Aasimar aren’t required to be good.
Oh! It’s typical alignment, not required.
Then I guess I can be LN. The “personal code” might be her way of not falling completely evil, and sparing opponents will be her main code. She’ll work as a bouncer (bouncer trait) to not starve, and also participate in cage matches or something like that. I’d like to ditch alter self for either:
Replaces Spell-Like Ability
Incorruptible
Occasionally, aasimars arise with the ability to further ward away evil. Aasimars with this racial trait can cast corruption resistance against evil once per day as a spell-like ability. If an aasimar uses this ability on herself, the duration increases to 1 hour per level.This racial trait replaces the spell-like ability racial trait.
Or the ability to subsist entirely on honey and wine. (That’s #10 on a list of 99 variant abilities. The description says you either roll a D100 or ask the GM. Some are powerful, such as #9 which is +2 STR. I would totally not ask to get that without having to roll. Living on honey and wine, I imagine, does nothing outside of giving my character an odd diet.)
Honestly, I would only want the “subsist on honey and wine” because it’s (a) weird and (b) means I get one less 1/day thing to worry about. But if I need to roll the D100, I’d rather just take Incorruptible as the racial trait (replacing Alter Self, cool as that is).
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Is it that you can subsist on only wine and honey, or that you do subsist on only wine and honey? If it’s the first one that’s fine, if it’s the second I’d prefer to avoid it because a) it’s one more provision to track and b) I wouldn’t want you to get hosed by it if you’re stuck somewhere for a while without access to one of those specific things. Actually, on second thought, I’m the GM and it works however I say it works. So, yes, you can take that instead of alter self and it will allow you to live comfortably on only honey and wine, but if necessary you can live on normal food (but it feels very heavy and the taste is never great).
Actually, on second thought, I’m the GM and it works however I say it works. So, yes, you can take that instead of alter self and it will allow you to live comfortably on only honey and wine, but if necessary you can live on normal food (but it feels very heavy and the taste is never great).
That made me laugh, but thank you!
I was just wondering why I *don’t* want Alter Self, but then I remembered it’s because I don’t have Sleeves of Many Garments. I sure would hate to shrink to pixie form for +2 DEX only to find out that my 10,500 g of clothes falls off my 2-foot-tall body. And not only am I naked and broke, the damn wings don’t even work!
Here’s what I’ve got for crunch:
…
Name: Sapphire Bullet
Race: Angelkin (alt trait: honey and wine)
Class: Monk UC Scaled Fist
Deity: Irori
Alignment: LN
19 STR (10)
14 DEX (5) — +2 AC
10 CON — 10 HP first + 6 HP/add’l lvl
12 INT (2) — 6 SP/lvl
8 WIS (-2)
16 CHA (5) — +3 AC
34 HP
Skills
• Climb/Swim 13
• Acro/Escape/Stealth 11
• Diplomacy 14
• Perception 1 (untrained; +2 racial)
Traits
• Free Spirit (+1 escape/grapple)
• Absalom Bouncer (+1 dmg unarmed)
Items
• Amulet of Mighty Fists (4000)
• Heavyload Belt (2000)
• Acrobat Slippers (3000)
• Armbands of the Brawler (500)
• Vest of Endure Elements (1000)
Lv.1
• Dragon Style
• Power Attack
• Stunning Fist
• IUS
• Flurry of Blows (unchained)
Lv.2
• Improved Grapple
Lv.3
• Savage Slam
• Elemental Fury (cold)
Lv.4
• +2 saves vs. fear/paralysis/sleep
• SF (fatigued)
Lv.5
• Stunning Irruption
• Style Strike: Flying Kick
• Purity of Body
When (or if) you use alter self, your clothes and items all resize with your body. That’s true of any polymorph spell or effect that turns you into a humanoid (and maybe monstrous humanoids too, I don’t remember).
edit: wow, that is pretty awesome feat.
Oh... then it may be worth keeping Alter Self for 5 min of a 30 ft swim speed, disguising appearance, small form for sneaking...
Hell, just having the extra +2 STR for one battle.
Yeah, I’ll stick to the default racial treat.
Can Irori’s provinces be the basis for the moral code? (LN deity — blue hand… good symbol for a blue monk. I even contemplated the Irori robe.)
Still working hard to solidify my idea.
I've altered his concept to do away with improvised weapons and feinting. Right now I'm looking at the Fortune Finder Ranger and making use of the Underhanded combat style, adding dirty trick master at the end. I'm torn on picking up Dark Delver prestige class. I'm also still considering a dip in rogue or gunslinger. Man it ain't easy. I've been working on this all day. Too many ideas trying to smush together.
I'm aiming for a treasure hunter kind of dwarf, who fights dirty and with colourful language. He can definitely be part of the stranded pirates. Definitely greedy type.
I don't know what weapons I'm going to use. I'm inclined to be mostly melee focused. Still, that leaves two-weapon, two-handed, open hand, or sword&board. Dwarves do have some interesting exotic racial weapons that I'd have access to.
I might have missed it, but do we have a trapfinder in the group?
What does quartermaster/cook entail? What do I need to be good at it?
We do not currently have a trap finder in the party. If your emphasis is going to be on taking other ships that probably won’t come up super often, but stories abound about the traps that guard buried treasure and the more often you think you might go after something like that the more useful it could become.
In terms of getting your character to coalesce, it sounds like you already know what you need to do- simplify your concept and trim off some of excess stuff you’re trying to do. Now you just have to decide which stuff is the excess, lol.
A greedy dwarf sounds like a good candidate for quartermaster to me... basically you just have to keep track of whatever gear is on the ship and make sure the right people are using it (and that whatever anyone claims comes out of there share). Most of that’s all going to be behind the scenes though. I mean if you want to actually maintain a group loot sheet that would be awesome (I, and probably everyone else, would love that) but you wouldn’t have to. Mostly it would be a chance for some RP and maybe the occasion skill check (appraise I could see coming up, or maybe occasional craft checks if you’re able to repair things). And technically that doesn’t have to be combined with cook... you can have a regular crew member cook, they were combined because Captain Bogg did both before her promotion (and so did the quartermaster on the ship this game kind of spun off from). If you wanted to do both, your ranks in profession:cook would effect some of the RP, and you make need to make a check in special circumstances (like if you had to cook dinner for someone you were trying to impress or something).
edit: I think Dwarven weapon familiarity is the best weapon familiarity in the game. If it were me, I’d be tempted to go for a longhammer for the reach, or a war axe for the option to use it one-handed or two-handed.
It's starting to come together
So the class for sure is Ranger (Fortune Finder / Skirmisher)
I'm looking at VMC gunslinger primarily, though rogue is still lingering
I broke my own heart turning down Dark Delver. So much flavour, but I think it would be best for a game where all we did was dive into ruins and dungeons, and I don't want that. I want variety.
Combat style is underhanded, going for dirty tricks
I want to have some flexibility so I can use a pistol or a blunderbuss, depending on the situation. Pistol for switch-hitting, blunderbuss for boarding and area shot. Melee weapon will be dwarven waraxe.
There are a lot of potential feats, some of which are just fun. I'm going to use Barroom Brawler to fill some of those gaps. So if I really need a specific combat feat (that I qualify for), I can just have it for that fight.
Rather than go for power attack and deadly aim, I'm going for vital strike. I just don't have the stats to handle negatives and make much use out of those feats.
Skills are still up in the air. Disable device isn't a class skill, but I can pick that up with a trait. I won't be a great trap disabler / door opener, but it'll be something. I'm not worried about magical traps. Dispel Magic is a great spell. A scroll of Knock would be good too, or even just a chime of opening.
I'm going to take a look at appraise, craft (cloth (for sails)), and profession sailor. Dungeoneering will be one of my skills, probably some geography and history.
I want to take one or more lore skills. Alcohol, or shackle taverns. Background reasons. Nothing really practical.
Hedy does have disable device if that helps(from alcheist), just not trap finding.
Oh goodness, 19 strength on top of heavyload blet?!? Just how much can Saphire carry?
TreasureFox, VMC Gunslinger is one of my least favorite ones, lol. You’re welcome to take it if you want, my complaint is just that until 15th level all it does is give you feats at a slower rate than you could take them but just spending the feats. I guess you also get a free battered firearm at 7th, but you could just spend 2 feats and some gold to already have proficiency, gunsmith, and a gun, and then you’d be free to take amateur gunslinger whenever you want instead of getting it at 11th? Actually, now that I think about it even the deed you get at 15th is a 1st level deed iirc... that means everything you get until 19th level you could have already with a 1 level gunslinger dip! Sorry, again play what you want and don’t let me talk you out of it; if you want to use guns though, a 1 level dip in gunslinger (or a class with a gunslinging archetype) is the most efficient way to get there, for whatever that’s worth.
Saph, Irori’s code as the basis for your lawfulness works great (and since he mostly focuses on personal perfection that should actually be less of a source of tension with some of the other officers/crew than a code that might see you trying to limit their behavior.
Great! I don’t want her to be a thorn in the side. The Competition province will explain her refusing to kill in a cage match—it’s a sport; you get better by losing, if I go out of my way to kill I deserve death when I lose. That’ll be her line of thought. I could see a good alignment shift in her future, depending on the party overall.
Truespeaking gives me an extra language in exchange for skills I don’t have, so I would like that as my alt racial trait (replacing “skilled”).
• Draconic (because dragon style)
• Sylvan (note backstory idea below)
For Alter Self, I want to work pixies and other winged creatures into my slavery origin. (—resulting in pixie as a known small form.) Basically, some weirdo is selling otherworldly creatures as slaves. I can see a small form being great with Escape Arts, and I would like Undine to *become* a known form when I meet the captain in-game.
Does my monk +10ft speed count toward swim speed?
I can see Sapph becoming a bodyguard. (She can lift 1050 as heavy; ~350 as light.*) I thought she should have Diplomacy instead of Intimidate. She will be truthful, and rather than intimidate, she’ll beat the s$%+ out of someone or break a wall.
Saph, the fast movement description specifically identifies it as an enhancement bonus to you land speed (so, no, it won’t increase a swim speed at all). Also, note that alter self only lets you turn into humanoids, and has a specific list of powers you can gain (which I don’t think flight is on). Pixies are fey not humanoids, so you technically can’t turn into one... you could turn into a very pixie like gnome (and I’d even let you have vestigial wings that provide no mechanical bonus when you do) but people who know the difference would recognize you were a gnome and not an actual pixie. Undine are a little trickier... their native outsiders (which aren’t eligible for alter self), but some of them (including Hedy, iirc) also count as humanoids... so, I guess I’d allow that, provided you’ve met (or had thoroughly explained) an example of one (so, Hedy would unlock undine but you’d have to put in a little work if you wanted to unlock sylph/oread/etc).
Flight is not. Swim speed is (30 ft). Vision and scent are as well, but I already have darkvision normally.
No need for the winged gnome. I’ll adjust my backstory slightly to not have nonstandard races.
I’m actually fine with just knowing human and one standard small race to start the game, and yeah, if Hedy counts then meeting the captain is how I get a 30’ swim speed form! That’s more fun than having a backstory give me a spectacular form. (She’ll meet a halfling or gnome in the backstory.)
I’m actually ready to jump in, if you’re fine with my profile only being mechanically ready. I know my backstory, and can either write it after the 4th of July stuff is over (not that we have a group this year, but I can still grill) or even tell the story in-game if it makes sense to do that.
I’m flexible, so I’m happy to enter whenever/however you think best for the game!
(Edit — forgot to calculate ki pool and stunning fist uses/day. Aside from that, the crunch is set.)
Yeah I was thinking about that while I was trying to sleep. 1-3 levels of gunslinger are all I need. No need to waste VMC for it.
Though I love sneak attack, I don't think VMC rogue is the right choice. Trapfinding isn't crutial in this game, and Hedy has more DD than I'll want to dedicate, requiring a trait just to make it a class skill. I'll get evasion from ranger, and it doesn't look like the two would stack. Uncanny dodge comes in super late. If I get 3 levels in gunslinger, I can shoot the damn lock. And there are so many feats I want.
So I think Hedy will be the trap disabler, and I can potentially be a door opener.
Saph, since the overhaul I wasn’t sure how you saw yourself being here? There’s no arena or anything here (it’s a village of 77 people), so you’ll have to have been stuck here somehow on the way from one place to another. You’re options are pretty much to have been a sailor on the pirate ship that the NPCs Jordanna is testing were on, or to have been here for at least a few weeks (if not months) and settled into some kind of job here (which is a limited selection- most work in the shipyard, there’s also lumberjacks, a blacksmith who mostly makes nails and fittings for ships, a few people who farm/fish/hunt to supply food, a single general story that needs tending, or cooking/serving/entertaining at the Commons)?
TreasureFox, are you still going to be one of the stranded pirates? If so how close to ready to start RP are you? I don’t mind if your crunch is unfinished, but Jordanna’s test is kind of waiting on whether or not you’re one of the ones being tested... if you are, there may be RP room right away?
Yes that was still the plan. I'll get his backstory set in stone, give the poor bloke a name and proper alias, and get to RP. I'll have it done by the end of the day.
I'm almost done crunch. Levels and feats/traits are done, working on skill allocation at the moment.
I’m thinking the arena backstory takes place elsewhere. The scene in mind takes place on a ship after she loses a fight and is to be forced into slavery. (Spoiler: has Escape Arts.)
Eventually, she could end up in the village or on the ship.
If the ship: hard labor and night watch. She is generally pleasant and sees work as great for exercise. She has been making an effort not to get close to anyone.
(Village would be hard labor and waiting tables, acting bouncer as needed… but starting on ship seems easier, and I have thoughts. PM to GM.)
Edit - PM sent!
Doing some stuff for work right now. Tight deadline. I’ll introduce the dwarf as soon as I have time, and check the PM then also.
Ok- Saph and TreasureFox will both be part of Jordanna’s test, and both know each other a little bit already, although Saph was only part of that crew for a short time (feel free to PM each other or discuss here what you know about each other). I’ll respond to Jordanna’s post and bring them both into the RP as soon as I can spare enough time for a real post.
@GM,
Thanks!
@Fox,
PM on Discord?
(Vermilion Vixen or Legendary Sidekick = me)
Edit – PM on Paizo is fine too. Whatever’s easier.
@GM I'm almost there!! I just finished equipment and abilities. His crunch is done! Now I need to frikken name him.
@Saph either works for me, just let me know so I actually check it. Both can hide under my notice.
Getting closer
Getting closer
Cool!
@Fox, PM sent to you here on Paizo.
@All, here’s a quick description of Saph’s outfit:
• a vest, as seen in avatar image, which also exposes well-defined abs
• a belt worn over a short skirt (or is it a pair of bloomers?)
• amazonian arm bands
• an amulet that looks like a sapphire-blue fist
• comfy-looking slippers held in place by ribbons cross-crossing up the lower legs
What is notably lacking:
• any kind of bag, purse, pouch, etc.
• any kind of weapon
• …or armor
• a different outfit (with the possible exception that she may have both a skirt and a pair of bloomers!)
• Saph doesn’t mind extreme temperatures
Alright, brief ‘you exist now’ post is up. New recruits- feel free to post something about what sets you apart from everyone else while you wait for someone to engage you in conversation. Current officers, feel free to pick out one or both of them to talk to if you get a chance to post before Jordanna.
Also, happy Independence Day to the yanks among us.
Crunch is up and ready
First post is coming up
Replying to Saph in just a sec
Hedy would unlock undine
I’m assuming physical contact is a requirement to unlock Alter Self races.
EDIT - aaaaand Hedy posted as I wrote this, permitting contact. So will I be able to take an undine form immediately? If there’s no 24-hour-attunement or whatever, I’m just gonna show that ability right away.
But... GM call, please, just to be sure!
Contact is not necessary, just an opportunity to observe/study. And you can use it right away.
Are there background skills in this? Because it looks like the original PCs have them, and I’ll gladly add them if that’s a thing we can do.
I would probably aim for campaign-useful background skills that clearly connect to the character. Prof:sail is obvious for a physical type, but would knowledge skills make sense? A fighter who met other fighters from around the world might have know:geography. Know:local might also work for someone who can read an audience, though maybe that’s a stretch?
Well, if background skills are even a thing, I’m happy to either take two to fill a need, or if needs are filled already, take one useful skill and one fun skill.
Yes, we are using background skills- I apologize if I left that out of the character creation guidelines I posted/linked. I’m not sure if anybody has knowledge [geography], so that might be a handy addition. Remember, though, that background skills don’t automatically become class skills.
Yes, we are using background skills- I apologize if I left that out of the character creation guidelines I posted/linked. I’m not sure if anybody has knowledge [geography], so that might be a handy addition. Remember, though, that background skills don’t automatically become class skills.
Cool! I’ll commit to 5 ranks in that, giving me a +6 in not class skill.
Could I take 10 on this DC15 Porter Check?
Increase carrying capacity for 8 hours as if Strength were 2 higher
With Profession as a class skill and WIS as my dump stat, I have +5 with 3 ranks in Porter. I was already thinking Saph would lug heavy crap anyway. Might as well take a skill that makes her even better at it.
I have two ideas in what to do with the other 2 ranks. One is Perform: Act. Would that help when I shape-shift to human form? (Wrestler = actor, irl.) Could I make an acting check to determine whether I come off as the type of person I claim to be?
Where did you find that porter check? I looked around the AoN and d20pfsrd I couldn’t find anything about it?
Regarding perform [acting], basically it’s only use is for making money, or maybe impressing people in certain situations. If you were ever in the position of trying to win over a crowd during a fight I could see maybe allowing it for that? To appear more like the race you’re emulating (even behavior-wise) is the disguise skill; you couldn’t substitute perform for that unless you had the bard’s versatile performance ability.
Porter is on a chart at the very bottom of the d20PFSRD page on Background Skills. {LINK}
Just like my level 5 feat, I discovered it existed and impulse-bought it.
Well… GM approval needed of course. But if you deem that check legit as a Take Ten (for 8 hours of extra weight lifting!), that’s worth 3 ranks in porter!
As for your Act allowance, I like it…! But I already have Diplomacy, so it might make sense to tell my second idea.
My second idea was Know:History. That is a class skill for Monk UC, so with 3 ranks in porter, my two knowledge skills would have the same bonus. (Which means me not having to consult my profile as often.)
Would Know:History be helpful, and is that a need that hasn’t been filled by another PC?
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EDIT…
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After running both by Hedy’s player, gonna go with History & Geography.
I’ll keep the 3 ranks in Porter if I can Take Ten that 8-hour/day carrying cap bonus. (I normally use the Muscle of Society trait for the +2… which I kinda think I should take anyway, since I have a feat that benefits from door-breaking.)
So once I know the GM call on that Porter check, I’ll finalize my profile, backstory and all.
For a smart person, Hedy only has one knowledge skill, local.
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Huh, I’d never looked at those ‘expanded skills’ before apparently. They seem reasonable except that some of them should really indicate how long they take to attempt. The porter one, for example, relies on how efficiently you distribute the weight of what your carrying, which will take some time... say 10 minutes? The upside is, that means you’ll only be doing it when you’re not under pressure, so taking 10 is fine.
Thanks. I guess I can commit to all of my crunch then. I changed a trait, ditching Absolom Bouncer for Muscle of the Society. I expect to hit more people than doors, but I fear Bouncer will bite me in the ass since the damage bonus is only for *non-lethal* unarmed. I really am that player who will try not to kill, then learn the hard way I just wasted a round of attacks on a werewolf that’s non-lethal immune.
Without a nonlethal damage bonus, mercy will be on a case-by-case basis. (Probably not for the lizard men we’ll soon meet!)
And yeah... I do want to kick doors for that Lv.5 feat! I can add +2 to break DCs with the Muscle of Society trait. It’s actually my go-to for strong characters.
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NOTE to GM
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I have an archetype ability (Draconic Mettle) that adds +2 to saves for fear, paralysis and sleep. And an item (Acrobatic Slippers) that adds +2 to reflex saves vs. falling, including prone. It also adds to CMD vs. Trip and I keep my DEX bonus to AC when climbing or balancing.
So I just lumped all the save +2s together, hence the wall of gray text on my avatar’s head.
Sorry, I think I just misread Hedy’s post. Also, I have no issue with anyone being unimpressed with the other new (potential) recruits, but just in case I was unclear- their skill is pretty equivalent to your current crew. And, bringing along cannon fodder is fine if you want but 2nd level warriors could end up being more trouble than they’re worth (if you want to keep them alive), and could affect your future recruitment DCs (if you don’t keep them alive).
It looks like we’re getting pretty close to heading out... just waiting on someone to give the word. (So if anyone’s planning to have adjusted spell preparations this morning or cast any long duration buffs say so quick.)
The porter one, for example, relies on how efficiently you distribute the weight of what your carrying, which will take some time... say 10 minutes?
I just realized there are two interpretations (or more).
(1) I move slower, meaning this effectively increases my max heavy.
(2) I need to ‘prep’ for 10 minutes, then get to lifting. If I do something else, like battle enemies, I lose the Porter bonus until I get another 10 minutes of focusing on the task of moving heavy stuff.
I think you mean (2), but I took it as (1) earlier. I’m happy with either call including a (3) that I hadn’t thought of. I just want to make sure my profile is accurate.
bringing along cannon fodder is fine if you want but 2nd level warriors could end up being more trouble than they’re worth (if you want to keep them alive), and could affect your future recruitment DCs (if you don’t keep them alive).
This is why I stopped playing characters with Leadership. Those damn loyal lemmings. What part of ‘run, save yourselves’ do they not understand?
I meant that making the check would take 10 minutes (spent arranging your gear and whatever pockets/pouches/straps you might use later). Since the benefits last 8 hours, spending those 10 minutes once in the morning should generally be enough for a day of travel, and you’d have to spend it again after dinner if you plan to do anything in the evening. I might make you make an extra check if something changes dramatically (like you suddenly pick up an extra hundred pounds of stuff or something), but you wouldn’t have to roll after every fight or anything like that.
I don't think we should have them fight Fight. More like what Itzi does in shackles, the crew is fighting when we attack other ships, not just the officers, they are just off-camera. Plus it gives you someone to RP with if you wish.
We could just bring Kamshi is it would be easier. She spoke up like she was the de facto leader of the disgruntled crew.
Well, really she was just trying to smooth things over for her hot-headed friend (plus at the time she was available as an officer). Saph was only on the ship for a short time but Paddy must have been some kind of officer, even if only a junior one, so he would actually be the most likely leader of their little party (unless he doesn’t want to).
Regarding NPCs in danger/combat... my plan for ship to ship combat was to follow the pattern of the Skulls & Shackles games that several of us are in together and have your crew and the other ship’s crew fight mostly off-screen while you all fight their officers. I had planned on involving anyone who went on ‘away missions’ in whatever happens, but if you want to have non-combatant NPCs come along for RP I suppose we could handle it similarly. If they’re completely safe, though, no using them for skill checks or combat positioning or anything.
I'm good with either way that works for you. Do you want NPCs to come with us or would be easier to just be the PCs?
Well, it’s easier for me to not have to keep track of (or write) NPCs, but if you guys want to bring them, go for it. I just want to make sure we all have the same understanding and expectations.
Easier is good with me! So posting now