta, non verba and all that :)

Apologies for my silence--I was visiting family this weekend, and between the Internet at the house being very spotty, and being busy with things, I didn't get a chance to update the games I'm running. I've just gotten back to my own house, so expect an update tonight or, more likely, tomorrow!

Checking in if you guys are good to move forward? I tend toward a GMing style where I set the scene and respond to player's actions; I'm happy to be a little more proactive in pushing things along if that's what you prefer as a group, so let me know. Otherwise, even just a quick post here saying you're good to go is also nice.

Alright folks, I'm going to bite the bullet and call this game. While I'm not rigorous on posting requirements by any means, I've seen enough games die on here to know when the end is coming, and week-long stretches with no posts--followed by one post after a check-in--doesn't bode well for anything. I blame nobody for this, it seems like for whatever reasons things have just sort of fallen apart here. But I'd rather recognize the problem now and move forward than just sort of let things sit.

I will likely be running another game coming up fairly soon, although I will probably take some time before returning to Zweihander. I have lots of other ideas for various campaigns in various systems, and I encourage all of you to apply and would love to play with you more.

For now, however, I bid you goodbye and well-played. I'll mark this game inactive in a couple days.

My apologies, Helix.

Meant to get a post in a few time since your check in...but, no excuses.

Hope you'll reconsider...

No worries Helix - echo the apologies as I should have posted prior to the check in also.

Good luck with all the endeavours and will keep an eye out for your future games.

Cheers All