Portia Porphyria-Jeggare began studying magic in Cheliax as a child because she's a blood noble also born with a prodigious Intelligence -- in an Empire of Devils where arcane study is a means to great power. And with House Porphyria trying to reclaim a foothold in Korvosa and the subsequent promise of her hand in marriage to the niece of Lord Mercival Jeggare in Korvosa -- where lies The Academae -- studying as a Wizard was a no-brainer. (even for one without a prodigious intrinsic intelligence, in an empire where magic is a key to power, and especially for nobility) And after her marriage at the age of sixteen to the Jeggare girl in Korvosa, Portia Porphyria-Jeggare entered The Academae to accelerate her arcane learning.
Unfortunately after graduation, her new life outside of the famed college of wizardry hit an immediate roadblock as Portia Porphyria-Jeggare was not at all prepared for how much open dislike and mistrust the name 'Porphyria' still evokes in Korvosa -- even among her Uncle-In-Law, Lord Mercival Jeggare. He was forced to give his niece to a Porphyria in marriage, but that doesn't mean he has to trust young Portia, now 19 years old. That Korvosan prejudice against the 'Porphyria' half of her name (and all of her blood) extended to The Darklight Sisterhood. At Three Rings Tavern Theandra Darklight was quick to point out that the prevailing rumor is that she is just a tavern proprietor now and NO LONGER a Darklight. Whether this is true or false Portia doesn't yet know. What she has learned is that if she's going to join The Darklight Sisterhood, a near lifelong goal, it's not going to be by showing up at a bar in Korvosa and saying, 'I'm in.'
Now, this thing in Bloodsworn Vale? .... "Land. Gold. Titles." .... Sounds like fame and respect and reputation to Portia Porphyria-Jeggare. She can sell any land she earns as real estate opportunity to merchant lords in Korvosa. Gold? She can buy friends and loyalty. Titles -- well, beginning a solid reputation as a pro-Korvosan mover-and-shaker is the exact kind of thing that can move her ambitious little brain forward. She's not even 20 years old yet but she's in a marriage with a fellow noble, is a powerful Wizard from the Academae, has the backing of her powerful House in Cheliax -- and now can earn her reputation helping a group of adventurers clean up Bloodsworn Vale under what's-his-name, like a Paladin of Iomedae or whatever, Sir Jasper or Jander Tolgrith at Fort Thorn. Sure, Portia Porphyria-Jeggare would rather be eradicating the muck of bugbears and lizard-brainers and big spiders on a quest to find some lost artifact or arcane relic -- for The Darklight Sisterhood. But she has no problem whatsoever mucking around The Mindspins for Korvosa.
....Portia Porphyria-Jeggare focused on Abjuration magic, though, because she's not afraid of defense and the-better-part-of-valor. Abjuration spells would help her keep her skin and run away. Necromancy though, an easy School to not study too much. (Especially as Dean Benigo Ygresta of The School of Necromancy at The Academae is nasty.) It was harder to choose not to spend more time studying Transmutation. But it's such a Huge School of Arcane study, and Abjuration really did require a considerable commitment. Portia Porphyria-Jeggare would have loved to spend more time on Transmutation but she had to sacrifice it along with Necromancy to really have a chance at one day mastering Abjuration magic.
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Thanks for the questions, DM. I didn't want to just keep writing and writing background and personality for this character cuz, well, so much of her background is based on my homebrew canon for Korvosa (based on so many campaigns wherein the setting has evolved) which will have differences from your game. I wanted her to have some openings where we could make sure she fit in your game -- and obviously the module doesn't really dive into Korvosa.
That was bard 6, forgot to move that on up.
A couple of small mechanical quibbles about Kevan -- it looks like you replaced sure-footed (the racial ability) twice. I also see that Kevan's Strength score is marked as 10, when it should actually be 8.
Additionally, sharp-edged things cannot be kept in haversacks or other extradimensional spaces, or the space will be punctured, and all within lost. I believe this means you might need to actually worry about encumbrance, since you can't actually keep any of your weapons inside of your bag.
Can you tell me some things about his personality?
Specifically, I'd like to hear his most predominant three adjectives, something about his alignment, and something about his values.
I'm done with Portia Porphyria-Jeggare's stat block -- getting it from my handwritten notebook to her Profile here will take place throughout today (and we'll see how busy I am at work).
I have a couple questions:
I've decided to go with a Familiar -- first time in a Loooong time. And I'm going to grab an Imp with the Improved Familiar Feat upon reaching 7th Level. Meanwhile I'm grabbing a Viper for now; it fits well with the whole from Cheliax thing I guess, and it gives me a +3 Bluff, WooHoo. But I was hoping we could roleplay the thing so where, as I'm approaching 7th Level I could be whispering to some Imp to come take possession of the Viper (when I'm 7th) so that upon levelling, the Fluff of it is that the Imp takes over the poor little Animal/ Magical Beast, killing it (I lose the Viper Bluff Bonus.) and becoming my long-term Familiar.
Just in case -- are you allowing a Drawback Trait. I like to grab the one where I take a -2 to ALL Skills that I don't have a Rank in (Stealth & Acrobatics Hurts!) in order to get another little bump in one of my Social Trait Skills. ....This is also assuming that the Drawback would allow a second Trait from the Social category -- either Perception or Sense Motive (+1 & make it a Class Skill).
Sounds good to me! An imp is very likely to be useful exploring. Would you prefer to RP your imp, or would you prefer I do it?
Yes, drawbacks are allowed, but they do not allow you to double up on the category -- you must select your third trait from a third category.
Str is base 10, spent 2, race is -2, final 10. Alignment gets screwed up when I post from my character sheet docs.
Was targeting weapon fam, didn't notice the sure footed on resourceful. Halfling weapons will have to do.
I would think being in the quiver would be safe enough but I'll just dump the magic spike and get an efficient quiver. As for the hand axe with a leather sheath should be fine. It is merely for chopping wood so if the sheath is not an acceptable option then it can go in the dogs saddle bags. Crossbows by their very nature are not very pointy and not high on his weapons of choice. Hence it is in the pack.
friendly brave mischievous optimist
Left the alignment clean off of there. He is Chaotic Good. He has a good heart and wants to help others but laws and rules are merely guidelines to him. He looks to help the group he is with in achieving its goals but can be easily distracted by opportunities. Interesting things he could collect and build a story around are of preeminent value, regardless of monetary value (the budgie being an example).
So, I'm trying something different with my Drawback -- I've always gone Meticulous, taking the -2 on Skills in which I don't have a Rank (often suffering through Stealth & Acrobatics). But thumbing through them on Archives of Nethys I happened to find Oppressive Expectations, which fits the character a trifle better. Anytime I fail at a Skill Check, I'm so concerned about damaging my House's reputation -- and my own -- that I continually take a -2 whenever I attempt that same Skill Check again. Until I finally succeed (or fail at a different Skill).
So if I fail a Perception check, I take a -2 on future Perception Checks until I finally make it. Or, heh, until I fail on some other Skill Check and then that one gets the -2!
My three Traits are for Bluff, Diplomacy, and Perception.
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I'm continuing to check the Profile page for Portia Porphyria-Jeggare; I'm sure there's probably a few whiskers on my character sheet that I haven't put on there yet for you to check over. But it's coming.
EDIT: Oh crap, I gotta get my Viper Familiar on the Profile Page still!
An imp is very likely to be useful exploring. Would you prefer to RP your imp, or would you prefer I do it?
.
Well, I can't have an Imp until seventh Level, so if it's gonna be anything at all more than just me doing some occasional downtime roleplaying with myself for Fluff, it would be inappropriate for me to have any control over what the Imp whispers in my ear (or other).
So perhaps the most appropriate thing would be for me to roleplay a little invisible conversation during moments of downtime for Fluff, and then, you know, whenever or if ever you wanna have some fun messin' with me or just have an interesting roleplay idea, you can throw it at me.
....Maybe the Imp knew me from my time at The Academae. Maybe the Imp was put on me by my Uncle-in-Law Lord Mercival Jeggare (who doesn't really like
the 'Porphyria' in me). Maybe the Imp just found me around Korvosa and started following me. Maybe something else. Of course, I can come up with a really cool background for the Imp unless, if you want to treat it as an NPC until I agree to take it as my Familiar (when I hit 7th). It's completely the purview of the DM. (Whatever the case, once he or she is my Familiar, the Imp gets a new name and becomes my infernal pawn: "From this day forth I dub thee, '____'!"
A well-crafted character, Porphyria. Thank you for your time.
If you'd like to drop into Discussion, you're welcome to.
If you'd like to drop into Gameplay, I will need from you: a spellbook (for your spells known, with purchased spells marked and a page count), and a header (with hp, AC, saves, and senses, plus any other bonuses you suspect I might roll for you).
Kevan, if you'd like to craft an alias, following Porphyria's lead on formatting, I'd like one more look at a more polished submission before I approve you. Ideally, it should be easy for me to find information on your character using your sheet.
Oh, Porphyria! When you post, i'd prefer it was like, "meanwhile..." and then some description of Porphyria on the road or approaching Fort Thorn . We can RP in spoilers while the party finishes up their battle.
That's alright, you guys have fun. I had mine building him out.
If you insist!
That being the case, are you still open to another player? I can get something together today, maybe tomorrow at the latest, if you are.
I am still open to another player, as long as you're open to playing support. We already have a fighter, cleric, wizard, and rogue-type character.
Sure thing! How broadly do you define support? Bard or equivalent? What about ranged dps? Inquisitor or kineticist or some such thing?
I would define support as "anything that helps the other PCs do their jobs better". I would not say that a character focused on ranged DPS is a support character.
Alternately, a character with an odd niche might count.
Approaching completion on my character I think - looking at a cavalier 4/bard 1/battle herald 1, though I've been rebalancing over and over again so that class balance may still change :). Basic thought is to be able to supply attack/damage buffs via Inspire Courage or Sound the Charge and from the flagbearer feat, and to also be able to deal out teamwork feat(s). Might swap out for Holy Tactician paladin, unsure. Rough outline of the character background is that he was a commander in another group, but some sort of tragedy struck and everyone else was killed. He is now looking for a new group to join - money/land is nice, but camaraderie is his real draw. Going to look at some drawbacks and try to work the story of his lost group into it, like maybe Empty Mask because said tragedy was his fault and he is now running from the repercussions of that.
Anyway, all that said, I do have a handful of questions:
1) Does the automatic bonus progression apply to animal companions? If not, are we allowed to buy static +1 type items for them?
2) If I pick up Pack Flanking and use tactician or drill instructor to share that with my allies (they don't have to meet prereqs for either of those abilities), would the benefit apply to them if they don't themselves have an animal companion?
3) Can my animal companion take Pack Flanking even though he does not have the ability to acquire an animal companion?
Here is dwilhelmi's character, Tanu. He is an ex-paladin/cavalier/battle herald built primarily around aid another. The background is still a work in progress, though I've given a rough outline. Crunch should be done, though I might change it depending on the answers to my above questions. I moved away from Pack Flanking in general, so the second and third questions are not so important anymore, but would still like to know about ABP with animal companions if possible. I've assumed not at this point, but would like to know if it is possible to get his armor to be +1 in any way.
Hey there, sorry for the late response.
Answers to questions:
1.) You do not get extra ABP to apply to your companion, and the +1 items do not exist. However, you may split your ABP benefits with your companion if you choose. For example, you may forgo a +1 deflection bonus to your own AC in order to grant it to your companion.
2.) No
3.) Yes
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Looking at your sheet, I want to start by saying that it looks incomplete. I can't, for instance, find his ability scores or offense line, and he still needs to get equipment. I would like to have the information about his fall, as well.
I'd also like to note that you must pay 300gp from your starting wealth to retrain that teamwork feat.
I'd like to hear from you:
- Why do you want to play an ex-paladin?
- Do you see atonement as something that Tanu is actively pursuing right now? Because if not, you may never re-gain those abilities.
- What was he doing right before the adventure starts?
You are absolutely right, sorry, I thought I had those things in there but I don't. This isn't by usual format, I use HeroLab and usually leave my crunch in that format but I was trying to match up to similar styles of other players and manually converted, but apparently missed some things. I will get that updated.
I already deducted the retrain fee from my funds.
- Why do you want to play an ex-paladin?
In order to get Battle Herald, I need some source for Inspire Courage. Originally I had one level of Bard for that, but I needed +6 BAB to get Harrying Partners, which is key for my build. Oath of the People's Council Paladin is the only full-BAB 1 level source for Inspire Courage. However, my last two main characters I have played were both paladins, and I didn't really want to play another LG holy knight type. As I toyed around with things more, I grew to really like the idea of a beaten down on the run ex-paladin, who has pulled down to LN instead of LG after having seen, and possibly done, some seriously bad stuff. He has lost faith in Irori, and has fallen back to relying on his inner resolve instead. This means that I lose access to his original 8 rounds of Inspire Courage, and only have the 8 rounds of Inspiring Command instead, and that I also lose Detect Evil, but wanting to play pretty much a pure marshal support character I was OK with the removal of those features. I feel like I can contribute plenty in way of support without them.
- Do you see atonement as something that Tanu is actively pursuing right now? Because if not, you may never re-gain those abilities.
It is not something he is actively pursuing at this time. As a player, I feel like working toward that could be a fun RP goal, trying to see if and how he does come back to that place, but am also perfectly fine if he never gets there.
- What was he doing right before the adventure starts?
Running. Whatever nebulous bad event happened to drive him away from home is still having repercussions. He believes that people from his past may still be looking for him, which is why he ran all the way from Vudra to Cheliax. He may very well have kept running, but was already far enough away when he saw the call for the campaign at the Bloodsworn Vale that he feels safer stopping. He misses his life, he misses being part of a group and in the thick of battle, and figured this is as good a place as any to start over.
A beaten down ex-paladin who still does good, but only without being LG and without his divine powers? That is a really cool concept.
OK, updated Vital Stats to have ability scores and melee attacks. I also broke down equipment costs, and discovered I did have that off - I originally charged myself 400 instead of 300 for the retrain, but I also only charged myself 200 for my horse's chain shirt, when that should have been 400 because barding is fun! I also decided to give the ABP mental stat bump to my horse, giving him a 4 intelligence, and changed his 4th level attribute bump to con instead of int. Let me know if you have any more questions or if anything else looks off!
A beaten down ex-paladin who still does good, but only without being LG and without his divine powers? That is a really cool concept.
Thanks! Yeah, I grew quite fond of the idea as it formed, lots of story potential I think.
Well, as I mentioned before, I'd like to have "nebulous bad event" specified. The nature of a paladin's fall is, I think, revelatory about their weaknesses. In my opinion, a paladin's fall must be caused by their own actions also, and not something that happened to them.
Sorry for the delay. Turns out, there has been very little written about Vudra, so it was very challenging to write a background that made sense for the area. I was able to dig up enough, and/or make up enough, to make something I think makes sense? Let me know what you think.
Edited to add: made the decision to switch to NG instead of LN, because that ended up fitting better with the background and with the character I wanted to play. Also, it was interesting trying to think through what a "fallen" on the Lawful scale paladin would look like.
Would you say that your character is finished and ready for final consideration at this point? I will look at it and give you my decision if so.
I will say, I have glanced at your backstory. I fail to see how those events could lead to a paladin's fall, and would like to see some explanation of how Tanu would have betrayed his paladin's code by rescuing a friend from execution. I don't believe that such an act is dishonorable or evil, and I believe that it is a punishment of those who harm innocents.
Yes - I just finished updating his equipment, I made some additional purchases.
With the backstory, I wanted to accomplish a paladin "falling" on the law-chaos axis, which would take an inherently chaotic act, not an evil one. Tanu betrayed his lawful liege, killed innocent men because they were following their lawful liege, and defended his friend from a very serious accusation not based on any evidence but on gut feel alone. Bala was in fact friends with this assassin, and was in a position to have helped the assassin to get in to the compound. Tanu instigates this entire conflict in the heat of the moment on the gut feel that Bala just couldn't have done such a thing. He followed his own path, what he thought was right, rather than the path of authority, without any evidence that said authority was in the wrong.
What's more, at this point Tanu no longer has faith in Irori. He sees the god as embodied in this Rajah and the people around him, and feels betrayed by him. He also no longer has any faith in authority at all, sees it now as a means of oppressing people and enabling selfishness in protecting and empowering already powerful people at the expense of the common people. This shift in view came not just as a result of this one night's activities, but was a gradual shift over time based on his inside view of authority and its failure to protect the people. The events of that night were simply the straw that broke the camel's back.
With the right frame of mind, he may in fact have been able to stay a LG follower of Irori after this major altercation, but he didn't have the right frame of mind. He abandoned Irori, rather than the other way around. He feels unworthy after the innocent blood he spilled, angry at Irori, and no longer interested in following any sort of lawful path. Over time, particularly in a new location with a new culture that may be able to show him that not all authority is like that, or not all Irori followers are like that, he may be able to find his way back; but right now, he has no interest in that at all.
I am open to changing things, though, and if you still don't feel this all is enough to shift his alignment from LG to NG, what would? What non-evil actions would he have to take to shift from Lawful to Neutral on that scale?
I'm just having a hard time with this one. Paladins are champions of good in the fight against evil, and actually not specifically champions of law as well. They're lawful in that discipline and exactness is required to stay true to the path of good.
In addition, the god you have chosen, Irori, is Lawful, sure. However, Irori isn't a god that I can imagine caring about disobeying your King. Irori is all about self-improvement and self-reflection, and this event in Tanu's life is one that I would imagine would lead to even more greatness in the long run.
If it were up to me, you would keep the backstory but cut out the "fallen paladin" aspect, and just keep the level as a level of paladin. In my opinion, in order for a paladin to fall, they have to commit a heinous evil act or turn from the cause of good.
If you want to have your character be NG at the same time, I'm totally fine with that. I always allow paladins of different Good alignments anyway.
One of the main reasons for my thoughts above is that a fallen paladin loses all class features, which means that your character doesn't actually qualify to take levels in battle herald if they're an ex-paladin.
Given your approach to paladins, I can understand your concern. I have tweaked the back story such that, while he did originally struggle with some of the same things, he has now also seen positive examples of Irorian worship and come to reframe things in that self-reflection light. I do want to keep the NG alignment, I think it fits more, but I'm down to keep my paladin powers and strike a balance with the holy aspects.
Great! That sounds good. Drop into Discussion, then. I'll prompt your introduction soon.