| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Welcome to the discussion thread.
I prefer all out of game conversations posted here, if at all possible. I’ll set up the gameplay thread in a few days.
Congratulations, and thank you. I’m nervous and excited about this story.
Let’s go about creating the characters.
Goals:
- Create everyone’s characters.
- Figure out why everyone is here, and forge any pre-existing connections with the party.
- We’ll open the story on an airship heading from Sharn to Sylbaran. This is not a normal flight, but a specifically chartered flight, carrying an artifact from Xen’drik. The College of Morgrave found the item, and it is being presented to the Eldeen Reaches, and Sylbaran in particular, as it was originally from Sylbaran (it’s being returned).
- I’d like to find some connections between most of the party, I’d like to find motivations for “going on this journey”, reasons for being on this ship, etc.
- Once we sort character design, I’ll be posting a “format” to put on your pages so I can navigate them easily.
Let me know if you have any questions!
Hey mittean!
Thanks for selecting me.
Easy to update my last memory to be hanging out in Sharn and from there to being hooked into 'helping' get the artifact to Sylbaran.
I looked around for the gazeteer on Sylbara you provided, but couldn't track it down. You mind linking it in the campaign tab, if you haven't already?
Cheers all, happy to adjust my character's location and direction!
Xen'drik poses an interesting question - giants are native to (and largely found in) Xen'drik, and I assume you have some sort of mechanism by which this discontinuity with Sylbaran exists.
That said, can you help with some justifications for why a character might have had "training fighting giants?" Obviously there are giant enclaves in Khorvaire's mountains here and there, but I don't think they're as widespread as they are in Truneau in the original GS AP.
I ask this because I'd like to use the "roll with it" trait, especially if someone else wants to take the artifact hunter one instead of me.
Repeating the bones of my character:
Thalmor was supposed to be a lot of things, and most specifically, he was supposed to be dragonmarked. Both parents were. The marriage was arranged. Everything was perfect, until it wasn't. The dragonmark didn't manifest when he came of age. And it kept not manifesting. His younger siblings (a brother and sister) were luckier, if you can believe it, and found prominent and important roles within the house, carrying the name d'Kundarak with pride.
Thalmor did as any stout, intrepid dwarf would not do. He left the Mror holds angrily, embittered by the hand he was dealt, he found a calling as a merchant and guard, set out to prove that he didn't need the mark to make something of himself. He would uncover secrets from ages past, unlock doors to places that were thought to be forever closed, and make as much money in the process as possible.
It was no coincidence then, that he began to practice the rituals of Kol Korran. Eventually, he manifested miracles here and there. If the dragonmark wouldn't come to him, he seemingly could draw other things. Minons, allies from Lamannia, The Twilight Forest, he could manifest with a prayer, and they were even stronger than most. They serve him, and he serve Kol Korran, ensuring trade deals are kept, and hunting down those who violate the agreements.
He comes now to Sylbaran to collect on one of those. A fellow who promised payment to the house and didn't follow through. For services rendered in full! Thalmor doesn't much care about making Kundarak richer, but it's the principle of the thing, he had struck the deal. Of course, his target couldn't expect him to be able to track him down, Sylbaran is in the godsforsaken woods, who would come here. Thalmor has, of course, to collect what's due.
Thalmor is a strong, generally taciturn dwarf of early adulthood who wears grey and black clothes. His hair is short and black, and his beard is medium-length, with silver wire binding it at the tip. His eyes are dark grey, and his skin is weathered, likely due to his frequent time outside. He uses a spear, and keeps a battleaxe at his side, carrying a heavy backpack full of different useful things. He also dresses in finery whenever possible, with shiny semi-precious gems and bangles here and there.
Thalmor is taciturn like many dwarves, but his divine spark allows him to charm others sometimes. He also remains quicker on his feet than other dwarves, a trait which is useful when he has to keep up with the wagons on trading caravans. He's merciful to enemies, honorable in combat, and thoughtful and measured in his words when he speaks. He never breaks his word, but it is a word not easily given, as he knows the power of oaths.
He usually stands, arms folded, on the sidelines, until others need him to intercede. He doesn't care much for oathbreakers, but his skills nearly guarantee that enemies can't escape him. The only times he lets people get out of oaths is when his foe seems destitute, though he is loathe to bind others who are in that situation, as he doesn't want the moral conflict to get in the way of his job.
Thalmor Kundarak
Dwarf (- Custom -) inquisitor (monster tactician, oathkeeper) of Kol Korran 1 (Pathfinder Player Companion: Merchant's Manifest 30, Pathfinder Player Companion: Monster Summoner's Handbook 7, Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player's Guide 38)
LG Medium humanoid (dwarf)
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +7 (+9 to notice unusual stonework)
--------------------
Defense
--------------------
AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15 (+5 armor, +2 Dex)
hp 10 (1d8+2)
Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +5; +2 vs. poison, spells, and spell-like abilities
--------------------
Offense
--------------------
Speed 30 ft.
Melee battleaxe +3 (1d8+3/×3) or
. . longspear +3 (1d8+4/×3)
Ranged light crossbow +2 (1d8/19-20)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (10 ft. with longspear)
Inquisitor (Monster Tactician, Oathkeeper) Spells Known (CL 1st; concentration +4)
. . 1st (2/day)—barbed chains[HA] (DC 15), heightened awareness[ACG]
. . 0 (at will)—acid splash, detect magic, guidance, oath of anonymity
. . Domain Travel (Trade[APG] subdomain)
--------------------
Statistics
--------------------
Str 16, Dex 14, Con 15, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 8
Base Atk +0; CMB +3; CMD 15 (19 vs. bull rush, 19 vs. trip)
Feats Spell Focus (conjuration)
Traits deep guardian, roll with it
Skills Appraise +5, Bluff +3, Diplomacy +3, Intimidate +0, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +5, Knowledge (local) +2, Perception +7 (+9 to notice unusual stonework), Profession (Banker) +7 (+9 on checks related to metal or stone), Sense Motive +8, Spellcraft +5, Use Magic Device +0; Racial Modifiers craftsman[APG], silver-tongued haggler, +2 Perception to notice unusual stonework
Languages Common, Dwarven, Giant
SQ deep tradition, divine witness (-3, 1 week), finesse weapon attack attribute, stern gaze +1, summon monster I
Other Gear scale mail, heavy steel shield, battleaxe, crossbow bolts (20), light crossbow, longspear, bedroll, belt pouch, candle (10), flint and steel, hemp rope (50 ft.), holy text (Kol Korran)[UE], manacles, masterwork backpack[APG], mess kit[UE], pot, soap, spell component pouch, torch (10), trail rations (5), waterskin, wooden holy symbol of Kol Korran, 40 gp
--------------------
Special Abilities
--------------------
Craftsman +2 on Craft/Profession checks related to metal/stone.
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white only).
Deep Tradition +1 on melee att and AC for AoO vs. drow, duergar, aberrations, giants, and orcs.
Divine Witness (-3, 1 week) (Su) Curse contract breaker with -3 to all d20 rolls for 1 week(s). Know location as discern location.
Finesse Weapon Attack Attribute Finesse weapons use Strength on attack rolls.
Inquisitor (Monster Tactician, Oathkeeper) Domain (Trade)
Silver-Tongued Haggler (+1, 6/day) (Su) +1 Bluff, Diplomacy, or Sense Motive
Spell Focus (Conjuration) Spells from one school of magic have +1 to their save DC.
Stern Gaze +1 (Ex) +1 to Sense Motive and Intimidate.
Stonecunning +2 +2 bonus to Perception vs. unusual stonework. Free check within 10 feet.
Summon Monster I (6/day) (Sp) Cast summon monster spells as a spell-like ability.
Thalmor is content to summon things, and then use them to fight his enemies, having given the creatures teamwork feats. He wants to smugly make himself and the house wealthy without relying on a dragonmark, which is why I chose the artifact hunter trait, but I might also choose Roll With It if someone else wanted that (so we didn't duplicate). He may, however, actually pick up something like the Heir of Siberis, or I may have him take a dragonmark feat eventually if I feel like he would have had a better attitude about things. He'd start as LN, but move towards LG over time if he were around people who weren't so bitter.
My only other question for mittean is, can we take a drawback? I'd like Thalmor to be bitter. I'm not sure what else would be good to take, but options are extremely fashionable, or maybe civilized or something similar.
Yeah, I’ll be tossing that up today. It’s in the very first post of the recruitment.
Characters may select up to two drawbacks. :)
Engineer #3 Mk. II is pretty much completed.
I'm thinking about taking the Dwarf-Trained trait (both to boost their defensive abilities against Giants and to represent the work with Agrit Stagindar & Sara Morninghawk) and Anatomist (to represent their expertise in humanoid bodies and where they can be fixed/broken.)
Just need to finalize their stuff, but with armor, shield, adventuring kit, blacksmiths tools, and a free weapon, there's not much a warforged needs.
As for story, if the scene begins on the airship en route to Sylbaran, perhaps #3 is on the way back with a delivery or other goods? They are technically a "native" in the town, so if the scene starts there that's easy as well.
Hi everyone!
Thuurvi will have some ties to Xen'drik via one of her mentors, so I can whip up a reason in that way for being on the airship.
Thuurvi is also bitter, but not drawbackalish. She's going to go on a journey of redemption to not hate druids and humans. As much.
Yeah, I’ll be tossing that up today. It’s in the very first post of the recruitment.
Of course, it's right there...the players guide. For some reason thought it was separate.
I'll get a new profile up a bit later today....
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Nice!
I am amazed...this may be my first group with zero humans in it. I tend to be a DM who likes humans...it’s a testament to the well-conceived characters you all wrote.
Okay, for the airship...the connections should be a little bit more of why you might have been included on this flight. This is a flight of delegates and such from a disparate group...there could be (you all don’t know yet) representatives from Houses Cannith, Lyrandar, Tharashk, Vadalis, or others. From Xen’drik, Breland, the Eldeen Reaches, Aundair, Sylbaran or others. Representatives from Morgrave, perhaps a couple of Zil reporters...but I want your characters to have the first connection with Sylbaran, if possible.
Your characters will need a reason to put down their lives to help this backwater town, something more than having a target to point at. I want to avoid the idea that if I was on a flight to Chile, and terrorists attacked it who are trying to make a statement and overthrow the Chilean government, and all the sudden o was caught up in a civil war, with rebel forces from Argentina trying to depose the president of Chile, but all the while my family and home and history and jobs and friends are all back in the Rocky Mountainsin the U.S...
I have a connection to starting and fighting, (I was there), but even if I agree with what’s happening, eventually, I’m gonna leave and go home, and their struggle will continue without me. It's like John McTiernan...he'll help sort out a flight that has gone wrong coming in to D.C. because he's there...but he's heading home right after, and is not going to stay in a long-term struggle against bad guys in the city. Let's not be like Die Hard, lol.
So let’s find a reason that this is a place of importance, and connection, then figure out why you’ve been selected to be a part of this flight. :)
Litejedi giants exist on Khorvaire all over. But their civilization never did what the ancestors giants in Xen’drik did. That’s the difference I’m making. :) Consider the Xen’drik giants the Atlanteans of giants.
Also, there appears to be a small village of halflings on the western border of Breland that specialized in training to fight giantss...perhaps Thalmor was there, and knows Tuk?
Okay, I am currently building out the Campaign tab.
Currently, I have:
- A map of Khorvaire
- Sylbaran at a glance (editing it, apparently my copy didn't update last time)
- Laws of Sharn and the Five Nations
What else would you guys like to see up there?
Plans to put on that page:
- Map of Eldreen Reaches
- Map of Sylbaran
- Links to all of your character pages
- Template for your character page for my ease of use in looking up stuff on your character.
- Spoiler of any House Rules in use for reference.
Let me know when you believe you're good to go at having me look at your character build.
Thuurvi, your character looks great! Good job.
Go ahead and change your hp line from -
hp 9 (1d8+1)
to
hp 31 (1d8+23) Vitality 31 Wound points 21
I will explain this for everyone really quick on my hp house rules:
I let you begin with more hp at 1st level, calculated by 10 + Constitution score + max class hp. I want you to be able to survive a little better, as I often come at you pretty hard. I want 1st level characters to last more than 1 hit because having a character die at 1st level really de-rails the hero storyline.
Vitality are extra hp that you have. When you are injured, you "recover" your hp from your vitality pool at a rate of 1/minute after the battle has ended.
This allows you to Die Hard a little. Your hp for the battle are limited (31), but your hp for the next battle are recovered slightly. Especially in a game with no true healer, this helps survivability.
Wound points are a "warning system" that your character is in over their head and may need to retreat or change tactics. When you hit 0 hp, you start in on your Wound points. When you are losing Wound points, you can make no aggressive actions, only defensive. Support actions of other characters only work if they are defensive as well. So you could heal another character, and retreat, but you couldn't cast magic missile or even Bless, as that is about encouraging them to fight.
I'll walk you through where you are during a battle, and it should become pretty self-explanatory fairly quickly.
Thanks for the pick, happy & excited to be here! I'll get the crunch fleshed out for my profile later on today or early tomorrow, but there shouldn't be any surprises with it.
I'm not sure how Thuurvi will connect with other characters just yet. To tweak her story and connection to Sylbaran, how about this:
After leaving Droaam at the behest of storm giant laird Andrangil, Thuurvi sought out the Ashbound. After being rudely rejected by several groups of druids, she found a smaller splinter sect of the Ashbound, The Aesc-geir, in Sylbaran. While the Aesc-geir do not trust arcane nor divine magic, they feel it can be altered to reflect its true "primal" state. She works to control her demon-touched spirit with the help of her Aesc-geir mentors, Jutta and Ilonna, two tall (but not as tall as Thuurvi) human women who could be sisters, and are often stern and exacting, but not around tea time or when telling stories by a fire.
While they tutor the young half-orc diligently, when they learned of an opportunity to send Thuurvi to Sharn to convey an artifact of Xen'drik back to Sylbaran, they volunteered her immediately. There is much to learn from 'enemy' magical items.
As a side note, before anyone posts “secrets” of your characters, run them by me. I’d prefer they be behind spoilers, so other players and characters don’t know the info. This way I can work out how such information might come out in the party in a dramatic fashion.
This would be debts owed, crimes committed, or groups belonged to that are not obvious, family connections that are hidden, etc.
:)
Thuurvi lacks guile, like most orcish folk. Orcs intimidate, but don't go for bluffing.
That's for lying pinkskins.
Lol. Love it.
Draft alias up!
Witch's Knight, reporting as Jacynta Laringfass. I'll have memories posted properly soon (I've already hashed them out with mittean, just need to actually write them down), but the short version is that she's a halfling from Sylbaran, where her mother owns an inn. She was supposed to go to Morgrave University near the end of the war, but ended up getting swept along on a research expedition to Xen'drik instead, where she spent several years. As a result, she actually missed major events on the continent, like the Day of Mourning and the signing of the treaty, and has a pretty different view of the war from other characters who may have actually served in it or otherwise been directly affected by it.
Anyone else actually from Sylbaran is likely to know Jacynta's family, and for the last two years she's worked in an around Sharn, so anyone in that area may have crossed paths with her recently as well. The only character I specifically don't want Jacynta to have a connection to is Tuk, due to things in her backstory that mittean has cleared. You'll probably put it together from her memories when I post them, but I'm looking forward to it coming out organically in game. I'm open to other suggestions as to how she might know other characters, though!
Good to see Jacynta here! I'm excited for this character.
Excellent, Thalmor! I see the hp are adjusted, brilliant!
Since we will be using active Defense, go ahead and change your AC line from:
AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15 (+5 armor, +2 Dex)
to:
Defense +7, touch +2, flat-footed +5 (+5 armor, +2 Dex)
Three, you can change your AC and hp sections similarly, as suggested with Thalmor and Thuurvi.
Thalmor, I did a big laugh at your Roll with it Trait.
It looks like it is a Goblin Trait, but I don't care - you get it. It made me laugh and could be very interesting.
I would appreciate everyone linking their Traits and Feats and spells and such on their character sheets, if at all possible. It makes it SO much easier for me to quickly move through your sheet to get the info I need.
Does everyone have HeroLab? Thalmor, Jacynta, myself and Thuurvi do, I think...Three? Catalyzer? Tuk?
Thalmor, why does your race say Dwarf (custom)?
I have no idea. I couldn't get Shadow Chemosh's plug-in to work perfectly, so I had to make a custom deity. It's likely something from that. I'll delete the custom part and make your adjustments.
And yes, I wanted badly to take roll with it (as I'm the only dwarf) but would be willing to take artifact hunter if nobody else took it. Roll with it requires a minor adjustment to the background, but I have to adjust everything anyway to fit within the airship context anyway.
Does everyone have HeroLab? Thalmor, Jacynta, myself and Thuurvi do, I think...Three? Catalyzer? Tuk?
Nope, hate it, I make all my characters by hand. I can write my profile in the herolab format if that's easiest, though.
Okay, for the airship...the connections should be a little bit more of why you might have been included on this flight. This is a flight of delegates and such from a disparate group...there could be (you all don’t know yet) representatives from Houses Cannith, Lyrandar, Tharashk, Vadalis, or others. From Xen’drik, Breland, the Eldeen Reaches, Aundair, Sylbaran or others. Representatives from Morgrave, perhaps a couple of Zil reporters...but I want your characters to have the first connection with Sylbaran, if possible.
I think I'll change the character background slightly, and add in a bit where Thalmor is also intending to set up a bank/enclave for Kundarak in Sylbaran in the absence of the dragonmarked. That gives him a reason to stay.
He will have been on the airship coming from Breland, where he turned around after hopping off the lightning rail.
At some point, I think he will have met Tuk, having visited the western border during one of his expeditions to hunt down an oathbreaker who stole from Kundarak. Thalmor isn't strong enough to have captured many high-level folks, but he is strong enough to find out where they are! Maybe he helped train to fight against the giants when some suddenly attacked, and he was under siege for a few weeks? What do you think, Tuk?
Thalmor, we’ve got Lessie Crumpkin in Sylbaran, who is an agent of House Kundarak and runs the local bank. So we’ve got one set up already. Have you been to Sylbaran before?
@litejedi....I'm sure there have been many that passed through Tuk's village looking for some insight into how they fought giants. Hmm, no to think of it ...I never named it! How about Halfhome?
I've got Herolab, should have profile done today.
That’s great news!
Let’s say Halfhome was located on the northern end of the Graywall Mountains, just south of the road that heads into Droaam, on the opposite side of the mountains from the Six Kings monument. Sound good?
Yup, sounds good.
Is there a mod for Herolab that does the whole Active Defence formatting for you? Yes...I'm lazy :)
I didn't see any mention of Kundarak specifically in the Gazeteer. I assume Lessie is a dwarf, then. Is she 'marked?
Maybe because Thalmor is good at fighting a lot of different creature types (he's a deep warrior), and had a bit of training fighting giants, he was sent here by Kundarak to help protect the bank a few years ago.
What should I do with the hook with Sivis? That was the original plan, that Thalmor was tracking him down. Maybe Thalmor was living here a while and helping Lessie, and Sivis made a deal with her, but then broke the deal and fled town? I can throw ideas out based on what I know about Eberron, but I don't know what timeline you want to have for Sylbaran or all of the NPCs.
Most characters wouldn't know that Thalmor can curse people who break deals and track them down unerringly, so it's possible "Sivis" or whoever, is just hanging out outside town.
There is not, Spazmodeus, sorry. Or if there is I am unaware (as it is a variant rule, so it’s possible). It’s literally just drop the ten on your AC stats and rename it.
On the campaign info tab, under the Sylbaran at a glance spoiler is info about important people in the town. She is a human cleric of Kol Korran who works for Kundarak. It’s very likely you’d interface or even work with her if you’re still working for the bank. Or she may have hired you independently.
Catalyzer that is a shame. I would never run without it, it's the best option bar none for me on the market currently. But ah well.
Yeah, format it like the other characters have theirs who use HeroLab, that'll make it easier for me. I'll ask for a couple of variations and added lines, and links preferable to specific things, and you should be good!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Spazmodeus, or anyone else with HeroLab, it has been a minute since I set up ShadowChemosh's addon's in HeroLab, is anyone able to help out Thalmor?
Catalyzer that is a shame. I would never run without it, it's the best option bar none for me on the market currently. But ah well.
Yeah, format it like the other characters have theirs who use HeroLab, that'll make it easier for me. I'll ask for a couple of variations and added lines, and links preferable to specific things, and you should be good!
In fairness, HeroLab (likely?) wouldn't have the artificer class that I'm multiclassing into anyway. But yeah, I'll get it formatted to be easy for you!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Actually, it does! Lol. There was a community made conversion by a guy named ShadowChemosh that made it. (I believe he's the one who made it). We have Eberron classes, races, deities, languages, ethnicities, the ECG, Faiths of Eberron, Sharn City of Towers, Races of Eberron...might not be completely perfect, but it's like 99% of what we need.
I actually didn't know that when I purchased it. When I found that out and got it working, I had to pour myself a glass of scotch in celebration. :)
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Spazmodeus, or anyone else with HeroLab, it has been a minute since I set up ShadowChemosh's addon's in HeroLab, is anyone able to help out Thalmor?
here is how you do it--PDF instructions:
Brilliant! Thank you, Thuurvi!
My pleasure!
Ok, so Thuurvi is seen in town but is relatively new. She keeps to herself, going from Brinya's boardinghouse to somewhere out in the woods on a regular basis. If she isn't doing that, she's off in the hills assisting miners, acting as a liaison and protector for expeditions.
She's used to Shadow Marches orcs and the 'civilized' monsters of Droaam and finds the idea of orcs raiding Sylbaran repellent; clearly the Sylbaranians did something to outrage the orcs in some way, or intruded upon their territory.
She bears no ill will towards halflings, dwarves, or warforged, and is guardedly friendly if approached, even, although rather conscientious and diplomatic. She's probably friendliest with Brinya, and has spoken with Jacynta and Thalmor--expeditions, and knowing about/working with monsters, tend to pique her interest.
mittean, can you add the Gameplay so we can dot in? :)
And how do you want us to send the HL files?
Ooh, I like that assumption she has, lol. The trust issues are interesting.
She isn't dumb, though, and has Sense Motive, so she'll swallow her cognitive dissonance when orcs come a-raiding.
The gameplay tab is up.
You don't need to send me the HeroLab files, I just meant the formatting on your characters profile page should be in HeroLab format (which yours is).
Don't forget to switch your hp and Defense listings on your profile page as well, Thuurvi.
Clarification for Jacynta and connections: people who live around Sylbaran are likely to remember Jacynta, if they noticed her at all, as a distracted halfling girl with mud and grass stains on her skirt from playing outside, and whose mother ran the Ramblehouse. She came back to Sylbaran *very* briefly when she returned from Xen'drik, had a fight with her mother, and promptly went back to Sharn, and has probably only visited two or three times in the two years since then. If asked about her time in Xen'drik, she tends to give terse responses and rarely volunteers unasked-for information. To anyone but the most socially inept, it's clear that there a reason she doesn't like to talk about it.
Don't forget to switch your hp and Defense listings on your profile page as well, Thuurvi.
Sooo much work! :P
I wish there were an HL plugin for these house rules, darn it...didn't see anything in the Adjust categories.
Yeah, there isn't, as far as I could see. You can add hp manually under the permanent adjustments.