GM Xavier Kahlvet's Hell's Rebels 2e

Game Master KingTreyIII

Welcome to Hell’s Rebels, an Adventure Path centered around sticking it to “the man” and fighting for the rights of the people!

This is actually my second time running this AP, the first time being for my offline home group. Honestly, this quickly became one of my favorite Aps from Paizo and probably the only one that I would willingly run again (hence why I’m here).

Admittedly, the most prominent complaint about this AP that I’ve seen is that the players aren’t really telling their story, but rather the story that the AP wants them to tell—the PCs are more like cogs in a bigger machine rather than making their own proper mark on the world, if that makes any sense. I can see this being a turn-off for some people, but I’m personally okay with it, and having gone through this once already I know that even though the AP is telling Kintargo’s story (rather than the PCs’), the PCs still play a major part and still carry an air of importance in what they do.

With that out of the way, let me get to the official stuff:

First off, *Inhales!* For some of the NPCs there is sometimes no image given so I have to improvise using Google and my own lackluster editing skills. If there is a discrepancy between the image and what I write as a description then that is why. All credit to the original artists, etc. etc. etc.

I expect posts as frequently as possible, with a bare minimum of once per day (with some leeway on weekends; I personally do not look at my PbPs on Sundays).

I frequently use spoilers to keep things organized and not too crowded, so for future reference, any spoilers in any of my posts contain public information that can be viewed by everyone with three significant exceptions: Any spoiler labeled with a specific check along with the DC (i.e. "Perception 30"), any spoiler specifically directed toward a particular player, or any spoiler labeled "GM Screen." Additionally, I sometimes put spoilers inside of spoilers, but I have to get creative with the labels for spoilers inside of spoilers (you can't label it normally or else the coding breaks), so I put such labels in bold and ooc; if there isn't such a label directly above such a spoiler then don't open it unless prompted to do so. Example using PF1 skills in the example:

I do have a google document of my personal house rules/GM interpretations for certain things in 2e; I keep the link to it in the profile of my GM alias here, but I will also link to it right here. This document is mostly full of minor adjustments to keep the game internally consistent or to bring the RAW in line with the RAI. I periodically update this document when other weird stuff comes to my attention. Most of it has to do with some minor stuff in monster statblocks, but there are some changes to the wording of specific spells that I added in. Most of the document is written to the benefit of the players or to the benefit of internal consistency.

Finally, I believe that Pathfinder is a game of remembering, so if you forget an ability, a bonus, or anything of the like and don't correct yourself of said mistake soon thereafter and I as the GM don't call you out on it, then we continue onward; I'm not going to do a fleshed-out retcon to satisfy a single mistake and if you expect that of me, then I'll shrug and say "Sorry! Remember next time." Likewise, if I make a mistake and am not called out on it in time, then I will say "Welp, the players reap the rewards of my lack of remembering" and move on. There are exceptions to this, such as when a retcon would be simple ("Just heal X damage since you didn't take it because the attack missed.") or if PC death is on the line.

I’ll address campaign-specific stuff in later posts.

I highly recommend reading through the player’s guide for this AP (link to the player’s guide). While it was written with 1e in mind, much of the information in there is still helpful for understanding the story of the AP. The 1e campaign traits won’t be converted into campaign-specific backgrounds, they are mostly just there for how you want to flavor your character; they provide no mechanical bonuses for this conversion.

Additionally, I will either be overhauling or completely scrapping the rules for running the rebellion that is in the player’s guide. Having played with those specific rules, I felt that it was just a bunch of crunch for the sake of crunch. I’ll likely use a variant of the Leadership subsystem that’s in the Gamemastery Guide, but I’m still a bit on the fence about it. Basically, you don’t have to read through the rules for running the rebellion, because I will be seriously simplifying it if I keep it altogether.

Character Creation

PCs start with 15 gp worth of items and equipment. PCs can choose Voluntary Flaws (taking two ability flaws to get a bonus ability boost).

Any common character option is fine by me. For uncommon options that you do not meet the access condition for, I ask that you at least run it by me before settling on it. There are two exceptions to that previous statement: the Kintargo Rebel background isn’t allowed, since you’re all, you know, Kintargan rebels. Second, you may freely choose to take the tiefling heritage despite it being uncommon—however, be aware that tieflings in Cheliax are a marginalized minority.

Each PC must choose one Reason to Protest, located on page 9 of the player’s guide. The bonuses given by the Reasons to Protest are circumstance bonuses.

This campaign goes up to level 17.

Finally, this campaign at points gets surprisingly dark and touches on sensitive themes. As such, if anyone has any serious objections to certain kinds of content beyond the Pathfinder Baseline, I would like to know that now.

Checking in - thanks for the invitation, GM XK!

My current character concepts are all bards or bard-adjacent, but I could switch to another spellcasting class or archetype if that would be better.

Idea #1:

The first idea I have is for a Deception-focused character, a middle-aged con artist or rake who is finding that he isn't having quite as much success charming his way into the homes (and jewelry boxes and vaults) of the local nobility as he once did and is possibly - just possibly - starting to think that maybe he should do something more with his second act. Probably a half-elf, so middle aged would put him at 75-80. He would probably start as chaotic neutral and evolve to chaotic good, follower of Callistria.

This character would be the mirror image of the character I'm playing in a 1E Hell’s Vengeance campaign (with our GM); in that game, I play a grimspawn tiefling eldritch scoundrel rogue (with an 8 Charisma). For this campaign, I have been noodling around since last night with different combinations of bard/rogue. Options include: eldritch trickster rogue (bard dedication at level 1); scoundrel rogue (bard dedication at level 2); maestro bard (rogue dedication at level 2).

Idea #2

Another Deception-focused character, this would be another maestro bard, built to take the swashbuckler dedication at level 2 (or vice versa). This character would be less morally ambiguous - he would be younger, maybe only right out of bard/swashbuckling academy, more concerned about doing the right thing from the outset. Probably a chaotic good follower of Cayden Cailean or Noticula or (if a halfling) Chaldira.

Idea #3

Full occultist-themed bard. I haven't spent much time on this concept yet but I think he would follow the Enigma muse for bardic knowledge and related features, and would focus on spellcasting over weapon combat or performance. He would level up with an eye towards taking the Ritualist dedication starting at level 4. Probably a little creepy, follows either the Black Butterfly (CG or CN) or Nivi Rhombodazzle (if a gnome; NG or CN). This character could be a wizard, sorcerer, or oracle if that would fill a better niche for us, but I've played a lot of wizards and oracles in 1E and I really like the upgrade bards got in the new edition.

My only objection to you making a carbon-copy of Wolfgang is the fact that this particular AP actually runs narratively parallel to Hell's Vengeance, so unless it would be a character by another name, Wolfgang would quite literally be in two places at once.

EDIT: Another thing to note is that Hell's Rebels has an almost hilariously large amount of downtime, so it'll be beneficial to have SOMETHING that you're able to do during downtime, even if it's just Earning Income.

Hi.
Thanks for the invite. Just checking in for now. I haven’t put much thought into a character just yet but I can have something whipped up pretty quickly although the next two days are Christmas Eve and Christmas so likely a full character would be after that.
Maybe I’d consider doing a human Hellknight or a halfling Bellflower Network agent.

How many players are we expecting? I’m not set on anything so I can work with the others to cover all the bases or collaborate on similar backgrounds.

How many players are we expecting? I’m not set on anything so I can work with the others to cover all the bases or collaborate on similar backgrounds.

Four.

I….just realized that there is another sensitive topic that I have to discuss.

Hell’s Rebels as a whole is heavily centered around the abuse of power by government officials, which is a VERY touchy subject given the recent…events occurring in the United States. That said, this AP is also centered around giving said corrupt government officials their eventual just desserts and sticking up for the little guy.

I’m assuming that by still being here you guys are aware of this and are willing to go along with the narrative therein, but if I am wrong then PLEASE speak up!

I have not played through this adventure path but am familiar with what it is about. I’m fine with it. I am not particularly sensitive about any topic.

I….just realized that there is another sensitive topic that I have to discuss.

Hell’s Rebels as a whole is heavily centered around the abuse of power by government officials, which is a VERY touchy subject given the recent…events occurring in the United States. That said, this AP is also centered around giving said corrupt government officials their eventual just desserts and sticking up for the little guy.

I’m assuming that by still being here you guys are aware of this and are willing to go along with the narrative therein, but if I am wrong then PLEASE speak up!

For me, at least, that theme is a significant selling point for the AP.

My only objection to you making a carbon-copy of Wolfgang is the fact that this particular AP actually runs narratively parallel to Hell's Vengeance, so unless it would be a character by another name, Wolfgang would quite literally be in two places at once.

EDIT: Another thing to note is that Hell's Rebels has an almost hilariously large amount of downtime, so it'll be beneficial to have SOMETHING that you're able to do during downtime, even if it's just Earning Income.

No worries - this wouldn’t be the same character, just the flip-side of the concept. Instead of a sweaty, 8 Charisma tiefling sneak thief/wizard wannabe who starts off as a nasty backstabbing coward and makes deliberate choices to go down darker and darker paths, this would be a charming, Charisma-focused half-elf (or maybe an asimar, if that’s an option) aging con artist who finds himself doing good and liking it almost in spite of himself.

I’ll have to remember about downtime activities. Robbing from the rich is always an option, of course, but it might be time to review the magic item crafting rules.

Hello! Tusk said y'all were looking for one or two additional players so I figured I would pop in and test the waters, so to speak.

I've gotten through the first...quarter? I think? Of this AP via PBP before the GMs vanish, which is just a hazard of PBPs but it means I have a smidgeon of foreknowledge. No problems at all separating personal & character knowledge. My wife and I are about to head out of town for a holiday get-together with my sister, so I won't really be checking these boards again until Monday. I understand if that's slowing things down too much.

Well, I wasn't really planning on starting until after Christmas at the earliest anyway, so that's fine.

Also, I think you've actually only gotten through about the first quarter of the first book, so like the first...24th of the AP?

Okay. Here's my first idea. He'd be a LG champion of Shelyn that would eventually take the Hellknight archetype with the Order of the Torrent. I wrote a quick background and can work on stating it out next if it looks okay.

Vitalis Tanessen

Born the 4th son of the Tanessen noble family, Vitalis’ inheritance and influence is negligible, yet is still expected to uphold the family’s honor and adhere to the family’s interests. Once of age, Vitalis began military training and intended to join the Kintargo Dottari. However, upon Barzillai Thrune seizing power over the Silver City as the new lord-mayor, Vitalis couldn’t in good consciousness serve under a man so evil. To make matters worse, his father, Geoff Tanessen threw in his support for the Thrunes, making poor Vitalis a near outcast amongst the family. While still tolerated, Vitalis and Geoff could no longer see eye-to-eye and Vitalis chose to move out of the Tanessen estate and take up residence at a nearby inn until he figured out his new path in life.

Vitalis wishes to continue to pursue a career where he can apply his martial prowess and has always admired the Hellknight Order of the Torrent for their dedication to good and tenet of liberating captives. Despite the Order’s small size, Vitalis believes it would be a good fit for him and intends to apply to become a Hellknight armiger and eventually earn his way up to a full-fledged Hellknight of the Order. He has already sent a letter of interest to Lictor Octavio Sabinus and awaits his reply.

In the meantime, Vitalis recently heard of a protest to be held in Aria Park and plans to attend to protest against the government, specifically against the martial law unjustly being forced upon Kintargo’s citizens.

Vitalis is a serious, no-nonsense young man. Although as a champion dedicated to Shelyn, he still enjoys art and music in his own way. He regularly attends service at the Songbird Hall and maintains a good relationship with the high priest, Zachrin Vhast. Vitalis is torn between his dedication to his family, his dedication to his church, and his dedication to Kintargo. Amongst the three, he is leaning towards devoting himself utmost of the Silver City as he feels that this will also ultimately serve the best interests of his family and church as well.

First off: Merry Christmas!

With that out of the way, a few minor notes to Peachbottom if you do go with Vitalis: if you went the Hellknight route, you would not have access to Hellknight plate until after you complete the Hellknight Test*. This shouldn’t be a huge issue since the Hellknight Armiger feats don’t tie in to Hellknight plate specifically (just heavy armor in general). Second, in order to qualify for Hellknight Dedication (or Hellknight Signifer Dedication), you do have to complete the Hellknight Test, which requires besting a devil in single combat under the supervision of a standing Hellknight; the Hellknight Test can only ever be attempted once, because failure in the test results in the test-taker’s death (but as a paladin, you would have a significant advantage over devils due to being able to do stuff like deal good damage (eventually). Another thing to keep in mind is that this campaign is mostly going to be against LE individuals, so the major anti-chaos feats from the Hellknight stuff would largely go unused, so bear that in mind when choosing your feats. Finally, there would definitely be some in-character philosophical crises going on, since you would be actively opposing a lawfully-appointed lord-mayor (“You must respect the lawful authority of legitimate leadership wherever you go, and follow its laws.”), but even now Barzillai is toing the line of being “legitimate” (especially after the whole mint thing). As GM and knowing what I know, I can tell you out-of-character that that particular tenet will not be an issue unless you do something completely unexpected, because the AP will show over time just how much of a non-issue that particular tenet is. However, during the early parts of this AP, there will most definitely be an in-character philosophical dilemma (at least an internal one) with that particular tenet.

As a side note, if Peachbottom did go with Vitalis, I will say that my life will be much easier if Tusk the Half-Orc went with the bard-going-into-ritualist build. Not saying that you have to, I'm just saying that it'll make my life immensely easier should Vitalis want to attempt the Hellknight Test.

*This is technically going against RAW, since Hellknight plate says that “member[s] of the Hellknights have access,” but armigers aren’t really “Hellknights.” That, and I’m going off of what it says about armigers in Lost Omens Character Guide (pg. 79): “Armigers…have not yet earned their own set of iconic Hellknight armor…”

Merry Christmas!

Peachbottom, I like your character concept and origin.

{snip} As a side note, if Peachbottom did go with Vitalis, I will say that my life will be much easier if Tusk the Half-Orc went with the bard-going-into-ritualist build. Not saying that you have to, I'm just saying that it'll make my life immensely easier should Vitalis want to attempt the Hellknight Test.

Happy to make your life easier, GM - if bard building to ritualist is a better fit in combination with an aspiring Hellknight than a bard/rogue combination, I'm fine going that route. I'll post concepts and backstory ideas later today or tomorrow.

Okay. Here is Vitalis statted out.

To answer some of your comments:

Yes, I am aware of the Hellknight test requirement. But with the Order of the Torrent's presence in the city, it should be manageable. That the Order of the Torrent has no evil members I assume means the majority of them are either LG or LN which works well with Champion. There is also the Order of the Rack in the city but I'd avoid associating with them.

Regarding the Hellknight's anti-chaos abilities, I'll keep that in mind and select other options if available.

Regarding Barzillai Thrune, my character is probably already leaning towards believing him to be illegitimate and I'm sure as the campaign progresses, he'll be given increasing reasons to feel that way. I will do my best to roleplay following the champion's tenets including the deity specific ones.

I have never played a Hellknight before. I think it would be an interesting concept to try out.

Question: Can I select Infernal as a bonus language? Is it considered prevalent enough in Kintargo. I'd assume anywhere in Cheliax, it's not that uncommon.

If everything looks good, let me know, and I'll create an alias for it.

Also, Merry Christmas.

Here is the first draft of Fortunato Pineapple-Umbria Phantasmagorius Ravennablitz, aka "Chance," wellspring gnome (fell gnome) bard (enigma). Some of his recent biography comes out in his Reason for Protest and Campaign Trait, but I'm still working out what he's been up to in Kintargo for the previous 75-odd years (exact length depends on whether we're starting in 4716, based on when the AP was released, or 4720/21, based on when we're starting it). He is still very much a work in progress, but I appreciate any comments or suggestions.

Physical description:As a fell gnome born during the ascendancy of House Thrune during the final years of the Chelish Civil war, the infernal influence that swept across the nation affected Chance's appearance. His shaggy hair (including his eyebrows) is a deep crimson; his skin is a lighter red, but of far too strong a hue to be merely pink. His eyes are so black that they look more like the eyes of an elf than those of a gnome. Chance realized young that he would never be inconspicuous so he dresses to emphasize his natural coloring, in dark reds and blacks. Behind his back, his landlady says her diminutive tenant "looks like a Chelish flag."

Reason to Protest (Meeting a Contact) & Campaign Trait (Pattern Seeker): Chance doesn't have a lot of friends. His unusual appearance and forceful but unsettling personality would put people off even in a less oppressive environment; in Cheliax under the devil-backed House Thrune, his acquaintances view him as both off-putting and potentially politically dangerous.

One of the few people in Kintargo willing to socialize with Chance is a halfling swashbuckler named Zamir Montajay (unless there is an NPC in the AP who would fit the part). They would spend long hours in in Chance's rooms or the lounge of Zamir's boardinghouse, or any of a handful of nearby taverns, drinking and arguing about the belfry at the top of the Asmodean Temple. The swashbuckler was convinced there was a pattern to the ringing of the Devil's Bells, even if nobody knew what it was; the bard was not terribly interested in anything having to do with the devil-worshippers, but always argued that the ringing was random just to be contrary.

On several occasions when the diminutive pair were in their cups, Zamir had dropped broad hints about being part of a secret organization opposed to House Thrune, often taking the opportunity to mispronounce Chance's surname as "Raven-ablitz" (the correct pronunciation is "Ravenna-blitz").

Zamir has been missing since the new Lord-Mayor put Kintargo under marital law. Chance checked all of the halfling's usual haunts but found no clues to the whereabouts of his friend. His investigation had reached a dead-end until an unsigned message was slipped under the door of his shabby rented rooms (over an apothecary's shop), inviting him to a meeting at the Aria Park protest with an unnamed man wearing one glove to learn more of the fate of the Silver Ravens. Now Chance is more worried than ever about his absent friend. If Zamir really was a member of the Silver Ravens, could the halfling also have been right about there being a pattern to ringing of the Devil's Bells? If so, then Zamir's disappearance could be the result of either his membership in the rebel group or pursuing his investigation into the Asmodean belfry further than was safe.

I forgot to add, my reason for protest would be to Protest the Government.

Also, do we get a campaign trait? If so, I'd take the Child of Kintargo. How does that convert to a 2E benefit?

I forgot to add, my reason for protest would be to Protest the Government.

Also, do we get a campaign trait? If so, I'd take the Child of Kintargo. How does that convert to a 2E benefit?

I addressed that:

The 1e campaign traits won’t be converted into campaign-specific backgrounds, they are mostly just there for how you want to flavor your character; they provide no mechanical bonuses for this conversion.

Question: Can I select Infernal as a bonus language? Is it considered prevalent enough in Kintargo. I'd assume anywhere in Cheliax, it's not that uncommon.

So...I'm leaning towards no, and here's my rational for that: Infernal isn't necessarily a commonly spoken language in Kintargo (especially since the city is overall CG), it's only really spoken by devils (of which Kintargo doesn't have a large population) and those within the church of Asmodeus, as it's considered something of a holy language (since I imagine their scriptuers are largely written in Infernal). It's kinda like saying anyone that lives in or near Vatican City is well-versed in speaking Latin (not a perfect parallel, but that's where my mind went).

That said, I would allow access to Shadowtongue and Varisian, as those are the ethnic languages of the Nidalese and Varisian ethnicities (respectively), which do have a prominent population in Kintargo.

Here is the first draft of Fortunato Pineapple-Umbria Phantasmagorius Ravennablitz, aka "Chance,"...

Montresor has entered the chat

"Fortunato" gets a comment for a gnome follower of Nivi Rhombodazzle, but nobody mentions that one of his middle names is "Pineapple"? (Not that it’s some great mystery - he likes pineapples.)

I decided that it didn't make sense for Chance to have a 16 Dex and a 12 Int, so I shifted one of the boosts from Fortune-Teller and now he's at 8/14/14/14/10/18, which I think fits him better.

Ah yes, first quarter of the first book. I didn't quite get that thought fully typed out.

My previous two character concepts were Orrias the hedonistic elven Infiltrator investigator (PF1 build) and Jilvinirri the political-activist gnome cleric of Calistria. Leaning towards a re-creation of Orrias since the PF2e Investigator seems like a lot of fun, but I recently fell in love with the Marshal archetype and an weighing a build for that.

I think I'll need to give it a little more thought.

Question: Can I select Infernal as a bonus language? Is it considered prevalent enough in Kintargo. I'd assume anywhere in Cheliax, it's not that uncommon.

GM Xavier Kahlvet wrote:

So...I'm leaning towards no

Okay. I'll take Dwarven instead. With the Tanessen's business interests in armor and weapon crafting, they likely have dealings with dwarves. I haven't really noticed ethnic languages come up much in adventure paths so they are likely not very worth it unless there is a roleplaying reason for it. But I don't picture my character speaking Shadowtongue or Varisian.

One more question, I'd like my character to have a signet ring for his house but I can't find it listed anywhere in any equipment charts? Can I have one and how much would it cost? I don't have a lot of coin left to spend though, but depending on what you say it costs, I might be able to change up some gear to afford it.

One more question, I'd like my character to have a signet ring for his house but I can't find it listed anywhere in any equipment charts? Can I have one and how much would it cost? I don't have a lot of coin left to spend though, but depending on what you say it costs, I might be able to change up some gear to afford it.

Noticed that myself and am slightly frustrated by it as well. I'd say a signet ring costs 2 gp.

Peachbottom wrote:

One more question, I'd like my character to have a signet ring for his house but I can't find it listed anywhere in any equipment charts? Can I have one and how much would it cost? I don't have a lot of coin left to spend though, but depending on what you say it costs, I might be able to change up some gear to afford it.

Noticed that myself and am slightly frustrated by it as well. I'd say a signet ring costs 2 gp.

The lack of a 2E version of Ultimate Equipment has been a PITA. I was about to ask you about setting prices for a Harrow deck and a set of dice, but I did one last search on Archives of Nethys and found out that the prices and descriptions of various Harrow decks were published in one of the articles at the back of part 4 of the Agents of Edgewatch AP (1gp for a simple Harrow deck is all Chance can afford for now). What do you think about a set of gambling dice? The 2E Pathfinder Society Guide has a deck of playing cards for 5sp - would a set of dice run about the same?

CW - If you're going to be a marshal, wouldn't you traditionally start out as a gunslinger? Luis Loza came up with a gunslinger archetype for 2E - Paizo must not be in a hurry to bring guns back into the game, because he published it on his Patreon back in August. I think one of the characters in the podcast campaign he's running on Know Direction is using the archetype.

(I know, I know - not that kind of marshal.)

The 2E Pathfinder Society Guide has a deck of playing cards for 5sp - would a set of dice run about the same?

Honestly? About 1 sp.

I wrote up Chance's backstory yesterday. This is the "short" version; the long version is under a spoiler on Chance's profile page, but it's about twice as long as the abbreviated version spoilered below. Gnomes just live too flipping long.

Okay, here's my slightly revised character. Only changes are the language to Dwarven and a ditched a few pieces of gear to afford the signet ring. It isn't easy being noble. 4 of my 15 gp went to fine clothes and a ring. Now I have 1 sp to my name. =)

Hello all, Tusk told me you were looking for another player and suggested I throw my hat into the ring (after checking with the GM). I'd be excited to play in this AP. I have a couple concepts for you to look at.

1)
Tengu (if that's ok) toxicologist alchemist with the cook background, a student at Alabaster Academy
Reason for protest: To protest the government, specifically, the pest control proclamation, since he's kind of a big raven

2)
Human cosmos oracle of Desna, acrobat background, planning on taking the Vigilante dedication next level, an aspiring acrobat who's secretly trying to use his cosmic powers for good
Reason for protest: Either protest the government, since his religion is outlawed, or meeting a contact

I wrote up Chance's backstory yesterday. This is the "short" version; the long version is under a spoiler on Chance's profile page, but it's about twice as long as the abbreviated version spoilered below. Gnomes just live too flipping long.

** spoiler omitted **...

I'll be honest, I'm probably not going to do more than just skim over your backstory. That said, my only real issue with what you've written is the fact that the Kintargo Opera House isn't a school, it's a venue. People work at the opera house much like, say, individuals work at a specific theatre on Broadway. There might be some extracurricular "here's how the job's really like" kind of stuff, but the opera house itself doesn't teach students or hold classes—it's where the professionals go to do high-class, high-prestige performances. They might do, say, apprenticeships or what have you, but not classes.

Hello all, Tusk told me you were looking for another player and suggested I throw my hat into the ring (after checking with the GM). I'd be excited to play in this AP. I have a couple concepts for you to look at.

1)
Tengu (if that's ok) toxicologist alchemist with the cook background, a student at Alabaster Academy
Reason for protest: To protest the government, specifically, the pest control proclamation, since he's kind of a big raven

2)
Human cosmos oracle of Desna, acrobat background, planning on taking the Vigilante dedication next level, an aspiring acrobat who's secretly trying to use his cosmic powers for good
Reason for protest: Either protest the government, since his religion is outlawed, or meeting a contact

Welcome welcome! For the record, I'd be fine with a tengu.

I just learned that a friend of mine will be running a Hell's Rebels game IRL in a few months once we've all had the opportunity to get vaccinated. In the interest of joining in on that I'm going to withdraw myself from consideration here.

I very much appreciate being invited, however, and I hope you all have an awesome time!

I'll be honest, I'm probably not going to do more than just skim over your backstory. That said, my only real issue with what you've written is the fact that the Kintargo Opera House isn't a school, it's a venue. People work at the opera house much like, say, individuals work at a specific theatre on Broadway. There might be some extracurricular "here's how the job's really like" kind of stuff, but the opera house itself doesn't teach students or hold classes—it's where the professionals go to do high-class, high-prestige performances. They might do, say, apprenticeships or what have you, but not classes.

No worries - it’s written mostly for me to know why Chance is still in town. Looks like I misremembered how Inner Sea Magic described the Kintargo Opera House - it has the same rules as an Academy (tuition, education checks, tasks, prestige, awards, etc. - all irrelevant for PF2), but I forgot that it’s described as a “Guild,” not a formal school. Going back to the Player’s Guide, it looks like the best fit for the school that expelled him would be the Alabaster Academy - occult magic may not be its focus as an institution, but I assume that school referred to as a “famed university” - in decline or not - would have at least a small department of occult studies for Chance to be thrown out of. I’ll rework Chance’s backstory to account for the changes (but again, I don’t actually expect anyone else to read it).

FriendlyNeighborhoodMadScientis wrote:

Hello all, Tusk told me you were looking for another player and suggested I throw my hat into the ring (after checking with the GM). I'd be excited to play in this AP. I have a couple concepts for you to look at.

1)
Tengu (if that's ok) toxicologist alchemist with the cook background, a student at Alabaster Academy
Reason for protest: To protest the government, specifically, the pest control proclamation, since he's kind of a big raven

2)
Human cosmos oracle of Desna, acrobat background, planning on taking the Vigilante dedication next level, an aspiring acrobat who's secretly trying to use his cosmic powers for good
Reason for protest: Either protest the government, since his religion is outlawed, or meeting a contact

Welcome welcome! For the record, I'd be fine with a tengu.

Great! I don't really have a preference between the two, so if it's ok, I'll wait for when we get another player to decide.

...There are two exceptions to that previous statement: the Kintargo Rebel background isn’t allowed, since you’re all, you know, Kintargan rebels.

I'm a fool who only just noticed this: the name of the background to which I was referring was "Chelish Rebel," not "Kintargo Rebel."

Hi everyone! Tusk messaged me to let me know you're short a player. I was also in a 2e conversion of the game with CrusaderWolf, but it petered out around level 2. If y'all would have me, I'd love to give it another shot.

Obviously this needs some additional development, but off the cuff (and glancing at the other characters posted here) I think I'd like to make a tiefling witch, with a Rune patron. Someone in the Devil's Nursery who aspires to be an information broker, and is pretty good at ferreting out annoying little secrets.

What do you think of the Free Archetype rule? It'd be a while until level 2 anyway, so it wouldn't matter right away, but I've been using it in an Age of Ashes game I run and I think everyone really likes it.

What do you think of the Free Archetype rule? It'd be a while until level 2 anyway, so it wouldn't matter right away, but I've been using it in an Age of Ashes game I run and I think everyone really likes it.

I’ve played with it before, and it is definitely an entirely different beast. I’m…hesitant to play with it in this AP, if I’m being honest. The whole “running the rebellion” thing is already something that’s prominent in this AP, and I don’t necessarily want to tack on more than one variant rule at once.

Totally reasonable! It's definitely a bit of a power boost. I don't have any archetype plans in my future, but I saw a couple people talking about dedications upthread so figured it was worth a mention. I'll have an alias and build, if not the first draft of a character concept and backstory, done by tomorrow.

I'm having a lot of trouble picking which one I want to take. One issue that may decide it how I'm going to maintain a secret identity starting at level 2 based on whatever we're doing at level 1. Would it be at level 1, I would basically be Peter Parker with the ski mask and the sweatshirt at the wrestling match and I only get a good costume at level 2, or is there no way to have the secret identity beforehand?

I'm mainly worried about being to well-known as having powers to be able to have a secret identity later.

How I’m probably going to handle that is the following (assuming you take Vigilante Dedication at 2nd level, which it sounds like you are): You get the benefits of Vigilante Dedication at level 1 despite it using up your level 2 feat—you’re essentially taking the dedication one level early with the understanding that it costs you your 2nd level class feat.

I’m not that familiar with vigilante. How does it work? Does the vigilante’s secret identity need to be secret to the players too? Or just other npcs? Like would we be hanging out with Bruce Wayne and then when combat starts he just peace’s out and Batman is conveniently nearby?

Alright, I still haven’t made a decision yet, but I’ve got stat blocks and info for both for everyone to look at if they want to, assuming everything in the background works for the campaign.

The 2e rules for the vigilante suggest that the issue is it being publicly known, so unless the GM objects, I think it's probably fine for the party to know, and I expect it would be revealed pretty early.

It honestly varies from vigilante to vigilante. You could easily be your bog-standard vigilante—hiding your identity from the public, etc.—but even in those classic stories there’s almost always a small group of people that the vigilante willingly allows to know their secret—in the Batman example, you have Alfred, Oracle/Barbara/Batgirl, and all of the Robins. Then there’s also the Tony Stark/Iron Man approach, where the vigilante’s identity is widely known and frankly a part of their character—the main difference with that being that you’d be creating a target on your back since you’d be openly admitting that you fight these evil-doers.

But if the rest of the PCs learn Stargazer's secret identity too early, we will miss the chance to have a conversation like this!

All right, here's the alias and build! Today got away from me so I don't have much more than the broad outlines of her backstory, but it's a starting point. Jisara will be at the protest despite the risk because she is trying to Meet a Contact. Beyond her spellcasting, I think she'll be useful to the party for her underworld connections and talent for forging documents. She's got the skills to be a backup face too, though that might not be necessary if we've also got a bard and an oracle.

My only concern right now is that there isn't a person with Medicine, but when there's lay on hands on the table then it isn't a HUGE deal.

With a Wisdom of 10 I'll never be great at it, but I can switch out Crafting or Intimidation for it. I've got enough starting money left over for a set of healer's tools, too. Might be worth switching a boost from Charisma to Wisdom for a bit of an extra edge.

Yeah, I think it fits with my concept of her as pretty self-sufficient up until this point.