A Tiny Part Of The Dimension Wars (Interdimensional Spy Follies

Game Master GM Hansj

Terexaltherin is sad to find Emoree isn’t waiting for them when the group returns… until he realizes how long it’s apparently been. He wouldn’t have wanted her to be waiting for them for so long, even if he was hoping to see her again.

That night, as he’s winding down by (what else?) reading in his library, the little dragon glances towards one of the empty shelves… and notes that it’s not entirely empty. Curious, Terexaltherin bookmarks his place in what he was reading and goes to investigate. He finds a thick volume with a plain violet cover, not too dissimilar from the color of his own scales. Telekinetically lifting the book from the shelf, he reads the title:

Terexaltherin’s Childhood Memories

The little dragon stares blankly at his find for a few moments. It… has to be a joke, right? One of the others must have put this cover on a different book as a prank…

He opens it and begins to read. One sunrise I was up and I watched the sky get light but then there was this bug I hadn’t seen before and I chased it… Terexaltherin can picture the very scene in the memory. He starts flipping through the book frantically, stopping in random points. Every time it’s the same kind of thing, stream-of-consciousness writings as if his memories had somehow been transformed into words on a page. That… it… was someone spying on his thoughts? But then why put them in a book in his library?

Just at that moment he makes the connection to another thought. How he’d noticed, when he was studying things in his library, the next book Terexaltherin wanted to look something up in always seemed to be right at hand. And then… hadn’t he just been noticing how, a couple of times recently, passages he was sure he hadn’t actually read had popped into his mind while he was trying to figure something out.

It… it couldn’t be, could it?

Hesitantly, Terexaltherin reaches out with his telepathy to his library. Hello?

The little dragon feels… well, there’s something there. He doesn’t feel like he really connected to a mind, but he also… didn’t entirely fail? Well… that was something, for sure. Something to figure out later. For now, it was time to sleep. But before he goes to sleep, he replaces the book of his memories on the shelf… and sends the library a sense of gratitude. He may not exactly be happy about his memories being written out, but the rest? It would be rude of him not to thank it for trying to help.

*********************************************************

He’s distracted the next day by reuniting with Emoree. He welcomes the mutant bear with joy, flying to meet her as she bounds towards the group. Before long he’s sharing images and narration of what they’d done in the Black Lake, along with helpful explanations of things like differing flows of time on different planes and more context on the Dark Traders. He’s fascinated to hear how quickly things have started to change here, and he’s glad that life is recovering so quickly, even though it will likely lead to conflict in the future.

He quickly resumes language and reading lessons with Emoree, though he makes sure to save some time for further investigating his library. He doesn’t make any further breakthroughs, but he makes sure to extend a non-verbal thanks to it when he leaves each day.

When Lyra brings up selling the business they had set up, Terexaltherin proposes an alternate plan. We should act like exactly what our cover story is--investors. We leave the business in the hands of local management, provide support when needed, and reap the dividends. The Organization can always use more funds, and long-term we’ll get more this way than from the sale. And besides… we never tracked down how the Dark Traders were introducing the starlings. They probably still have some operations here in Kalthinia, so having a good cover for more Organization agents to come and keep an eye on things would be wise.

Okay, I'll break it up here. XD

Earlier: Arlo analyzing the Arlo it doesn't seemed permanently damaged but drained for a bit. By the time he returns to Sigil, it seems to have recovered and even to have some extra piece of the spirit of the dead god Jalanwick. 3x Day, evoke Jalanwick and do +2D6 holy damage plus dismissal on target as supernatural ability

Then: Once the party has had their rest and relaxation, you get called for a meeting with Bethia and Ari Shadowfire. Welcoming you in full evening dress, Ari seems reserved, even upset while Bethia hovers behind her. Ari is outwardly is polite and asks about little details in each of your reports with just slightest edge to her voice. Then, at some point, she ask "Are there some few details that might have been forgotten here?"

In any case, she briefly bursts into tears and hugs each of you, then says "We will be having a training retreat in just few days. Please stay and either take session or teach one...

Feel free to make training session you take or teach..

Earlier: Arlo was overjoyed to see Lady Lyra again, and the married couple carried on like newlyweds like always, especially once the dwarf paladin regaled his heroic attack on the dimensional gem.
Arlo was also pleased to see The Arlosword recover on his own. With Lyra's techincal know-how and GIFT's psychic abilties, the paladin was able to discover a fragment of Jalanwick enhancing the already powerful weapon. Still, Arlo decided, he would have The Arlosword properly looked at by Dwarven smiths and Moradin priests when he returned to Sigil.

Then: Arlo was slightly embarrassed when Ari emotionally hugged him, the paladin gently patting her back, unsure what to do.

She agrees with Terexaltherin’s and enacts that plan and With the Boys there as well, Lyra takes for hole family out for a much needed brake. When done they all head back to thire Sigil home.

Upon reaching Sigil Azzim reflected that he had one lingering regret, a course not taken. At his core Azzim was a healer, but the further he traveled from his roots the less useful this seemed. Still it was clear the traders were a cancer upon the multiverse, one that had to be removed. It was clear to him now that fighting the traders was to be his life's work. A cause it seemed likely he may lay his life down for... He hoped the trade would be worth it. During the mission one possibility in that direction had suggested itself, but it hadn't been seriously considered. Perhaps that was a mistake, or perhaps when one door closed another opened. He needed time away to consider...

Later upon returning from his retreat.

Azzim of course noticed something was bothering Ari and he knew exactly what it was. He replied somberly, "Yes there is one thing. We might, just might have been able to force our way to Dis... I have little doubt that to have done so would have been a one way trip. I also don't know what the consequences might have been for our allies if we'd tried. Perhaps we erred, perhaps we didn't. I tried to divine the truth of that, that but no entity I've been able to contact could say."

Sense motive: 1d20 + 28 ⇒ (17) + 28 = 45

On a lighter note he added, "As for training. I've picked up a few small tricks with battlefield magic I could share if there's interest."

Terexaltherin is excited to show Emoree around Sigil--he doesn’t express any need to go somewhere else for a vacation. Of course, for those who know him, it’s obvious he’s already thinking of visiting Sigil’s bookstores again… in spite of the fact that he hasn’t even gotten close to reading everything he’s already purchased. Perhaps books are just what triggers his draconic hoarding instinct?

The first place he goes with Emoree is a place that makes custom magic items for non-humanoids, where (with Organization authorization and funding) he orders an amulet for her that will let her reduce her size--a must for the giant mutant bear to fit in most of the little dragon’s favorite locations. Once Emoree is properly equipped, he takes her to some of the universities he has contacts at, including introducing her to some of his contacts there. And of course, he shows her several libraries, explaining excitedly just how much knowledge they contain. If she wants, he’ll help her find a literacy tutor to help her continue learning to read, since he knows he’ll shortly have to go off on another mission.

He does, of course, visit some bookstores to add to his library. Thinking of what he’s finding out about his connection with it, he particularly purchases volumes whose contents would be useful for spur-of-the-moment reference, as well as some to cover what gaps he’s noticed in his collection. He also picks up a few just out of curiosity or because they look cool.

Terexaltherin doesn’t neglect his training during this time. He’s so close to a breakthrough in his spellcasting he can taste it, so he focuses a fair amount of time on it. Thinking of all he knows about spellcraft, he realizes that, while he’s focused on casting like a wizard since that’s sort-of what had worked for him before, and he’s tried a little to be like a sorcerer, he hasn’t really tried putting them together and casting like an arcanist. He focuses his training on that idea.

Not that he puts training his psionic powers aside. No, rather he takes advantage of having Emoree around to practice with her and converse about some different ways to use such powers.

Somehow, in between all of this, he manages to find time to write up his report. As usual he writes it by hand, in his small, neat style. He details how the group set up their business, tracking down one of the starling dealers, their journey through the blasted wilderness, and goes into particular detail about the Black Lake and the Dark Traders’ operations there. When he gets to destroying the Lake, he points out the oddity of the doors in the structure disappearing and suggests that it might have been the portal to Dys, but at the same time supports his allies in their actions, saying it was probably best that they didn’t risk using the bomb given the circumstances.

**************************

Terexaltherin is a bit surprised by Ari’s emotional outburst. Not being quite sure what to make of it, he just… kind of ignores it, though the surprise colors his mental voice. I think I covered everything important… anyway, I think I’ll work up a little something on how to deal with situations where you’re up against a superior force. Guerilla tactics, how to lose pursuit when the best choice is to run, that sort of thing.

Emoree follows Terex in through his tour and seems sometimes eager to learn more but sometimes a bit exhausted and overwhelmed. After a certain point, she communicates that while the city is fascinating, she thinks her most logical home is a natural area where she might serve as protectors of animals and people in certain area. She has learned enough to know the Organization can provide this - she puts things as "I will visit you sometimes and you will visit me sometimes..."

The training session is a success, you see old and new faces. The garrulous Armaund makes a brief appearance and greets all of you, asking what you've up to. Before taking off, He says spent quite a while in Hell Galaxy with Ari (where both of them suffered quite a bit) and now is chasing a strange artifact across the multiverse. You see other old and new faces but gather that, as always, some old faces will not be returning. On the last day, there's an exercise where experienced members of the Organization mentor members just starting out. Feel free to make up a dialogue of any length or shortness on this.

Gifts.

While back at Sigil, She headed to Hive Ward and Fell’s Tattoos – the king of odd and unique tattoos, She showed off her new shape-changing ability and explained she wanted all her tattoo animated and a few changes to the ones she had.

As soon as Gift had done her report and done family time with mum and head. She started on the project as she called it. Linking minds with the dying god Jalanwick, Gift had become and Ascendant, before she was formed form pour psionic energy now she had far greater control over it. Able to shift its from and power greater feats. But more Jalanwick had show her the root to becoming a god. It would not be easy she had a long way to grow yet, but the spark of divinity her father had given her lay at its core. She needed to start to from a following and for that she needed her own faith. She started work on that. 1st personal plane and expanded it, fixing the changes. No longer soon a small temple to "THE GIFT". A new form she would sift into when there.

Jalanwick had show her a lot and the knowledge of faith had been a boon to her, so she set about defining what she was to represent to the faithfull.

The GIFT goddess form

THE GIFTs temple of the mind

Next her followers found that they where embodied in her plan, she split them off to populate it. Sitting with them and talking about the path of the mind.

At the training session, Arlo's sword technique lesson slowly devolves in to practical questions about the planes and it's inhabitants. Conceding, the dwarf paladin does his best to answer all questions, including some stories of his mission for The Organization.

During the lesson, Arlo gets sudden pricks of pain, like headaches, in his temple, unaware of what GIFT is doing.

I'll folks respond further here plus the organization will offer to give you each one item of up to 40K gp value ...

So, finishing up the training session, the party gets a few more free days and then you receive an invitation from Livonia to return to The Spire for some consultation.

You are directed to the main Planar Machinery room and through this area to a small but ornately decorated meeting room where Livonia, dressed in a leather and Khaki riding outfit, offers you several varieties of unusual teas, candies and biscuits. After pleasantries, she begins "Things go well for The Organization generally. We have won on most fronts once the situation of Hell Galaxy was dealt with. But threats remain - The Black Lake could have been serious if you had not dealt with it in time and other teams have found some other, more minor threats. If anything, there are few enough threats lately that we fear the Traders are finding a way to hide their activities from us. So we must redouble our surveillance. With this in mind, we're asking all Organization members if they are willing to do a short shift with the machinery (and you can say no if you don't feel called). We think this will at least gives us ideas about other places to search. Also, each of you should check the machines for any subtle magical or psychic tampering. Again, the more eyes the better. And who knows, you may find your next assignment. That said, we have had reports, not from the machinery but agents, that an army of the dead may be assembling in the Karthak Plain outside Orguanion and investigating this will likely be in order..."

Running the planar machinery is a straight wisdom check - no fumbling is possible 'cause people are guiding you. What you sense, when you see something, is lights, colors, emotions, abstract shapes. You can get an intuition of happened but that is it. Let me what you see if your character is willing to try this. It can be as simple as "I saw stars that gradually became brighter and dense until they were brilliant white light" or something more complex and evocative. Or you can graciously bow out.

Arlo accepts helping to check the Planar Machinery for problems.
The dwarf paladin takes his time, retreating the machinery with a sensibility of a master craftsman. Arlo will Take 20 for a Wisdom 24.

Kn:Planes: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (9) + 21 = 30

Azzim glanced at Terex before replying, "Oh I fear they may be after the library. Presumably there's knowledge within that could be misused..."

Later Azzim volunteered to run the planar machinery. The machinery was imposing and more than a little claustrophobic but he ran through simple breathing exercises and started meditating and soon his awareness of his physical body faded away revealing the spiritual realm in all its wonder.

He could sense the life forces of those around him like tiny candles flickering in the velvety darkness. His spirit rose higher and soon all of Sigil came into view, where the multitude of flickering candles became a constellation of stars of many hues. Following planar pathways Azzim's consciousness traveled far beyond, though the astral and then other planes. The astral plane was like looking at an unfamiliar night sky wheeling with strange stars. He found several that seemed strange, tinted red and he reached for them.

They where terribly far away and getting further away by the moment, and it took an aeon to reach them yet time meant nothing here so back in sigil less it took less than a heartbeat. As he got closer to them they resolved from pin pricks of light into galaxies and nebulae. One nebula in particular felt wrong, there was a cloying darkness to it and as he approached it became aware of him and suddenly there was a terrible screaming in his mind and something insidious tried to push through and would have done so if it wasn't for the vigilance of those guiding him and taking care of his physical body.

Wisdom: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27

When he was coherent enough to speak Azzim spoke in a trembling voice, "I traveled far, perhaps father than was wise. There's something out there, something vast and it noticed me."

Well there was a LOT of Rain, and back now, Holiday cut short becouse of flooding.

Gift went to the meeting but before she did she handed over a letter from her mother. She was retiring to concentrate on her family. She would still be working in the backroom as a researcher but her mission days where over until her children where fully grown.

Kn:Planes: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (2) + 20 = 22 Nope

Wisdom: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5Nope

After having collected himself for a bit, Azzim shared some more details, "The perspective provided by the planar machinery itself was incredible. I could see this intricate web of life, how everything was interconnected and as I traveled further away the pattern was self-repeating first with a web of cities instead of people and then a web of planes and there was a hint of structure beyond that."

He shook his head, "I regret I am not a poet, I lack to words to describe it fully - but it was akin to a religious experience. It felt like I'd witnessed the work of the divine." He paused before saying it affected me far more than i could have imagined, perhaps that explains what happened to my eyes."[/b] Ever since being in the machinery, Azzim's eyes had sparkled like starlight and he was changes with an aura of otherworldliness.

Sadly he concluded, "As beautiful as what I first witnessed was, there's a sickness infecting parts the web of reality. Perhaps its the traders, perhaps its something else, but I think something has to be done."

PS I liked the story Gift.

Thanks it was fun to write

"Azzim I can shared your experience with the others of you would let me. I have that ability. It would be as if they where with you and saw what you saw. Their perspective could help'

Terexaltherin is sad, but not surprised, when Emoree wants to part ways. Yeah, I'm sure the Organization can find somewhere like that. I'll look forward to when I can visit!

***************************

During their downtime, Terexaltherin sends Azzim an invitation. Hey, Azzim, there's going to be a Fey Play in a couple days, with one of the reputable troupes that guarantees no transformations lasting longer than the duration of the performance. I can give you all the details if you're interested, it'd be fun to have someone I know there this time!

***************************

Terexaltherin is glad, as always, to see old friends in the Organization. He makes sure to spend some time with Armaund and wish him luck. He also gladly spends some time with the newest recruits, helping with the exercise to make sure it goes as well as possible.

***************************

I'll take a turn with the machinery, Terexaltherin offers. Curiosity about the devices wars with his recognition of the weight of responsibility in his telepathic 'voice'.

Wisdom check: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20

The shimmering colors of some of the displays remind him of <Shimmer>, but he focuses on what he's here for. He notes some dark threads woven into the colors, that seem wrong somehow, like they're leaching the color away from their surroundings. He points them out as he spots them.

Knowledge (Planes): 1d20 + 22 + 3 + 1d6 ⇒ (2) + 22 + 3 + (5) = 32

You're probably right about the library, Azzim, he agrees when discussing the news about Orguanion. It's the most obvious target there. Though on the other hand, it *is* obvious, so it may be a distraction. There might be something else there that the masters of these undead know about but we don't. Whoever investigates will have to be doubly wary.

Spending a Hero point haha, or just has an idea.

Gift took to looking around the device and found one of the researchers notes. Reading it she was a little shocked.

But she says nothing to the others,

It must not be fully powered, or they had place a safer way for the viewer.

Her problem was simple, to much information, she was getting overloaded with the minds of what the Device was focused on. But she had an idea. After Terexaltherin came out she asked one of the techs.

"Do mind if I try something."

She then place her psicsyal in the device, it could act as a firewall filtering out a lot of the overload Affecting her.

When ready she nodded at the Tech to to activate the TPV.

Nexqin Will roll 1d20 + 4 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 + 4 = 28
Nexqin Knowledge (Planes): 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (14) + 20 = 34

It seemed to work, with Nexqils filtered remote view point she could see some of what it was experiencing. It was not like being in there herself she could tell, she was not effected as they others had been. It was just a remote view after all. But it was the next best thing,
She recorded what her sent back to her.

^Autohypnosis (Wis)1d20 + 30 ⇒ (15) + 30 = 45

A Smile crosses her face, the feed seemed to tallied with what the others where saying.

"Fascinating"

They had the information they needed, and later she would do a deeper review what he had sent her, But for now they had a mission and had the info they needed.

In between all of his other activities, Terexaltherin does make time to keep working on his magic. He still feels like he’s just on the cusp of a breakthrough in his use of magic, but he hasn’t quite figured out how to do it. Blending his innate draconic magical nature and his interest in learning by study to cast like an Arcanist seems like the right path, but he just… can’t quite get it to work. He keeps trying and trying, and it would almost work but it wouldn’t, and he’d get frustrated and then try to calm down and he’d lose it.

But then… one time when he got frustrated, he realizes something. He’s a dragon. He is magic. He’s not looking for some way to convince magic to work for him, he is deciding how to use his own magic.

And so he embraces his frustration, and demands that his magic works according to his desires. It resists, but the little dragon bares his teeth, growls, and tries harder. After a moment, he realizes there’s… something to to the resistance itself. It’s not an impossibility, it’s something he needs to change to make it work.

Terexaltherin would struggle to explain what he did even with telepathy, but somehow, he worked with and through the resistance until something clicked. The spell he’d been trying to work with, a simple web spell, finally flared to life, spreading webbing through the empty shelves of the corner of the library he’d been using to experiment.

The little dragon roars in triumph, then settles down to feel over his abilities. After a few minutes, he concludes that it’s exactly what he wanted… so he starts making a list of what he wants to add to his spellbook.

The various party members' "shifts" with the planar machinery take about two weeks total to between revelations, each of you comes home exhausted (or just crashes in a cot at The Spire).

Two days after the last shift, Ari and Livonia (Ari looking calm and composed) call the group together briefly, "You've done well, better than we could have hoped. Especially Azzim, who perhaps succeeded past the usual safe bounds ... still, he showed us a thing we absolutely must continue monitoring. Still, our thoughts are we should still send you to Orguanion, especially Azzim shielded by the usual antiscrying measures. Indeed, we shall be moving and reconfiguring the Planar after this experiment and we shall approach Azzim's discovery via a different planar route... I expect you all can research Orguanion and create an appropriate cover story. If this is acceptable, we shall meet again in a week. Also, the most obvious cover story is scholar seeking access to the library and this may be good for anonymity. Still, other stories might be considered...."

Gift has taken to being large as a size, standing some 16' tall, she shrank only when she needed to get into places. Walking the streets of Sigil she found making eye contact with larger inhabitants was a lot simpler. She had the same form, as before just large.

Gift claps as Terexaltherin makes his magic work.

"Well done, you are an amazing dragon Terexaltherin"

Behind her a small planes touched child can be see,

"This is Alazya, would you minds so much of your clone gave her classes on Telepathy and other Mindmage skills Terexaltherin."

While in Terexaltherin libury she looked up races that large that would fit Orguanion and not get looks. A researcher working for a scholar seemed like a good fit. Bookcases where high and someone with reach would come in handy to a scholar.

Planes 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (13) + 20 = 33

"Also, the most obvious cover story is scholar seeking access to the library"

Azzim nodded, "In truth I wouldn't mind exploring their library. Ever since my uh experience, strange spirits have been speaking to me, revealing peculiar insights to the magical world. It's all very strange but I feel surely this has happened to another practitioner before and maybe they left notes..."

He paused for a moment before adding, "Anyway re Orguanion, perhaps we should consider if that city or the library has certain specialist needs that we might might plausibly be able to assist with. For example book conservationists, fumigation suppliers for dealing with book worm infestations magical or otherwise and so on."

Kn: History: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (14) + 20 = 34
Kn: Planes: 1d20 + 25 ⇒ (14) + 25 = 39

Terexaltherin is startled to find Gift has been watching him, given how focused he'd been on his practice. He looks up at her and rolls his eyes.

Really? You decided to be taller? he teases. The emotions along with his message make it clear he's just poking fun at her.

But you didn't know? Terecho is on an Organization mission right now. I suppose you haven't been in my library for a while, so you wouldn't have noticed, but he left before we departed for our last mission. I should have known anyone that was almost exactly like me would get tired of just reading and want to go out and make a difference in the multiverse sooner or later.

He helps Gift look things up in his library while doing his own research, and offers to have Azzim and Arlo (or anyone else going on the mission) come help, too. You can get a +3 to Knowledge checks while using Terex's library.

Knowledge (Planes): 1d20 + 22 + 3 + 1d6 ⇒ (1) + 22 + 3 + (5) = 31

For his own part, Terex looks up what else is of interest on the plane. He can't shake the feeling that their enemies might not be after the obvious target, so he wants to be prepared if he's right.

We could see about doing something more like that, Azzim. It might actually be better not to take the obvious cover. It's obvious, so it might be watched. But 'servant' type workers might not be as closely watched.

Also Azzim, note that Terex did send you an invitation a [url=https://paizo.com/campaigns/v5748p75ivlaa/gameplay&page=127#6318few posts back.[/url]

Gift discovers that most common multiversal races can all be found Orguanion (as well as Giths and a few obscure groups). Being a very old society, Orguanion has developed a group of rather rigidly organized guilds for most occupations - guilds often have majority of a single race but generally also include a few of other groups (about 50% of the population is in a guild, 30% are general labor and peasants and 20% are "citizens" and idle rich. Guilds vary from bakers to scribes to funeral speech composers).

Researching further, Azzim also discovers Orguanion has a separate guild of book maintainers (often gnomes). While remaining outwardly hostile to foreigners, the "Book Wardens" do hire experts off-worlder for special situations and these occur reasonably often. Usually they hire in the Toltesh market in Flanular but sometimes they go all the way to Sigil.

Those with strong general magical skills Spell craft 20+ get hire as well as those with specialist training such as the book-gnome of the plane of Vaspula.

Arlo spent a week in his old armor, as Moradin priest-smiths took his dwarven plate armor and upgraded it's power. When the dwarf paladin had it returned, it was inscribed with dwarven runes and prayers etched in Celestial. When Arlo put his upgraded armor on, he immediately felt it's power. Arlo thanked the priest-smiths for their hard work.

Arlo's home life was great, but whenever he walked the streets of Sigil, it was obvious he was under the watchful eye of the dabus. The godling could also count at least two or three within his line of vision, regardless of where he looked.

Gift knows Terexaltherin is pocking fun.

"Just seems more me Terexa, a more gravitas me for my new ambitions."

She takes the girl to another teach and comes back, Terexa, had done some research for her. So she went over it with him. So a Giant races where just as common, She would go with a Cloud Giant look, A slender finely dressed female Humanoid. As a student researcher she also has a handy haversack prepared with fold out desk, writing and book materials and student kit.

You note that over the group link, gift HIvemind is much reduced, having placed all but her two cohorts into the Demi-plain of the mind.

Azzim sent Terex a belated reply, 'Sorry for the slow response, I've been quite distracted ever since manning the planar machine. Anyhow yes I'd like to see the Fey Play, please send me the details.'

Terexaltherin sends Azzim the requested details in the form of a brochure with annotations in his small, neat handwriting. The location for the play is actually up on the roofs of a small block of apartments--the brochure details several staircases and ladders to get up to the performance area. Terex has noted a couple that will be close to the seat he plans on taking.

A large portion of the brochure discusses a magical bracelet that all attendees will be given. Apparently it guarantees that any transformations applied to audience members will be removed at the end of the performance, or at any time desired by the wearer. Terexaltherin notes here that 'The transformations are the best part! But you can set it to prevent them if you want. It's interesting how it actually works--the bracelet is actually a booster and I'm running out of space'

********************

About the plan, Terexaltherin says, Well, all of us except Arlo could probably be hired on as magical help. Maybe Arlo could be our hired guard? But that wouldn't get him in the library if we find trouble there...

Feel free to describe any experiences you have at the Fey Play...

Some time after the play... Azzim receives a tip from a contact that a party from Orguanion will be looking for preservationist bibliophiles at Toltesh Market in the next week. Flanular, where the market lies, is close planes meeting spot for specialist wizards and is fairly simple to reach from Sigil.

Gift came into being lose to the entrance, and Changed form to be a pseudo dragon, like Terex, landing close to him. Another clone if him.

Disguise 1d20 + 30 ⇒ (8) + 30 = 38

::”This dose sound interesting and will transformations, I think will be no problem.”::

Oh... hi Gift, I didn't know you had a ticket to the show, too, Terexaltherin 'says', clearly surprised and a little uncomfortable about unexpectedly meeting her here. And maybe about her copying his form, too.

****************************************

We should go see this group from Orguanion, the little dragon says to the rest of the group when Azzim passes the news along. But we should disguise ourselves as we'll want to be when we go to Orguanion.

Terexaltherin disguises himself as best he can--just a little something to change the hue of his scales and hide the iridescence of his horns.

He actually speaks aloud to answer the Orguanions, to further differentiate himself from his normal behavior. "I am Latheriax, and I am a student of many types of magic. This here is well within my capabilities to fix." He'll take 10 and easily get above the DC for both checks. Even if he rolled he couldn't get worse than a 25.

I will wait until everyone has introduced themselves - and play details are fine too...

::”As you wish Trex”::

Gift shifts into her cloud giant form,
take 10 on disguise for 40

Her clothing is fine but with gems and cold, lots of gold. Half-Gaint in size she seems happy to let the two ‘academics’ do the talking.

During the play, Azzim was transformed into a Fey'ri. This type of humanoid fey has pointed ears, almond shaped eyes and its otherworldly beauty embodies the first realm itself. Fey'ri possess potent magic and a connection to nature. Everything inside the venue seemed to glow softly, and the vegetation was vivid emerald green.

"This is remarkable!" Azzim told Texrex, "I feel like we're actually in the first world!"

Then he noticed another pseudodragon and when it became apparent it was Gift he blinked in surprise and said, "Oh hi Gift! I didn't know you liked this sort of thing."

Meeting the Orguanion delegation

Azzim was wearing his businesses suit of anonymity along with a pair of sharp aviator sunglasses he found from a mid-tech world outlet store in Sigil.

"Greetings, I am Aaron. We are" he indicated his companions, "Monorock Industries a small arcane consulting and security collective, competitive rates, discretion guaranteed. Like my colleague Latheriax I too have experience with Delvonian script, please allow me to demonstrate."

He then easily fixed the problem within the time limit.
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 24 ⇒ (13) + 24 = 37
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 24 ⇒ (4) + 24 = 28

Hoping to sound them out, Azzim asked "Perhaps you could share some details about the job you are hiring for? If it's more Delvonian script conversation, we can certainly help with that. We can potentially assist with other trickier problems as well..."
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (7) + 23 = 30

Just realized I think we need a bluff roll here. The name Aaron and Monorock Industries is something Azzim made up on the spot.

Bluff: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (15) + 20 = 35

Arlo Brighthammer finds himself staring at his feet as he walks up a flight of white marble stairs. After a while, Arlo looks around to find himself climbing a stairway into the clouds. The dwarf appears to be thousands of feet in the clouds, but is not overwhelmed by fear of falling. Suddenly, the sound of a large applause can be heard around him. Then, Arlo notices the cloud are inhabited by various humanoid races. As he looks closely, Arlo starts of recognize the people in the clouds. Arlo's father and mother, prominent nobles and heroes, dragons, halfings, famous artists, any other people the dwarf doesn't recognize. Yet, Arlo instinctively knows one things that binds these various peoples together: they were all from Žemėia. The dwarf paladin steps off the final step into solid cloud. As he does, a rush of Žemėians converge on a surprised Arlo, smiling and thanking him.

”What do you mean? What's going on?”
Arlo's father, proudly steps forward. ”My dear son. I've always been proud of you. But with the destruction of the planar gem you destroyed. Our souls can rest.”
”How?!”
”With Žemėia's destruction, our souls who died when the world died, were funneled into the planar gem, fueling it. We all existed in torment within the gem. But your Arlosword destroyed the gfem and freed us, boy! We're finally free!!”
A roar of applause and praise rises from the collected souls around him.
”I-I didn't know..”
”But now you do”, Arlo father answered. ”And one day, you will join us. But not today. And maybe not for a while now.” The spirit of Arlo's father looked at something behind his son's shoulder.
Arlo turned around to see the tall form of Moradin, King of the Mountain, God of the Dwarves. The Greater Deity rested his heavy hand on Arlo's shoulder.
”You are doing well, Arlo. There is still much to do. But I wanted you to see this. In hopes your own fractured soul may be mended. Rest now, Arlo. And be at peace. At last. You have earned it. Žemėia has been avenged at last.”

Arlo quickly woke from his dream. It all seemed so real. Was it. The dwarf wiped the tears from his eyes, realizing he must have wept as he slept. Lyra sleep next to him, unaware.
Was it a dream? Arlo looked inside himself and felt a change. A happiness of which he did not know the reason. Very similar to the feeling of the birth of his sons. A weight on his soul. Was gone. Arlo laid in bed, with his beautiful wife who loved him, in a large ship/holding to raise his family. This two sons sleeping peacefully a few doors down. The dwelling was quiet.
Arlo breathed. And smiled in the gloom. Lyra turned in her sleep, laying her lovely arm across his chest. The dwarf kissed it, unsure if waking his wife up for sex was a good idea. Lyra quickly made the sounds of deep breathing while in slumber. There's always tomorrow. And for the first time, in decades, tomorrow was a good thing.

When arriving for the play, each ticket-holder is led to a seat in the odd amphithetre, which is built into the roofs of the buildings on the block. The seats themselves have obviously been built with Sigil's metropolitan population in mind--Terexaltherin's perch isn't even the smallest one, while there's a least one spot large enough for the full-grown copper dragon currently occupying it.

The play itself is... chaotic. The actors are all smaller fey of various sorts, many of them winged. The plot starts out with the forbidden love between two memembers of warring fey courts, but before the first act is done the simple love story has become a complex web of sudden proclamations of infatuation, declarations of rivalry, and a half-dozen 'fights' that seem to consist mostly of firing transformation curses at each other, most of which miss and hit the audience.

The second act begins with a breathtaking ball which somehow involves the entire cast in spite of them supposedly being at war. At the height of the dancing, the action suddenly dissolves into another round of transformation curses, after which the remainder of the act is a bizarre combination of singing, dancing, and slinging more transformations around.

The final act seems to be entirely an excuse to get anyone who hasn't been hit by a transformation curse yet transformed in some way. Many members of both cast and audience get hit by multiple--the copper dragon seems a particularly popular target, and by the end is laughing uproarously at his mingled badger, rabbit, dragonfly, and turtle features. Any semblance of plot seems to have been lost by the end, and the finish of the play is marked simply by the actors all lining up and taking a bow rather than any sort of resolution of the story.

Terexaltherin is radiating amusement by the end, perhaps because of the fact that he's currently some kind of blend of hare and snake, or possibly because of all the mingled forms around him.

*******************************

Terexaltherin waits quietly for the Orguanions to respond to Azzim, having already shown his own skills.

When Azzim approaches the Orguanions in the Toltesh Market, they consider the response to the Delvonian script and look the part over carefully. They then seem to reject the group, retreat and confer among themselves and approach again, raising other several complex questions. There are apparently two leader, Aran (a human) and Dzitizim (a gnome) and they look at each other with nearly as much suspicion as they do the party. There are further discussion around potential pay and conditions, with Azzim carefully negotiating for the party to have "Layer two" access to the library as well as the right wander the city in exchange for salary on the low-end of the scale. Aran comments, "Should any die in your wanderings, all wages are forfeit and all work remains in our domain" The Orguanions are not surprise that some party members are body guards and indeed seem to approvingly at the measure.

Finally, Dzitizim smiles and says "My friends, you are clearly highly skilled and we will likely recommend you to the South Wing Group. The contract will be for four months. We will meet you again at this way point in three days and if our recommendations are followed, provide transportation to South Wing of the Orguanion library. Aran will be your contact point. We are hoping for salvage rate of twenty tomes per week. Let me know your style of work, what sorts of food and living quarters you need and so forth. We will our best to accommodate you" The group then leaves the party.

Let me know any further preparation you make for the trip and what accommodations you request...

Kn PLanes 20+10=30

Knowledge (Planes): 1d20 + 22 + 3 + 1d6 ⇒ (10) + 22 + 3 + (2) = 37

Terexaltherin 'speaks' to the rest of the group, mental voice thoughtful, They're probably trying to preserve records of the Isharians, who were an ancient multiplanar empire. Definitely the kind of knowledge the Dark Traders would be after, so we'll want to keep our eyes open. It sounds like we have three days to get ready. I need to finish filling out my spellbook. Does everyone have what they need for our cover identities?

When the party meets with Aran and Dzitizim in three days, the group that meets them has one person less. The Orguanions waste no time and take you from the open area of the market to a nearby empty storefront, paying a hooded figure as you enter (apparently for the use of the space). Dzitizim removes a small wooden square from his haversack and unfolds it until it takes the shape of a door, which he opens. Functioning as such devices often do, the door show an empty blackness, which he beckons the entire group to walk through. When you do so, you find yourselves in a wintery, forested landscape near a door floating the air. Dzitizim reverses the door-folding process once all emergence and Alan points the group in a seemingly random direction and you set off that waay. After a short while you realize Aran is following a path marked by jeweled bands set high on certain tree. In any case, you hike for maybe five hours and come to a large boulder where Aran removes his own folding door, this one made of steel and you go through. Now, you find yourselves in a small irregular room, wood-paneled and lined with glass-covered and locked bookcases and Aran retrieves his door. He then leads you down a hallway and through several magnificent, high ceilinged reading rooms, the entire area sumptuous and exotically furnished and lined with more, very dark wooden panels. A variety of humanoids browse the books, all outsiders seemingly watched by library staff dressed similarly to Alan and Dzitizim's group. Alan remarks in passing "Now only twelve rooms and two staircases to The South Wing... and at this point, a strange figure, (a humanoid body but with cylindrical head, both entirely wrapped in rune-covered cloth) steps out from a side passage and says "But there yet, South Wingers ...". Simultaneously, one of the humans among the groups whispers something ("Library Phantom!" in a weird dialect of gnomish) Aran takes out a piece of paper with a seal and says "We travel on official library business" to which the figure replies, "Your patron Boreas has lost his place on the council, that is worthless. Now you must bargain. I believe I will take Dzitizim and leave the rest of you..."

Note, you'd be able question Aran and Dzitizim throughout this journey. If you do, let me know what tone and approach you use...

Chella is surprised and left a little off-balance by the appearance of Livonia, but she only hesitates a moment before bowing politely and asking "Thank you for the most generous offer. May I consult with my partner before I accept?"

Livonia makes a magnanimous gesture, and watches the bull-headed woman retreat several paces away and cast a spell. "Tell me you knew this was going to happen?" she whispers through her message spell. "I'm beginning to suspect that maybe you aren't infallible after all!"

"I DON'T UNDERSTAND, THIS INTELLIGENCE WAS FIRST-HAND, CHELLA!" Peri wails through the magical tunnel between them. "I SAW THE ORGUANIONS MYSELF-- THEY MET WITH SEVERAL GROUPS OF POTENTIAL HIRES RIGHT HERE."

Chella chuckles, a rich snorting sound that wrinkles the end of her muzzle. "Well," she muses, "I don't suppose you've heard of the Organization, then?"

Knowledge (local): 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (5) + 19 = 24
Knowledge (arcana): 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (20) + 22 = 42

"POSSIBLY. I'VE READ THE NAME ON DISPATCHES FROM OTHER WORLDS, BUT I ALWAYS THOUGHT IT WAS REFERRING TO SOME KIND OF CRIME FAMILY. PERHAPS THEY ARE ANOTHER ORGANIZATION? IF THEY ARE A SECRETIVE MAGICAL SOCIETY, I MIGHT HAVE HEARD RUMORS OF THEM OPERATING HERE ON SIGIL. I SUPPOSE YOU SHOULD ASK HER!"

Chella looks over at Livonia, who appears to be patiently waiting. "I can't really afford to turn down a job. Unless they're planning to murder me and take all my possessions, I'm certainly willing to give it a try. And it would be nice to be part of a group again instead of doing everything with just us. What do you think, should I accept?"

"I WOULD RATHER YOU DIDN'T STARVE TO DEATH. THEN WHAT WOULD I DO? YOU'RE ALL PAID UP WITH THE HANDS, RIGHT? THAT WAS A WISE MOVE, DROPPING YOUR WINDFALL ON THE PRINCIPAL TO GET AHEAD OF THE INTEREST. IF THIS JOB BRINGS ENOUGH COIN YOU COULD FINALLY FINISH OFF THE LOAN. CAN YOU IMAGINE? MAYBE THEN THEY'D GIVE YOU A JOB INSTEAD."

Chella scowls. "I'm not joining the Hands," she whispers flatly. "I may be a monstrous creature spawned of evil and darkness, but even I have standards. Hey! Herbert! Wake up, I want to ask you something."

The toad dozing on her horns mutters something in their shared language.

Chella casts the spell again to include him. "If you don't listen, you don't get a say," she warns.

"WHAT A SHAME THAT WOULD BE," Peri's voice sniffs.

Chella pesters her familiar again. "Come on Herbert." she whispers. "I'm thinking of taking a job that involves a new group. The Organization. What do you think?"

"They gonna take a body part? Or make you swear an unbreakable oath?" the toad murmurs sleepily. "If there's a contract I'll take a look at it for you, but you know I don't remember much from those days. Try not to sign anything if you can manage it." He turns around on Chella's head and closes his eyes again.

Chella sighs. "All right, I've stalled long enough. Let's go convince this woman to hire me. I'm sure everything will work out fine."

After a semi-long discussion of terms of employment and things like room and board, working hours, training, and of course wages, Chella seems willing to accept the deal. Throughout the process she is friendly and charming, a tone that is much at odds with her appearance. At one point she asks if The Organization will require her to disguise herself. She is willing to do so for the job, but she prefers to have time every day where she can be herself, if possible. "This curséd visage was a gift from my father," she confides, "and I have made it my own. So I'd rather not hide its light under a bushel, if you understand?"

Finally Chella receives permission to make arrangements for an extended absence from Sigil, and she leaves her last two weeks' rent with her landlord's factor. Then she accepts the teleport, and finds herself in a strange complex with faint sounds of magic and machinery blended together. She waits in a comfortable meeting room until the Organizers (as she has begun to think of her employers) bring the other members of the team she will be working with. She is nervous, but excited, and desperately wants to make a good impression. They should start arriving any minute, she thinks. Does that mean they all live here, too? How fascinating!

Chella is surprised and left a little off-balance by the appearance of Livonia, but she only hesitates a moment before bowing politely and asking "Thank you for the most generous offer. May I consult with my partner before I accept?"

Livonia makes a magnanimous gesture, and watches the bull-headed woman retreat several paces away and cast a spell. "Tell me you knew this was going to happen?" she whispers through her message spell. "I'm beginning to suspect that maybe you aren't infallible after all!"

"I DON'T UNDERSTAND, THIS INTELLIGENCE WAS FIRST-HAND, CHELLA!" Peri wails through the magical tunnel between them. "I SAW THE ORGUANIONS MYSELF-- THEY MET WITH SEVERAL GROUPS OF POTENTIAL HIRES RIGHT HERE."

Chella chuckles, a rich snorting sound that wrinkles the end of her muzzle. "Well," she muses, "I don't suppose you've heard of the Organization, then?"

Knowledge (local): 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (6) + 19 = 25
Knowledge (arcana): 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (17) + 22 = 39

"POSSIBLY. I'VE READ THE NAME ON DISPATCHES FROM OTHER WORLDS, BUT I ALWAYS THOUGHT IT WAS REFERRING TO SOME KIND OF CRIME FAMILY. PERHAPS THEY ARE ANOTHER ORGANIZATION? IF THEY ARE A SECRETIVE MAGICAL SOCIETY, I MIGHT HAVE HEARD RUMORS OF THEM OPERATING HERE ON SIGIL. I SUPPOSE YOU SHOULD ASK HER!"

Chella looks over at Livonia, who appears to be patiently waiting. "I can't really afford to turn down a job. Unless they're planning to murder me and take all my possessions, I'm certainly willing to give it a try. And it would be nice to be part of a group again instead of doing everything with just us. What do you think, should I accept?"

"I WOULD RATHER YOU DIDN'T STARVE TO DEATH. THEN WHAT WOULD I DO? YOU'RE ALL PAID UP WITH THE HANDS, RIGHT? THAT WAS A WISE MOVE, DROPPING YOUR WINDFALL ON THE PRINCIPAL TO GET AHEAD OF THE INTEREST. IF THIS JOB BRINGS ENOUGH COIN YOU COULD FINALLY FINISH OFF THE LOAN. CAN YOU IMAGINE? MAYBE THEN THEY'D GIVE YOU A JOB INSTEAD."

Chella scowls. "I'm not joining the Hands," she whispers flatly. "I may be a monstrous creature spawned of evil and darkness, but even I have standards. Hey! Herbert! Wake up, I want to ask you something."

The toad dozing on her horns mutters something in their shared language.

Chella casts the spell again to include him. "If you don't listen, you don't get a say," she warns.

"OH, HOW WOULD WE MANAGE WITHOUT IT," Peri's voice sniffs.

Chella pesters her familiar again. "Come on Herbert." she whispers. "I'm thinking of taking a job that involves a new group. The Organization. What do you think?"

"They gonna take a body part? Or make you swear an unbreakable oath?" the toad murmurs sleepily. "If there's a contract I'll take a look at it for you, but you know I don't remember much from those days. Try not to sign anything if you can manage it." He turns around on Chella's head and closes his eyes again.

Chella sighs. "All right, I've stalled long enough. Let's go convince this woman to hire me. I'm sure everything will work out fine."

After a semi-long discussion of terms of employment and things like room and board, working hours, training, and of course wages, Chella seems willing to accept the deal. Throughout the process she is friendly and charming, a tone that is much at odds with her appearance. At one point she asks if The Organization will require her to disguise herself. She is willing to do so for the job, but she prefers to have time every day where she can be herself, if possible. "This curséd visage was a gift from my father," she confides, "and I have made it my own. So I'd rather not hide its light under a bushel, if you understand?"

Finally Chella receives permission to make arrangements for an extended absence from Sigil, and she leaves her last two weeks' rent with her landlord's factor. Then she accepts the teleport, and finds herself in a strange complex with faint sounds of magic and machinery blended together. She waits in a comfortable meeting room until the Organizers (as she has begun to think of her employers) bring the other members of the team she will be working with. She is nervous, but excited, and desperately wants to make a good impression. They should start arriving any minute, she thinks. Does that mean they all live here, too? How fascinating!

Sence motive 1d20 + 24 ⇒ (14) + 24 = 38

Gift had been keeping herself at 6' but when the being threatened them. she grow to her full size 16' and true form. A being rapped in psionic power, eyes blaze blue, her mind reached out and raps around the being in front of hers mind.

::"YOU WILL TAKE NOTHING, YOU WILL DO NOTHING!!"::

Intimidation 1d20 + 28 ⇒ (8) + 28 = 36

Power used Mindwipe Fort Save - DC27

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 29 ⇒ (3) + 29 = 32

Azzim folded his arms and emphatically said, "I don't think you're really in a position to order anyone about! Still since you seem to know all the gossip why don't you tell us what happened to Boreas..."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (10) + 23 = 33

Not sure how this is going to work with Gift's mindscape. Azzim might not be able to join in that depending on the exact type of mindscape, although if he can he will.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (3) + 20 = 23
Intimidate (aid): 1d20 + 24 ⇒ (1) + 24 = 25
Arlo folds his muscled armored arms and stares down Alan.

TL;DR; Seeking one character for a narrative heavy, long running, high level, "interplanar" campaign. Please NO “I’m only here for the melee” characters. Maybe a bard or a party-face with other extras + skill-monkey (everyone's a skill monkey to an extent in the campaign). Make-up interesting back-story in a plane of your choice. Read more than this.
Sample/Recent Post: Harclus furrows his brow and strokes his chin. "'temporal anomaly'? This is not a term I know... However, I could hazard a guess at the meaning ... unusual phenomena related to time itself? The idea seems preposterous yet it could explain a number of the weird occurrences I have been tracking in the area for the several years... So perhaps you're answer is yes?" The Rationality Researcher pauses... "As to our escapees, I can take to you to the location and show you the recent tapes. My automaton is a special unit that can accommodate us all and make good time.
At this point, Terex, disguised as the group's "tiny dog" comes bounding up, gets news of the situation and raises his concerns. Jocinth sends back "Yes, I believe this location was chosen because there were lurking temporal anomalies. But if this group is indeed 'later us', we should investigate but ... not follow closely... if anything, it's good argument for eventually entering this complex and emerging at the time of these characters, if we have the option."
After further discussion, Harclus takes the party to the Republic Guard's ultra-high security headquarters in the Giant's Garden where the audio-visual expert plays the crystal visual recording device that captured the group exiting the tunnel. It's pretty rough but it does seem like you, though for Terex, there is only a shadow that might or might be him and there might be others in the image too.
Jocinth sends by message "Well, seeking the opening Terex is predicting seems appropriate at this point...

Description: In a multiverse based on the Planescape setting, using PF1 rules plus custom “caper”/world-building rules and narative, you will be an agent of an ad-hoc group of wizards, priests and occultist, known on as "The Organization", aiming to stop plane-destroying effects, unleashed by various mysterious forces. Your employers are sophisticated interdimensional operators who understand many kinds types of magics and technologies operating on a variety of planes (with their own personal agendas too? Of course!). The operation still resembles a group of gentlemen adventurers than a true bureaucracy and you will operate as part of a cell of adventurer, the cell making its own choices on the ground, though guided by your mentors/handlers/comrades.
Style: This campaign began as an effort to use some ideas from the Blades In The Dark system. I am creating/evolving an approach of investigators who make their choices and add their own narrative. This is still a work in progress (after about three years). At this point, it mostly involves me outlining a situation and anyone can make a choice for the group (within reason but still). A lot of the initial thread following action involves; narrate what you do, maybe add a little improvised detail about the situation or world, and roll a skill (standard Pathfinder skills). It gets more defined as each character’s threads get more developed. The campaign has gone on for nearly two and half years with 5,000+ posts. Look at current posts for what’s happening.
Group: We currently have a pseudodragon rogue, a psionic android, dwarven Paladin and human shaman. Given the campaign, every character should sort of expect to be something like a "skill monkey", a researcher in some field and a social character (or be prepared to role play slightly awkward).
Inspirations: The Black Company series (especially Shadow Linger) by Glen Cooke, Nightwatch/Daywatch Sergie Lukyanenko, The Elder Isle series and other works by Jack Vance, The Dark Tower by Stephen King, Dilvish The Damned and The Amber series by Roger Zelazney, The Cornelius Chronicles and The War Hound and The World’s Pain by Michael Moorecook, The Earthsea Series by Ursula LeGuin and a number of others.
Campaign Parameters: Start at 14th Level, standard character wealth for magic item buying. 25 point buy. No dumping wisdom, intelligence or charisma below 9. Don’t maximize for initiative (I’m doing ad-hoc initiative for speed – party-goes, monsters go, repeat). Alignments between lawful-good and neutral. Standard wealth by Core Rule Book. All Paizo books allowed, third party books might be OK but only psionics or hi-tech or other classes/races not duplicating things in Paizo books. Magic users probably shouldn’t lean on teleport/dimension door since it’s hard to handle in play-by-post. Monstrous characters permited. 3rd party stuff OK but be prepared for some modification if it gives some weird power imbalance.
Campaign Traits (choose at least one of these and one standard trait):
Interplanar Travelers(s); knowledge planes is a class skill.
Minor magic awareness; Can cast detect magic once per day as a spell-like ability and spellcraft is class skill.
Minor technological knowledge; Can use knowledge engineering to determine the principles powering a given technological device. If you are trained in knowledge history, you can use it determine the sort of society which would produce such a device. You may make a Wisdom check to determine how to activate a given device (this does not imbue the character with any skills in the use of the device. It doesn’t teach to use firearms or welding machines, etc).
What's the post rate? One post per 1-2 days with periodic exceptions. I post nearly everyday and you should read my posts at least to keep up. If your character is absent during combat for a bit, I may act for you (keep in mind combat is rare). If you vanish, your character might become a regular NPC. I try to keep everyone's situation in mind - I expect certain currently absent players may return but I think I can handle the six we'll have if Rollo returns.
Posting approach: Most of the time, anyone can start posting after I’ve posted (In melee, anyone can take act first once I give the go-head, just don’t act twice – fair warning, this may initiative-feats less valuable). To a reasonable extent, you can post actions that the entire party takes part in (we enter the room). Don’t be shy. Always be thinking about how you can post to move forward the action – and feel free to send me suggestions on that as well (I’ll required saving throw levels, AC the monster hits + potential damage etc. You will too).
Learn the standard narrative style – write in the third person present tense, etc. Don’t just name a game mechanic, don’t just narrate what you are doing, combine the two. Don't ask whether you can roll a skill, just roll it. I encourage everyone to improvise little pieces of plot as we go along (but exactly how much you do that is up to you, since it’s fairly personal, each continuing player has their own style here). Still, we are creating a story together. I hope to find people excited to help shape this multiverse. I like to move actions quickly and give the group suggestions - though I've slowed down a bit over these years of player. Feel free to push back if things seem to fast for you, you don’t like a suggestion or for any other reasons. I try to be very open to constructive criticism (obviously there are limits). Did I mention “work in progress”? It is a continuing work, with stuff happening, however.
Applying: Describe your character concept and give an example of something you’d improvise in the process of acting in the world. (see above for allowed classes etc). I’ll answer questions and ask questions and then show me a character sheet. I will decide after three days, longer if there aren’t enough applications. This is a demanding campaign so if you are busy or already are in many campaigns, think if you can make the added commitment. Expect to read a fair amount, read each day even you can't post. I put some effort into my narrative, plot development and world-concept. I'm looking for one more players who that appeals to.

Big fan of Blades in the Dark, though I'm admittedly unfamiliar with Planescape. It sounds like quite the story you're telling here!

I have a few characters involved in campaigns that match this sort of vibe (just to offer a sense of where I'm coming from):

I want to take a closer look at the current party to see what sorts of abilities they're currently bringing to the table before I pitch a well-developed concept, but at first glance a bard does seem appropriate. A time oracle or occultist could fit as well. Maybe even an arcanist. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Initial Question:

How are you handling monstrous PCs like the pseudodragon? Are there limitations on what creatures can be chosen (e.g., no greater than base CR 1), trade-offs based on HD to class, etc.? Are the base creature's stats over-written by...

Basically by-the-book without specific limit but you have to ask and have a good story.

I didn't have a concrete monstrous PC in mind, but figured I would ask anyway!

After reading up on a bit of lore, some recent posts, the characters, etc., I have a tentative concept:

I don't know how long the Dimension Wars have been going on, but either way--this character is quite an old elf. If the Dimension Wars are recent, then that doesn't matter so much. If they have been going on since long before the average lifespan of an elf, that wouldn't matter much either. But if the entirety of the Dimension Wars so far could fit into the lifespan of an elf, then this character would (ideally) remember a time before the war.

---

Character Concept
The Curator had accumulated quite the collection of curios for curious commonfolk to canter through at a colossal gallery. He had seen fit to catalog history and culture from not just his home plane but many others as well. Some acquisitions had been won, some had been taken, and others had been requisitioned through...less savory means. And yet the Curator knows that these treasures were in better hands in his museum than they would be if they were ravaged by this interdimensional conflict. After all, he retained certain objects in his collection from pockets of existence that have been utterly wiped out in the war! Who would remember their civilizations if not for the Curator?

It was because of the books that he had published and the conferences that he had spoken at that the Curator came to the attention of The Organization. In the process of amassing his collection, The Curator had become an expert on a score of useful topics. He could make remarkable leaps of logic and connect disparate data points. At times, it made him seem almost prescient, able to anticipate enemy battle plans with uncanny fidelity by referencing three separate events separated by centuries and entire tangles of planar substrate.

Still, the Curator never expected to be called to the front lines. He had been content to remain in the comforts of his Collection in relative safety, summoned by The Organization only when they needed his Counsel (or an item from his collection). But when [big event TBD] shattered his relatively peaceable existence, the Curator was forced to respond. And in taking up some of the items of his collection, he has found skills he could have never anticipated. The memories of the items' previous owners had left impressions on the items. Some of them were not at all pleased with the Curator. But despite their differences, the Collective recognized the threat posed to the multiverse and sought to lend their strength to the Curator.

---

Improved Example 1: General (responding to the sample/recent post)
The Curator sits with Jocinth in his office, rolling his eyes. "Well that should have been sufficiently obvious so as not to even warrant mentioning. Didn't you read in my latest book about the gentleman who erased himself from existence by going back into his past and killing his grandfather by trying to help him earn lots of money? He tried to create a paradox by becoming his own grandfather, but time paradoxes don't play well. I'm sure it's happened more than once, too."

The Curator huffs and clinks some whiskey in his glass and takes a sip, trying to keep his eyes from rolling backwards as he deigns to explain this to Jocinth. "Obviously they should avoid their future selves as much as their past selves. We don't yet have enough historical data about the successful resolution temporal anomalies to manage a current one for obvious reasons. If the anomaly was resolved, it either did so by eliminating the loop by closing it or reverting to a previous stable state. Frankly, I was lucky to find the scrap of evidence that I did. And you are too, Jocinth."

Ah, and the whiskey was out. He clinks the ice back and forth, waggling for Jocinth to refill as he gestures to move the glass telekinetically across the desk. "I still think you should send me out, you know. It sounds like they're struggling. You know I know what I'm talking about, yes? And I don't have to disguise myself as a dog like Terex. Can you imagine? A dog. Ah, but I don't have to tell you. There are more dignified ways of going about The Organization's business. Have I convinced you? I've convinced myself. My things are already packed. Naturally. Anything further, Jo...oh, of course, the whiskey. Well, I suppose I'll finish this."

---

Improvised Example 2: Combat
"I don't think you understand your situation," the Curator says, drawing his bow out as he stares at the eldritch abomination before him. "I might not have killed one of your kind before, but plenty of you have died. You think you will outlive the heat death of the multiverse. That you're special."

The Curator draws two arrows from his quiver, setting them into a pair of grooves barely apart on the wood of the bow. "Don't get me wrong--you're strong. I'm sure you've killed many of my kind, too. But you're just you. Alone."

The Curator takes a deep breath, reminding himself that the Bow responded more to calmness than any other emotion. He taps into that calm, like a meditation, and envisions his arrows piercing through the floating void before him. He sees himself do it, sees others do it as well--with this bow, with blades, with cleansing fire, with teeth--all united in a purpose. And in his hands, the Bow remembers.

Move action: Combat Trick, expending 3 mental focus to gain [single appropriate combat feat]; Standard action: Legacy Weapon, expend 1 mental focus to grant +1, Bane, & Planar to the +4 adaptive composite longbow.

---

I'm leaning significantly into the gentleman adventurer lane while still trying to access the elven flair. A near-immortal with somewhat fewer moral qualms about his actions could be an interesting archetype to play. Haughty, rich, deeply privileged, highly knowledgeable, and often almost insufferable about it. One of those "I'm glad he's on our side because otherwise I could strangle him" types. The Collection would be like having an almost infinite supply of angels and devils on his shoulder trying to sway him, chastise him, praise him, and so forth. I'd hope that they could be an interesting way to delve into the story's history, and a playground for the GM to screw with the Curator (and therefore me as a player).

Having a Collection of disagreeable implements also provides an interesting reason for when things don't work in terms of bad rolls. Maybe it's not necessarily lack of skill represented when the Curator's PC rolls a 1, but rather the particular Implement of the Collection rebelling against the Curator's choices. "Really? Now? You want to make a statement now?!"

Mechanically, I'm envisioning an elven occultist. In combat situations, they are a formidable ranged combatant who can become a fierce melee fighter in necessary situations. They have spells of many sorts from the schools of abjuration, conjuration, divination, illusion, and transmutation, as much focused on augmenting their ability to function as a soldier as a spy and a diplomat. They would take the Minor Technological Knowledge campaign trait (along with Clever Wordplay [Diplomacy]). I have a sketch of a character sheet that I just need to polish up whenever you would like to see it.

This is partially inspired by another character I made previously for a Wrath of the Righteous campaign: Pakk Holstad. Pakk was curious about the structural resonance of different extraplanar substrates. So while the backstory, lore, and race will all be very different, the intellectual drive of Pakk will be quite present in the Curator.

Quite an impressive concept, I have to say. Obviously, I try to balance the weirdness each character gets in the story but keeping this balance of attention in mind, lots of fun (and other characters have sources of entertaining weirdness as well).

There is very little in my world that's in D&D cannon. I really haven't read that much myself. I draw from the Cynosure concept from the old Grimjack comic for my Sigil as much as a draw from the Planescape books (though do have Planescape).

when you say [NO I'm only here for the melee" characters], do you mean ...

Quote:

I mean characters/players that only intend to post in a melee situation. I'd also want skills in other situations but also, be willing to post for stuff beyond what you considered your area of expertise.

Wonderful! Then please allow me to present a draft of a character sheet for the as-to-be-yet-otherwise-unnamed Curator:

I am also interested, I will post something tomorrow.

Introduction
It is late, a small magical light glows on the dark mahogany desk illuminating the neatly arranged items. A set of four quills, each exactly in line with each other, an ink pot, carefully sealed, a small stack of reports, each annotated in a tight, narrow hand. The office itself is thickly carpeted to muffle sound. Book cases line the walls with strange titles, The Mating Habits of Thoqqua, A Treatise on the Third Dimensional War and How to care for your Familiar, a Guide for Apprentices.

A short, dumpy man sits in a comfortable leather armchair pulled up near to the fire. He is reading a lengthy report penned by one of his underlings. Occasionally he feeds a few seeds to a small bird that hops around the room. Behind him there is a thwump noise. He turns and reaches over to a panel on the wall. Twisting several sections it opens to reveal a complicated looking machine. Opening it he removes the scroll tube from inside, A bit late for messages from Head Office he murmurs. Extracting the scroll he slowly opens it and reads its. His hands shake. He reads it again to be sure and shakes his head. Nonsense. He reads it a third time and shudders. Well, things must be pretty bad. Levering himself out of his chair he calls out, Stubbins, pack my bags, Head Office are sending me on a field mission. ME! Can you imagine it!

Background

Archibald Horatio Winstanley has been a member of the Organisation for most of his life although in the early days he didn't know it. Born with a gift for magic he was apprenticed to an apparently minor diviner in a second rate School of Magic on an out of the way planet is a distant arm of the multiverse. What he did not know was that his Master was a member of the Organisation, a local agent, diviner and provider of information to agents being sent on missions across the multiverse. His Master saw in him the potential for great divinatory power and, when he graduated, he guided his career into various fronts which operated for the Organisation.

Archibald established himself early on as a first rate expert in divination and prediction based magic. He was also politically savvy and quickly advanced through the ranks, coming in time to learn about the existence of the Organisation and how it works. By the time he was thirty he had left his own little planet and was heading his own research department. By the time he was forty he was the Head of the Bureau of Divination, Scrying and Occlumency.

Archibald has always been a researcher, a back room man and provider of support services for field agents. He is not, and has never wanted to be, a field agent. It was therefore a great shock to him to receive orders from Head Office to join with a unit in the field and provide actual front line support.

Sorry to go slow. The other character is also pretty interesting. Feel free to tell me more.

Sure, Archibald is an Arcanist with the Harrowed Society Student archetype. He is primarily a researcher and diviner and therefore has a wide range of excellent Knowledge skills. As an accomplished bureaucrat he is excellent reading people and looking out for opportunities to advance. He doesn't really get field work and, if truth be told, is mildly horrified by the idea of having to go and directly confront monsters rather than just briefing agents on what is happening. However, he is committed to the ideals of the Organisation and if that is what Head Office needs then he is going to give it his all.

One quick question, is the Technologist feat of any application in this game as I was thinking of picking it up.

Choices are always difficult. I am choosing polyfrequencies' Collector.

Thank Andreww...

Hi,

We once again need a new player. I may put up a new page if I don't get responses but the current page is still a fine summary. I will be more demanding limiting a player's other campaigns to some minimum.

Hmm... Color me interested, the story sounds incredibly interesting, and what I've read is very engaging. I don't know if this is the game for it, so I'll toss out a concepts before attempting to apply in full:

> **Bella, The Musicbox**
Bella was never meant to exist. A warforged not made for war out of the dying breath of a lover in love with a shadow. Something never intended to live, and yet the mark of draconic prophecy is etched into every mark in her being, showing an intention that was never intended.

And an intention that was never resolved, as she fled and was immediately adopted by planehoppers who had no idea how terrifying the existence of a dragonmarked warforged truely was due to how isolated Eberron is from the rest of the multiverse, and was immediately stolen from there into the greater planescape, leaving a woman who was just another oddity in a universe of oddities.

Or, at least in theory a woman. Truth be told, she still has trouble conceptualizing herself as a woman rather than a thing to be used- Her previous situation before discovering her dragonmark was quite unfortunate (Having been sold off after her creators death to provide poison to assasins and be entertainment).

Hmm... Color me interested, the story sounds incredibly interesting, and what I've read is very engaging. I don't know if this is the game for it, so I'll toss out a concepts before attempting to apply in full:

> **Bella, The Musicbox**

The concept sounds fabulous and well suited to the campaign.

Bump

I've got a few questions on the nature of your setting and houserules to help guide character concepts.

- Are characters from alternate Prime Materials which are industrial or space-opera workable? Are they common?

- Is it Planescape-like in that philosophy is a significant part of organizations, factions and play, and a character who's a bit philosophically out-there would be right at home?

- If I had a character who was physiologically aberrant and strange and obviously the product of mad science/mad wizardry, is there a particular individual or organization in your setting who might be expected to be blamed for it?

- Can you give a capsule summary of the current apocalypse the Organization seeks to avert, as well as a few notable instances of their past successes? Someone grateful to have had their orphanage/kingdom/universe saved is a possibility.

- When you say that monstrous characters are permitted, would you be open to something like the Dreamscarred Press monster classes, the 3.5 LA/RHD rules, extensive use of the Spheres of Origin system's rule that monster PCs can trade combat or casting talents for extra Origin talents, or Olescamo's Improved Monster Classes? I have a certain fondness for true dragons, which don't fit nicely into the 'your race is a sideshow compared to the capabilities from your class levels' paradigm of most Pathfinder races.

- When you say that 3rd party material would be permitted to the extent that it doesn't duplicate other Paizo stuff, would that be extended to stuff Paizo material doesn't do well? Trapper-archetype ranger sort of does 'PC combat trapsmith', but not nearly as well as the Trap sphere. Eldritch Poisoner or Toxicant alchemist sort of does 'PC poisoner', but not nearly as well as the Steel Serpent Path of War discipline or the Alchemy sphere. And even though things like specialist wizards and very few Pathfinder casters can do "I'm not a general-purpose, well-rounded spellcaster, I have a magic superpower with a bunch of abilities tightly fitting around a particular theme" nearly as well as well as a Spheres of Power caster tightly focused on one or two Spheres.

- You describe the game as a 'spy' game a few times. Is being genuinely, groundedly sneaky a job requirement, in the la Carre/Bourne spy tradition albiet with fantasy elements, or are we decidedly in the tradition of the more out-there Bond films, Wild Wild West, etc. with glamor, magic gadgets, death traps and explosions, etc.?

I've got a few questions on the nature of your setting and houserules to help guide character concepts.

...

The Dark Traders are more like ongoing antagonists than a group headed towards a single apocalypse.

Players aren't usually engaged in philosophical debates but there's a lot of inquiry into the nature of the planes and the nature of civilizations in the planes - as well as some dabbling in things like time travel and worlds with strange natural orders, local (single-plane-wide) disasters and etc.

As far as secret agent-ness, Characters do periodically assume cover identities and gather information using those cover identities.

I'm learning to just not answer hypothetical "will you allow this sort of power" questions unless someone describes a character concept they want to play first. I will allow a lot if you present me a compelling concept (and I'll give lots of latitude here if you make it compelling).

And I think the best way to fully answer your questions is to have a look at the game play thread and the existing characters. I may some time produce a synopsis of the last three years of daily play (6+ distinct plot arcs, etc) but it's not immediately on my agenda.

This is a game requires reading on daily or every-other-day basis so if you're interested, probably start now.

Lawful Lilly wrote:

Hmm... Color me interested, the story sounds incredibly interesting, and what I've read is very engaging. I don't know if this is the game for it, so I'll toss out a concepts before attempting to apply in full:

> **Bella, The Musicbox**

The concept sounds fabulous and well suited to the campaign.

Wonderful! I've started on the character sheet, so my apologies for taking so long to respond- Character sheet creation is complex for a 14th level character, and I do work full time.

I hope you don't mind, but it will require access to Spheres of Power- Particularly the Creation sphere and Enhancement sphere, as I plan on emulating a siberyus mark using spheres of power, fluffing it as an innate part of her design meshing with her dragonmark to let her gain more from it.

Notably, she is going to be very charisma based, and probably going to be an Incanter. I don't suppose I could request that incanters be bumped to a 4+int class, or to be allowed to take some Skill Spheres to hopefully offset my low skill ranks. The only other stuff might be a war sphere talent to emulate a music box, some warleader sphere talent to emulate vocals, and maybe some perform or artifice talents if Guile is on the table.

GM Hansj wrote:

Lawful Lilly wrote:

Hmm... Color me interested, the story sounds incredibly interesting, and what I've read is very engaging. I don't know if this is the game for it, so I'll toss out a concepts before attempting to apply in full:

> **Bella, The Musicbox**

The concept sounds fabulous and well suited to the campaign.

Wonderful! I've started on the character sheet, so my apologies for taking so long to respond- Character sheet creation is complex for a 14th level character, and I do work full time.

I hope you don't mind, but it will require access to Spheres of Power- Particularly the Creation sphere and Enhancement sphere, as I plan on emulating a siberyus mark using spheres of power, fluffing it as an innate part of her design meshing with her dragonmark to let her gain more from it.

Notably, she is going to be very charisma based, and probably going to be an Incanter. I don't suppose I could request that incanters be bumped to a 4+int class, or to be allowed to take some Skill Spheres to hopefully offset my low skill ranks. The only other stuff might be a war sphere talent to emulate a music box, some warleader sphere talent to emulate vocals, and maybe some perform or artifice talents if Guile is on the table.

I think Terex is using Spheres of Power and I'm looking into them for my IRL campaign so they're OK but give a couple days myself to read up on them to understand what you're talking about.

Ill look into making the tragic Lady who is inflicted with Lycanthrope turning into a Werebat. I will have to build her up from 2nd level but I will do that.

Lawful Lilly wrote:

GM Hansj wrote:

Lawful Lilly wrote:

Hmm... Color me interested, the story sounds incredibly interesting, and what I've read is very engaging. I don't know if this is the game for it, so I'll toss out a concepts before attempting to apply in full:

> **Bella, The Musicbox**

The concept sounds fabulous and well suited to the campaign.

Wonderful! I've started on the character sheet, so my apologies for taking so long to respond- Character sheet creation is complex for a 14th level character, and I do work full time.

I hope you don't mind, but it will require access to Spheres of Power- Particularly the Creation sphere and Enhancement sphere, as I plan on emulating a siberyus mark using spheres of power, fluffing it as an innate part of her design meshing with her dragonmark to let her gain more from it.

Notably, she is going to be very charisma based, and probably going to be an Incanter. I don't suppose I could request that incanters be bumped to a 4+int class, or to be allowed to take some Skill Spheres to hopefully offset my low skill ranks. The only other stuff might be a war sphere talent to emulate a music box, some warleader sphere talent to emulate vocals, and maybe some perform or artifice talents if Guile is on the table.

I think Terex is using Spheres of Power and I'm looking into them for my IRL campaign so they're OK but give a couple days myself to read up on them to understand what you're talking about.

Just to save you some time, TL;DR-

Creation- Make things, very free-form. Think if a wizard was focused only on true creation, minor creation, fabricate and true creation. A powerful sphere as a resault.

Enhancement- Mimics magic items that give +X Stats to things, also has Animate object and "Awaken," including something that mimics living spells.

War- Relatively simple but large area of effect spells that give small bonuses to any number of people

Warleader- same as War, but not magic

Artifice- improve your ability to create things and give material effects to the items you make

Perform- gives some non-combat performances directly and material effects in combat.

So my initial Idea is Lady Vosk was born under an aspicious sign. A sickly child raised by mid ranking nobles who thought there child lost. The strife between the pair was heated as Emilia wasnt the first born, but the forst to come out alive.

The pair tried a variety of divine and alchemical options in their kingdom. Sadly she did not get better. Eventually a witch came at behest of the Families butler and the young toddler was gicen several strange tonics and tinctures, combined with rituals and runic sigils. Emilia was cured. Though her mother was once more pregnant.

This year long treatment altered her to the core. Her eyes turned a golden amber.This was the latent Bat Blood which the wotch used to stabloze Emilia. At age 8 her parents, servents and sibilings had acted eerie about her, this lead to the parents contacting the witch and taking Emilia to aid her

Emilia learned the truth that her totem the Bat was trying to eat her soul and thus the Witch used her magics and rituals to bond the spirit inher flesh. Now it was up to Emilia to choose what to do with such a spirit. The 8 year old young Lady began right then and there to train.

From age 8 to 12 she trained. Emilia learning wood craft and tapping into the beast within. Her master the Witch drilled her on the various techniques and skills of the Shifter. Soon she could control it to some extent.

At 12 Emilias parents sent thier steward out to collect Emilia she was to debut to the rest of high society. Emilia agreed to leave when she knew she wasnt done teaining, for her duties as the Vosk lead daugther would need to learn to also be a lady.

It was a tumultous time lesrning the ways of the court, the intrigue and politics. All the while she kept the beast at bay, using it to intimidate some and intrigue others. Eventually at 15 she was granted leave once more ans threw herself into the studies of the occult.

Sadly her ventures into magic where for not as its complexities and enegies escaped her reach. Even seeking power in the Divine was lacking. So she instead became an Adventurer. Seeking the life of exploration and allowing her ro research and expand her thrist for knowledge

Combined with the unlockinf of the beast within Lady Emilia Vosk tasked herself to fight and research the most darkest of places. It was these abilities that lead her to be recruited by the Organization. A proper lady with a bit of Beast inside. Through Intimidation and Guile she has accomplished much.

She would be a Lady, Adventurer and Monster all in one. Like a Lycanthropic Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde

I think Terex is using Spheres of Power and I'm looking into them for my IRL campaign so they're OK but give a couple days myself to read up on them to understand what you're talking about.

Terexaltherin is indeed using Spheres of Power to represent expanding his psionic powers beyond his native telepathy. :)

For everyone's information, I am going to wait at least until Lawful Lilly makes her character to decide anything.

Lyra is tech-based from a Starfinder-like Tech as Magic plane and married to Arlo from a high-fantasy magic plane.

Sorry for the delay! It's been a rough week, and Bella is... Not done yet, because a 14th level character is hard, and it's also just as hard to transpose it to the standard bestiary character stat format. But for the most part, mechanically she is pretty much done, save for magic item shopping (A nightmare at the best of time!) on the mythweavers sheet (https://og.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2862578) if not on her profile

I have done some stuff: Warforged was used a base, but I made a custom ACF to swap out her natural armor for constant detect magic (Redundant with her trait but an interesting and thematic option for a support-focused warforge gift) and Sociable (Which allows her a second diplomacy attempt if she fails >5) from the race builder for the same price (3 rp and 1 rp respectively)

I also used oaths for her magic items, because she is in her story a magic item, and she would not usually be given magic items- Any further magic items I would buy I'd buy double price for slotless (AKA, as tattoos) Oaths with Oath of Offerings and the ones I chose are basically just automatic bonus progression

I'll see what I can do later in the week, thank you for your patience.

Thanks for keeping me informed. I'll look more now that I have some days off myself.

Alright, she's pretty much done mechanically, just need to write some more synopsis and character backstory stuff for her and actually format the damn thing.

in the meantime, battle sampler! This shows her flashiest action (AKA, summon big rock on head on fire and poisoned), and while I usually wouldn't do a party-debuffing effect like this (Or break with the plan there), I feel like this serves as a better introduction to Bellas personality.

Struck sorely by Terex, the Hermit transforms ... into a 20' tall amphibian corpse-figure and confronts Arlo - slamming him with a mighty slap that sends him 20' in the air to land in a heap and doing 15 points of damage while attempting to suck out his life force Fort save 20 or 3 pts constitution damage it then mutters curses in Aklo (but loudly) and stalks to Terex's general location, peering about to find the tiny dragon.

The "hermit" has huge rents in its body from Terex but you realize its sound may be loud enough to reach the town and the "stable hand"... about a quarter mile away...

Bella was not practiced in combat. Combat, in fact, was something that was mostly alien to her. Combat, in fact, was a horribly unfamiliar experience to her, so much so that she began to feel the panic boil in her. thaumaturge surge: 1d100 ⇒ 57

So she did what she always did. She desperately tried to weave something together on the backfoot, her brain flickering back to the small room she used to live in, Creation sphere Create a gargantuant object quietly weaving that memory into something solid and steel, not quite noticing her screams as the person transformed. Craft: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (17) + 19 = 36 Her mind remembered making poisons, flickering to her hands coated in thornapple divided creation for an Alchemical Creation 300 gp between memories of smoke as it burnt in the air Enhance with energetic enhancement for +1d6 + 7 fire damage, screaming as she felt herself fall from it, linking that cry to her own in the present as she felt the item congeal... And fall

Building fall attack roll vs touch: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (16) + 19 = 35 All creatures hit by it must make a DC 28 fort save or be blinded

If she was smarter, she would have been more careful. She would have realized, there might have been collateral damage from this. She, in this moment, was not smart, as she dropped a building on him. Them, actually, as she hits both Arlo and herself.

Damage from stone object falling over 150 feet: 16d6 + 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (4, 2, 2, 4, 2, 6, 3, 4, 5, 5, 1, 4, 2, 5, 3, 3) + (6) + 7 = 68 Everyone in a 10 foot radius from the target takes half damage
Fort save: 1d20 + 13 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 13 + 2 = 23

She opened her eyes, looking at the building in shock- Largely because she is, in fact, blind. Her mind flashes back to the small rooom the boulder is designed to resemble, a cutout in design to the place she was stored until needed. Terathin can see, in the middle on a tiny plinth, is a stone statue of Bella, and another of a different woman pressing Bella's forehead as she kneeled. An effect quite marred when the beast rises up from the debris, shattering the statue of Bella as it rises.

OK, I am bumping this. We could use another player. Role is pretty currently. Long running, "deep" campaign. Hope for someone who can make time for such a thing.

I might be able to take this on. What do you need from me? And what does the party need? I have a vague idea for a minotaur-themed skald.

With have 1 front line fighter, and three magic/psion spell/power slingers.
So another front liner may be good.

I am not familiar with Blades in the Dark. However I built an occultist based on a Shadowrun Adept (if that is what they were called). Shadowrun setting seems to have a lot of similarities to the Blades.
She is fun to play, and with some modifications (& level up) might make a good fit.
I have lots of short story experience. I hope I can find a good sample of a 'descriptive' PbP-post from her, but there are plenty in the GM & other characters if you look at my profile.
That is, if you have room for another.

Gift has a point that fighter could be useful.

I'm mostly asking for a narrative/flavorful description of the potential character to give me an idea of your approach. The Blades In The Dark reference is most around "you can add backstory with you narrative whenever appropriate, within reason".

The game has been going a while and you can look at the game play thread to see how we operate.

(and we seeking one character currently, yes)

The character I'm developing is sort of a nature bard with the preliminary name of Chella Heartfire. She's a tiefling skald, and grew up under the domineering thumb of her archdevil father who first introduced her to the interdimensional panoply. For a long time her role was punishing sinners at her master's direction, taking her to a variety of different planes, and she hated it. His favorite punishment was transforming her into a wild bull and having her trample them to death. They lived in a dark demiplane somewhere deep in the outer realms, but he often traveled to Sigil to research his targets, and he always brought Chella with him (in chains).

She has an aasimar half-sister (Peri) who tracked her down and helped her finally defeat her father, but she was forced to sacrifice her own life in the process. She now exists as a formless spirit, bonded to Chella and helping her from beyond the veil. For several years now they have lived on Sigil, taking odd jobs and struggling to get by. Chella has specialized in physical skills like Survival and social skills like Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Sense Motive. She is also immensely strong and tough, and wields a powerful greatclub for when talks break down. Peri is a literal ghost in the machine with a high understanding of technological magic and creature lore.

Hi GM! Considering monstrous races are allowed, would you consider templates?

My idea would be for a middle-aged human werebear (polar bear) aiming for the Champion of Irori prestige class, which needs both levels in monk and paladin.

Bear (sorry!) in mind that while the lycanthopic template could be very powerful, giving me a lot of Str/Con, I'm balancing it my picking a combination of classes that are absolutely MAD. To be good in melee I need both Str and Con. With no armor, I need Dex and Wis. As a servant of Irori, I can't dump Int in good faith (sorry!) and finally, since the paladin's abilities are tied to Cha, I also need it. All in all, every single attribute is essential.

He should be pretty tough and effective in melee, both as a damage dealer and as a damage sponge. In terms of skills, should be great in knowledge and also contribute to social encounters.

With a powerful template, I'd also devote most of my feats in more fluff choices to make me more versatile instead of pumping extra power into it.

If allowed, I'd soon develop some scenes so you can see how my character would RP and decide if it fits your game.

I must say, however, that I'm not versed in the Planescape lore. Would this disqualify me?

With have 1 front line fighter, and three magic/psion spell/power slingers.

I know Terex here can casts spells and use psionic powers, but he's really more of a rogue than anything else... :D

That said, he's *definitely* not suited to front-line combat. But the truth is this campaign hasn't really been about combat. Sure it happens, but we tend to spend much more time on figuring out how to deal with strange magical phenomena or trying to figure out what our enemies' goals are or other things like that.

I'll also add that we're not really using Planescape lore as-written, so not knowing it is not a problem.

I looked over the existing characters, keeping in mind the original instructions that everyone on the team should have a specific area of expertise that might be useful to a gang of interdimensional private investigators based in Sigil. It seems to me you've got everything covered extremely well, and the only areas I could find that aren't as highly-ranked as the others are wilderness skills like Swim and Survival. So that's where I started.

Mechanically, Chella as I've developed her would be a force multiplier for Arlo in combat, inspiring rage to boost his Strength and also granting him damage reduction. She has the celestial totem line of rage powers, which are kind of a neat suite of useful abilities: healing, revealing hidden enemies, and spell resistance. And she's generally focused on absorbing and mitigating damage herself, which should take some of the heat off the others.

Outside of combat, she is focused on Strength and Charisma, and has good scores in Diplomacy, Intimidate, Sense Motive, and Bluff so that she can support Azzim in social situations. She has no Intelligence-based skills, or any sort of subterfuge except through her cohort's aid, because that seems to be Gift's and Terexaltherin's wheelhouses. Skald/bard spells are generally good at helping others' skills though, and I'm hoping Peri could also assist them somewhat without overshadowing them.

All the character concepts so far seem workable. What I would like to see is something like a sample post for a given character. How would the character relate to the broad task/quest of working with The Organization to stop the Dark Traders? I say more in the very first post on this thread.

Also, questions on the plot, setting and style are welcome (though you can see more or less what it is in the game thread).

(As Terex says, while "rounding out" the party could be nice, it's not main thing. Unless a character really duplicate another party member's functions, just about any class/etc else could be OK (the longer-term character we lost a while back was a sorcerer for example). We have the occasional tough combat but we also go along with mostly narration for longish periods. )

Chella frowns, her beady eyes staring intently past her long muzzle as she attempts to puzzle out the words on the page in front of her. "What am I looking at, Peri?" she grumbles, addressing her steel-banded greatclub and the faint image of a woman in the metal's reflection. "It just seems like a lot of numbers and letters. Is this another one of your 'cross-sword puzzles'? You know I'm no good at any of that." She tries to keep the frustration out of her voice, since she knows her half-sister means well, but she hated these kind of mind games.

Peri's image in the metal winks. "IT'S DELVONIAN SCRIPT," her ghostly voice proclaims, drawing out the words like she is giving a clue, the sound echoing slightly in the small corner of the eatery where Chella waits for her meal. "GO ON, TRY AND DECODE IT-- THERE'S A POTENTIAL JOB OFFER BEHIND IT IF YOU CAN MANAGE IT!" She laughs, a bright and giddy sound that is both right next to Chella and also very far away at the same time.

Chella sighs and begins examining the magical nature of the text, adjusting the letters in her mind and cross-referencing them with her own sorcerous understanding based on musical theory. Despite herself, she does become interested as she works, so much so that she doesn't notice when the server brings her a bowl of watery soup and bread, leaving it on the table. "Oh, it's a poem!" she says suddenly. "The text can be adjusted into four lines, and the first and third both resonate in the same way, as do the second and fourth. That's neat." She looks over at the greatclub with narrowed eyes. "Is that close enough, or do I have to do more to learn about the job details?"

Peri laughs again. "WELL DONE! ACTUALLY, I DO NOT KNOW MUCH ABOUT THE DETAILS, ONLY THAT A GROUP OF HUMANS AND GNOMES FROM ORGUANION ARE LOOKING TO HIRE OFFWORLDERS TO HELP THEM WITH A TASK. ORGUANION IS AN OLD-WORLD SOCIETY BASED ON GUILDS WHO ARE NORMALLY VERY HOSTILE TO OUTSIDERS. HOWEVER, THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE BOOKBINDER'S GUILD DO OCCASIONALLY HIRE EXPERTS FROM AS FAR AWAY AS SIGIL FOR EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES THAT REQUIRE SPECIAL HANDLING." She smiles, a glorious image inexplicably bathed in light. "A GROUP OF THEM ARE SHOWING AROUND THAT PAGE IN THE GUILDHALL WARD, DESCRIBING IT AS A SORT OF TEST TO SEE IF THEY WANT TO HIRE PEOPLE. MOST OF THE MERCENARIES THEY HAVE MET WITH SO FAR DON'T LOOK AS BRAWNY AS YOU, SO YOU WOULD BE A DISTINCTIVE CANDIDATE. YOU SHOULD GO OVER THERE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, CHELLA DEAR."

Chella sighs again. She starts to protest that she hasn't even gotten her dinner yet, when she notices it sitting on the table. She pauses. Peri's advice was usually sound, though sometimes a bit delayed because of her unorthodox methods of obtaining information. And despite her initial misgivings, she was a little intrigued. "Veewell," she says after a moment's thought, "But let me finish the food first." Her purse was lean enough that she couldn't afford to waste a meal, and she had been scaling back to only two a day since work had dried up. Really shouldn't have upset the Harmonium, she thinks to herself for the umpteenth time, scowling at the memory. She slurps the bowl down in three gulps and grabs the roll to eat on the way, taking her club and leaving coins on the table. "I hope this isn't a waste of time," she mutters, eternally optimistic despite her gruff exterior.

I'll have to bow out of the recruitment. I've read through a bit of the gameplay and while I did love it, I believe I don't have enough energy to match the effort of the other players. Perhaps in the future!

Happy gaming folks!

I work Mondays and Tuesday. I'll try to respond tomorrow

Sure! Let me know if you need anything else.

Chella frowns... (impressive stuff)

When Peri and Chella follow up the lead, they meet not Orguanions but a tall human woman calling herself Livonia of The Organization. She outlines the principles of the group and asks if Chella would be interested in a more ambitious job that would only begin with translation... Appropriate training is quickly provided...

Congratulations, consider yourself hired and going with the party... Introduce yourself on either the discussion or the game play thread as is appropriate...