Gonna tweak Morthos's abilities a bit. Going to swap Con and Int. I really think it's more fitting. I don't like to do that because I'm a huge fan of Con but it really feels like it just works better character wise. Plus, that would really open up his skill selection.
I think I am all good with the bonuses that the template gives me. Let me know if there is anything I need to change.
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Edit: It occurs to me it might be useful to summarize where I envision my character going mechanically.
DON’T NEED A RIDE!
Oh, that’s very useful (I certainly wasn’t able to keep up with everyone’s submissions in the Recruitment thread, so this is incredibly helpful to know). Here’s how I’m hoping to develop Bladud.
Out of combat, he’s a good intimidator (massive strength + high Charisma + Intimidating Prowess = 1 scary dude), he’ll be pretty athletic, and he’s good being the group’s muscle. Go here. Lift that. Break this thing.
If we need a wilderness Survivalist, I can keep that skill up, too.
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Edit: It occurs to me it might be useful to summarize where I envision my character going mechanically.
Don't Need A Ride!
She also makes a good face. Because of Psychic Searcher she can add Inspiration to Diplo and Sense Motive for free. Silver Tongue lets her add +5 to her Bluff check so many times a day. Sophia doesn't have any ranks in Intimidation, but she absolutely does not look intimidating.
As far as Combat goes, eventually she'll get Sidestep Secret... But until then she's woefully unprepared for being anywhere near the enemy. I have a heavy Enchantment focus since the Kitsune Magic bonus and the Fey Bloodline bonus synergizes well. She's all about the save-or-suck spells like Murderous Command, Regular Command, and at these early levels, Daze. I plan on going down the road of Spell Focus, and the Sorc favored class bonus for Kitsune is +1/4th DC on Enchantment spells. Persistent Spell will be a must. A few attack spells on either side are also planned.
Sophia also has Cure spells, but that's the best she can do. No channels or anything more sophisticated than burning spell slots.
I think we're going to end up with a lot of Face, but we can just be a really smooth evil party.
What is this? Planning? Cooperation? How disgusting!
Also, it is a really good idea.
My Fellow Misfits!
I am planning on going through the Dazzling Performance, Gory Finish, Cornugon Smash, Shattered Defenses, Skill Focus: Intimidate, Signature Skill: Intimidate. This is a character who will specialize in making enemies shaken and, eventually, making them panicked and frightened. Coupled with the anti-paladin's ability to remove the "fearless" special ability, I think it will be fun to be this somewhat sickly, terrifying presence on the battlefield.
Having had a quick look over the other characters, I am perfectly fine being the main face for the group. As a member of the cadet branch of House Darius, the former royal bloodline, it setups Araton to naturally take a leadership role. The only other strong charisma character I saw was our inevitable worm-that-walks and I don't know what our cleric will getting into until we see the stats.
The only suggestions I am asking for, at least initially, is what to do with my Oracle side of spellcasting. I'm planning on using it to buff myself and others mostly. I picked Ancestor since it made sense with the Haunted One template. Outside of buffing me though, I'm not sure what else I should take. I took the speaking with dead one as my first revelation because...it is neat and could be very useful for now. I definitely plan on taking the Shield of Souls soon and then the Warrior one that gives dumb stat increases for a short while. I also took healing with the cleric and still have the touch of corruption, so I can heal both undead and living characters.
If anyone has any suggestions to my build or idea or anything else, please let me know!
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I built Gildevar to be more of a rogue/thief than a face. He has 14 CHA and all the face skills, but I won't drop any skill focuses or such into that part of him. I'll try and focus on all things subterfuge: lies, forgeries, disguises, and of course, the whole sneaking thing. He rocks a wicked +13 on Perception ;-)
I've yet to settle on a talent. Moving fast while using stealth is cute, but pretty darn pointless :) perhaps I'll pick up Shades of Grey and have permanent Undetectable Alignment up, but again, a level 2 spell slot does the same thing so it feels darn pointless. Shadow Duplicate seems strong and fits with the whole trickery thing. Ideas are always welcome!
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Apologies GM
Level 1
Adhesive Spittle (DC 16)
Anticipate Peril (DC 16)
Crafter's Fortune (DC 16)
Cure Light Wounds
Disguise Self
Heightened Awareness
Shield
True Strike
Synthetic Venom Extracts:
Level 1
Arsenic (DC 16)
Giant Wasp Poison (DC 16)
Medium Spider Venom (DC 16)
Cantrips
Arcane Mark
Bleed (DC 15)
Dancing Lights
Daze (DC 15)
Detect Magic
Detect Poison
Grasp
Guidance
Light
Mending
Message
Read Magic
Resistance
Stabilize
Touch of Fatigue (DC 15)
Level 1
Beguiling Gift (DC 16)
Blood Money
Burning Hands (DC 16)
Charm Person (DC 16)
Ear-Piercing Scream (DC 16)
Fabricate Disguise
Hex Vulnerability (DC 16)
Ill Omen
Mage Armor
Mount
Fate Patron Spells
Doom (DC 16)
Don't Need A Ride!
Ivy is an Investigator / Witch and probably plans to stay in both these classes for the foreseeable future. As a primary Intelligence based class, Knowledge skills are going to be here thing, especially as she can spend Inspiration on them to give herself a little bit further of a boost. She cannot exactly 'Face' as well as everyone with just an 11 in Charisma (or at least until her template bonuses kick in) but she can still forge documents with a high Linguistics check.
As an Investigator, Ivy has access to several combat and out of combat 'buff' spells (or in her case extracts). She will probably use them to improve her skills, defenses, combat options, polymorph spells and poisoning (but more on that below).
Ivy is primarily a poisoner character, and will be attempting to make use of this as she levels. Toxin Codexer lets her synthesize certain poisons for free with a DC equal to to the extract level slot it replaces. As a Veneficus Witch, Ivy can then deliver any poison alongside a Witch Hex, letting her pull double duty when debuffing enemies. Against foes normally immune to poison, Ivy can use the Anathema Investigator Talent to affect them regardless and debuff them further. Lastly, in attention to her synthesized poison, Ivy can (hopefully), craft additional types, and / or polymorph herself into creatures with a poison and milk it herself for a little variety. If people wish, Ivy could also poison any weapons they are carrying.
In combat, Ivy probably hangs around on the fringes. She wants to be close to inflict her Hexes, but she doesn't want to be too close to the action as she isn't very sturdy. She can still mix it up in melee if required though, wading into battle with a poisoned weapon. Left to her own devices, she is quite happy to unleash a variety of hexes, debuffing foes before launching a spell to take them out of the fight completely.
Like Sophia, Ivy has access to Cure / Heal spells as well but nothing else outside of that.
Team Misfit
Ceres will be a a decent front or backliner out of the gate, with a strong attack bonus and good damage, and will eventually have plenty of HP too, with toughness, damage reduction, and a Con of 19 from her template. She'll have a low AC in at least the near term, and probably for the duration of the game, so she'll need to be good at soaking damage!
Her only social skill will be intimidate, though I could expand it to bluff perhaps if needed. I can't see her being a diplomancer. Her other skills will be physical (acrobatics, climb, swim, stealth, escape artist) and knowledges. Right now, she's only got local and history as knowledges, but I plan on expanding that in the future. She also has a sage familiar which I will use to fill in the gaps there. With a low wisdom, Ceres will be a poor scout and guard, and should not be counted on reliably to help out with either role (but with spells she could be a decent complimentary scout at some point, if we need to go in that direction). I'm thinking about taking a drawback and another trait; if so, UMD or intimidate running off of int would be the way I go with the trait. Is anyone on Team Misfit thinking of taking UMD?
She's got a thing for mitrans, so in combat she'll be focusing first on priests, paladins, and other obvious religious folks. She'll be a capable caster killer as well. The WHW archtype is poorly written and I've never played a grappler before, so if anyone has any ideas on how to maximize this aspect of the archtype, I'd be thrilled to hear them!
Ceres' witch spells can be tailored to what the group needs within the contraints of the list; buffing, debuffing, minoring in healing, control, illusions, as needed.
I'm happy to take crafting feats as well, if that would be helpful, especially craft wand.
Ceres will be PRCing into a full caster class after Witch 8 - there's nothing really appealing about the WHW after that point, and both Loremaster and Demoniac could work depending on how Ceres develops.
Strengths:
* Good damage
* Good damage soaking
* Caster killer
* Good with knowledges
* Utility from witch spells
* Backup intimidator
Weaknesses:
* Poor AC
* Mediocre perception and sense motive
* One attack natural weapon
* Not a smooth talker
* Singly focused on causing Mitrans harm
Cooperation sounds like a sensible thing to do.
Misfits unite!
Hilda will be a decent face. She's a bit clueless on the intentions of the other side but that doesn't really matter to her.
Right now she's mostly a bruiser and her Oracle side is there to support that and her team.
In the somewhat longer term I envision her focusing more on control and specialising on taking out spellcasters or other annoying threats. Particularly spellcasters though as they tend to have worse CMD's and as such are easier to grapple even at somewhat higher levels.
I'm looking at nauseating, distraction and a bunch of passive damage on grapples and a natural slam attack with grab. I just wish I could get constrict somehow (other than 15 levels of Tetori Monk).
She should also become very sturdy with DR, Immunity to disease, poison, paralysis, criticals, flanking and eventually everything mind-affecting.
As such she could also work pretty well as a frontline roadblock all the way, going for a silly AC build. Think tower shield and Mobile Bulwark Style. It didn't fit my concept for the start but she could go that way.
I have the Heavy Blade proficiency and the Shielded Gauntlet Attack feats as Fighter Bonus Feats by design and those can be swapped out based on the direction I'll take her.
Oh, I also see her branching out into necromancy a bit at some point. In part to create zombies from corpses that had Gentle Repose applied to them. They'd be a walking larder for a Worm that Walks made of flesh-eating beetles.
I'd also want to grab Leadership and get something like a Ghoul with class levels as her cohort.
As far as class goes, it's Oracle or some PrC with (almost) full caster progression.
On the Fighter side I'm more flexible but I'd prefer staying with full BAB classes. It all depends on what I want to do. With a focus on grappling Brawler is a likely one here.
Hilda has UMD and is pretty decent at it.
As far as motivation goes, right now she dislikes Mitrans and the devout.
More and more though she is motivated by hunger and that will only increase after her transformation.
She's also out to find her brother, mother and maternal grandfather(a priest) and make them pay for what they did to her father. How exactly she doesn't quite know.
EDIT: It seems we are very, very heavy on the punching side of things on the Misfits and very light on the casters and ranged in general. If needed and if the GM is ok with it I'd be fine with moving some things around to make Hilda better caster.
I'd drop the 2nd Fighter level in favor of Sorcerer and aim at Eldritch Knight.
Other option is swapping stats around, going for a Dex build and taking Wizard. I'd go Pact Wizard (the Haunted Heroes Handbook version), making a pact with the Infernal Duke Kalma and eventually getting a 3rd Oracle's Curse.
The WHW archetype is poorly written and I've never played a grappler before, so if anyone has any ideas on how to maximize this aspect of the archetype, I'd be thrilled to hear them!
Not really an expert on WHW archetype, but from memory, people used to multi-class it with either Hexcrafter Magus (for the Reach Spellstrike or Monk (Flurry with hair via Feral Combat Training).
For grappling advice, you could try the Savage Slam feat chain, and maybe the Bull-Catcher Style feat chain? I'm not much of a grappling expert either :x
Thanks for the invite, GM! I didn’t have a chance to check the thread yesterday.
This is the alias I’ll be using. I need to update the crunch and get the correct backstory posted, but I’ll be up and running by Monday.
Greetings everyone, should have Aelwulf up and running by tomorrow around this time. Wife broke her arm and we have 3 under 5, fun times
Not really an expert on WHW archetype, but from memory, people used to multi-class it with either Hexcrafter Magus (for the Reach Spellstrike or Monk (Flurry with hair via Feral Combat Training).
Hehe, I thought about hexcrafter magus just to get hexes back, but couldn't make it work with my commoner's backstory.
For grappling advice, you could try the Savage Slam feat chain, and maybe the Bull-Catcher Style feat chain? I'm not much of a grappling expert either :x
Ooooh, I had no idea that either of these feat chains exist. Thank you for passing them on. They're definitely something to fit into my build!
Team Misfit
Hilda has UMD and is pretty decent at it.
Ooh, excellent. I'll cross that change off my list.
EDIT: It seems we are very, very heavy on the punching side of things on the Misfits and very light on the casters and ranged in general. If needed and if the GM is ok with it I'd be fine with moving some things around to make Hilda better caster.
Heh, we are heavy punchers aren't we. FWIW, I really like your concept, and would hate to not see you play it. I'm happy to switch things up if Thorn and Team Misfit would like.
EDIT: It seems we are very, very heavy on the punching side of things on the Misfits and very light on the casters and ranged in general.
If all we are are hammers, then everything is a nail. While we might be lacking in battlefield control, murder is the best kind of control out there.
Hey team Just won't die - Seltyel is close to ready. How you guys doing?
@GM: Are we going to split in different gameplay threads? It would probably be more organized, as this one is quickly getting a bit confusing.
Tawg - There is no character sheet in your profile.
Added! Sorry about that! Let me know if I need to add/tweak anything.
What is up my fellow misfits!?
Looks like we will have a strong front line with two Broken Souls and a Giant. Tawg isn't much of a social person or a thinker (all mental stats are currently 8) and he hasn't had really any conversational experience. He's more of a tool to be used. Being a Barbarian and Monk, he'll be fighting unarmed and has a bite attack, so no matter where we find ourselves, he'll be useful.
He's spent his life in a cage, so he has no real idea what's going on with anything. He just found out King Markadian is behind his death sentence and wants him dead.
@GM: Are we going to split in different gameplay threads? It would probably be more organized, as this one is quickly getting a bit confusing.
Yes. He mentioned he's going to create 2 other threads.
It's in this post HERE.
I have now checked 12/18 characters. Yay. Still have to get to Morthos, Sarela, Aelwulf, Demian, Razmir and Gildevar when they are ready. I will create the other 2 campaign threads very soon and post links when they're ready. Great to see some teamwork already. I'm on holiday (at home), so working hard on this every day. Should be easier on me once all characters are checked and ready. If i've corrected your sheet but it is a mistake, forgive me, likely my mind is failing from looking at so many sheets and rules checking. Glad everyone is happy with the template progressions.
Seltyiel - You get the construct bonus HP as you level, not 20 right away, so HP should be 24(max each level). Remember you can't enter paintings yet. As you took the Paranoid drawback, you get 1 more trait besides (blessing of darkness, heresy, sacred conduit). Skill bonuses from template are only +2 for now. Craft (Painting) is +4. Are you using your favored class bonus for skills? Not sure why you have low-light vision.
Eowithe - Touch AC is 12. What are your inquisitor spells known? What slayer talent did you choose? I think you have 1 too many feats (1 template + 1 human + 2 level)? Fear aura is DC 10 (10 + 1/2HD + cha). Are Knowledge geography and local class skill somehow that I have missed?
Araton Fal - You have vain as a drawback, so can choose 1 more trait. Pass for Half-elf will give you Humanoid (Elf, Human) and Outsider (Native) as your types. I have increased the True Lore bonus to start at +10 and increase by 5 each 5 levels.
Sarela/Aelwulf - Everyone has checked in! Awesome! (except the broken arm...) I'll check your sheets when you've updated them.
Tawg - Took me a sec to find Oversized variant but that is approved. Monk gives Unarmed Combatant instead of Improved Unarmed Strike (feat tax rules, also incorporates the Mobility feat into Dodge). I think you are missing a feat from your second level (unarmed combatant + 2 monk bonus + 1 template + 2 level). As you are medium your bite will do 1d6 damage. You should have 5 skill ranks per level (4 class, -1 int, 2 background), It looks like you thought it was 2 from class.
I believe I've got Morthos all squared away.
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OK! I have created the other 2 campaign threads! Please see your group's discussion threads below!
Deathless (Demian Pirevam, Sarela Falrin, Eowithe Mourngrym, Seltyiel Renn, Morthos, Barnabus Wright) don't go anywhere!
Flyers (Bladud, Hjálmarr Magnusson, Razmir, Aelwulf, Ivy Solikha, Lady Sophia Blair) post here!
Misfits (Araton Fal, Grengar don Dangnor, Tawg, Ceres Sejna, Gildevar Broach, Hilda Gustaviir) post here!
Morthos - yep you're all done.
@Cardinal....hmm, the touch AC, and fear aura dc is what Hero Lab gave me, I'll re-check.
I had to do some giggery-pokery to apply the template, then subtract what I don't have yet, so I probably missed something.
I'll get the inquistor spell in there...darn Hero Lab doesn't do it for some reason...
Knowledge (Geo) comes up as a background skill, and knowledge(local) as a regular adventuring skill in Hero Lab.
Slayer talent is Combat Trick : Improved Initative ( and there's the extra feat ! :) )
Eowithe - Slayer gets geography and local, my bad missing that. And I see: Slayer Talent -> Rogue Talent -> Combat Trick -> Improved Initiative (quite a journey). Just get Inquisitor spells and you're ready.
That makes 10/18 complete! Almost there! I will probably get a gameplay post done tomorrow sometime so you can start introducing yourselves while I check that last few character sheets.
I think I'm done.
So, on top of having a 5 Con, half of my gestalt is useless without fancy stuffs. My character is everything I want him to be.
I think I'm done.
So, on top of having a 5 Con, half of my gestalt is useless without fancy stuffs. My character is everything I want him to be.
You're braver than I am. I just couldn't pull the trigger on a starting CON of 6. Level 4 with only 3 CON is going to be interesting.
Team Just won't die is going to a be a bit squishy for the first few levels.
Team Misfit
Grengar's path forward is pretty obvious-- I'm size large, I use size huge weapons, when I wild shape/use Enlarge Person I become size Huge using gargantuan weapons, so it's a high damage build.
The druid side is mostly to get the size increase (early on this is with Enlarge person, once we hit 6th level wild shape, but all along I can do it without preparing the spell). The other side gives me barbarian rage (until 8th level when I get rage from the domain) and the fighter to improve my to hit with the over-sized weapons.
As far as spell slots-- I will probably memorize a lot of cure spells into them, because while I'll do a ton of damage and have good HP because barbarian/fighter side, I will have an abysmal AC until I can get some size large stone plate (if ever) and ever then that won't be great AC.
Demian You can choose another trait (you get crime trait and 2 normal traits, 3 if you take 1 drawback). Appraise, Knowledges, Linguistics, spellcraft are +9 (5 int + 3 class skill + 1 rank), Diplomacy is +7 (3 cha + 3 class skill + 1 rank), Intimidate is +8 (3 cha + 3 class skill + 2 ranks), Bluff is +13 (3 cha + 3 class skill + 2 ranks + 1 trait + 2 feat + 2 vampire), Sense Motive is +12 (3 wis + 3 class skill + 2 ranks +2 feat + 2 vampire), UMD is +8 (3 cha + 3 class skill + 1 rank + 1 occultist). You haven't noted some template abilities (darkvision 30ft., resist cold 2/electricity 2, Blood Drain (Su)) so don't forget that you have those. Will save is 6 (3 base + 3 wis). I'm not sure what your 5th implement school is, I see Enchantment, Divination, Transmutation, Illusion, but what does Perf stand for? I've never actually looked at the occultist class so it's possible I have missed something but everything from your classes is fine.
Profile updated, GM.
Hi GM!
Low-light vision came from Construct. Should I remove it?
Craft (Painting) is +2 because I have no tools (I built the character with no wealth as I understand we begin in jail, right? Or should I "purchase" equipment anyway and leave it "disabled"?).
I made changes to the profile!
Perf is Performer's Accoutrements, a panoply. Panoplies are essentially more options above the standard schools that piggy back off of two standard schools. So I have to have the specific base two in order to choose the specific panoply.
My profile has been updated.
As for the 5 Con, while I not super enthused, it adds a very interesting rp opportunity in conjunction with his decent into vampirism. He is going to be very sickly. I suspect that such a visible weakness is not going to go over well with the rest of the 'team' and I look forward to seeing how that plays out.
Right here in this Link, Thorn.
Man you talk about speaking Greek. I've never heard of that. Of course, I'm not really into the Occult classes and therefore know EXTREMELY little about them. But I am about to give the Kineticist class a shot and see how that goes.
Seltyiel Ah, the low-light vision is fine and I forgot that craft gets a penalty if you don't have the tools so that's fine at +2. You're all good then.
Demian Ah ok. All good now. I'm sure you can find a wardrobe to raid soon enough. Like everyone who starts with no equipment, armour, weapon, spell book, component pouch, familiar, holy symbol, everything needed to be effective in your classes will be available to be found and taken from the prison as you break out.
This character will be evil. As such, he will be selfish. He has a solid capacity to buff others. If he sees no gain in buffing a particular ally, he will not. Evil has its weaknesses. It is not an intended slight on the player. I just wanted to get that out of the way first.
This character will be evil. As such, he will be selfish. He has a solid capacity to buff others. If he sees no gain in buffing a particular ally, he will not. Evil has its weaknesses. It is not an intended slight on the player. I just wanted to get that out of the way first.
We’re all evil, but this AP assumes we function together like a normal adventuring party. You’ll want your character to get past that attitude quickly - after the first part at minimum.
There will be an in game plot device to make sure the group doesn't turn on each other, must work together.
Personally, what better self gain, than to buff the guy who is killing your enemies and keeping them from killing you? Be evil to the Mitrans, not your allies.
I'm going to have to agree with Phntm888 on this. That could easily lead to player confrontation that can kill a game. You really got to be careful with that.
Being selfish as an evil guy is fine, you just got to make it to where it boils down to "If it helps ME, then I'm willing to help. Whatever helps keep me alive." type thing. That's a selfish statement and/or thought, and yet, it's still teamworking.
Edit: HA! Thorn beat me to it. :)
Ya I'm leaning more into the lawful part of LE as an amoral contract killer.
So how we looking from a party composition standpoint? Do we have any ranged? Not gonna lie, have I have no idea what the occult classes are capable of.
For my part, Barnabas is probably going to be all about poisoning and grappling. So mostly debuffing and secondary DPS.
Yeah, as I mentioned earlier, I don't really know anything about Occult either.
Morthos is straight up melee. No ranged whatsoever with him.
I’m melee-focused, as well.
Mesmerist is kind of Bard/Rogue-esque in combat, leaning more into Rogue with the Vexing Daredevil archetype. The class’s combat damage mostly comes from a single powerful hit with Painful Stare. Spells tend to focus on things using Will saves and self-buffs. This gives a vanilla Mesmerist the ability to be quite deadly with a single ranged attack per round using a crossbow (no short bow/longbow proficiency), since that extra damage is predicated on hitting and doesn’t require a flat-footed target like sneak attack.
However, due to how the Cabalist Vigilante archetype’s bleed ability works, it’s best utilized in melee.
The good news is that if I can’t deal damage to the target, someone else can benefit from painful stare.
I believe Aelwulf is finished
@Aelwulf: Here's going to be your new thread, bud.
New Thread
You can still post here, that's no biggie, I just thought I'd send you the link in case you missed it.
Aelwulf - Don't forget your domain abilities (fire bolt and copycat). CMB is +7, CMD is 17. Head over to the link Javell gave so you can discuss with your group.
All I am busy for the afternoon and going out to see a movie tonight, I will post to officially start the gameplay (introductions in the prison) when I get home probably in around 8 hours. Then we can get started while the last few finish their character sheets (just Sarela left to check here).
Turned out to not be so busy. Gameplay is now ready, you can post whenever.
Sarela should be good to go.
Sarela - Just a couple things, fort is +2, ref is +7, will is +3. Sense Motive is +7. Are your social and Vigilante identities' alignments the same? What spells known are in your cabalist spellbook? You don't start with it but will be able to find it.
Right, I’ll get that fixed, and list my full spellbook complement. It definitely includes all 0-level Witch spells, since it functions as the Magus feature.
EDIT: if anyone is from Matharyn (the capital) and was familiar with the theater/ dance scene, you may recognize Sarela and know something about the scandal surrounding it.
While Demian is not from the capital, his...ventures likely managed him at least a rumor about the scandal.
GM, I noticed you had the "Complete Astral Legend to progress" at level 4, but the Psychic Lich template requires the ability to cast occult spells at caster level 11 to do so. Are we waiving that requirement?
I am thinking that since you stole someone else's book, that they did most of the work, so you don't have to fill a 120,000 gp money sink. And for the caster level you just need to finish whatever rituals are appropriate and the Use Magic Device or a Caster Level check (like for using a scroll with a high CL) can help.
I also thought it was appropriate that this group all got their regeneration abilities at the same level.