Phin probably has a room somewhere but probably in a poorer area of Sharn. She busks for money but she also uses her rogue talents to acquire whatever else she needs to make ends meet.
fluff
Such a sad story. I feel like I want to give Phin a hug. :)
Sebastian would not. if he ever heard that story, he would just shrug and say, "Yeah, life sucks and then you die."
Game on!
Start thinking how you will nerf the artificer because artificers get both the Brew Potion and Scribe Scroll feats at 1st level.Yeah, I was about to write this yesterday but didn't feel like rebooting the old computer once it occurred to me. You are not supposed to have a lot of money or free access to magical items in this campaign, so that the little you do get feels like more. An Artificer could provide both. If you try to exploit it, I'll just take the toys away from you with any and all means necessary, so you might as well not make the attempt.
I don't mind the occasional potion or scroll for own personal use and the like, though.
If you don't mind suggestions, this issue could potentially be spun into the noir campaign. Maybe there is a choke hold on scrolls and potions and 'someone' doesn't want any more to flood the market.
Maybe selling scrolls/potions is 'heavily taxed' and NOT payable to the government.
Or maybe the scroll/potion components are just very hard to find and only supplied by certain people.
Just some thoughts.
So Sebastian is Nathan, Phin is Parker, Harakani is Eliot, and Gary is Alec? I suppose artificer is as close to hacker as we can get. I don't see Alua as a Sophie though...
A changeling (bard? or Vi?) would have been great for a Sophie, but we don't have one so we'll all have to be part-time Sophie. :)
I can see Sebastian putting on his happy face to deal with his tourist guide side job and actually hating it and wanting to do 'inquisitive' work.
Jussi: Yes, I expect the work would be sporadical and only provides enough income to survive. Maybe he works for House Ghallanda. Sebastian would actually hate to have to play nice to get tips. :)
Happy new Decade everyone :)
If you don't mind suggestions, this issue could potentially be spun into the noir campaign. Maybe there is a choke hold on scrolls and potions and 'someone' doesn't want any more to flood the market.
Maybe selling scrolls/potions is 'heavily taxed' and NOT payable to the government.
Or maybe the scroll/potion components are just very hard to find and only supplied by certain people.
Reasons could certainly be found, but considering Eberron is rich with magic (you individuals just aren't supposed to be afford much), those run into problems as well. I'd just rather make a gentleman's agreement for you not to create stuff for stockpiling or sale and me not digging up the ol' Ban Hammer.
After all, it would be useful to have someone along who could create a specific spell scroll you really need for the case you are on and such.
Also, one comment for Alua's skills... I'd rather you folks didn't take a profession skill for being inquisitives/private eyes... since you being one is kind of the point of the campaign. Having such a skill would either a) lead it being utterly pointless or b) becoming a tool to solve every problem. Rather, pick a profession that you think would be helpful for a private detective. A scribe would be handy organizing information and looking for what someone wrote down, a barriester could be useful for figuring out loopholes in laws and if something you wanted to do might put yourselves behind the bars and so forth.
Ah, no problem, I'm happy to put that skill point somewhere else. I just thought I was being clever. :) Her parents were shopkeepers - I'll go with that.
Alua will definitely be volunteering with some sort of organization or church. She's heard about this new cult of the Creator-Goddess...maybe they need some help? ;)
I think Alua is really going to enjoy watching Sebastian play nice with the tourists! She'll be happy to help out sometimes.
Happy new Decade everyone :)
And happy (almost) New Year from the GMT+2 zone as well ;^)
Umm... is that 5ed Dragonmark you have there on your character, with all those base ability bonuses and it not being listed as the sole feat your 2nd level elf can afford?
I wasn’t sure about the Mark of Shadow traits allowed. They’re found in Wayfinder’s Guide to Eberron v2. That’s where I got the ones for Bronwyn’s
Well yeah, that book is 5ed material and no good here... what you want is Least True Dragonmark feat from the conversion wiki. And as you can see there, if you want to go and explore the width and depth of the powers of a Mark, you have tons of tools right there.
Whoops! Took it out and fixed her profile. Sent you a PM as well.
Happy new year! I'm about to explore creating an Alias and uploading my information. Sorry for the silence the last couple days - lots of time with family and a 7 hour game of axis and allies. Cheers!
Okay, I haven't figured out Alias yet, but soon! For now, here is the info I've been working with. Daen Aarland, Human Artificer - with his backround, I'm proposing that he is staying at the agency office, but 100% flexible. Lots still in progress, but mainly just providing this to get some feedback/thoughts.
- Daen has spent the last several years training as an artificer. Due to an accident, his previous master is dead and Daen was released from his contract - no one else was willing to pick him up following the nature of his master’s death. He carries a secret shame related to his master’s work and/or death.
- When the opportunity to join Sebastian’s limited liability agency, Daen jumped at the chance. He brings the punch and can provide situational aids to help the group investigate. With the new warforged on the team, Daen is excited to see what they can do together. With his witty negotiation, Daen now has a workshop/bedroom at the agency. Unfortunately, what he didn’t realize was that this now put him at call all night long.
- Unfortunately, the new agency hasn’t taken off as they all expected. Because of his secret shame, Daen can’t take on the big jobs and opportunities available to someone of his training. Instead he is relegated to selling small charms and potions through a proxy (who takes a cut) and minor repairs/appraisal work that are also directed to the agency (with ads noting that he is available late). If he was properly registered and prepared to do business openly, these activities would bring considerably more, but there are benefits of living on the edge. (This lifestyle would bring in approximately 7.5gp a week, but I imagine all of this is poured back into supplies and cost of living).
Key Demographics
Daen Aarland
Male 2nd level Human Artificer
NG Medium Build
Init +2; Perception +0/+1 traps
S 10; D 14; C 13; I 18; W 10; C 12 (20 point buy; Int +2 human bonus)
Base Atk +1; CMB +1 (+1 BAB + 0 STR); CMD 13 (10 + 1 CMB + 2 DEX)
Defense
AC X, touch 12, flat-footed 12
HP 15 (8 1st level class + 5 2nd level rolled d8 + 2 2 levels of CON)
Fort +1, Ref +2, Will +3
Others DC -1 for Intimidating Daen
Offense (still in progress)
Speed 30 ft.
+6 Ingenuity Points
Melee (dagger): +X = +X(base) +X(TRAIT)
Melee Damage (dagger): 1dx+x, 18-20, x2
Ranged (crossbow): +X =
Ranged Damage (crossbow):
Traits/Drawbacks (2 given, plus character drawback and 3rd trait)
Pragmatic Activator (use INT instead of CHA for Use Magic Device - reflects his analytical approach to breaking down magic)
Eldritch Auditor (+2 Spellcraft and Will to identify true properties - tied to his skills as a general auditor)
Secret Shame (-1 save against fear and DC intimidate checks to demoralize Daen are reduced by 1 - tied to the death of his previous master)
Elemental Accident (Electricity - once per day can receive resistance 10 for 1 round - tied to the death of his previous master)
Feats: 3 (including bonus feat)
Skill Focus (Use Magic Device +3)
Point Blank Shot (+1 bonus on attack rolls and damage within 30 ft)
Extraordinary Artisan (-25% GP crafting - probably the only thing keeping Daen at the edge of solvency)
Skills: 22 ranks (4+4 lvl 1 + 4+4 lvl2 + 2 human bonus lvl 2 + 4 extra) (limited 2 ranks)
Acrobatics +2 (0 R + 2 DEX)
Appraise +6 (2 R + 4 INT)
Bluff +1 (0 R + 1 CHA)
Climb +0 (0 R + 0 STR)
Craft - Armor +6 (2 R + 4 INT)
Craft - Mechanical +6 (2 R + 4 INT)
Craft - Weapons +5 (1 R + 4 INT)
Craft - Sculpture +5 (1 R + 4 INT)
Craft - Jewelry +5 (1 R + 4 INT)
Craft - Alchemy +6 (2 R + 4 INT)
Diplomacy +1 (0 R + 1 CHA)
Disable Device +4/+5 (2 R + 2 DEX/+1 Magic Traps)
Disguise +1 (0 R + 1 CHA)
Escape Artist +1 (0 R + 1 CHA)
Fly +2 (0 R + 2 DEX)
Heal +0 (0 R + 0 WIS)
Intimidate +1 (0 R + 1 CHA)
Knowledge - Arcana +6 (2 R + 4 INT)
Knowledge - Engineering +6 (1 R + 4 INT)
Knowledge - Religion +6 (2 R + 4 INT)
Perception +0/+1 (0 R + 0 WIS/+1 Traps)
Perform +1 (0 R + 1 CHA)
Ride +2 (0 R + 2 DEX)
Sense Motive +0 (0 R + 0 WIS)
Spellcraft +6/+8 (2 R + 4 INT/+2 determine true properties of magical item)
Use Magic Device +10 (2R + 4 INT(Not CHA)+ 3 Skill Focus + 1 Artisan Bonus)
Special Abilities
Artificer Knowledge - can create spell trigger, spell completion, power trigger and power completion items without having to cast the necessary spells or have the powers
Artisan Bonus = + ½ level to UMD
Brew Potion - use up to ½ price of materials (potions by level - https://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/potions)
Ingenuity +6 = 2 level + 4 INT - Ingenuity points can turn touch to close range infusions
Scribe Scroll - Create a scroll of any spell that you know - raw materials costing half of the base price (see extraordinary artisan)
Trapfinding +1 Perception to locate traps and + 1 Disable Device
Bonus Feat (Extraordinary Artisan - see above)
Rugged Craftsman - gains full benefit of 4 hours per day creating magical items while adventuring instead of normal two
Unravel (suppression) - Use ingenuity points to disrupt magical energies that power magical items
Spells
Unlimited cantrips
3 1st level infusions
Infusions by level (https://sites.google.com/site/eberronpathfinder/conversion-info/magic/spel ls-and-powers-by-class/artificer)
Spells by level
Sorceror/Wizard (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/spell-lists-and-domains/spell-lists-sorcere r-and-wizard/)
Duid (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/spell-lists-and-domains/spell-lists-druid/)
Cleric (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/spell-lists-and-domains/spell-lists-cleric/ )
Haha! I have mastered the forum! Well...
Haha! I have mastered the forum! Well...
Welcome aboard Daen!
Now go clean up this place, it stinks like you were brewing something fierce. :)
Gary: click on the 'Show' button to the right of 'How to format your text' below where you type.
It will show us things like (bold, italics;, etc.) and also how to use the 'url' so addresses became clickable (and neater).
Game on!
Dear all, I will be gone for a few days. I'll be back next Wednesday. Between now and then I'll be traveling with little availability. Sorry I didn't let folks know sooner. I was so excited to hear from Jussi, the holidays, and everything else it made me forget.
GM Kirsdrake, two quick issues:
1) I will be taking Fabian's advice and editing my fluff and characteristics and sharing them in a more aesthetically please way. But please let me know if you have any feedback or specific details that you want me to work into the fluff or required changes to the crunch.
2) Do you need to add me and Daen as Players/Characters or is there somewhere that I need to do that myself?
2) Do you need to add me and Daen as Players/Characters or is there somewhere that I need to do that myself?
Have fun, wherever you're going!
To add yourself to the campaign, you need to post in the gameplay tab. But since Jussi (following Fabian's example) is using gameplay for turn recaps, we do what's called a "dot and delete". Post anything you want, using the Daen alias, under gameplay, then immediately delete the post. That will add you to the players/characters.
BTW, you only ever have an hour to edit or delete a post before it becomes permanent.
BTW, you only ever have an hour to edit or delete a post before it becomes permanent.
Important to know! Thank you!
I appreciate the well wishes!
On that note, Jussi, now that I have Alua up and running, can you remove "Angie" from the character page? You can do it via the Campaign info tab, if you go to the "edit this campaign" button. That will make sure that Alua shows up as my default instead of Angie. Thanks!
“Wow, everyone’s here,” Daen exclaims, coming out of the storage space/workshop/Daen’s bedroom and wiping his hands on pocket cloth.
Fortunately, Daen isn’t wearing the burnt and stained hide armor that he keeps for some of his experiments, so everything should be extra safe.
“I just wanted to apologize to everyone for the mess that I’d made. I got caught up with some new techniques I was going over and didn’t realize how much I had spread out. Hopefully everything is better than before!”
The outer room does look better than the last time you saw it. The lamp and picture frames were no longer broken and the light sconces were gleaming brightly, giving the space a warm and welcoming glow. Despite everything looking cleaner, Daen has some type of ink smeared across his right brow. It's almost endearing.
Key Demographics
Defense
Offense
Traits/Drawbacks
Feats: 3 (including bonus feat)
Skills: 22 ranks (4+4 lvl 1 + 4+4 lvl2 + 2 human bonus lvl 2 + 4 extra) (limited 2 ranks)
Special Abilities
Spells
[**]Infusions by level
[**]Sorceror/Wizard Spells
[**]Druid Spells
[**]Cleric Spells
Equipment (200 gp base)
Desired Equipment
On that note, Jussi, now that I have Alua up and running, can you remove "Angie" from the character page? You can do it via the Campaign info tab, if you go to the "edit this campaign" button. That will make sure that Alua shows up as my default instead of Angie. Thanks!
Thanks for the tip... and done.
Anyway, I should have some free time this coming week, so I'll start going through the fluffs and numbers you have submitted. Still need to get something concrete from Tom and Tim, I believe.
I'm back from vacation and getting caught up on the posts. Will be working on my character and posting more soon.
Ok, some character crunch comments... might have missed something, but these stuck to the eye...
Daen
- Extraordinary Artisan... since this is supposed to be a low-funds, low-magic campaign (for the players, not the whole world), I'm not too keen on you guys doing lots of magical item crafting... making the occasional single use/limited use item is OK, particularly if you are making something you'll need for a particular case but no-one has the spell on their lists, I don't think it's a good idea to invest in crafting feats... I'd suggest you switch this to something more suitable, even though it does make sense background-wise
- Favored Class bonuses... in PF, a character chooses a favored class on the 1st level, and whenever he takes another level of said class, he gets a bonus of one extra HP or SP, his choice, made every time he takes such a level... some races gain extra options for favoring certain classes, and a human Artificer can also add 1/2 points to his Ingenuity Pool.
- Crossbow damage 1d4... a typo, I assume. Medium-size crossbow deals 1d6 damage.
- Hit points... I believe the usual we have been using in various games is max on 1st level, half+1 on the following ones. At least, I kind of remember it being so, so might as well roll like that here. So that'd mean you have exactly the right amount of HP. Well done, Sir!
Phin
- A bit of "human" references still haunting the profile.
- Will save should be +1, I believe.
- Hit points... if you used one favored class bonus on HP, I think the total should be 14.
Aula
- Hit points... I think the total should be 21, with the Toughness feat.
- Mystery spells... did you change your mind about taking the Dual-Cursed Oracle bonus spells after all? I already agreed for you to keep the Life Mystery bonus spells if you want to.
Sebastian
- You haven't used your favored class bonus point, I believe.
Actually, speaking of the favored class bonuses, how did it work again? If you select your favored class on the first level, do you get the benefit FOR that level as well, or do you only get the first bonus on the second level (assuming you stick to the class you picked as your favorite, of course)?
Actually, speaking of the favored class bonuses, how did it work again? If you select your favored class on the first level, do you get the benefit FOR that level as well, or do you only get the first bonus on the second level (assuming you stick to the class you picked as your favorite, of course)?
Thus, I will choose my favored class (investigator) at 2nd level and take the +1 hp only for second level.
Game on!
Still churning through alternate builds, but some things are staying constant.
I see Henry as a gifted soldier, but not adapting well to civilian life. He's loyal to his friends, and has some connections with the more seedy side of the city. Left to his own devices he'll end up drifting into burglary and probably eventually becoming a thug for hire.
Draft doc here
@Jussi: Am I right that Traits cannot be Campaign Traits? I was thinking about World Weary
Are you using the aging rules?
I'm tempted by the favored class bonus to Slayer talents, but I feel like 4 levels is much more than most campaigns do. How many levels are you thinking we'll get through?
@Fabian: would you be interested in Sebastian and Henry having served together in the war?
@Fabian: would you be interested in Sebastian and Henry having served together in the war?
Yes, do it.
This is what I have:
- Front lines against Karrnath and their undead minions
Does that suit you?
Aula
- Hit points... I think the total should be 21, with the Toughness feat.
- Mystery spells... did you change your mind about taking the Dual-Cursed Oracle bonus spells after all? I already agreed for you to keep the Life Mystery bonus spells if you want to.
Doesn't toughness just give me 3 HP, and then when I'm level 4 I get another?
Any chance I can switch back and forth between the archetype and life mystery spells? I like the 2nd level spell from dual cursed, but the 4th from life. *bats eyelashes*
Don't you get the extra HP from favoured class bonus for both level 1 and 2? I had 9 HPs for 1st level and 6 HPs for 2nd level.
I fixed the other two mistakes - or at least I think I did.
Favored Class
Yes, but I don't think that answers the chicken or the egg question... you choose your favored class on the first level. Does that mean that you only get the favored class bonus on the second level, since you already took a level in a class to GET to first level to make the favored class selection, and you only get the bonus when you GAIN a level in your favored class ;^)
@Jussi: Am I right that Traits cannot be Campaign Traits? I was thinking about World Weary
Are you using the aging rules?
I don't mind you taking campaign traits, as long as their fluff seems to make some sense in this situation.
Never had to worry about aging rules since I can't recall any player of mine ever wanting to make an oldtimer character.
I'm tempted by the favored class bonus to Slayer talents, but I feel like 4 levels is much more than most campaigns do. How many levels are you thinking we'll get through?
That depends on how quickly you get sick of playing this campaign ;^) Even with slow progression, I think you could get to the 7-8 level range, if we all want to stick with the campaign... can't really estimate how long in RL it'd take since this is my first PBeM game to run... but some of my long-term campaign plans won't bear fruit until after 10 to 15 "missions", I believe.
Don't you get the extra HP from favoured class bonus for both level 1 and 2? I had 9 HPs for 1st level and 6 HPs for 2nd level.
If you do get the FCB on the first level, you could. But that's what I'm unclear of. I'm fine either way, but I just haven't found a definite answer from the rules ;^)
Doesn't toughness just give me 3 HP, and then when I'm level 4 I get another?
Right you are, I read the feat'd give you 3 at first and then +1 every level.
Any chance I can switch back and forth between the archetype and life mystery spells? I like the 2nd level spell from dual cursed, but the 4th from life. *bats eyelashes*
Lol... just take both, you little temptress.
Favored ClassYes, but I don't think that answers the chicken or the egg question... you choose your favored class on the first level. Does that mean that you only get the favored class bonus on the second level, since you already took a level in a class to GET to first level to make the favored class selection, and you only get the bonus when you GAIN a level in your favored class ;^)
I think it's not clear. If you choose Class A at 1st level and then Class B for 19 levels, do you only get favored class bonus one time?
However, I think the intent of the rule is to reward those players who choose to remain in one class regardless of whether you picked that class at first level or later.
On a normal campaign (starting at first level), there would not be an issue. If we're starting at higher levels you'll have to make a call.
However, I can see myself GMing someone who switches 'favored classes' as follows. Allowing this to happen but 'recalling' their previous favored class bonuses. That is, 1st level choose and get favored bonus, 2nd level choose another class and get the favored class bonus but 'remove' the favored class bonus obtained at first level.
Again, I think the intent is to reward those players that stick to their 'favored class' and don't 'dip' into other classes.
I did a bit of snooping around on reddit and other forums, and most people seem to think that you get the favoured class bonus at first level as well. The way I've been reading/playing it is: whatever class you take, you get that favoured class bonus, that level.
I don't see it as being a reward for sticking with one class. I see it as a little extra bonus depending on how your race interacts with your class. Trying to remove old bonuses seems unnecessarily complicated, and punishes players for trying something outside the box.
Let's do it that way, then - you get the bonus for every level of the selected class. Hardly balance-breaking either way.
One comment about backgrounds... I'm OK with all four, but I'd like everyone to make clear several things:
- Are you native Brelish natives or did you move in from another nation?
- What do you do for a living, since the Inquisitive business is too unreliable to rely to feed and clothes you and keep a roof over your heads?
- Where do you live? Choose a district at the very least.
And remember, the more material you offer me, the more likely to see something from your characters' backgrounds make it into the game ;^)
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Revenue:
- "You can earn half your Profession check result in gold pieces per week of dedicated work." I think most skills could be used, as long as it is suitable for the work intended.
This would average somewhere around 9g a week for a 2nd level character, assuming a rolled 10, with a good business week bringing in around 14g.
Expenses:
- Dining, 2s day minimum to stay energetic, 14s per week for poor quality meals and watered ale. Up to 6s a day and 42s a week for common quality meals and acceptable drinks.
- Lodging in an inn, 14sp a week minimum (meals not included, place near fire), to 35s a week (bed in common room, breakfast included), to 14g a week (small private room with minor amenities, breakfast and simple dinner included).
- Renting a room, 2g a week (poor residence, unfurnished, no amenities, single room) to 9g a week (common residence, simple furnishing and amenities, two small rooms)
- Taxes, 10% of monthly income, for established businesses like your Inquisitive agency.
- Loan interest, 50g a week. Total loan amount: 5200g. CoT actually suggested a loan from the criminal elements would have an interest rate of up to 20% a week, but that seems a bit excessive...
We can adjust the figures a bit when we see what we have, but if people are living lean, someone's taking the opportunity to crash at the Agency's back rooms and people contribute to the loan repayments, I think you could just about keep up with the interest payments, and live in the hope of getting a well-paying case to start putting a dent in the loan itself.
Actually, you guys could bring in more money selling spellcasting services, but unless you are members of a suitable church or circle (like the Esoteric Order of Aureon) you might upset people if you were to cut prices and get a noticeable amount of business. You wouldn't want to see a delegation from the House of Healing behind your door, wanting to discuss how your little enterprise selling CLWs at half price was causing ripples in the lake... and if you were members of said organizations, you'd have to donate a fair share of the profits to oil the cogs of bureaucracy.
BACKGROUND
Native to Breland
Work as a tour guide (diplomacy/bluff checks instead of profession)?
Live in 'poor residence, unfurnished, no amenities, single room'; I'll have to research and let you know where exactly later.
FINANCES
Earn: 7.5 gp/week (assuming diplomacy/bluff (+5), rolling 10, half value)
Food: 4.2 gp/week (common quality meals and acceptable drinks)
Lodging: 2 gp/week (poor residence, unfurnished, no amenities, single room)
Left for loan interest payment 1.1 gp/week (woo hoo!!!)
Jussi: you need to make the numbers work but one question: what did we do with 5,200 gp? That seems like a lot of money? Did we buy a place? How long ago did we take out that loan?
Yup, it went to buying a decent apartment (3-4 rooms, up to you how you want to imagine the apartment) in the medium-class district, and you missed a few interest payments so the total number has been going up rather than down. And the loan was taken around half a year ago, give or take, so that you have had plenty of time to see the business is not exactly blooming.
We'll say that Alua is volunteering at a charitable organization getting poor quality food and lodging in exchange for her healing skills/spells.
If she was doing this as paid work, I see it working out like this:
Food - Poor quality food and watered wine, equivalent of 14s
Lodging - Equivalent of 14 sp week, but in the church cells, probably a mat, dorm style.
Earn - Heal skill +5, therefore on average week earn 75 sp
Extra: 4.7g/week
Is there a way to do this for flavour - say she gets the occasional tip from a grateful patron? Then all the actual money she receives she passes on to Sebastian. How's that sound?
Also, Alua grew up in the Brelish city of Starilaskur. So Brelish native, but this is her first time in Sharn.
I'll work on picking a district and a church.
What part of Tavick's Landing are we in?
Spirestorm Temple has been around for hundreds of years, but earned its new name after Crystalfall, when the Glass Tower fell. During the middle of a sermon, a spire of crystal fell into the temple's roof, sending a storm of mosaic pieces from the ceiling into the parishioners. Miraculously, nobody was so much as scratched during the event; in fact, many people who had arrived with preexisting injuries or conditions found themselves completely healed. The fallen ceiling tiles created a pattern that many interpreted as a symbol of wind gusts. The pieces were painstakingly cemented into place, and a new church was born. At the Spirestorm temple, they worship the Healing Winds.
As Godsgate became known as the Fallen, the Spirestorm Temple became an important symbol of hope and healing in the devastated district. Over the years, the temple has become as dilapidated on the outside as most of the rest of the district, and has largely been forgotten by the powers that be. However, it has a reputation in certain quarters of upper districts for no-questions-asked quality healing. Because Fallen is generally shunned by most Sharnians , the likelihood of bumping into somebody you know is nil. Wealthy folk looking for extreme discretion are usually happy to pay for it, and this reputation assures a much-needed source of income for the temple.
Alua followed her ghosts to this place, and adopted the Temple as her home. She has a few friends here among the priestesses and other volunteers, and likes to help the needy people of Fallen. It's a bit of a trek from here to Tavick's Landing, but she likes the walk. And as for the ravers, she's never had any trouble from them.
So Phin will be using her Perform skill to make money busking. Since she has both lute and singing, how would that work? Does she roll them both, one or the other? How would she figure out her income?
She's a Sharn native but she'll live under the radar by living in a poorer area. I'll choose a part of town when my brain doesn't feel like it's been replaced by oatmeal.
Lodging - Poor, she may even couch surf a bit since she's been around long enough to know a lot of people; 2g a week
Food - Common, 42s a week
How much money would she be able to save with her five finger discount?
Well, profession earning is intended for a week of full work... I'm fine with you rolling the higher skill and applying some fluff so she's doing a bit of this and that.
Thievery on the other hand is a bit trickier as regular ooc income as it comes hand in hand with a risk of arrest... Will have to think about it a bit how much that will contribute to your income.
Yup, it went to buying a decent apartment (3-4 rooms, up to you how you want to imagine the apartment) in the medium-class district, and you missed a few interest payments so the total number has been going up rather than down. And the loan was taken around half a year ago, give or take, so that you have had plenty of time to see the business is not exactly blooming.
OK, then I'm living there then.
It will be a four-room apartment as follows (receiving area with front desk and sofas, dining room/meeting room for clients, bedroom (Sebastian), combination kitchen/artificer lab).
I think the place you picked for the apartment is where a large produce open-air market takes place; was that intentional?
Thoughts?
Game on!
Yup... average-to-upperscale district, just above the Lighting Rail terminal. A lot of other trades and services, a lot of people go to there or through there, so should have offered good visibility to your business. Somehow, it just didn't work out quite like you imagined.
This is what I have so far. I ended up going back and completely rewriting a bunch.
Sergeant Erix Thorn
Erix was born in Sharn in 950YK. His father Alain was a Fabricator, specialising in alchemical reagents to help process ore. His mother Margu was a woman from the foothills now known as Droaam - half orc, and the bearer of an Aberrant Dragonmark.
In 956 YK they moved to Graywall. Alain got a job working for the Byeshkf mines, and Margu was employed as a guard at the mining site. Though Erix does not know it, the move happened because Margu’s dragonmark became known, and the family felt it safer to flee.
Monsters raiding through the mountains was always a concern, but in 961YK a gnoll raid killed Margu, and captured Erix’s younger brother. Only the fact he was with his father at the time saved Erix, the two of them sheltering in the mine.
Alain moved his son to Sharn. His new job had less pay, and terrible hours, and young Erix fell in with bad company.
Erix started working for Mama Ellie at 13 in 963YK, first as a Lookout, then in 965YK as a Second Story man. Here he was paired with the much older Phin who became somewhat of a mentor. His father still hoped he would become a fabricator, but Erix had little talent and even less interest.
In 968YK, on his 18th birthday, Erix joined the military. He was sent to Castle Hill, a Brelish settlement past the Graywall mountains to help contain the monsters, and served in the infantry there. He fit in well with the locals, and met a local girl Gersi. Four months later they were married, and six months after that, in early 969 YK his eldest daughter Alaana was born.
Erix’s training with Phin in climbing and stealth came in very handy. The settlement had good walls, and they had regular patrols to ensure monsters were not building up in the hills. There was a policy of trading with some of the more ‘civilised’ inhabitants - primarily goblinoids and orcs - which allowed information about the surrounding areas to trickle back to Breland.
In 974YK Erix was transferred to the Front for three years. When he finally managed to get transferred back in 977YK after taking an injury he discovered Gersi had fallen for another man. They had a divorce, and while not amicable they agreed to joint custody of Alaana - though primarily she lived with her mother.
In 980YK Erix met a dwarven woman, Riki, and they started to live together. Riki had two children by a previous marriage, her husband having fallen in the war. Time with Phin meant Erix could accept a woman old enough that her children were older than he was.
In 984YK Alaana moved to Sharn. She apprenticed with her grandfather - Alain discovering alchemical aptitude had simply skipped a generation.
In 986YK the monstrous inhabitants of Droaam began to organise. Word filtered through of area after area uniting under a triumvirate. Monster attacks actually decreased during this time, the first major battle occuring at the end of 986YK when a small army of Gnolls, comprising the four local feuding tribes, attacked Castle Hill. Erix was badly burned, losing his sight. The walls of Castle Hill held, but Erix was transferred back to Sharn with a convoy of injured and noncombatants. The convoy was attacked three times on the way, and suffered losses, but arrived in Sharn. Erix made it. Riki did not.
Restoring Erix’s sight was more than just a simple Remove Blindness. The military bureaucracy debated whether to pay for the regeneration or pension him out. In the meantime he did his best to be useful.
In 987YK King Boranel decided to abandon the Brelish settlers. A final convoy came back from each settlement, turning independent settlers who had spent their lives taming the land into refugees. The lives spent defending the land were wasted. Erix protested, and was told the reasoning was that a coalition of Monsters was inherently unstable - there was no need to waste human lives.
In fact the situation was more complex. Some reasonably sized forces had been moved in to the area, and been lost. The Dark Lanterns had discovered that the major limiting factor on the monstrous forces was provisioning. Without supply wagons the creatures turned on each other. Sending soldiers to fight them simply created provisions - dead on both sides. Cavalry were the worst force to send, as a dead horse could feed an entire pack of gnolls for a week. An expensive group of Warforged had been sent to harass the monsters, only to be defeated and then - as Warforged were proving prone to doing - joining the other side.
A faction in the Dark Lanterns - perhaps the same geniuses who would later decide to recruit Aberrant Dragonmarked as a force of assassins - decided to accelerate the move to anarchy within Droaam.
They recruited people who they knew would not turn, and who were competent. The force they assembled was predicated on being expendable, and not being of use to the enemy. They were provisioned with potions and wands, and trained in enough alchemy to make best use of alchemical items. While expensive to operate the alchemical items were designed to be useless to the enemy. Each soldier was infected with a disease cured with a Conditional Favor - upon death the disease returned with a vengeance.
Erix was recruited - his skill in stealth learned under Phin, his skill in Alchemy learned under Alain and his skill with weapons learned as a soldier made his useful, but it was his desperation that made him the best candidate.
Changes were made to the candidates - some said it was a variant of Magebreeding, some claimed constructs, others whispered symbiotes. Whatever it was it made them stronger, faster, tougher. Able to force march for sixteen hours, stand watch for 8, and start again in the morning. The other thing it gave them was darkvision; guerilla action against creatures with darkvision was all but impossible without it.
Their missions involved destroying food, wrecking ecosystems, fomenting discord - often by disguising themselves as one monstrous race and ambushing another, allowing just enough to get away. One of their most successful missions used heavy crossbows and nearly a hundred Harpy Bane arrows. Aerial patrols used to be one or two harpies, but they forced the Droaamites to use four harpies, dramatically cutting down the number of patrols that could be launched. They were responsible for at least three Zombie Plagues in the back lines.
After 2 years Erix had to leave. He’d coped with much of what they’d done, but when they’d infiltrated a Gnoll slavemarket and deliberately released Zombie Plague he’d almost cost them the mission. He’d understood, logically, that there was simply no way to get exhausted humans through forty miles of mountainous wilderness to safety, that the humans were destined to be tortured, killed and eaten, that the plague was the last way they could serve humanity against an existential threat… but the nightmares he’d avoided by not sleeping for nearly two years started to come out during the day, and his team leader had sent him off for ‘Mental Healing’.
The slave plague had proved to be too much. The Sisters investigated personally, discovered what happened, ambushed the team on the next mission, and paid a personal visit to the staging area. Erix was one of five survivors away from both mission and staging area, and of the five he was the only one near fit to serve.
While his shadowy overseers regrouped Erix was transferred back to the regular infantry, promoted to sergeant due to the commendations he’d racked up for murdering or helping to murder (according to the ears he kept) eight five gnolls, four minotaurs, sixteen harpies and too many goblins to count. A bureaucratic screw up accidentally marked him as one of the dead. Being dead was useful - no-one expected him to be aiming for retirement because no-one realised he was almost forty. His juvenile record was finally expunged. He didn’t realise at the time - traumatised as he was - that the regular stipends he’d set up fell through and his children were notified of his death.
In 989YK he was transferred to the Karnaath front, and put in charge of a small squad including Sebastian, who was his second. Looking after a squad of mostly green recruits in a clear cut battle between good and evil was a balm for Erix’s soul. He threw himself into his work.
STUFF WITH FABIAN HERE
In 992YK the war ended. Suddenly there was an influx of ex-soldiers looking for other jobs. Erix was terrified to discover that at 44, after 26 years in the armed forces, he had no idea what to do. His first reaction was to find a way to be a soldier, and he ended up taking a temporary demotion - as his lieutenant explained “with the current oversupply of trained soldiers, sergeant is the new private” to rejoin the forces patrolling the Cyre border and hunting for refugees - and hidden dangers.
In 993YK he returned to Sharn and sought out his old companion Sebastian - always a deft hand at surveillance - to find his family and see how they were doing. His step sons both had jobs in the Cogs. his daughter had followed in her grandfather’s footsteps, veered to an interest in alchemical healing, and was now well set up.
Rather than admit the truth Erix equivocated. He returned to his criminal roots, making contact again with Phin. He applied to the Watch. He fought in the Pits. He explored the cogs, camping for weeks in an area to clear it of Droaamites. He was a bouncer at a bar. A bounty hunter. It was as he was considering an offer to join house Tarkanan as an assassin that Sebastian floated his Inquisitive Agency idea, and Erix simply fell in.
Recently he decided to learn more about what had been done to him. He approached his father, only to end up sending the old man into apoplectic shock. He arranged to become one of a pool of apprentices competing to learn alchemy himself in an effort to get closer to his daughter.
People
Phin: old mentor and friend.
Sebastian: trusted second. Erix accepts Sebastian is smarter, wiser and more charismatic than Erix - Sebastian is more like a brother than a son.
Alaana: as far as Erix knows Alaana Thorne (she gentrified the name) is a well to do alchemist/surgeon. In fact Alaana inherited her grandmother’s mark and when she heard her father had died was an easy recruit for the Dark Lanterns who set up House Tarkanan.
Timeline (age, year, event)
46 996 current day. Daughter is 26.
44 992 war ends
40 990 House Tarkanan appears in Sharn, created accidentally by the Dark Lanterns
39 989 Erix becomes Sebastian’s sergeant.
38 988 Sebastian joins up
37 987 King Boranel pulled the few remaining Brelish settlers away from beyond the Graywall Mountains and declared the region off-limits. Erix joins the shadow squad.
36 986 Daughters of Sora Kell appeared out of nowhere with a monstrous army to declare the formation of a new nation
34 984 Daughter moves to Sharn (15)
19 969 Erix is married. Daughter is born.
18 968 Erix joins up. Sent to the Graywall front.
15 965 warforged perfected
13 963 Erix starts working for Mamma Ellie
11 961 Erix and his father move to Sharn
10 960 Phin starts working for Mamma Ellie
6 956 Erix and parents move to Greywall.
00 950 Erix born
Appearance notes
Growing out his hair (had to have short hair all his life). Tried growing out his beard, but it came out wonky. Hair is jet black - used to be sandy brown. Eyes are dark blue, but pupils enlarge all the way to the sclera.
CN Medium Humanoid (Human)
Brawler (Mutagenic Mawler, Turfer)
Init +2; Senses Darkvisiion 60ft,; Perception +
----- Defense -----
AC (leather) 14, touch 12, flat-footed 12 (+2 armor +2 dex)
AC (lamellar) 16, touch 12, flat-footed 14 (+4 armor +2 dex)
AC (lamellar + shield) 18, touch 12, flat-footed 14 (+4 armor +2 dex +2 shield)
AC (lamellar + shield + mutagen) 20, touch 12, flat-footed 14 (+4 armor +2 dex +2 natural +2 shield)
hp 22 (2xd10+2 con +1 favored)
Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +0
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee Unarmed attack +6 1d6+4
Melee Flurry Unarmed attack +4/+2 1d6+4
Ranged Sling +4 1d4+4
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
----- Statistics -----
Str 18, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10
Base Atk +2; CMB +6; CMD 18
Feats Combat Reflexes, Combat Stamina, Bodyguard
Skills Acrobatics +6 (+1 rank +3 trained +2 dex), Climb +8 (+1 rank +3 trained +4 str), Craft (Alchemy) +4 (+1 background +3 trained +0 int), Intimidate +4 (+1 rank +3 trained +0 cha), Knowledge +4 (Local) (+1 rank +3 trained +0 int), Perception +4 (+1 rank +3 trained +0 wis), Profession: Criminal +4 (+1 background +3 trained +0 wis) , Profession: Soldier +4 (+1 background +3 trained +0 wis), Sense Motive +4 (+1 rank +3 trained +0 wis), Stealth +6 (+1 rank +3 trained +2 dex +1 trait), Survival +2 (+1 rank +0 att +1 trait), Linguistics +1 (+1 background +0 int) Racial Modifiers +2 racial bonus on Intimidate, Perception, and Stealth checks in dim light or darkness.
Traits Charming - Erix has been left with gorgeous skin, a classically proportioned body, and symmetrical features - and is uncomfortable with the fact, The Outsider - Erix wants to fit in somewhere. He spent his whole life adapting to the War, and now it is gone, and he doesn't know who he is without it.
Languages Common, Gnoll
----- Special Abilities -----
----- Initial Equipment -----
Leather Armor (10gp)
Lamellar Armor (60gp) - reinforcements for above
Heavy Wooden Shield (7gp)
Waveblade (5gp)
Brawler’s Kit (9gp)
Meels (10gp)
Grappling Hook (1gp)
Soldier’s Uniform (1gp) - kept for sentimental reasons, this is his dress uniform.
Shaving Kit (1.5gp)
Mess Kit (.2gp)
Gear Maintenance Kit (5gp)
Bear Trap (2gp)
Alchemy Crafting Kit (25gp)
4 Wooden Stakes (0gp) - kept because of an incident with a vampire back against Karnath
Long Spear (5gp) - has a detachable head, and typically the head will not be attached. Also has the remains of a flag he has folded around it, suggesting it is a flagpole.
Sling (0gp)
Garrote (3gp)
Ripsaw Glaive (30gp) - note, not proficient. This is a weapon he took from a construct he killed, and had someone jury rig a rip cord. Incredibly scary, but totally impractical.
Whetstone (0.02gp)
Crowbar (2gp)
Box of ears (0gp)
Papers (2gp)
8 cp
2sp
This is what I have so far. I ended up going back and completely rewriting a bunch.
Sergeant Erix Thorn
** spoiler omitted **...
Damn, Tim!
I want to see the movie!
Good job! :)
Game on!
Erix has a plethora of ways to make very little money. Most of them are a +4, so he'd make about 7gp per week.
Hmmm - I might drop the Gear Maintenance Kit (5gp), the Longspear (5gp) and the Bear Trap (2gp) and buy a membership in the Deathsgate adventurers guild.
I can then stay there for 35sp a week (ouch) and 14sp a week for meals (49sp). Theoretically this lets him save 21sp a week, but I think when he's flush he'd have better meals, rather than carefully husbanding money.
If he gets occasional adventurer jobs then he's likely to almost run out of money, then make enough gold to get by quite well, then run skint again.
If he actually finds a place, I can see him saving up to buy masterwork tools so he can get that +2 and sweet extra gp per week.
This is what I have so far. I ended up going back and completely rewriting a bunch.
Sergeant Erix Thorn
** spoiler omitted **...Damn, Tim!
I want to see the movie!
Good job! :)
Game on!
@Sebastian:
Thanks!Ended up as a wall of text - the timeline should cover most of the important stuff.
I'm keen to talk through with you what the Time Of War was like.
@Phin: Are you okay with the timeline of time spent with Erix as a kid? I can see Phin being a mentor figure, but I can also advance the timelines a little if you'd prefer him to be older and less mentor-y.
@All: I think I have left enough room for hooks if other people want to tie in?
Thank ye, tons of stuff to latch on there! And one person having an Adventuring Guild membership is useful, some of the later work might come your way from that direction ;^)
Noice! I'm really enjoying everybody's fluff. I forgot that Phin was an elf and therefore could be old and young at the same time, and I was mighty confused for a bit.
Maybe we can get a case through Alua's connections to the upper society "black sheep" who occasionally end up at the Temple?
Alua and Sebastian's connection
Jussi - you didn't reply to my thoughts about Alua's income from the Temple - does that work for you?