I was thinking of trying a Vigilante until noticing the nonsense that there isn't an Extra Vigilante Talent feat, so I'm probably going Investigator instead. Will likely have the entire thing posted tomorrow.There isn't an extra vigilante talent feat because most vigilante talents count as two or more feats, so they didn't want to have one feat be overvalued like that.
I've seen that argument and I find it really silly, given the power of classes like the Oracle and the Witch.
Ellioti Ah, guess I forgot to include something on my rules section: Fractional Base Bonuses, so your base attack would not take a hit. As for why multiclass? You seemed conflicted about taking Seeker, so I proposed another option. It would start you with more skill points, broader structure for your criminal roots in your background, and fit the fact that you were already developing these skills before you became an oracle.
Fractual base bonuses is nice. I noticed, you also allow VMC. Maybe I rebuild as Oracle VMC Rogue. I just don't like to multiclass because of backstory reasons. The translation from backstory to current crunch can be anything. He could simply just have trained out of any thief-class he might have had before.
@Oblivion's Scion: Yes! That's exactly it. Nice one. That's cool. :)
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@GM: I am going to withdraw my submission for Sierra Sunset. This sounds like an amazing campaign, and I would love to play in it, but I just joined two other games (and I'm running a third). That should be close to my limit.
I appreciate the consideration, nonetheless. :)
Good luck to everyone, and have fun fighting eldritch horrors!
Out of curiosity, I know you specified that shaman are “rare” but I was specifically looking at a slum shaman, with the conceal spell feat, if that would be interesting and within the context of the world. He/She would have a rat with the occult messenger archetype.
It seems like you’re open to a lot of relatively “rare” characters; would this be acceptable within the context of the world?
So, I’ve been working on the mechanics and I think my concept will actually work better as an investigator. That might sound weird but I’m specifically looking at the antiquarian archetype. Instead of alchemy they use relics to create magical effects. The inquisitor archetype I was looking at has a bunch of powers around bludgeoning people with their holy book, which seems too thuggish for an academic. Plus, in a low magic world I like the idea of using holy relics for magic; it seems very appropriate given the significance relics have often been assigned in the Catholic Church.
TN Human Fighter 3
Background: Military Noble (+dex, -int; athletics, ride as class skills)
str 11
dex 17
con 12
int 10
wis 13
cha 16
HP 25
AC 16+def; T: 16; FF: 13+def (10 base +x defense +3 dex +3 cha)
BAB 3
Init +3
Fort +5
Ref +5
Will +3
Speed 30'
Weapons:
1) Revolver: +8 to hit; 1d8+1 damage; 20/x4 crit
Skills:
Athletics r2 +5
Perception r3 +7
Ride r1 +7
Sense Motive r3 +7
Stealth r3 +6
Languages:
English
Class Features:
*Archetype (Warlord)
- Evasive Dueling (can gain a +1 dodge bonus to AC instead of taking a bonus feat)
- Battle Bravado (when unarmored and unencumbered, add Cha mod to AC and CMD; replaces armor training)
*Bravery (+1 to save vs. fear)
Traits:
*Observant (+1 trait bonus to sense motive and sense motive as a class skill; faction)
*Wary (+1 trait bonus to perception and sense motive checks and perception as a class skill; region)
*Haunted (-2 penalty to saves vs. Evil Descriptor effects; drawback)
Feats:
Point Blank Shot
Precise Shot
Rapid Reload
Quick Draw
Weapon Focus (Revolver)
Automatic Bonus Progression:
Armor Attunement +1
Resistance +1
Weapon Attunement +1
Equipment:
TBD
Atherton's family has always served in the military of whatever nation they belonged to: first, the British Empire, then the United States.
Atherton also served in the Army during the Spanish-American War as an cavalry captain.
After the war, where [something] happened, he resigned his commission and joined the US Marshals.
In the year of our lord 1898 Atherton arrived in London, looking for....something.
-changed background from criminal to street urchin (didn't see that one the first time around)
-archetype removed
-feats, skills and traits adjusted
Garidan knew the streets and back alleys of lower London. He grew up here. He had used this passage many times in his youth, when he wanted to get away from the world. Today he had to shake off one of his former employer's goons, who had tracked him down. I need to be more careful!
Before he was hired by Mr. Merciolago, Garidan was a low-life petty thief. A nobody with no particular skillset, but loose morale. A life with limited perspective. When the Italien merchant hired him, life expectancy increased dramatically. At least so he thought. Jobs were hard to come by these times, especially for those already on the bottom of the food chain. Officialy, he became employed as a "logistics advisor". Expendable mercenary and smuggler were better fitting descriptions. Merciolago traded in about everything accross Europe and the Mediteranian, and had recently jumped onto the Egyptian artifacts train. So it came that one day a nobody like Garidan Hemlock was on a ship bound for Kairo as part of a crew of archaeologists and grave robbers. A pretty big deal for someone who had never planned or expected to leave lower London.
Once settled and acclimated, everything appeared to run smoothly. The boss had set up and bribed the right locals and the Egyptian officals were overwhelmed with ongoing stream of curious foreigners. Thus, the team went for a newly discovered - most likely by someone on Merciolago's payroll - grave in the Valley of Kings and the digging began. It took the experts days to make any significant progress and Garidan's job was mostly to distract and divert any passers-by. Except for the occasional (trap) door where his experience in getting into things and his expendability were sought-after. About three weeks later they finally reached, what must be the grave chamber. Garidan was as nervous as the rest. By now, he had picked up what most of the hieroglyphics said and demonstrated quite an interest. "Careful", they had said, when opening the last door. "There are many dangers within these old tombs. Poisonous gases or the like." Some more superstitous crew members had even left, due to the rumours of ancient curses trapped inside. Mumbo jumbo, Garidan had thought at the time. God was he wrong.
Everything went really fast once the last big stone was pushed aside. The first he noticed was a foul smell. A second later, a dark cloud overwhelmed them. One didn't feel it, was if it was immaterial, yet it took their breadth away. Screams everywhere. He felt pain everywhere, when he longed for air. Then his skin burned and started to rot. As fast as he can, he ran outside, bumping into his peers, jumping over those already on the ground. Ater putting some distance between the tomb and himself, he stopped and picked up a piece of shiny metal for using it as a mirror. A horrifically disfigured face looked back at him. Wishing he was rather dead he sank to the ground and cried. But something in his head pulled him back up. As if he had found a new purpose in his life. A thought he couldn't for god's sake identify with. Whatever horror just happened, was not just poison. There was more. There was this voice in the back of his head. As he listened clearer, it was trying to say something. Trying to order him to stand up and keep going. He hit his head hard in order to silence it. But it didn't and it never would.
This was 6 months ago. Today he was back in London, running for his life ever since. Merciolago found out that Garidan was still alive and back in town, so he tracked his run-away employee down. The merchant for-sure wanted to know what happened. Garidan on the other hand didn't, had enough of his past life.
For the last months, Garidan had been studying the dark voice in his head and was already beginning to unveil its power. The first immediate change he had undergone were his eyes. They somehow had not been effected by the poison cloud, but instead evolved such that he could perfectly see in the dark. Knowing that his dark magic will not be taken lightly by others, he has so far kept it a secret and trained himself in concealing it as good as possible.
Picture of Garidan hiding his disfigured skin and being followed by The Unknown Darkness
N male Oracle
Background Street Urchin (+dex, -str, Bluff, Sleight of Hand)
Init +4
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DEFENSE
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AC 18, touch 18, flat-footed 14 (+4 defense bonus, +4 dex)
hp 27 ((1d8) + 6 con + 3 fcb)
Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +5 Bonus/Malus -1 vs disease, -2 vs evil spells
=================================================
OFFENSE
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee Dagger +6 (1d4/19-20)
Ranged Revolver +6 vs. Touch (1d8+3 /x4) [attuned, Deadly Aim]
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SPELLS
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1st 6/day: Entropic Shield, Cause Fear, Bless, Inflict Light Wounds, Burning Disarm (DC 15)
0th: Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Guidance, Stabilize, Read Magic
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STATISTICS
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Str 11 (13-2), Dex 18 (16+2), Con 15, Int 11, Wis 13, Cha 18 (16+2)
Base Atk +2; CMB +2; CMD 16
Feats Conceal Spell, Deceitful, Spellfocus (Necromancy)
Skills Bluff +12 (3+3+4+2), Disguise +10 (1+3+4+2), Disable Device +13 (3+3+4+1+2), Knowledge (Arcana) +4 (1+3+0), Intimidate +8 (1+3+4), Perception +8 (3+3+1+1), Stealth +10 (3+3+4)
Background Skills Lore (Streets of London) +4 (1+3+0), Profession (Mercenary) +5 (1+3+1), Knowledge (History) +4 (1+3+0), Linguistics +2 (2+0+0), Sleight of Hand +8 (1+3+4)
Traits Criminal, Seeker / Haunted
Languages English, Arabic, Ancient Egyptian
Gear cold-iron dagger, revolver, masterwork thieves' tools,
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SPECIAL ABILITIES
=================================================
Oracle
Mystery Dark Tapestry renamed to The Unknown Darkness
Revelations Pierce the Veil, Gift of Madness
Pierce the Veil You gain darkvision 60 feet. At 11th level, you can see perfectly in darkness of any kind, even in absolute darkness or the darkness created by a deeper darkness spell.
Gift of Madness You tap into the unthinkable void between the stars and cause a single living creature within 30 feet to become confused for 1 round. A successful Will save negates the effect. This is a mind-affecting compulsion effect. At 7th level, the confusion lasts for a number of rounds equal to your oracle level. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.
Curse Plagued
You suffer from minor ailments and sicknesses. While you struggle to resist new diseases, you have grown accustomed to the many inconveniences of sickness.
You take a –1 penalty on all saving throws against disease or infestation effects, but you are immune to the sickened condition.
At 5th level, add pox pustules to your list of 2nd-level oracle spells known
At 10th level, increase the save DC of any disease effect you create by +2, and you raise the number of saves required to recover naturally from these diseases by 1
At 15th level, you are immune to the effects of disease and infestations, but you can still function as a carrier for sickness.
Traits and Drawback
Criminal You spent your early life robbing and stealing to get by. Select one of the following skills: Disable Device, Intimidate, or Sleight of Hand. You gain a +1 trait bonus on that skill, and it is always a class skill for you. (Disable Device)
Seeker You are always on the lookout for reward and danger. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Perception checks, and Perception is always a class skill for you.
Haunted Something from your past — or a dark secret you presently hold — makes it difficult for you to ever be at peace, and your chronic worry that you might fall to evil influence has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. You take a –2 penalty on saves against spells with the evil descriptor.
As the magical bonuses are already accounted for in the Automatic Bonus Progression, and the "no armor" characters already have ways to boost their armor class appropriately, I have made an altered chart, linked HERE. I have also added the link to the Campaign Notes.
so the ABP attunement adds to the defense bonus as an enhancement?
Another post of notes.
Ooccult Skill Unlocks after a quick review, I am going to say yes to these.
Azadi Freeman I am okay with reskinning "family ties" as for your jesuit order and the catholic church as a whole. I also just looked at the Antiquarian archetype, I like how it kind of combines occultist and traditional casting. It seems really fitting for both the jesuits and the flavor of this campaign.
Ellioti sounds good, I look forward to reviewing the final version of the character.
The Fox best of luck to you in your gaming pursuits.
YoricksRequiem with so many "Extra -"[/b] feats, it is annoying that a few were left without. I have played a paladin in a long running WotR campaign and would love an "extra smite" feat, but alas. I can partially agree with your commentary on witches and oracles. But perhaps it was intentional.
The Vigilante can essentially pick and choose from some of the best abilities of many classes, and other custom abilities that do several classes' "specialties" better than those classes. Even without an Extra Talent, you can definitely still build an intense Vigilante.
Litejedi you are welcome to apply with whatever concept you desire. The quality of your backstory and my class ratings (common, uncommon, rare, unique) will play into the final party composition.
Garidan yes, ABP adds to defense.
Question about Guns Everywhere if anyone has experience with it.
How deadly is it that basically everyone can hit Touch AC and have 4x critical modifiers? I am assuming that is the intent... Guns are pretty dangerous as I've heard.
I have to say it sounds exhilarating but requires a different thought process in terms of design.
You mention that armor gives equivalent Damage Reduction, does the enchantment from ABP add to that or the armor bonus?
@Hubaris: I'm in a homebrew campaign that uses commonplace guns. Even as a musket master gunslinger who has obtained a modern rifle, I am not usually putting out much damage. Honestly if anything I find guns weaker on average than the more usual weapons in Pathfinder.
@Oblivion's Scion: Replied to your pm.
Hmm... if you want family ties to cover the whole Catholic Church I think I might have to pick a different drawback... I don’t mind expanding it from maybe a few dozen blood relatives to thousands of Jesuits, but expanding it to millions of Catholics feels like too much. I’ll certainly RP him as someone who wants to support and nurture all within the church, but having to take penalties every time I don’t have the time or ability to help one of them would just be too much, I think. If you’re ok with just taking the penalties for other Jesuits I’ll stick with it, otherwise I’ll probably switch to meticulous?
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Heh, good to see you here Decimus/Kristleifur! As the GM of the aforementioned homebrew game, I've noticed that unless characters have gun training, the damage is swingy enough that it's not incredibly powerful.
Character is now completed (apart from equipment) and ready for review.
Stepping out of the race, guys. Have fun on the game!
Awesome thanks for the POV. Haven't used them much so I'm more curious than anything.
Cheers!
Azadi I meant the Catholic Church hierarchy, not every worshipper and parishioner. That said, the Jesuits did had at least something of a presence in London at the end of the 19th Century, so I will say Jesuit Order, with the caveat that other ranking officials can themselves pull rank on the Jesuit order. It will be a solid storyline piece that will have impact without being abusive.
Swordwhale Yes, the image you paint is a 'cool one', but I am hesitant to allow the Two-Weapon Fighting tree in place of Shield Focus in this case. Shields have mechanically been underrepresented throughout the d20 system, and the addition to Deflect Arrows adds a very realistic bit of feasibility. Moreover, Shield Focus is a commitment to training to defend yourself better at the sacrifice of wielding either a two-handed weapon or two weapons. Two-Weapon Fighting offers no such sacrifice, instead would allow you to have a pair of swords or a sword and pistol, yet also be deflecting bullets . Let me think on it for a time, but I am leaning toward no, at least at this level.
Archlich best of luck in all your gaming pursuits.
It's a bit more of a feat investment, but you can TWF with sword and shield fairly effectively.
Azadi I meant the Catholic Church hierarchy, not every worshipper and parishioner. That said, the Jesuits did had at least something of a presence in London at the end of the 19th Century, so I will say Jesuit Order, with the caveat that other ranking officials can themselves pull rank on the Jesuit order. It will be a solid storyline piece that will have impact without being abusive.
Ok, awesome, that's pretty much exactly what I was envisioning! My mechanics are pretty much finished; I just have to add a tentative equipment list, and Jesuits take vows of poverty so that won't take long. Actually, one of the things I really like about the armorless defense bonus and ABP is that you can actually get away with a character who embraces minimalism/austerity without having to gloss over their stack of magic items. In that vein, it may matter less to me than to most characters but I like the idea of using a more abstract wealth system; I kind of like the WhiteWolf/StoryTeller system where you have a wealth level and instead of bookkeeping the cost of living and everything you just live a lifestyle in accordance with how wealthy you are and have access to equipment accordingly. Without magic items to worry about buying I think a system like that could work for a game like this?
Also, I was looking over the variant multiclassing rules (since they're available), and I was interested in what a few of them would bring to the character... in the end, I picked up VMC Bard. It doesn't add any more rare/supernatural elements which I thought was good since I'm already more magical than probably most of the characters. It does grant a couple knowledge based things which obviously fit with the character concept, and the actual Jesuits, and the performance abilities it grants bookend really nicely with the teaching and preaching a Jesuit professor would do. The versatile performance ability will probably be completely wasted, but other than that it seemed like a pretty perfect fit.
Now I just need to write out his background (which I'll try not to get too carried away with) and then wait impatiently for you to complete the unenviable task of choosing.
I am still working out the details on equipment and wealth. I would like to discuss with those chosen the option of using a typical money/coin system versus an abstract wealth rule.
@Oblivion's Scion: Alright, been doing a bit of thinking about this. Especially with things like Promethean Alchemist and even Brew Potion it seems like Victorian science concepts might be a wee bit on the expensive side.
ABP suggests cutting down not just magic items, but overall wealth.A pistol costs 400gp, and is probably one of the most expensive individual items we would be looking at. Getting enough gp to build a magic item seems like (A)would take a massive investment and (B) so rare as to beggar belief.
Can you confirm whether it reasonable to assume that hopefully being able to build 'Adam' one day is viable? Noting I don't mind whether we go with normal wealth, or use a resource system, or just use one of the optional system that gives each crafting feat a floating 'pool' of items.
@Oblivion's Scion: I think I've found a way to replicate Victorian medicine using traits and class features. Are there different rules for Heal in the campaign than in standard Pathfinder?
(Pretty sure I got everyone) Updated list. Submission deadline May 22
Giant Halfling - Azadi Freeman - Antiquarian Investigator/VMC Bard
Helaman - Jack Cannon - Dreadnaught, Invulnerable Rager Barbarian/ Brawler
Hubaris - Doctor Rupert Locke - Dreamstalker Mesmerist
Jagael - William Westford - Human Occultist
Javell DeLeon - Jakob Jones - Brawler
Sarah 'queen' B. - Lucia Wriothesly - Phantom Thief Unchained Rogue
Simeon - Richard Farthington - Occultist/ Inspired Blade Swashbuckler
Smooshiebanana - Scarlet Grey - Inspired Swashbuckler/Tactician Fighter
Vrog Skyreaver - Atherton Beaumont - Warlord Fighter
FangDragon - Inquisitor? Alchemist?
Fighting Chicken - Two concepts. White-haired witch or barbarian/ranger mix
Harakani - Alchemist?
Profession Smith 6 ranks - Bard
Swordwhale - Possibly UC Rogue or Hunter?
The Lobster - Bloody-Knuckled Rowdy Crossbloodedrager
grimdog73
Nikolaus de'Shade
Ozyar
Spazmodeus
trawets71
Viviana Masters - Spirit Dancer Medium maybe?
werepox47
YoricksRequiem
Zero
I had just typed up an updated application list, and what appears, but another such update from SmooshieBanana! So, skipping that, here are a few notes for some people.
Swordwhale I assume you are saying you are retraining a feat from 1st level into Shield Focus. You are welcome to apply with whatever concept you'd like, and if you'd like to include retraining, that is a choice you can make. Please note in your character details what was the original feat, and at what time it was retrained.
Azadi Freeman Indeed, it looks like the Bard VMC is the perfect pairing to round out your Jesuit Investigator. And yes, a wealth system I thought would both require less bookkeeping and keep things thematic. Additionally, while there will be rare relics and such, there will definitely not be the typical 3.x/Pathfinder magical item economy. On a different note, with your now limited feats, I was a little surprised you picked up Improved Unarmed Strike. Just curious what was the thought behind it?
Harakani As wealth will likely be handled in a more abstract manner, item creation will be an interesting issue. In short, yes, there would at some point in the future be potential for a viable 'Adam' experience, but it would require a good deal of role-playing, and some significant side quests to gather everything you need. Regarding the Heal skill, it will be used as structured normally in Pathfinder, with the notable exception that once you have 5 ranks, you will automatically get access to its Skill Unlock.
Keep the applications coming!
both sets are fine. the first one is more min/max, the second one smoother
this would be a great game for a gunslinger...
I'll actually bench my first idea (the Scottish Sikh) for another.
The new idea is for the daughter of a then lieutenant in the British colonial army from Welsh nobility and an Afghani princess, conceived and born during the Second Anglo-Afghan war. Her father was a prisoner of the tribe her mother belonged to when that all happened.
She'll go by the name of Branwen Nazo Herbert in London, though she was born as Nazo Tazir. Branwen is the name her Welsh grandmother gave her and Herbert the name of her father's family.
Full background is in the spoiler, it's a bit long.
When the war ended in 1880, my character was 1 year old, her father returned to Wales and she was left behind. When her mother's family was expelled from Afghanistan for supposed rebellion they first moved to Karachi with the family but from there her mother took the long trip to Wales in hopes of a better future and in an attempt to escape the shame that Nazo's birth brought by marrying Nazo's father.
By the time they arrived Nazo was 3 years old. They did not get the welcome her mother had hoped for. For starters, her father had married someone else in the years since the war and, despite her mother's insistence, it was impossible for her father to take a second wife within British society. But, as he did admit that Nazo was his child and he'd been treated well while he was a prisoner, Nazo's grandmother did take them in. The old lady doted on the little girl she named Branwen, beautiful raven, for her black hair and as an allusion to the goddess from Welsh mythology.
She grew up parallel to her half siblings who weren't bastards and while she was her grandmother's favourite she and her mother still lived in the servant's part of the estate and Branwen was only allowed in the family part to attend tutoring with her half-sister who was 2 years younger and to listen to her grandmother's stories about the Tylwyth Teg, the fairy folk, and other odd creatures.
Meanwhile her mother suffered severely, culture shock, lack of acceptance and missing her family drove her into depression. Finally, with the help of Branwen's Welsh grandmother, she tracked down her family, now living in India and left to join them, leaving Branwen behind. She was 11 years old.
In the years that followed and with her mother out of the picture, Branwen grew closer to her father, to the delight of her grandmother and the dismay of her father's wife. Branwen was tougher and less feminine than her half sisters, a tomboy. This was to the delight of her father as he much preferred having sons to having daughters and Branwen was as good as it got since his wife only gave him daughters. He taught her how to shoot and hunt, how to take care of the dogs and horses and how to behave in polite company, though he taught her how a many should behave and not how a woman should. Meanwhile her grandmother made sure she also learnt other things by still insisting she'd join the tutoring her half sisters received.
Despite several attempts by her father's wife, Branwen remained at the estate well into her late teens. When she was 17 however she left of her own volition. With her own rifle in hand and money from her father she left to find her mother's family in India.
What she found there shocked her. Shortly after her mother had arrived with her family she had contracted tuberculosis and had since passed away. Not only that but her family had since then migrated to Baghdad after her maternal grandfather, a poet as well as a tribal king, was invited by the sultan there. Other parts of her family had left for the Ottoman empire before her mother's return. So she did what she had to, she journeyed to Baghdad.
It was this journey that changed her forever. She travelled with a guide or with caravans where her local name and fluency in the language of her mother kept her safe despite her European-ness appearance. On this trip she exchanges stories her travelling companions. She told them the Welsh stories her grandmother taught her while they regaled her with local myths. These stories became all too real when the group camped outside a town along their route. In the middle of the night the group was awoken by screams coming from the village. They rushed in, weapons in hand, expecting to find bandits attacking the place. What they found was worse. Along several of the streets on the other side of town they found bloody drag marks leading out of town towards the local cemetery. There they spotted several dark figures, hunched over bloody corpses, feasting on them. Taking them for cannibals the group fired at them but while one of the creatures dropped dead, the other three rose up and sprinted towards them with inhuman agility. While these three were also quickly dispatched with guns and blades the creatures themselves shocked Branwen. Here were nearly human creatures with skin drawn tight over a wiry frame and elongated canines clearly used for ripping flesh. This sight, combined with the creature's grisly meals was enough to make her empty her stomach in the sand.
From that moment the stories were real, both those from her grandmother and those from her travelling companions. And now she new them to be real she started seeing traces of that other world as well. Some of these things were little but others were not. Where she now recognised the shadow of a roc flying overhead before she would have thought it nothing but a cloud, not worth looking up into the blinding sun. Yet amid these supernatural discoveries it were still humans that her travel company had to be most wary of and they had defended against no less than three bandit ambushes before reaching Baghdad.
There Branwen was met with disappointment as her grandfather refused to recognise her as kin and would not allow anyone of the family to meet with her, though he did rent her a room in a reputable inn for a few nights so she could rest before leaving the city. She did so the very next day and headed for the Ottoman empire.
There she found her cousins and, unlike her grandfather, they did welcome her with open arms. Yet even with them she did not find what she was looking for and the position of women in that world was different but no better than the position of women back in Britain. So after enjoying there hospitality for several months she decided to board a ship to return to Britain.
It had been nearly three years since she departed from her family's estate in Wales. She found that with her paternal grandfather's death her uncle had become the new Earl of Carnarvon and her father had moved to a smaller estate in Cardiff. Not wanting to join him, his wife and her half siblings living in a town house as nobles Bronwen decided to stay in London after arriving there. She just needed to find herself a job and a permanent place to live. And to discover if the mystical world she encountered in the Middle East extended to the big city.
Looks decent.
@Oblivion's Scion: Did you by chance have a chance to look at the equipment section on my character sheet at the bottom? I put a note for you concerning money/wealth. It may or may not be relevant as to how you want to have things.
There are two main reasons I picked improved unarmed strike... First, it seemed like an interesting way to acknowledge some of the societal racism. My father enrolled my brothers and I all in a boxing club as boys because he knew there was going to be bullying and didn’t want us to be defenseless if it ever moved from words to something more physical. Second, while he’s primarily intended to be a knowledge/face character who’s in more of a support role in combat, I alike the idea of him learning how to bring his intellect to bear in a fight (and becoming much more effective for it); studied combat, next level, will help with that but I was also looking at picking up Kirin Style and Kirin Strike when they become available (and IUS is a prerequisite).
edit: if I need to bring more combat effectiveness to the table out of the gate, I could switch out VMC bard for magus... that would give my training a more esoteric bent (and either make the Jesuits slightly less historically accurate or require that I’m in some secret society within the order) but it would certainly improve my combat ability?
There is no Improved Unarmed Strike in Elephant anymore but Unarmed Combatant:
Unarmed Combatant (Combat) You are skilled at grappling and fighting while unarmed.
Prerequisite: Dex 13
Benefit: You are considered to be armed even when unarmed - you do not provoke attacks of opportunity when you attack foes while unarmed. Your unarmed strikes now deal 1d6 damage if you are medium sized or 1d4 damage if you are small sized, and you can deal lethal or nonlethal damage, at your choice. You do not provoke an attack of opportunity when performing a grapple combat maneuver. In addition, you receive a +2 bonus on checks made to grapple a foe. You also receive a +2 bonus to your Combat Maneuver Defense whenever an opponent tries to grapple you.
Normal: Without this feat, you are considered unarmed when attacking with an unarmed strike, and you can deal only nonlethal damage with such an attack. You provoke an attack of opportunity when performing a grapple combat maneuver.
Much more brawler in a box than the one feat. Also your unarmed damage isn't a pitiful 1d3 with this.
Wow, thanks Hubaris! I’m fairly familiar with the blog post but not the full pdf so I totally missed that.
Not a problem! Hopefully that makes your decision more palatable!
SmooshieBanana What?! You want to simplify the Imperial monetary system down to Base 10?! That is sacrilege!!!! Hahaha, but yes, that was one of my thoughts - the monetary structure of the Victorian Era had evolved from a multi-tiered structure and was admittedly a bit chaotic.
Azadi No requirement to be more martial at all, I was just curious. Sounds like a good tie in that makes sense.
Cuan Nicely written backstory, I will be curious to see the accompanying build.
Ellioti / Shedinn Delmirev so are you thinking about submitting a Gunslinger instead of your Oracle?
Excellent! So... realistically, how much background do you want to read? I'm on page 2 and just getting into the meat of things. I like how its coming along but I've also run recruitments before and don't want to overwhelm you at all. Would 4-5 pages be alright? If not, I can paint things with a broader brush and probably make it 3 (any less than that I'll have to go back and really simplify what I have so far).
Azadi hahaha, I have definitely had backstories I wrote run away on me and before I know it they are more like a book. If it's fuel to tie in to the campaign, all the better. Write what you would like. Don't feel pressured to write 4 or 5 pages, but if you do, that is cool.
It was just a thought, a creative flow that filled my head after going through the Advanced Firearm rules. But nah, I'll stick with what I already presented.
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Lobster here with Madame Minerva and her left hand.
The backstory is very long but I will still go ahead and post it now because I have a busy week ahead of me and I'm nervous about getting in before the deadline. I plan on adding a section about her personality and morality to her profile and will mention in the thread if I have done so.
I still have yet to handle her equipment, but I'll worry about that if I get in.
Hope she's to your liking, let me know if there's anything I need to make clearer.
Four years ago, Madame Minerva killed a man. She hadn't meant to, she just, lost control! And he- he had deserved it. Or that's what she told herself.
Minerva was a fortune teller at an American circus- she wasn't particularly talented at her job, but it was what they wanted from her; with her mixed Romani heritage, she was assumed to have the skills. She had initially joined the circus, however, with the intentions of becoming a strongwoman like Lady Samson, but the other half of her heritage precluded that.
"The crowds just don't want to see a black woman front and center," the owner told her. "Not in America. Besides, I wouldn't let you do it over my dead body."
She continually pressed the issue, especially whenever a guest complained about their fortune or her manners. This wasn't what she was supposed to be doing, she'd say, she's here to perform; all she needed was a chance.
At first, she believed that chance would come on the circus' European tour, as European circuses were typically more friendly to colored performers, but over and over, he refused her. "Not yet Min, the crowd's not ready for you."
So when they returned to her home country of England and he still had no plans to debut her act, she challenged him. "Fight me. If I can prove to you and everyone else that I'm stronger than you, I perform every night in England. If you win, I won't complain again."
He agreed.
They were to box, Queensbury rules. She quickly proved superior, dropping him to his knees three times in the first two rounds, but he kept rising to his feet, undaunted, unconquered. In the fifth round she knocked him out cold, one strong punch to the temple and he was out.
Ecstasy, pure and unlimited. She was finally going to perform, to debut her act. She threw off her gloves and kissed someone in her rapture. And then he came at her with a big knife. She ducked and threw out her arm to shunt his to the side and deflect the blow, but he tackled her and threw her down to the ground, straddling her and mutilating her left hand with the knife, splitting it in two between her ring and middle fingers.
In the struggle she clocked him in the throat, knocking him back and taking control. She pinned him down with her knees and punched his face in until someone dragged her off him. She watched as he choked on his own blood and spat on him as he lay dying.
Her fellows in the circus took sympathy with her and arranged to make it look like an accident, corralling an elephant to trample his corpse. But she had to leave. That was the trade.
She boarded at a bunkhouse in London for a time, selling her services as a fortune teller to make ends meet, but her injured and untreated hand made things difficult; she couldn't afford a doctor to treat or even amputate it, and it left her in constant pain. Nausea and chill set in and the pain spread thru her arm.
One rainy summer day it was finally too much, her fever causing her to drop in the middle of a muddy street in front of a caravan. A Romani caravan.
Her next memories came in flashes: screaming, her mother cradling her, the crackle and pop of wet logs on a fire, soft chanting, a stream of faces each screaming at her, watching a knife cut into her flesh.
She woke in a new place, a waxed tent, rain dripping down the sides. Just outside, a low fire persisted despite the rain. She breathed deep, her fever, the aches and nausea all gone, her pain numbed. With a stretch she splayed her fingers open and brought her hand up to her face- no hand. Her left hand was missing. Bandages wrapped around her forearm, wet with blood. She sat up, wincing and her mother ran to her side.
"Easy child, rest now, mummy's here."
"Mum? How did-"
"Don't worry about how's and why's, don't you worry about nothing. Your mummy will always be here to take care of her girl."
She shoved a glass of thick hot something into Minerva's lap. "Drink this." Her mother puttered about the tent, mumbling, "I told you not to go to America. Here I can protect you, but I can't be everywhere all at once, no matter who's helping me."
"How did you find me, mum? Seems a bit," she paused, sipping the drink, "much to just wave it away as coincidence."
"There's no such thing as coincidence," was the reply, accompanied by a waggling finger. "And you wouldn't believe the truth if you heard it. Suffice it to say I'll always be there for my children when they need me, so long as they stay in reach."
"Mum, I- I'm not a child, I'm 27. You don't travel alone, you don't lay the course by yourself, how could you be there for all of us? Be honest with me. Whatever it is, I'll believe you."
There was silence for a minute, maybe two, neither woman saying anything. "The last time I saw your father, I-" her mother caught her breath and looked away. "I made him promise that if he were gonna leave me like every other man I'd ever loved, he would help me take care of my children. He was a very devout Moslem, he was, e'en if he weren't ever a very good one. Do you remember any of the Arabic he taught you?"
Minerva nodded.
Her mother sighed and continued. "He loved all of you so much. Didn't matter who was his and who wasn't, you were all his children. Loved you more than God. He said, if'n I can't be with you, Queenie, I will have already been thru the gates of hell. He and I, we bound our souls together and offered them to a demon. He committed sihr for you, black magic, that I might always be able to be there for my children when they most needed me. And then he left."
She sat beside her daughter and wept.
"You sold your soul for me?" Minerva asked, reaching out to touch her mother's back to console her. It sounded hard to believe, but she had grown up believing all sorts of things and here, with her mother, it was easy to fall back into those beliefs.
"Not all of it. More like I tore it into pieces, and attached them to my children. The rest, your father and I pledged to the demons." She sniffed and wiped her nose on her sleeve. "But you'll be on your own from here, love. I can't protect you anymore."
"What do you mean? You found me here, right, you'll always find me."
"You died in my arms, Minny. Tonight I sold what little I had left, as well as everything I bound to you all those years ago. And I'm afraid it wasn't enough."
Minerva opened her mouth to protest, but her mother pressed a finger to her lips and held her tight.
"I'll be back later." And so she left. Leaving her daughter alone with the fire, in the rain.
As she gazed into the flame, nothing else mattered. The air grew heavy and cold, the rain hung in the air, and the fire spoke to her.
"Much has been taken from you. Opportunity. A hand. A life. I have much to give, young one. You need only ask."
The voice was soft and gentle and came from behind her right ear, as though someone was speaking to her just out of sight.
She gulped. "If I give you nothing, will I live out the night?"
"My contract with your mother only guaranteed that she could nurse you back to health and hold you in her arms again. You are still weak, and could soon die, but she has nothing more to offer me. You do, however." The voice circled around her as if being pulled on a rail, the words resting headily in her ears like smoke across water.
"I have already had a taste," it continued, giving the sudden impressions of hands on her shoulders and of tongues licking up and down her neck and jaw. "When I pried that corner of your mother's soul out of you, little bits of you came stuck to it. I need , Minerva."
A stiff wind blew as it said her name, dropping a weight on her chest, "What do want for it?"
"I'm not unreasonable," said the fire, voice slowly circling around her once more, unseen finger trailing across her back and shoulders. "You don't have to sell it all right away. You can offer me only parts of you."
"Give me my life back."
"Done," the fire sparked and cracked like a finger snapping.
"And my hand, that too."
Another snap. "Everything you want and more. Would you like success, at long last? All that has been denied to you?" The fire snapped twice without waiting for her to respond. "Power? Strength? Knowledge?" Thrice now. "And what will you give me? Your hair? Your youth, beauty?" The fire whipped around, growing in strength and heat, steaming in the rain. "Thirty years of your life! You wouldn't even miss them. But I'll tell you this, the more you give, the more you gain."
"For all that?" she gaped and chuckled, unbelieving. "When I die, I'll give you my soul."
The fire stopped moving entirely. "Are you certain? Such a promise is not to be taken lightly."
"I am."
"The state of your soul is already fractured and contested, but rest assured, I will take all you have to give."
A horned figure rose from the flame, smoke, ash and cold fire. "Shake on it," it breathed, extending a hand. She took it. "Then our contract is sealed." The figure spun and dissipated, the rain extinguishing the fire.
She vomited and fell into unconsciousness.
Upon waking she believed it all to have been a dream, her mother's confession, her deal with the devil, losing her hand. It was still there, at the end of her arm, wrapped in bandages from whatever her mother must have done to save it.
She stayed with the caravan until they left London, at which point she dolefully returned to the boarding house.
Change came slowly and in waves, and then all at once. The first change came about a month after when she saw five new clients in one day, and each returned within the week. And then more came, referred to her by a regular. Quickly, she moved from the boarding house and into an inn, and then an apartment.
Several months later, a man representing a traveling circus approached her. They wanted her to work as a fortune teller, but she pressed her luck, saying that she would, but only if she could also perform feats of strength, acrobatics and athleticism.
He agreed.
Thus began her career in earnest, her face on posters, decorating wagons, people coming in just to see her, Madame Minerva.
The next change started in rehearsal. Normally she could lift a solid 35 or 40 stone off the ground and half that above her head, but today she was confident. With effort, she brought a weight of 520 pounds clean off the ground, jerked it up to her chest, and pumped it above her head before dropping it, exhausted. Testing a theory, she doubled the weight, and again she was able to lift it, but only to a standing position.
One thousand and forty pounds.
She was going to be rich.
She quickly found her limits, only able to handle these extraordinary weights for a little more than half a minute before her hand began screaming at her, but she could find this effort and strength within her any time she needed it.
The last change hit the hardest. One night while getting ready for bed, her left hand, heavily scarred from her fight, fell off.
There was no pain, and at first it just laid there, twitching, but then it grabbed her ankle and pulled itself up her body. Minerva screamed and pulled it off her leg, throwing it across the room. Undeterred, it skittered its way back towards her, dodging her attempts to beat it back, crawling up her leg, onto her shoulder and back down her arm, always evading capture before affixing itself where it belonged.
Like her deal with the devil, she quickly convinced herself she had imagined it all and put it out of her head.
The next day, however, change was evident. The animals actively fled from her and her hand, staying on her right side if they had to be near her at all, her fingers tapped incessantly unless she actively focused on keeping them still, and the veins in the hand bulged. And that night, playing at being psychic, as she was so accustomed to doing, it-
It worked. It was no longer fake. Her first guest walked in, and in the lamplight, she saw them outlined with a faint glow, their aura. They sat down across from her and asked "Madame Minerva, what do the cards hold for me?"
"I'll need something of yours to hold on to," she began, disbelieving their aura and sticking to the script.
They handed her their purse and she was assaulted by visions and imagery; she had to clutch the table to sort through her thoughts- or her customer's thoughts? They were worried about, about something, maybe a family member? Their uncle.
Without thought, her left hand gathered her tarot deck and shuffled them, pushing them across the table. "Cut these," she stammered, still sorting through what was happening.
Her left hand dealt three cards: the five of swords, ace of wands, five of wands.
"Your uncle," she said, left hand tapping, "he will die tonight. You shall inherit everything. Leave me." Minerva thrust the purse back at them and left the tent, vomiting outside.
She took the night off, citing sickness, but couldn't find sleep, solace or comfort. What had she seen when she held that purse? Why did her hand keep twitching? Was it all real?
At last she found sleep, in the early hours of the morning, where she was greeted by a horned man made of smoke, ash and cold fire.
"And now I have delivered the last of what I have promised: knowledge. Never forget what you owe me, Minerva."
It was all real, wasn't it? Her hand, her bout of genuine psychic knowledge, the deal with the devil, her mother's confession, none of it was imagined. And she had given him her soul.
Night after night, she dreamt of the horned man, and finally, growing desirous to leave the contract, she acted out.
She dropped a rack of weights on her hand, crushing it irreparably. Rather than go to a hospital, two friends of hers- a young trapeze artist and a fire dancer -helped her amputate. "At least I'll still have work as a fortune teller," she told them, consoling them rather than herself.
She remained in bed for a few days, happy days, dreamless and smothered in painkillers, but on the fifth night the horned man visited her for the last time. "You will never be rid of our bond, Minerva. I have delivered all I have promised."
And when she woke, her hand was waiting for her on the bedside table, tapping.
Init +2; Senses low-light vision; Perception +5
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Defense
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AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15 (2 Dex, 4 Armor, 1 Shield)
HP 28 (3d10+6)
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee unarmed strike +9 (1d6+6)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
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Statistics
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STR 18 DEX 15 CON 15 INT 15 WIS 8 CHA 18
F +6, R +4, W -1
BAB +3; CMB +7 (+9 grapple); CMD 19 (21 grapple)
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Features
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Background (Charlatan): +2 CHA, -2 WIS, Bluff, SoH class skills.
Feats: Possessed Hand (1st), Hand's Autonomy (Human), Hand's Detachment (3rd), Unarmed Combatant (1st Class), Snapping Turtle Style (2nd Class), Psychic Sensitivity (Familiar)
Traits: Extremely Fashionable (+1 Bluff, Dip, Intimidate IF wearing fancy clothing, Dip class skill), Voices of Solid Things (Appraise class skill, uses CHA)
Drawback: Tainted Spirit (after combat, FORT DC10+rounds of combat or fatigued for 10 minutes)
Skills (7/level): Acrobatics +6 (1 rank, 3 class, 2 DEX), Athletics +10 (3 rank, 3 class, +4 STR), Bluff +11 (3 rank, 3 class, 4 CHA, 1 trait), Diplomacy +11 (3 rank, 3 class, 4 CHA, 1 trait), Heal +1 (2 rank, -1 WIS), Intimidate +11 (3 rank, 3 class, 4 CHA, 1 trait), Perception +5 (3 rank, 3 class, -1 WIS), Sense Motive +5 (3 rank, 3 class skill, -1 WIS, 1 trait)
Background Skills (2/level): Appraise +9 (2 ranks, 3 class, 4 CHA), Linguistics +3 (1 rank, 2 INT), Sleight of Hand +11 (3 ranks, 3 class, 2 DEX, +1 insight, +3 familiar)
Languages: English, Angloromani, Arabic, Latin
Class Features:
Bloodrage: 10 rounds/day
Crossblooded: Taken both Infernal and Abyssal bloodlines, can choose from both lists' bonus feats, at each level a bonus spell is gained can pick from either bloodline or one not picked earlier; likewise at each gained bloodline power, can pick from either side or from one skipped over earlier. However, -2 to all Will checks, and gain no morale bonus to Will during rage.
Bloodline Familiar (Infernal): As per Familiar Folio, traded out 1st Level Infernal Bloodline Power (Hellfire Strike) to gain a familiar as per a wizard of equivalent level, at cost of delaying Bloodline Bonus Spells by one level.
Pugilist (Ex): Gives Unarmed Combatant in place of Fast Movement
Combat Style Student: Gain style feat in place of Uncanny Dodge, treat bloodrager levels as monk levels for feats
Hand-to-Hand Training (Ex): Unarmed damage as monk two levels lower.
Blood Sanctuary: +2 on saving throws on spells cast by self or allies.
Occult Messenger Crawling Hand familiar
Diminutive magical beast
Init +0; Senses blindsense 30 ft, darkvision 60 ft; Perception +4
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Defense
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AC 16, touch 14, flat-footed 16 (0 Dex, +4 size, +2 natural)
hp 14 (28/2)
Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +1
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Offense
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Speed 40 ft. Climb 40 ft.
Melee claw +7 (1d1+1+grab)
Space 1 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks: strangle
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Statistics
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Str 13, Dex 11, Con 14, Int 7, Wis 11, Cha 14
Base Atk +3; CMB +0 (+4 grapple); CMD 10
Feats Toughness
Skills Athletics +9, Perception +4, Stealth +12, Survival +4
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Special Abilities
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Familiar: The master of a crawling hand familiar gains a +3 bonus on Sleight of Hand.
Hellish Aura (Su): Animals don’t willingly approach the familiar unless the animal’s master succeeds at a DC 15 Handle Animal, Ride, or wild empathy check. This DC increases to 20 at 10th level, and to 25 at 20th level. Animal companions, familiars and mounts are immune to this effect.
See the Unseen (Ex): While a familiar is within arm's reach, the master gains the Psychic Sensitivity feat.
Improved Evasion (Ex): When subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, a familiar takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and half damage even if the saving throw fails.
Share Spells: The wizard may cast a spell with a target of “You” on his familiar (as a touch spell) instead of on himself. A wizard may cast spells on his familiar even if the spells do not normally affect creatures of the familiar’s type (magical beast).
Empathic Link (Su): The master has an empathic link with his familiar to a 1 mile distance. The master can communicate empathically with the familiar, but cannot see through its eyes. Because of the link's limited nature, only general emotions can be shared. The master has the same connection to an item or place that his familiar does.
Teacher from Afar (Ex): When the occult messenger’s master uses a psychic skill unlock while the occult messenger is within arm’s reach, the master gains a competence bonus on skill unlocks equal to half the occult messenger’s level.
SmooshieBanana What?! You want to simplify the Imperial monetary system down to Base 10?! That is sacrilege!!!! Hahaha, but yes, that was one of my thoughts - the monetary structure of the Victorian Era had evolved from a multi-tiered structure and was admittedly a bit chaotic.
I know, right? I think the game can still use bobs or half-sovereigns if wanted, but for the character sheets, it could just be in base 10 for a log of what you have.
How would you go about approximating weapons that don't exist within Pathfinder material?
I'm specifically looking at two swords; the sabre, probably Europe's most popular military sword in the 19th century, and the pulwar, an Afghan scimitar/sabre with a heavier blade that's made for both cutting and thrusting. The latter would be my character's weapon of choice for melee.
I guess the easiest option for the both of those would be to take the scimitar and add the choice between doing slashing or piercing damage instead of just slashing. Aand then make it more expensive than a scimitar because it's slightly better, or remove the option to use it two-handed (would fit with the pommel styles)
@Oblivion's Scion- I finished my background and it's posted in my profile... it ended up being 6 full pages, so if that's too long let me know and I'll post like some bullet-point highlights or something. Thanks for doing this, I really had fun bringing Azadi to life (even if I don't get to play him). edit: here is a link to the google doc version in case that's easier/more convenient for you to read.
@Cuan- it would probably be easier (and more reasonable) to just pick a weapon that's already in the game and just described it differently while using the same mechanics. The gladius, for example, can do both piercing and slashing damage (and can be used with finesse, iirc); you could take that and just describe it as being a little longer and narrower with a curved blade. Also (as I understand it) military sabres were much better suited for slashing and scimitar would be an easy and relatively accurate stand in, while dueling sabres were much better suited for piercing and could probably just use rapier mechanics?
Updated Doctor Locke's background a little. I made him a little more of a con man who just happens to have a talent for mesmerism and dream reading. He thinks that such a thing is the perfect time for a long con as a 'doctor' with all the dilettantes out there and their obsession with the occult and unknown. When he finds a dead doctor he takes the man's name and becomes reborn as Doctor Locke, a new specialist in parapsychology.
I really wanted to make him much more morally grey and almost reprehensible when he takes people for a ride who actually need help. When you're the only game in town and you get results, you can make the rules of the game so they say. That being said, he doesn't quite know where his intrinsic talent comes from and just goes with it, sometimes getting results (even painful ones) and sometimes getting failures (such as his hook). He has almost become the mask, so to speak.
I like to leave backgrounds fairly general and build character backgrounds and interactions kind of organically as the game goes on but if you'd like more stuff (as I'm fairly vague) please let me know.
@Oblivion's Scion - do you have any specific comments on my submission? I can't see that you've said anything (or if you have, then I've missed it, sorry).
@Cuan- it would probably be easier (and more reasonable) to just pick a weapon that's already in the game and just described it differently while using the same mechanics. The gladius, for example, can do both piercing and slashing damage (and can be used with finesse, iirc); you could take that and just describe it as being a little longer and narrower with a curved blade. Also (as I understand it) military sabres were much better suited for slashing and scimitar would be an easy and relatively accurate stand in, while dueling sabres were much better suited for piercing and could probably just use rapier mechanics?
I've been looking at other weapons as options as well. The Gladius wouldn't work for the simple reason it's a light weapon in the light blade group. The weapon's I'm looking at are neither of those things.
The scimitar is very close just misses the piercing option, a must for the pulwar and as for sabres, the difference between military and duelling sabres didn't really exist in the 19th century.The best fit would be the Elven Thornblade, but that's an exotic which, to me, makes no sense for the most common military weapon (nor for it's Afghan cousin). The crit confirmation isn't that fitting but no real issue there.
Here is Elena, by day a famous dancer, by night an expert thief.
Elena Derri hated talking about her past. Born to unknown parents, and growing up in an orphanage in Paris didn’t really gel with the image she wanted to portray to society over twenty years later. She wanted to be popular, famous, and she hated the very idea of anyone learning about such humble beginnings.
Life in the orphanage had been difficult for Elena, but sharing a property with other children had brought her freedom – a lack of oversight from adults. With more children to keep an eye on, Elena was able to stay out of the way, and enjoyed her independence. Roaming the streets, Elena became fixated on the trappings of wealth in the city. Just about every vice was available if you knew where to look, and money, fine clothes, and status seemed to be everywhere.
In the aftermath of the Whitechapel spree, Elena began to roam the streets more and more, and developed light-fingered characteristics. While her age and gender made her stand out on the streets, it also allowed the majority of her minor thefts to go undetected – she was never seriously considered a potential suspect.
A young girl though, holding items of increasing value – even if they were just trinkets – from a background of poverty would not go unnoticed for long though, and Elena already had her sights set on larger targets. She wanted the fame, the status, the wealth, the prestige, but also the spotlight – not typically something a thief usually wants. Most of all though, Elena wanted the thrill and the challenge, to test herself and walk the world with no-one any the wiser about the double life she had. So, faced with such a task, Elena decided to do what she considered practical, she would join the theater.
Elena quickly discovered that joining the theater wasn’t particularly easy – lots of young woman dreamed of fame. It took months before Elena finally caught an experienced eye and was able to join a production as an understudy. Once there, Elena attempted to build up her profile, and her fame grew.
More and more, Elena began to appear in the public eye, rubbing shoulders with people of influence, gaining invitations to social gatherings. It was at one of these gatherings that Elena finally found her big break. She had been secretly roaming the house, looking for something small and valuable to steal. Successfully picking the lock of a sturdy door, Elena entered a particularly disturbing room. The floor was full of strange circles and symbols. There were texts on a nearby shelf written in languages that Elena couldn’t understand, and candles everywhere. Most troubling of all, was a jeweled knife stained with what looked like dried blood, next to what looked like a painting of Elena’s own likeness. Terrified, and thoroughly creeped out, Elena turned to leave before spotting a book lying open, placed in a particularly prominent position near the center of the room. Curious, Elena glanced at it, and realized she could read it – the text seemed to about harnessing the spirits of the astral realm. On a whim, Elena stole the item, and swiftly left the party, deciding that it was better not to tempt fate and hang around.
When she returned home, Elena idly began to study the book, flicking through the pages. She discovered the book was primarily a guide towards channeling one specific spirit, harnessing it to unlock strange and powerful abilities. Elena experimented but struggled with channeling one spirit for long periods of time. She did discover though, that she could channel certain spirits for a short time, using her dancing abilities to maintain control and focus. Elena’s first attempts at channeling spirits didn’t go too well – she once spent a full day possessed by a particularly powerful religious spirit – but eventually she began to grow more confident. She was now able to channel spirits without the need to physically dance – although she sometimes resorted to the strategy in times of great difficulty or stress.
Elena began to use her newfound abilities to carry out greater crimes. On one particular day she could be a master of disguise, a healer, a magician, an expert markswoman, or even a master forger. The flexibility allowed her to change her M.O and go undetected while continuing to keep her famous persona in the public eye. As time wore on though, Elena’s mind turned back to the book she had stolen, and who the original owner had been. She remembered the symbols and drawings on the floor, and knew she wasn’t the only one person who was experimenting with occult style rituals. The portrait of herself in that creepy room was troubling and Elena began to worry that there was someone, or something in the shadows keeping a close eye on her with malevolent intent. Elena made some secret inquiries, but to her curiosity, finding who the original host of the party, or who the book belonged to provided difficult. With her arts career taking up too much of her time, Elena announced a year’s temporary break from the theater, allowing herself the time to search in peace. With her newfound freedom of movement, Elena tracked down a rumor about the book apparently being found in London, England. Determined to solve the mystery (and, if she was honest, perhaps steal a few valuable items while she was there), Elena set out for London, hunting in the shadows.
Elena Derri
Female human medium (spirit dancer) 3 (Pathfinder RPG Occult Adventures 30, 94)
CG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +4; Senses Perception +7
Aura spirit aura (30 ft.)
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Defense
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AC 15, touch 15, flat-footed 11 (+4 Dex, +1 enhancement)
hp 21 (3d8+3)
Fort +3, Ref +6, Will +5 (-2 vs. Charm or Compulsion effects if there's a promise of wealth or power)
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Ranged +1 revolver +7 (1d8+1/×4)
Special Attacks haunt channeler (1d6), spirit (Trickster, 0 influence)
Medium (Spirit Dancer) Spells Known (CL 3rd; concentration +6)
0 (at will)—dancing lights, guidance, mage hand, prestidigitation
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Statistics
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Str 10, Dex 19, Con 13, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 16
Base Atk +2; CMB +6; CMD 16
Feats Additional Traits, Agile Maneuvers, Combat Expertise, Deadly Aim, Logical Spell[OA], Power Attack, Precise Shot
Traits criminal, keeper of the veil, magical lineage, world traveler
Skills Bluff +10, Diplomacy +9, Disguise +4, Intimidate +9, Knowledge (arcana) +9, Knowledge (local) +10, Knowledge (planes) +9, Knowledge (religion) +9, Perception +7, Perform (dance) +9, Sense Motive +7, Sleight of Hand +11
Languages Common
SQ finesse weapon attack attribute, power-hungry, spirit bonus (+1 on Dexterity checks, skill checks, and Reflex saves), spirit dance
Other Gear revolver[UC]
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Special Abilities
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Agile Maneuvers Use DEX instead of STR for CMB
Combat Expertise +/-1 Bonus to AC in exchange for an equal penalty to attack.
Deadly Aim -1/+2 Trade a penalty to ranged attacks for a bonus to ranged damage.
Finesse Weapon Attack Attribute Finesse weapons use Dexterity on attack rolls.
Haunt Channeler (1d6, DC 21) (Su) Haunts never surprise. Touch harms and allows 1 question. Host haunt to take effects and spare allies, but lose control of body until succeed at 1/minute will save.
Logical Spell You can eschew emotional components by exercising logic.
Benefit: A logical spell can be cast without emotion components. Spells that don’t require emotion components are not affected. A logical spell uses up a spell slot 1 level higher t
Power Attack -1/+2 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.
Power-Hungry -2 vs. Will saves if the effect's creator promises wealth or power
Precise Shot You don't get -4 to hit when shooting or throwing into melee.
Spirit (Su) A medium serves as a vessel to channel spirits—astral echoes of powerful souls from ages past that live on in myth and legend. Each day, a medium can channel a spirit through a ritual known as a seance. Seances take 1 hour to perform and require th
Spirit Aura (30 ft.) (Su) Grant seance boon to allies while within 30 ft aura.
Spirit Bonus +1 (Su) Gain a bonus based on the type of spirit you host.
Spirit Dance (Trickster, 9 rounds/day) (Su) As a free action, dance to gain spirit benefits and can change spirit each rd.
And here (after much back and forth between vigilante and investigator) is my Punjabi Vigilante
Hey all :)
Looks like I may be a little late to this party so I may not have the time required to finish a submission but I figured that I would at least dot and roll.
16,15,14,13,12,11
16,15,14,13,11,10
Set 1: 16,15,14,13,12,11
Set 2: 16,15,14,13,11,10
Lol. Wow. Those two rolls are almost identical XD
And in sequence!!
Well, I have 2 ideas that I am mulling over in my head. The first one is kinda like a merchant or general “fixer” with lots of connections. He wouldn’t be nearly as good in combat but he would have loads of fun little tricks and unusual options that could make interacting with the world interesting.
He would be a Charlatan Rogue, so he would have the Rumormonger Talent, which could be a lot of fun in this senario. :)
I was also looking at things like Black Market Connections or Calculated Bribe or Friends in low Places or Cannon of Coin to give him some interesting options and really help mechanical support to his character.
The second idea would be a human Monk of some sort, but less about being a Monk and more along the lines of being a Human Specimen. he would have a lot of raw ability but I would be building him a lot more for cool capability, rather than combat ability. Things like running really fast, jumping high and being a street brawler. He would basically be a young, headstrong teen always ready to jump the gun and show off :)
I would intend to make a fair bit of use of Ki, so I would have to figure that out.
welp. There's my dot >:)
Now to see if I can get the thing bult... <_<
Ellioti - Garidan Hemlock - Seeker Oracle
Giant Halfling - Azadi Freeman - Antiquarian Investigator/VMC Bard
Helaman - Jack Cannon - Dreadnaught, Invulnerable Rager Barbarian/ Brawler
Hubaris - Doctor Rupert Locke - Dreamstalker Mesmerist
Jagael - William Westford - Human Occultist
Javell DeLeon - Jakob Jones - Brawler
Sarah 'queen' B. - Lucia Wriothesly - Phantom Thief Unchained Rogue
Simeon - Richard Farthington - Occultist/ Inspired Blade Swashbuckler
Smooshiebanana - Scarlet Grey - Inspired Swashbuckler/Tactician Fighter
Swordwhale - Degataga Gibson - Hunter
The Lobster - Madame Minerva - Bloody-Knuckled Rowdy Crossbloodedrager
Viviana Masters - Elena Derri - Spirit Dancer Medium
Vrog Skyreaver - Atherton Beaumont - Warlord Fighter
YoricksRequiem - Rajni Khatri - Swashbuckler / Vigilante
Cuàn - Branwen Herbet - class?
Decimus Observet - Peter Caffrey - Urban Druid
FangDragon - Inquisitor? Alchemist?
Fighting Chicken - Two concepts. White-haired witch or barbarian/ranger mix
Gobo Horde - Charlatan Rogue or Monk
Harakani - Alchemist?
Profession Smith 6 ranks - Bard
grimdog73
Nikolaus de'Shade
Ozyar
Spazmodeus
trawets71
werepox47
Ellioti Sounds good, I was just curious if you were thinking about a different direction? It is often the hardest part for me, deciding what I want to play in a campaign.
Swordwhale Your exposure to "strange" should be something significant, but does not have to be a defining characteristic of your character.
SmooshieBanana Indeed, such things could be done. The question is reworking a pound/shilling/penny pricing for everything worth all the trouble, or would a more vague 'resource system' accomplish the needs without bogging down gameplay.
Cuan I think you may be overthinking it. The swords that exist within the rulebooks are broad concepts, to be reskinned as necessary. The "longsword" mechanically represents straight, doubled edged swords ranging from the roman spatha and the norse sword, to the knightly arming sword, and even the chinese jian. The "scimitar" similarly represents those single edged blades used primarily for slashing, which typically featured a curve (shamshir, tulwar, yatagan, messer, falchion, sabre, dao). The "short sword" covers perhaps an even broader scope of short fighting blades (seax, gladius, xiphos, cinqueda, dirk, hanger, early bayonets). With rare exception, most slashing blades could be used for thrusting as well, though some admittedly better than others. Conversely, most thrusting weapons could still effect an injury in a slashing style, though not with the same ability as some other blades. Mechanically, the d20 system tries to not have weapons that are "too good" at everything, at least not without the investment of feats (. In short, I would assess both the pulwar and the sabre as using the mechanics of the "scimitar".
Doctor Robert Locke I would say you have included ample material / backstory to illustrate your character submission.
Lucia Wriothesly My apologies, I had started writing some comments for you, but somewhere they got lost in my "cut & paste" magic. I like Lady Wriothesly, and feel you captured a good deal of the Victorian era in her story. I also like the option to forego Sneak Attack in place of being a master at skills (especially with my 'unlocking' of skill unlocks).
A Note on Application Deadline I will be closing the recruitment process to new applications as previously stated tommorrow, Friday, May 22nd at 11:59 pm EST. If you have already rolled and/or dotted with an idea, you may continue to finish your unsubmitted character over the next 48 hours (ending Sunday, May 24th at 11:59 pm EST). I will be considering applications over the weekend, so the later your character comes in, the less time it will have to work its way into my mind. I look forward to assembling a most intriguing party.
According to George P. Landow, nearly 3/4s of British population never handled Pound coins or paper money used for larger denominations. Britons likely had coin purses with a small number of pennies that would be used for simple things, and the rest would be in banks.
For that reason, I would vote that the money system should remain vague. If a player is buying some ale at a pub, it'd be such a small amount of cost anyways that they need not record the change on their sheet, and if an item they would want be a large amount--say to buy a horse or expensive carriage--it would be done through the bank and with creditors that often worked like a modern-day bar's "tab" system. Often, expenses were run through these creditors who would slowly add onto charges as debt and then would extract lump sums from that person's bank to pay them (as far as I've seen in my minimal research on the subject).