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After taking a short break from Paizo to recharge the batteries, I've decided to start afresh and put on the GM's hat and try my hand at running the Jade Regent AP.
I've been involved in play-by-posts on Paizo for the past nine years and I do love good story telling and interesting, multifaceted characters. Personally, I am not one who is interested in highly optimised characters who can do one or two things really well at the expense of everything else - I prefer a little more depth, diversity and flexibility. I am looking for five players who enjoy good storytelling, roleplay and adventuring fun. The adventure begins in the small town of Sandpoint on the west coast of Varisia. Therefore, it makes sense that your character should be from Sandpoint (or at least from that region) in order to explain how your character established his/her relationship with one of the four key NPCs : Ameiko Kaijitsu, Koya Mvashti, Sandru Vhiski and Shalelu Andosana. The game will begin in the Summer season (mid Summer), in the month of Erastus, so you can choose your gear accordingly. The most commonly worshiped deities in the region are Abadar, Desna, Erastil, Gozreh, Sarenrae and Shelyn.
* Character Creation Guidelines *
• Characters: Starting at Level 1
• 15-Point Buy Build: Please note that only one ability stat will be permitted to be below 10 (after penalties) and it cannot go below 9. Stat dumps don't make me happy. ;)
• Allowable Races: Core plus the following Uncommon Races: Changeling, Kitsune, Samsaran. No Advanced Races, for example, no Aasimar or Tiefling permitted. (Please note: I like diversity, so you won't be seeing multiple kitsune, for eg, accepted in game.)
• Allowable Classes: Core, Base (No Summoner! No gunslinger - except for bolt ace, which is permitted), Alternate Classes (only Ninja & Samurai) and Hybrid. No Occult Classes. Can use standard or unchained versions of Barbarian, Monk or Rogue.
• No Third Party Publishers/Materials.
• Alignment: Characters can be of any Good or Neutral Alignment (except for CN). No Evil alignments will be permitted.
• Background Skills: We will be using Background Skills (2 per level). Please tie them into your backstory.
• Traits: Characters will begin play with 3 traits, one of which must be a Campaign trait found in the Jade Regent Player's Guide. No Drawbacks for a 4th trait.
• Hit Points: Characters on 1st level will start out with maximum hit points. Thereafter, the character will take average plus 1.
• Starting Gold: Average starting gold per class.
• Backstory: I do like a good backstory and may use elements from each player's backstory in game in some way. The backstory need not be a novel, but give me something to work with, please (a few paragraphs is good). ;) Can you also provide me the general fluff details, such as age of your character, physical description and a personality blurb on your character profiles or via a spoiler on your submission post. I like working together with players to build an enjoyable adventure/story.
• Romance: Romance is an option in game with one of the 4 key NPCs or the other PCs. It is not a requirement, however.
• Conflict: I do not enjoy negative energy/drama, especially for the sake of it. Some tension between PCs (tug and pull to build relationships and story arcs along the way) makes reasonable sense as people can be emotional creatures. However, I do not want to see any PvP in game or heated conflict between players out of game. That isn't fun for anyone, especially a GM. If there is an issue that someone feels strongly about, I ask that you PM me directly and we'll try to resolve it in a harmonious fashion.
• Posting rate: I hope that players will be able to post at least once a day on weekdays (Monday-Friday). I do hope to see more if people are so inclined as I did mention I enjoy rp, and, I prefer keeping the game moving forward at a good, steady pace. I won't be rushing through the AP. Weekends will generally be free, as I understand people have lives and responsibilities. I know I do. If, for any reason, a player cannot post, I ask that a message be posted in a timely fashion on the discussion board or via PM to me notifying any absences (especially longer absences). If you're off the board for more than 24 hours without notification, your character may be botted to keep the game moving.
• Time Zones: I'm currently in the Southern Hemisphere (GMT+10). I have no issue with different time zones and we'll work together to ensure players can post and are not left out.
• Recruitment Period: Recruitment will remain open until close of Saturday, 22nd August. I will announce the successful applicants either on the Sunday or Monday following. If I get enough submissions before that date, I may close recruitment earlier. i will give advanced notice (48 hours), if I decide to do this.
If you have any questions regarding character creation, please ask away or shoot me a PM. If people prefer posting their characters on the recruitment board/page without setting up an alias (which is fine), please use spoilers so the feed doesn't get bogged down by long walls of text which can make it hard to see submissions coming in. New players are welcome! I look forward to reading through your submissions! :)
~ GM Chesca.
I'm actually GMing jade regent myself, but I'm wondering if it would be ok to submit a character regardless? I'm certainly capable of keeping player and GM knowledge separate.
@oyzar: I'm okay with that. Please go ahead and submit a character, if you're still interested. Thanks. :)
Argh, I keep trying to get into JR games with this character, but I just can't do 15 point buy. :/
Worse still, this campaign structure looks like it otherwise checks off everything I'm looking for in a JR game! :(
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@Hattori: I have considered what you've said in your post and followup PM and I have decided to allow a 20 point buy build. Hopefully that'll make things better for all applicants.
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To all impending applicants: It'll now be a 20 point buy. :)
Definitely interested! I have a character that I can rewrite slightly to fit the campaign...
Question: does the third trait has to be a drawback?
Great. I'll be making a heavens oracle with a crush on Ameiko then.
20 point buy is much easier to deal with :).
Question: Does the third trait has to be a drawback?
Everyone can have three traits (and one of those must be a campaign trait). No drawbacks need to be taken.
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Hello, Filona is a gnome sorceress tinker that didn't make another JR recruitment. I know most people like to make characters with oriental flavors for this campaign, but you say wanderlust, I say gnome. I know they aren't mutually exclusive, but Filona is a little more expressive than what oriental cultural normally dictates.
I just need to adjust the specific mechanical aspects of the recruitment, but she is otherwise a ready submission especially in regards to background, appearance and personality.
One other thing, she is not open for romantic relationships in the caravan.
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Is the third time the charm...lol?
I would like to submit my Magus. I shall update him to your specs.
Thank you for running!
I'll throw my hat in the ring with 1 1st level Half-Elf Arcanist.
Neat! I’ve got a Shoanti cavalier that I’ve submitted for a few previous JR games who’s just about ready to go.
One note, Beastbrother isn’t an eastern-oriented character at all, but the stranger in a strange land aspect of Jade Regent is what’s always interested me about it.
I suppose I am all set then! Aiko (I use the convention of family name-personal name on this character) is a resident of Sandpoint who, like Ameiko, is descended from a family that traveled there a few generations ago. Her family is directly tied to the Kaijitsus.
As a ninja, Aiko fills the typical skill role for a team, handling stealth and traps with the occasional sneak attack. She is not a very skilled fighter though, and needs to rely on flanking if she has to get into combat. Outside of combat she is reasonably charming and makes a living as an acrobat and performer.
Since Aiko is a Sandpoint native, she would presumably have a pre-established relationship with other characters from the town, and I'm happy to work that connection with other PCs.
Thank you in advance!
Dotting with interest :)
Dotting!
I've seen great things about this AP so many times so I will see if I can come up with something!
I have a character for just the occasion. I just need to do some adjustments with his stats.
Another Jade Regent! A good place for the magical-tail based kitsune I...
I’m supper intrested. I may look at doing a magic tail focused rouge Kitsune. Not set on that yet though.
Oh.
Seems to be a popular concept! The first recruitment I built her for, someone else submitted an almost-exact-same character as I was finishing up the background (and they were selected, to boot)...so I'll find something else to make :)
Working on a Samsaran. :)
Would you be willing to house rule some monk archetypes to work with unchained monk? Specifically looking at drunken master.
I'll update this character's stats to your specifications, but otherwise here is my half-orc ranger! My backstory is tied to a somewhat aged-down version of Koya, if that's all right (she would be middle-aged, maybe early- to mid-forties).
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Also for record I don’t think I’m going to use the samurai alt-class, mostly because it’s terrible. I’m thinking steelblooded bloodrager, with the bloodrage and magical stuffs being flavored as some sort of possession and the character being unsure if the possessing spirit is a friendly ancestor or a malevolent oni.
Dotting for interest....
Kind Regards,
GM Chesca.
And another godsent opportunity to play some Jade Regent arrives! Huzzah! In celebration of that fact I have a Kitsune Ninja submission that I've been itching to play.
She's a primarily kitted to be stealth scout and face, but she can also do some melee damage when required. Roleplay-wise she's got a built in connection to both Minkai (her clan's from there) and Ameiko (her Childhood Crush) along with some dark secrets connected to her past before arriving in Sandpoint.
Going to need to twerk the backstory a little and cut down on some fat, but other than that Hana's ready to go!
Roleplay-wise she's got a built in connection to both Minkai (her clan's from there) and Kasumi (her Childhood Crush)
Who's Kasumi?
Roleplay-wise she's got a built in connection to both Minkai (her clan's from there) and Kasumi (her Childhood Crush)Who's Kasumi?
Figured I'd mess up a detail. I meant Ameiko. Thanks for the catch.
No worries, I just didn't recognize the name so I was a bit befuddled! Don't mind me! :)
(Sometimes DMs add or expand to APs, so I didn't know!)
Hi GM! Archlich here with my submission. This is Akatsu, a "Jackie Chan"-stylish monk, fighting with an improvised sledgehammer. I realize I might have competition for the Ameiko sibling trait, but I think it fits better his story and style. I'd be happy to adapt my background or any other part to better fit with the rest of the party if necessary, including sharing the Kaijitsu brotherhood.
Here is my submission. I just finished retooling her from the last Jade Regent Recruitment.
I am currently building a Dwarf Druid named Durrbin Frostbeard, and will post him when I have the backstory flushed out. I took the student survivalist for my campaign trait and am planning on focusing on wild shaping but if I get accepted and we end up needing more of a caster, it'd be an easy fix mechanically.
GM: The first recruitment I put this character into was all romantic attachments, so that was the original intent. But it doesn't have to be. I'll tweak Thakus' backstory and take that part out.
<-- Here is my character for consideration.
This stuff is in the profile, but pulling it out here so you don't have to go hunting.
Name: Zyren
Race/Class: Samsaran / Arrowsong Minstrel Bard
Age: 40 (this is before the official adulthood age of Samsarans, which is explained in the backstory, but it was also an attempt to fit the story with Koya's age. Happy to work it in a different way if you wish though.)
Zyren looks mostly human, except for the pale blue skin and solid white eyes with no pupil or iris. Her hair is dark, long, and luxurious, though she often wears it tied back in a ponytail.
Zyren is six feet tall, so on the tall side compared to a human, and she is actually quite beautiful if you aren't focused on purely human-centric ideals.
When she starts talking people pay attention. It could be partly due to the strangeness of her appearance, but she chooses to believe it is the velvety quality of her voice that calms people down and helps them to smile.
Some of Zyren's earliest memories are not of herself, or at least a different self. She remembers being a thief, a ranger, and a sorcerer. She remembers being wealthy and being poor. These past lives have shaped her, and she hopes to continue to improve in this life. Her name is a combination of two of her former incarnations, Zyra and Rendan, both of which she wants to remember for different reasons. Zyra was perhaps her earliest incarnation, a thief who eventually changed her ways and started an orphanage, and Rendan is perhaps her most recent incarnation who was outwardly a model citizen, but who was thinking about leaving his family when he died. She has a feeling that her soul is getting worse instead of better, and is worried about that.
Her hope for improvement was in danger when she was young. Though she doesn't remember it clearly herself, for it was only ten years or so after her last reincarnation, she has been told the story frequently of falling off a horse as a child (to her shame the cause was misbehavior and not neglect) and being trampled while her adoptive parents were traveling with a caravan. Luckily it was a caravan that Koya was traveling in too, all those years ago, and it was she who saved her life, and gave her the chance to attain harmony in this life. It was this that inspired Zyren to leave home before the age of official Samsaran adulthood to travel with and learn from Koya, making her way by being the traveling entertainer for the caravans that Koya travels with.
Zyren has a heart that is drawn to chaos, and she frequently has the urge to act before thinking things through. She does her best to resist this inclination, but that is what led her to leave home, and it sometimes leads her to make rash choices or judgements. She is still trying, and hopes to live a very long time so that she can improve and become as patient and as kind as Koya, and tries to emulate her and to be of service to the people around her, bringing joy to others through story and song rather than giving in to the selfishness that so easily takes root in her heart. Like the phoenix that she saw arise in an ancient memory (or was it a dream?), she hopes to burn away the evil in herself and rise in purity from the ashes to be born anew.
Meanwhile though, she very much enjoys traveling and seeing new things, and it is easier to be calm when her curiosity is sated. :)
I think that I'm going to build an inquisitor of Desna with the Foster Child background trait with the link to Koya Mvashti. I will create the backstory and crunch and post here soon!
I am so excited about Jade Regent having read the player's guide - I've never been able to play it but it looks like exactly the kind of game I would love with the focus on character development and relationships (friendly, competitive and romantic etc).
This looks great and gives me the opportunity to use a (simple) concept I've had in mind for a decent while.
I'm looking at making a Brine May Changeling, daughter of the Sea Hag Pegg o'Ness who haunts the coast south and west of Sandpoint. I'm looking at either the Friend of the Family trait.
Main thing is she was planted in a travelling Varisian family and has already travelled as a child, returning to Sandpoint at least once every year. The Friend of the Family part would originate with her (adoptive) great grandmother being the cousin of Niska Mvashti so they'd come to the Mvashti's whenever they were near Sandpoint and Koya might even have occasionally accompanied them for parts of their travel.
Everyone can have three traits (and one of those must be a campaign trait). No drawbacks need to be taken.
Thanks GM!
I'll rebuild my Shoanti Rogue slightly, and fix his background to fit the campaign
This will be Dorian Grey's submission.
Please, any questions, or concerns are welcome.
Fingers crossed!
Presenting Beastbrother, Shriikirri-Quah nomad, mounted warrior, and rugged survivalist!
Beastbrother
Human (Shoanti) cavalier (hussar) 1 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player's Guide 32, Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Intrigue 25)
CG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +4; Senses Perception +6
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Defense
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AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed 14 (+4 armor, +2 Dex)
hp 11 (1d10+1)
Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +3
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee earth breaker +5 (2d6+6/×3) or
. . lance +5 (1d8+6/×3)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (10 ft. with lance)
Special Attacks challenge 1/day (+1 damage, Allied animals gain +1 attack & +2 AC vs target.)
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Statistics
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Str 18, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 10
Base Atk +1; CMB +5; CMD 17
Feats Cavalry Formation[UC], Mounted Combat, Totem Spirit (shriikirri-quah)[ISWG]
Traits auspicious tattoo (shoanti), beast bond, caravan guard
Skills Craft (leather) +4, Diplomacy +4, Handle Animal +5 (+9 to force this mount into an Unnatural Aura.), Intimidate +4, Perception +6, Ride +7 (+11 to force this mount into an Unnatural Aura.), Survival +7
Languages Common, Shoanti
SQ agile warrior, fast mount +10 ft., mount (horse named Tunalin), order of the reins
Other Gear lamellar (leather) armor[UC], earth breaker[UE], lance, 65 gp
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Special Abilities
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Agile Warrior (Ex) Gain Acrobatics, Escape Artist, Stealth, and Survival as class skills.
Animal Companion Link (Ex) Handle or push Animal Companion faster, +4 to checks vs. them.
Cavalry Formation May share space with other mounts, charge through space occupied by allied mount
Fast Mount +10 ft. (Ex) When riding any mount all modes of movement increase speed.
Mount (Ex) Gain the services of a special animal companion.
Mounted Combat (1/round) Once per round you can attempt to negate a hit to your mount in combat.
Reins's Challenge +1 (1/day) (Ex) +1 to damage target, -2 AC vs. others when used, Allied animals gain +1 attack & +2 AC vs target.
The civilized people of Varisia may claim that the people of the Shrikiiri-Quah learn to ride before they learn to walk. In Akechetan’s case, it was not far from the truth. It was barely a day after he first learned to walk that he rode for the first time, and by the age of ten he was one of the best riders in his tribe. His immediate family saw him as a promising member of the clan, that one day he would embody all the virtues of the Hawk Clan, as a wanderer, an emissary, and a horseman. Of those virtues, he had a powerful wanderlust, always seeking the next horizon. He was also exceptional when it came to animals, with him feeling almost closer to the animals that his clan tended to than his own family. However, Akechetan was far from following the path of a nonviolent diplomat. He was incredibly pugnacious, getting in fights on a nearly weekly basis. In particular, his greatest rival was his cousin, a young woman named Takchahpi. The reasons behind their frequent fights were as numerous as the fights themselves. His elders despised two of the most promising youths of the clan being so close to the ideals of their people, yet straying so fundamentally from them. Akechetan and Takchahpi did not care much. They were content to ride and wander and fight. They continued like that for years, and eventually the two came of age.
Akechetan was given the name of Beastbrother, for his incredible closeness to his clan’s animals. After coming of age, the bitterness of their rivalry only grew. It reached a point where if they even crossed paths, a ferocious fight would inevitably begin. It all came to a head when Takchahpi, now named True Arrow, challenged Beastbrother to a tanshay, a ritual duel to the death. This was nearly unheard of in his tribe, especially among two family members who had newly come of age. The tanshay was nullified by the leader of the tribe, and Beastbrother and True Arrow were commanded to venture out, together, to visit another tribe about three weeks ride away. The first week was fraught with conflict. When they were not riding as hard as they could, they were fighting as hard as they could. Bloodied knuckles and blackened eyes made riding hard, and at a certain point they stopped fighting. It seemed pointless to fight. The next week was nearly silent between them, the only sounds coming from their camp were the occasional whinnies of horses. At the end of the second week, they began talking. They recollected on their youths, how they were so caught up in fighting each other that they had never taken the time to make friends. They realized that in their own strange way, they were the closest things to friends that had ever had.
They rode together, truly together, for the next three days. They talked about their feelings, their hopes, their pasts and their futures. The third night, they were ambushed by a group of wandering orcs. Though decent warriors in their own right, Beastbrother and True Arrow were no match for half a dozen orc raiders. Beastbrother was prepared for their inevitable demise. He had come to terms with the spirits and the ancestors, and he saw no dishonor in their death. True Arrow did not have that fate in mind. She drew the orcs away into a narrow canyon, sacrificing herself so that Beastbrother could escape. He rode with tears in his eyes. He had just made peace with his most bitter enemy, and he saw nothing but a bright future stretching before them. He returned to his clan, and despite the suspicions of some that he had killed True Arrow, he was allowed to stay.
He did not stay for long. True Arrow’s sacrifice haunted him. He knew that it could have been him in her place, that it should have been him in her place. He left his tribe and his family, signing on as a guard for a passing caravan run by a man named Sandru Vhiski. He stuck around with Sandru’s caravan for about a year, his skill with animals proving invaluable on the long journeys, along with his reasonable martial ability helping defend the caravan. Eventually though, running the same routes grew stifling, the horizons beyond the trade roads calling to him. With a bit of help from Sandru, he settled in Sandpoint. It seemed that heroes and adventure congregated around that town, and it was only a matter of time before destiny would come calling.
Beastbrother is not a tremendously outgoing man. He generally feels far closer to animals than he does to people, and cares deeply for any animal that he feels responsible for. He is closest to his horse, Tunalin, and will respond aggressively to anyone who harms him. When dealing with people, he is withdrawn and soft-spoken. Those that get to know him well come to find that he is a deeply empathetic and caring man, if prone to fairly deep melancholy.
Beastbrother is a muscular Shoanti man, with deeply tanned skin from a life spent outdoors and the flowing tattoos common to the Shrikiiri-Quah. Straight black hair frames his features, and deep brown eyes sit beneath a strong brow. In battle, he wears lamellar armor and when on horseback, wields a lance made in the traditional Shoanti style. When on foot, he uses an earth breaker.
Just a question for you DM...can we use campaign traits from other campaigns as traits? these would be for the two traits not tied with jade regent. example...1 trait from kingmaker, i trait from jade regent, and one other trait.
To all: I will be compiling a list of submissions so far at some point this morning, just so everyone (and I) can readily see what characters are being submitted. I do appreciate all the interest in this game! Thank you. :)
interested
7ft 302 lbs no hair (due to alchemical concoctions experimented with)
other skills = acrobatics -1,bluff 6,craft alchemy 9 , intimidate 3, perception 4 sleight of hand 2 spellcraft 9 stealth -1 Use magic device 4
As I worked learning alchemy, rarely from others but mainly from experimentation, I learned to improvise weapons and equipment to fit my needs. Collapsible planks and ladders often saved my hide and helped me gather things I found in the forests.
I always dreamed of leaving the prejudice and Sandport behind but Sandu stayed and thus so did I. I hung around the caravans and strangers who came through the area and I quickly learned that I had a knack for linguistics. I was able to pick up dwarven,elvin, gnome, goblin, and the rarer samsaran dialects. When I heard about a new caravan being organized, I finally volunteered to go and began to verbally “harass” Sandu daily to accompany me. I still don’t know if he will.