HP 13/13 AC 13 TAC 12 FAC 11 CMB -1 CMD 13 fort +0 ref +1 will +5 Initiative +1 Perception +6 spellcraft +9t Current spells - none
A couple of minor questions
Does the RNC get a uniform?
Are you using the knock out special training from the players guide? I have heard another option was to say that clubs can be used as a subdual weapon with no penalty.
Half-Fey (Risuri) Investigator (Empiricist) Lvl 1 AC 15/13/12 / HP 12/12 / F+0, R+5, W+3 / Init. +3 / Perc. +6 (+7 vs traps) / Sense Motive +4
Good morning all. Thank you for the invite.
I will be getting Alexandra fleshed out as best I can in short order.
I am willing to work with others for some background if anyone is interested.
While Alex has only been with the RHC for a few months at most, she was working for the local constabulary for many years and the Navy about 7 years ago.
I try to build a character with helping the party in mind. As this is my first investigator I am open to suggestions to be that help.
Good morning everyone! I'm looking forward to gaming with you. I have most of the crunch done with my Vekeshi Mystic, Juliette, and expect I can have her set up today.
As a brand new recruit and mostly new being (a reincarnated deva), I doubt Juliette knows any other PCs (at least not in her current incarnation).
Mechanically, Juliet will be a typical 3/4 class - capable for bursts in combat, some social skills, and buffing/condition removal for spells.
I'm vacillating between the dedication and kindness phantoms. I envision the phantom will spend much of its time incorporeal or in Juliet's head, rather than physical. In combat, it will use a lot of aid another actions, combat advice, and similar actions to enable others to hit more often, up AC, etc.
@Alexandra, I played an empiricist investigator in a carrion crown PBP here from levels 1-3, when the PC died :/ It was a lot of fun. My one bit of advice is that the combat utility of the investigator ramps up slowly, which in PBP is of course even slower. If you're concerned about that aspect of the class, racial weapon proficiencies, maneuvers, etc., can go a long way in early levels. Since we're using EitR, that should help.
N female deva spiritualist 1 | HP: 7/13 | AC: 16 (12 Tch, 14 Ff) | CMB: +3, CMD: 15 | F:+3 (+2 vs. death, neg energy, necromancy spells/SAs) R:+2 W:+5 (+4 vs. mind-affecting w/shared consciousness) | Init: +4 | Perc: +9, SM: +7 | Speed 30 ft | Memory of Past Lifetimes: 3/3 | SPD: (1) 2/2 | Active conditions: shared consciousness | Phantom
GMF, as I iron out the crunch on my PC, I have a question: how do you feel about retraining feats? I ask because I'm considering picking up medium armor proficiency with Juliet's first level feat to make her a little more durable, but may dip a level of fighter in the future for that reason as well.
HP 26/26 AC 17 TAC 11 FAC 16 CMB 5 CMD 16 fort +2 ref +4 will +3 Initiative +5 Perception +5 War Master / Level 2
Good morning all and thanks for the invite.
As I mentioned in the recruitment thread, I'm open to feedback on Bryn's build as well as making changes to suit the overall party. Hopefully non-casters can benefit from the war master as well; I'm curious to see what the overall composition will be.
HP 26/26 AC 17 TAC 11 FAC 16 CMB 5 CMD 16 fort +2 ref +4 will +3 Initiative +5 Perception +5 War Master / Level 2
Story-wise, would it be better if Bryn graduated from a naval academy and thus took profession(sailor)? I hesitated on this because I didn't think the war master abilities fit a nautical theme, but that may be moot if he's the best candidate for it.
Half-Fey (Risuri) Investigator (Empiricist) Lvl 1 AC 15/13/12 / HP 12/12 / F+0, R+5, W+3 / Init. +3 / Perc. +6 (+7 vs traps) / Sense Motive +4
@Bryn Profession (Marine) (fighting unit trained to fight on land and sea - such units were around in a similar time period in English history)
@Juliet - I have read that. It was tempting to go with a Strength build but carrying around a long spear would be odd in the setting, being the special police and all. So Dexerity build won out and fits much better.
I know Alex's first level feat can be really anything at this point, as Weapon Finesse is no longer a feat.
I am considering several options for racial traits: Weapon Familiarity is nice, adding faerie (elven) weapons, at the loss of Skill focus.
Sea Legs:
Many half-elves find their way onto the water early in their youth, whether they live with trader families, work as smugglers, or plunder alongside pirates. These half-elves receive a +2 racial bonus on Swim checks, as well as a +4 racial bonus on Acrobatics checks to move on narrow or slippery surfaces, and on Climb checks on docks and ships. This racial trait replaces adaptability.
does the same. loosing Skill Focus.
Child of the Sea:
Half-elves from a coastal region with this racial trait gain a +4 racial bonus on Swim checks as well as on Profession (sailor) and Wisdom checks to pilot a sea vessel. They also have an innate sense of direction and can never get lost at sea. This racial trait replaces the low-light vision and keen senses racial traits.
But the loss of low light vision and +2 perception is a hard choice.
N female deva spiritualist 1 | HP: 7/13 | AC: 16 (12 Tch, 14 Ff) | CMB: +3, CMD: 15 | F:+3 (+2 vs. death, neg energy, necromancy spells/SAs) R:+2 W:+5 (+4 vs. mind-affecting w/shared consciousness) | Init: +4 | Perc: +9, SM: +7 | Speed 30 ft | Memory of Past Lifetimes: 3/3 | SPD: (1) 2/2 | Active conditions: shared consciousness | Phantom
Bryn Wilde wrote:
As I mentioned in the recruitment thread, I'm open to feedback on Bryn's build as well as making changes to suit the overall party. Hopefully non-casters can benefit from the war master as well; I'm curious to see what the overall composition will be.
I don't know much about the war master, so I am not in a position to offer feedback on the build. It looks like a kind of martial bard? I'm also curious about the final composition of the party.
Juliet's crunch is more or less done. Still may change out her feat (Additional traits) for medium armor proficiency, but on the other hand, the shield spell may do well enough in a pinch until she can requisition(?) a mithral breastplate. I'm not sold on the spells either, and may trade one out.
And here's Juliet's phantom. When Juliet calls her phantom she calls one of her past incarnations, so I'll be changing out the avatar, personality, and name (in the current conditions byline) of the phantom as we go.
I went with kindness phantom. I intend to use it to offer combat advice and aid anothers to increase attacks and AC, and demoralize to debuff. The phantom will take the antagonize feat next to add more riders and facilitate AoOs.
@Bryn, if this steps too much on your character concept let me know, and I can switch the phantom's emotional focus to Anger or one of the debuff ones.
Are you using the knock out special training from the players guide?
1. The RHC does not have a uniform. They are effectively a spy agency so going incognito is kind of their thing. You do have a badge and ID, so you can flash your credentials when you need to.
2. Were using the nonlethal rules from the the elephant in the room alternate ruleset. TLDR: You can use lethal weapons to do nonlethal damage, but you can't crit with them when you do so.
Juliet D'Artangen wrote:
GMF, as I iron out the crunch on my PC, I have a question: how do you feel about retraining feats? I ask because I'm considering picking up medium armor proficiency with Juliet's first level feat to make her a little more durable, but may dip a level of fighter in the future for that reason as well.
1. I'm amenable to retraining when it makes sense. Retraining a combat feat would be reasonable.
HP 13/13 AC 13 TAC 12 FAC 11 CMB -1 CMD 13 fort +0 ref +1 will +5 Initiative +1 Perception +6 spellcraft +9t Current spells - none
A nice combination of classes. Alsah is certainly not a combat character but can give good support with a good debuff (evil eye hex) and her current ace card, a sleep spell.
Of course, as she levels, she gets better. But that the case for everyone
Messer is designed to debuff while punching stuff. His favourite spell is Frostbite, which he'll start pumping up with Rime later and throwing on Hexes too with Hex Strike. I can also Spellstrike/Spell Combat with Curse spells later, so that'll be fun.
Out of combat his skillset is mostly based on being able to talk with the dead and some of the Psychic alternatives to normal skill uses.
Notable skill gaps include Dungeoneering and Religion. Fly as well. Disguise may be important with this game? Same with Sleight of Hand since we're secret agents?
HP 26/26 AC 17 TAC 11 FAC 16 CMB 5 CMD 16 fort +2 ref +4 will +3 Initiative +5 Perception +5 War Master / Level 2
Phantom Revenant wrote:
I went with kindness phantom. I intend to use it to offer combat advice and aid anothers to increase attacks and AC, and demoralize to debuff. The phantom will take the antagonize feat next to add more riders and facilitate AoOs.
@Bryn, if this steps too much on your character concept let me know, and I can switch the phantom's emotional focus to Anger or one of the debuff ones.
Interesting. Kindness isn't on d20pfsrd but it's on the Archives. Using the aid action shouldn't really interfere - it's just a different type of combat buff. The War Master's abilities are more tactical, providing bonuses for certain actions. For example:
Deployment - At 1st-level a war master can direct allies to get into advantageous positions quickly. All the war master’s allies he can see gain a +10 foot enhancement bonus to their base movement if they take a double move or run action.
Covering Maneuvers - A 1st level war master can use his tactics to direct his allies to watch out for one another, and assist each in remaining safe and protected. Any affected allies adjacent to at least one additional ally receives a +1 morale bonus to armor class, CMD, and Reflex saving throws.
Going down the Cornugon Smash plan to enhance the melee combat plan naturally ties in to using intimidate, but it'll be more localized to Bryn's target.
As this is - I think - a skill-heavy game, I made a list of skills and mods, noting the best modifier in the party.
Notable skill gaps include Dungeoneering and Religion. Fly as well. Disguise may be important with this game? Same with Sleight of Hand since we're secret agents?
That is super useful, thank you!
I will say I intend to take a quick dip into Rogue next level to help boost my skills, both in points and getting a bunch of class skills. Hopefully that'll help cover some of our remaining weaknesses.
Bryn Wilde wrote:
I suspect all the meleers are feat starved, but I'll ask anyway - are people interested in trying to use the teamwork feats?
I'm planning to take Rime at 3rd and Hex Strike at 5th, but I'm open to suggestions if you have any cool ideas.
Interesting, are non-lethal bullets (rubber bullets) a thing?
Sure, why not. Taking enemies alive will sometimes be useful, but very rarely required. You all definitely have a license to kill.
Bryn Wilde wrote:
@GM Fanguar - would this satisfy the same skill then?
Yup, that's fine.
@All:
1. How do we want to handle maps? My default is to use google docs, but I have on occasion used roll20 or flickr, and I guess imgur is also an option. It doesn't really matter to me what we use, but I would like everyone to be able to see the maps.
2. If you need to get my attention, post in the discussion thread. I generally check the boards at least once a day, but I have a terrible habit of ignoring a gameplay thread if it only has like 1 new post (especially if it's combat and the whole party is up). I always check new discussion posts, so if you need quick clarification post here.
3. I hate botting PCs. It's not a problem if you're away for a bit, and please let me know if you will be, but your PC will just kind of hang around in the periphery during that time.
4. In combat, I may occasionally skip your turn. If 5/6 people have posted their actions and I have the time to post, I'll probably move onto the next round. If you get skipped, you can just take two turns in a row in your next post. I promise not to beat up on the person who I skip.
5. In a similar vein, I suggest that we go with a majority rule for decisions. If 4 people agree on a course of action, then I'll take it as the will of the party. One thing that we may want to eventually consider as well is the idea of there being a lead (or co-lead) constable(s) for a given assignment. In my experience, PbPs have a bad habit of getting bogged down when the party has to plan stuff, so anything we can do to help mitigate that would be helpful.
That's it for now, but I'm sure I'll think of something else before we get rolling.
N female deva spiritualist 1 | HP: 7/13 | AC: 16 (12 Tch, 14 Ff) | CMB: +3, CMD: 15 | F:+3 (+2 vs. death, neg energy, necromancy spells/SAs) R:+2 W:+5 (+4 vs. mind-affecting w/shared consciousness) | Init: +4 | Perc: +9, SM: +7 | Speed 30 ft | Memory of Past Lifetimes: 3/3 | SPD: (1) 2/2 | Active conditions: shared consciousness | Phantom
@GMF, I can view any maps, so I'll defer to the needs of others. Regarding planning, another thing I've seen in PBP is the "rule of two" where if someone seconds an action, it is assumed to be consensus.
Bryn Wilde wrote:
I suspect all the meleers are feat starved, but I'll ask anyway - are people interested in trying to use the teamwork feats?
Re: Teamwork Fears, I'd like to take harrying partners at level 9 or 11. As a prereq, Juliet and her phantom both have to take another teamwork feat before then. In a vacuum I'd probably take Shake It Off, as Juliet and her phantom will be adjacent to each other often to take advantage of class abilities. But, I could absolutely take a different one if others are interested. I think I'll have one feat available at either 3rd, 5th, or 9th level for a teamwork feat (two if I rush to get harrying partners available by level 9).
Regarding harrying partners, the feat cost is steep, but Juliet's phantom will be able to give one person/round +3 to attack or AC for the whole round (and at 12th level, two people/round).
M Human Gunslinger 1 / Gun chemist 1 | HP 3 / 20 AC 17 T13 FF14 | CMB +4 CMD 13 | F +5 R +7 W +0 | init +3 |Tracker |
Skills:
Acrobatics +4 Bluff +7 Craft: Alch +8, Craft: Firearms +6, Intim +7, Kn: Arca +8, Kn: Eng +8, Kn: Local +7, Perc + 5, Sense Motive +1, Spellcraft +8, Survival +4
I've played in a number of Roll20 games, that works OK for maps, although I prefer photoshop + google docs for the games I run. It's easy enough to do a fog of war effect.
Re builds and skills. I've penciled Adam in to be a Gunslinger 1 / Magus X but seriously considered a paladin build too. Dungeoneering is magus class skill and I'd be happy to pick that up at level 2.
Regarding planning, another thing I've seen in PBP is the "rule of two" where if someone seconds an action, it is assumed to be consensus.
I'm fine with a 'rule of two' type thing, but I would be a little concerned about having most party decisions driven by the two most active players. I am open to trying, if people want to give this idea shot.
Alsah Brightmoon wrote:
I note in the players guide it says that we are supposed to take prisoners, as a rule.
I guess I'll clarify on that point. When in Risur and dealing with Risuri citizens, you should probably be taking prisoners. You should be giving combatants the opportunity to surrender, etc. That being said, if there is crazy wizard shooting fireballs at you and he dies in a firefight, it's not the end of the world. In the end no one is Judge Dread here, but you can respond to lethal force with lethal force.
The logistics of taking prisoners becomes more complicated when you're not on home turf. Outside of Risur, you don't actually have any legal power to make an arrest, so you can kidnap people, but you can't arrest them.
Ultimately, it depends on how much verisimilitude people are interested in. You can definitely call in backup and hand off prisoners to the city guard. I'm also totally fine with handwaving most of this stuff when dealing with mooks. Mostly, I just need to know for bookskeeping during combat.
HP 26/26 AC 17 TAC 11 FAC 16 CMB 5 CMD 16 fort +2 ref +4 will +3 Initiative +5 Perception +5 War Master / Level 2
RE: taking prisoners, Bryn can take the following War Master talent at 2nd level:
Take Them Alive!* (Ex): Whenever the war master grants benefits to his allies from any war master’s tactic, the allies also gain the ability for half the damage they deal to be nonlethal damage.
HP 26/26 AC 17 TAC 11 FAC 16 CMB 5 CMD 16 fort +2 ref +4 will +3 Initiative +5 Perception +5 War Master / Level 2
Messer wrote:
I'm planning to take Rime at 3rd and Hex Strike at 5th, but I'm open to suggestions if you have any cool ideas.
That would be about the right time to take Outflank. Or if people want more maneuverability, Escape Route might be nice to allow for easier hit and run tactics.
@Juliet - Shake It Off is nice, but comes with the hindrance of encouraging us to bunch up for AoE spells. But if 4 people have it, then we'd probably all get the +3 to spells when we're surprised, which could be nice.
We'll have plenty of time to figure it out I guess...
HP 26/26 AC 17 TAC 11 FAC 16 CMB 5 CMD 16 fort +2 ref +4 will +3 Initiative +5 Perception +5 War Master / Level 2
RE: maps, I'm ok with Roll20 and Google Docs. I've used Roll20 for live games, but never for PbP. Logging in all the time could be annoying, but that probably only applies to folks like me that are more privacy concerned and like to limit saved data on devices... a side effect of developing smartphones from the OEM side.
Messer is very much a take 'em alive build. Unarmed Strike can be used non-lethally, and Frostbite only does non-lethal damage. Generally speaking I'll have to work at killing folks, although the Brand cantrip does do 1 point of lethal damage. Which given he's mildly haunted by the dead makes sense for Messer.
@Bryn: Everyone gets toughness as a bonus feat, power attack is basically a free ability(as per the EitR ruleset) and don't forget your theme feat.
@Messer: Everyone gets toughness as a bonus feat. Improved unarmed strike is now unarmed combatant.
Unarmed Combatant:
You are skilled at grappling and fighting while unarmed.
Prerequisite: Dex 13
Benefit: You are considered to be armed even when
unarmed - you do not provoke attacks of opportunity
when you attack foes while unarmed. Your unarmed
strikes now deal 1d6 damage if you are medium sized
or 1d4 damage if you are small sized, and you can deal
lethal or nonlethal damage, at your choice.
You do not provoke an attack of opportunity when
performing a grapple combat maneuver. In addition,
you receive a +2 bonus on checks made to grapple a foe.
You also receive a +2 bonus to your Combat Maneuver
Defense whenever an opponent tries to grapple you.
Normal: Without this feat, you are considered
unarmed when attacking with an unarmed strike, and
you can deal only nonlethal damage with such an attack.
You provoke an attack of opportunity when performing
a grapple combat maneuver.
@Juliet: Everyone gets toughness as a bonus feat and don't forget your theme feat.
@Alsah: Everyone gets toughness as a bonus feat
@Alexandra: +Toughness
@Adam: I think you have 1 too many feats (Rapid Reload (Pistol), Precise shot and Agile Maneuvers (Which is now agile combatant under EitR ruleset)). Power attack, deadly aim and combat expertise aren't really feats anymore, but I imagine that's more bookkeeping with hero lab.
M Human Gunslinger 1 / Gun chemist 1 | HP 3 / 20 AC 17 T13 FF14 | CMB +4 CMD 13 | F +5 R +7 W +0 | init +3 |Tracker |
Skills:
Acrobatics +4 Bluff +7 Craft: Alch +8, Craft: Firearms +6, Intim +7, Kn: Arca +8, Kn: Eng +8, Kn: Local +7, Perc + 5, Sense Motive +1, Spellcraft +8, Survival +4
GM re feats there's a herolab add on for the elephant in the room custom rules called World is Square. If selected it adds agile manoeuvres, power attack, deadly aim, combat expertise which might be a bit confusing. I can turn it off if you like.
The feats I selected where Precise Shot & Rapid Reload from human level 1. Then I added the theme feat and toughness as bonuses. Hopefully that's correct!
Half-Fey (Risuri) Investigator (Empiricist) Lvl 1 AC 15/13/12 / HP 12/12 / F+0, R+5, W+3 / Init. +3 / Perc. +6 (+7 vs traps) / Sense Motive +4
Good evening all.
Work schedule here is Tuesday-Saturday. So I am able to post before and after that. Not much time while at work to do much other than look to see what is happening here and there.
Maps: Good or rolld20 works. Which ever is easier for you GM Fanguar
HP 26/26 AC 17 TAC 11 FAC 16 CMB 5 CMD 16 fort +2 ref +4 will +3 Initiative +5 Perception +5 War Master / Level 2
Adam 'Preacher' Buchannon wrote:
GM re feats there's a herolab add on for the elephant in the room custom rules called World is Square. If selected it adds agile manoeuvres, power attack, deadly aim, combat expertise which might be a bit confusing. I can turn it off if you like.
The feats I selected where Precise Shot & Rapid Reload from human level 1. Then I added the theme feat and toughness as bonuses. Hopefully that's correct!
I used PC Gen for Bryn; although I'm not aware of an EitR plugin, it may be easier to do the same - apply the same set of feats as bonus feats. I'll try to dig into adding custom content, but the last time I tried that wasn't too successful. I'll just add these manually to the output if the above is too confusing.
GM re feats there's a herolab add on for the elephant in the room custom rules called World is Square. If selected it adds agile manoeuvres, power attack, deadly aim, combat expertise which might be a bit confusing. I can turn it off if you like.
The feats I selected where Precise Shot & Rapid Reload from human level 1. Then I added the theme feat and toughness as bonuses. Hopefully that's correct!
K. I think the confusion (with herolab) is that the with the changes to weapon finesse, you can use DEX for a disarm, sunder, or trip maneuver, if you are using a finesse weapon. You need the feat for DEX for bull rush, grapple, hamstring, or overrun maneuver, or without a finesse weapon.
N female deva spiritualist 1 | HP: 7/13 | AC: 16 (12 Tch, 14 Ff) | CMB: +3, CMD: 15 | F:+3 (+2 vs. death, neg energy, necromancy spells/SAs) R:+2 W:+5 (+4 vs. mind-affecting w/shared consciousness) | Init: +4 | Perc: +9, SM: +7 | Speed 30 ft | Memory of Past Lifetimes: 3/3 | SPD: (1) 2/2 | Active conditions: shared consciousness | Phantom
Bryn Wilde wrote:
@Juliet - Shake It Off is nice, but comes with the hindrance of encouraging us to bunch up for AoE spells. But if 4 people have it, then we'd probably all get the +3 to spells when we're surprised, which could be nice.
We'll have plenty of time to figure it out I guess...
If you and/or others are interested in outflank, I'd be in favor of that as opposed to Shake It Off, which is mainly there to meet the prerequisites for Harrying Partners and to take advantage of the fact that Juliet and her phantom will often be adjacent to each other. I think Outflank is a superior feat in general though. Juliet and the phantom could retrain something for Outflank at level 6 or take it at level 9 (my level 7 feat is reserved for Spirit Symbiosis, which will allow for more flexibility with the phantom).
M Human Gunslinger 1 / Gun chemist 1 | HP 3 / 20 AC 17 T13 FF14 | CMB +4 CMD 13 | F +5 R +7 W +0 | init +3 |Tracker |
Skills:
Acrobatics +4 Bluff +7 Craft: Alch +8, Craft: Firearms +6, Intim +7, Kn: Arca +8, Kn: Eng +8, Kn: Local +7, Perc + 5, Sense Motive +1, Spellcraft +8, Survival +4
That sounds like a cool idea, reminded me of the first modern police force in London founded by Sir Robert Peel.
The ‘Peelers’ were issued with a wooden truncheon carried in a long pocket in the tail of their coat, a pair of handcuffs and a wooden rattle to raise the alarm. By the 1880s this rattle had been replaced by a whistle.
Setting the Stage: Steam and soot darken the skies above the city of Flint, and winds sweeping across its majestic harbor blow the choking products of industrial forges into the fey rainforests that dot its knife-toothed mountains. Since the earliest ages when the people of Risur founded this city, they feared the capricious beings that hid in those fog-shrouded peaks, but now, as the march of progress and the demands of national defense turn Flint into a garden for artifice and technology, the old faiths and rituals that kept the lurkers of the woods at bay are being abandoned.
The Unseen Court, the Great Hunt, and the many spirits of the land long ago conquered by Risur’s kings no longer receive tribute, but they cannot enter these new cities of steam and steel to demand their tithe. The impoverished workers who huddle in factory slums fear monsters of a different breed, shadowy children of this new urban labyrinth. Even their modern religions have no defenses against these fiends.
Times are turning. The skyseers, Risur’s folk prophets since their homeland’s birth, witness omens in the starry wheels of heaven, and they warn that a new age is nigh. But what they cannot foresee, hidden beyond the steam and soot of the night sky, is the face of this coming era, the spirit of the new age. The zeitgeist.
Who Are you?: The PCs are all members of the Royal Homeland Constabulary, a Risuri organization created to monitor threats to the nation, both homegrown and from foreign lands. Every constable must have passed a background check and magical inquisition to prove his or her loyalty to Risur. These precautions allow even foreign-born citizens to serve, giving the constabulary a valuable tool in pursuing investigations overseas. The RHC uses a combination of investigators, spies, and warriors to root out, undermine, capture, and if necessary kill any groups who endanger Risur.
You will need the player’s guide to properly make you character: Extended Player's Guide or Basic Player’s Guide The extended player’s guide has more setting information and a few more interesting details that may be of use.
What to know before you get started: Just a heads up that the campaign requires the PCs to be more proactive than your typical AP, so if you prefer a more reactive style of play, this game might not be for you. Also please note that this campaign was originally designed for 4e and the pathfinder version still contains some of the remnant quirks of the 4e system. This is a fairly RP heavy campaign dotted with major set piece combat encounters. I find the pathfinder versions of some of these encounters lack the pizzazz of the original 4e encounters, and as such I plan on cribbing cool abilities and probably throwing the occasional group of minions into the fray as needed. If you don’t like it when the baddies have abilities that PCs don’t or really hate the minion mechanic, you may have a bad time.
With that out of the way let’s get started.
Character Creation Guidelines:
Ability Scores:
20 point buy, Max HP at start.
Recall that:
• Strength measures muscle and physical power.
• Dexterity measures agility, reflexes, and balance.
• Constitution represents your character's health and stamina.
• Intelligence determines how well your character learns and reasons.
• Wisdom describes a character's willpower, common sense, awareness, and intuition.
• Charisma measures a character's personality, personal magnetism, ability to lead, and appearance.
For each ability score ≥16 or ≤ 8, include a characteristic in your PC description associated with that ability. These are your defining features and, if nothing else, are what the other PCs are familiar with about you. e.g. Low WIS: Absent Minded and never gets paperwork done on time, or High CHA: Always volunteers for special assignments, first one through the door during a raid.
Allowed Races::
• All core plus: Tiefling(no variants), Orc, Goblin, Hobgoblin, Gnoll, Deva (player's guide), Eladrin (player's guide, must be male), Dragonkin and Minotaur (both from Kobold Press)
• Elf vs Eladrin is basically wood elf vs high elf.
• Note on monstrous races: Risur is a nation populated by core races. Those that are non-core either are expats from other nations (mostly Ber), or are parts of remnant slave populations. As such, there will be certain racist and/or political consequences to playing these races, especially when dealing with the nobility.
• Risur is predominantly human in composition, and while the RHC is a bit more diverse than the general public, it is still populated mostly by humans. As such, expect a slight bias towards selecting human PCs.
Allowed Classes:
• Tentatively, any Paizo, and I will consider 3rd party classes on a case-by-case basis.
• Unchained versions of the Barbarian, Monk, Rogue can be used and the unchained Summoner must be used.
• Risuri natives tend to favor arcane, martial, and nature-oriented classes. Most witches in the region tend to follow fey patrons, since the nature of the planes makes it difficult to contact infernal or far realm patrons. Sorcerers suffer an equal distribution of bloodline, with aberrant and fiendish bloodlines being far rarer than fey or elemental.
• Druids and rangers are well-known and received, but oracles tend to be more common than clerics, since there aren’t established churches to train the pious. Most divine class PCs would be foreign born and probably affiliated with the Cergy, a human centric religion that holds that every mortal can empower himself, even reach godhood, if he confronts the challenges of the world.
Skills, Feats and Traits:
Skills:
• This campaign has a lot of skill based encounters and combat encounters usually have a goal other than simply defeating the enemies. As such, I would recommend that your PC be better at things other than just combat.
• Profession(sailor) will be useful, as the RNC has ships you can requisition, but other Profession skills don't play much of a role.
Feats:
• No crafting, as per PFS organized play rules.
• Everyone gets a theme feat, based on their selected theme from the player's guide. Themes play a role in certain side-plots or provide other options during play. Each selected PC will have a different theme feat, I will not be doubling up.
• Everyone gets Toughness as a bonus feat. All the RHC conditioning training has been paying off.
• We will be using the Elephant in the room alternate rules. For those not familiar it basically removes a lot of the feat taxes that exist in the game and tweaks a few other aspects of the game, such as how you can deal non-lethal damage.
Traits:
• None. There’s enough other goodies.
Wealth and Equipment:
• Max gold to start, but you don't keep unspent gold.
• The campaign uses the commonplace guns rules. Advanced firearms will not be available for purchase.
• As mentioned in the player's guide, the PCs are government employees and are paid a monthly stipend. Consider yourselves to have wages on par with low rank military officers and guard captains. You're comfortable, but far from wealthy. This being the case, you don't need to track living expenses and mundane purchases.
• Professional equipment is provided by, and property of, the Risur Homeland Constabulary. You may keep said equipment on your person, in your locker at the office or at home, but you are responsible for it anytime it leaves the RHC office. All equipment is provided through the requisitions office and is signed for by the PCs. It can be required to be returned at any time.
• Depending on the job at hand, PCs will be given a specific requisition gold limit. This is the total limit you can requisition without further authorization. Items may be returned and exchanged at any time. There will be no buying and selling of equipment.
• Items found during the course of an RHC operation are to be handed in to the office at the earliest opportunity. Items found on suspects remain the property of the suspect unless they are deemed to have been used in criminal activities or were purchased with the proceeds of crime. In the latter cases they are confiscated by the RHC requisitions office. There is no looting while on the clock. That being said, yes you may use items that you find during the course of an assignment, but they should be filed and handed into the requisition officer as soon as possible.
Background fluff:
• RNC officers are usually recruited from the ranks of the military, civilian police forces, or academia. Occasionally, applications are submitted by private individuals or foreign nationals.
• For your background I would like:
1. How long have you been on the force? (FYI the RNC is 30 years old. You start off at the bottom of the seniority list, so if you are a veteran, why haven't you advanced?)
2. What prompted the RNC to recruit you, or, if you applied, why did they accept your application?
3. Why did you accept/apply? (Note: Candidates submit to extensive magical mind reading before they are accepted. The RNC has never been infiltrated by a spy, so no double agents allowed. Your loyalty to Risur is beyond reproach.)
4. Brief character sketch. (You can even just describe your character in terms of other fictional characters, or just in terms of your ability score descriptions.)
• I don't need more than a few sentences, but elaborate as much as you want. Honestly, this is as much for you as for me. There is a fair bit of RP in this campaign, so create a PC you want to spend some time with.
Setting Specific Magical Quirks To be Aware of:
• For setting reasons, extended magical flight or planar travel (more than 5 minute) is prohibited. Similarly, summon creatures can only remain for 5 minutes.
• Gold blocks teleportation. Wearing a gold ring or necklace prevents an individual from being teleported.
• People generally stay dead. Raise dead, and similar magics are pretty rare and don’t always work. The adventures take this into account, but still play safe.
Note on applications: You don’t need to have a fully complete character sheet and profile to apply. What I do need is a brief description of your character (race, class/archetype, party role, campaign theme, etc) and sketch of your character background. If you get selected, then we can flesh things out. For now, I’m looking for cool and interesting character concepts that fit the setting and would work well together as a RHC team.
Tentative Deadline: Recruitment will be open until Friday, February 19th, though if there is a lot of interest, I may close it early. I am looking for 5 players, no more, no less.
Interested. Thinking of Deva Psychic Spirit Medium going into Urban Empath asap.
Race: Deva
Class: Psychic
Party Role: With high charisma/intelligence my character will excel in social encounters. In combat, he will affect the minds of the enemy, and cause them much discomfort.
Theme: Spirit Medium
Background:
1. How long have you been on the force? Only briefly, 6 months at the most. I have worked only one real case, that of a murdered dockworker. I learned there that not only could I touch the minds of the living, I could "hear" the resonant minds of the dead as well.
2. What prompted the RNC to recruit you, or, if you applied, why did they accept your application? I was recruited for my "abilities" of the mind.
3. Why did you accept/apply? I accepted after I realized I could read minds, I figured it was a useful skill for someone who tried to find lawbreakers and anarchists. (The character will be LN with a heavy emphasis on the L part)
4. Brief character sketch.
The character is a Deva, but he was born to normal human parents and had a fairly normal upbringing on Pine Island in flint. However, when he began to go through puberty memories of his prior lives began intruding on his mind, causing his psychic potential to flourish. Character will use the Rebirth discipline with the GM's permission . I see the character as someone prim, proper, practicing the best etiquette. All Is must be dotted , all Ts must be crossed. All paperwork in order. Arrests must be logged. Evidence catalogued.
Dotting for interest. I've been reading the player's guide since your post in the interest thread and have some ideas beginning to coalesce. I'm thinking of building around the spirit medium or veshki mystic theme feats. The PC would be a good necromancer type, bridging the veil between death and life to bring solace and vengeance to those harmed (focus more on solace for the spirit medium, vengeance for the Veshki). Mechanically, I'm looking at occultist (necroocultist archtype), spiritualist, vigilante (probably cabalist, only if I go the veshki mystic route). Soul Weaver could also work, if that 3PP class is allowed.
Questions:
1. Would you consider Soul Weaver as an option for a PC class?
2. A spiritualist's phantom is an outsider type. Would the spiritualist's phantom be bound by the 5 minute summons rule? This isn't necessarily a bad thing IMO, and adds an interesting wrinkle to the classes' mechanics.
3. The zeitgeist archetype of the spiritualist is flavorful and fits nicely with the setting, but it is most effective in a settlement. Your mention of ships makes me wonder about how much time PCs will actually spend in Flint however. Without getting too spoilery, would you say that a zeitgeist binder is a good choice for the campaign or no?
Thank you for the detailed recruitment. It is really helpful in formulating a PC.
I was firstly considering the Spirit Medium which I can still go with, but I see two others doing so thus far and I am all about helping the party.
Concept is based on Philo (Rycroft Philostrate) from the Carnival Row (the show seems to fit this setting well!)
Race: Human (perhaps half-elf re-skinned as half-fae?)
Class/archetype Investigator (Empiricist) (likely a dip of one level into fighter or similar for better weapon selection/armor options.
Party Role: Skills/Support
Theme: Yerasol Veteran
Character background:He grew up with no means, an orphan. He saw the navy as an opportunity to get off the streets and maybe make a difference. He fought in conflict between Risur and Danor and through luck/skill was able to come out of alive an distinguished. He was not there for glory, but a sense helping others. After the conflict he went to a dark place having seen things people should have to see, loosing many good friends along the way.
It was one of the friends that made it back that was able to reach him and bring him out of that place and set him up in the local constabulary where he proved himself and caught the notice of a member or two in the RHC who sought out his recruitment. He accepted, seeing it as an option to help protect Risur, not only from the local threats, but those large scale ones he knows are out there.
If there are any further questions or concerns, ask away.
Thank you for the opportunity.
GM Fanguar:
Full disclosure: I have played through the first book twice on these boards and a bit into the second once. That said, it has been awhile (3 years ago now) and both times it was very interesting to see how things happened differently. If selected, I will do my best to not meta-game and roleplay this character. I love the setting and would be in for the long haul.
@GM Niles:Overall looks fine, but your background doesn't quite work with how devas function. A deva does not age and when they die from injuries, they reincarnate as a fully formed adult within a couple of days of their death. You PC wouldn't have been a child since before they originally became a deva more than 500 years ago.
@Songdragon: A reskinned half-elf would work fine. Looks good so far, I'll let you know if I have any more questions.
Fighting Chicken wrote:
Questions:
1. Would you consider Soul Weaver as an option for a PC class?
2. A spiritualist's phantom is an outsider type. Would the spiritualist's phantom be bound by the 5 minute summons rule? This isn't necessarily a bad thing IMO, and adds an interesting wrinkle to the classes' mechanics.
3. The zeitgeist archetype of the spiritualist is flavorful and fits nicely with the setting, but it is most effective in a settlement. Your mention of ships makes me wonder about how much time PCs will actually spend in Flint however. Without getting too spoilery, would you say that a zeitgeist binder is a good choice for the campaign or no?
1. Soul weaver is probably fine.
2. Probably not, as I'd rather not negate a class mechanic. Also, considering the Bleak Gate overlaps the material plane, some hand waving when it comes to spirits is probably fine. Though from a setting standpoint, it would probably make more sense for it to be limited to 5mins baring specific conditions (e.g. maybe 5 mins during the day, but works normally at night)
3. As the campaign progress, you spend less time in Flint, so you probably wouldn't get enough bang for your buck to make it worth it.
JonGarrett wrote:
Hmm. Is the Machinesmith or the Technician available? Both are very thematic but the Technician does use Spheres of Power.
Also, since Traits aren't being used, is the Additional traits feat acceptable? There are a few really helpful traits that I like to consider.
1. Machinesmith and Technician both seem fine a first glance.
2. Yes you make take the additional traits feat, just no starting traits.
Simeon wrote:
Interesting! Thinking about a constructed pugilist brawler, eventually going for the steamsuit pilot prestige class.
Just out of curiosity, what's the starting level?
Sorry I should have mentioned that. Starting at level 1.
This looks really cool. I've got a few ideas but will need a day or so to take everything in and get sorted.
Name: Preacher
Race: Human
Theme: Gunsmith
Class/archetype: The obvious build is a gunslinger but there's also things like savage technologist. I don't want something well rounded without too much focus on combat so I need to do some research. No traits makes this interesting xD
Literary inspiration: The powder mage trilogy by Brian McClellan
@GM Niles:Overall looks fine, but your background doesn't quite work with how devas function. A deva does not age and when they die from injuries, they reincarnate as a fully formed adult within a couple of days of their death. You PC wouldn't have been a child since before they originally became a deva more than 500 years ago.
Ahh. Similar to how Androids work in PF. That's good. I can work with that.
Race: Deva
Class: Psychic
Party Role: With high charisma/intelligence my character will excel in social encounters. In combat, he will affect the minds of the enemy, and cause them much discomfort.
Theme: Spirit Medium ----> Urban Empath
Background:
1. How long have you been on the force? Only briefly, 6 months at the most. I have worked only one real case, that of a murdered dockworker. I learned there that not only could I touch the minds of the living, I could "hear" the resonant minds of the dead as well.
2. What prompted the RNC to recruit you, or, if you applied, why did they accept your application? I was recruited for my "abilities" of the mind. That, and with no real memory of his former life he needed something to do. The RHC, cognizant of Devas and the difficulties facing newly "born" Deva's recruited him knowing how desperate he would be.
3. Why did you accept/apply? I accepted after I realized I could read minds, I figured it was a useful skill for someone who tried to find lawbreakers and anarchists. That, and what else is a new Deva to do when they have no money and no friends and no prospects, but they can read minds and speak with the dead.(The character will be LN with a heavy emphasis on the L part)
4. Brief character sketch.
The character is a Deva, he was "born" on Pine Island in Flint. After a few weeks weak memories of his prior lives began intruding on his mind, causing his psychic potential to flourish. Character will use the Rebirth discipline with the GM's permission . I see the character as someone prim, proper, practicing the best etiquette. All Is must be dotted , all Ts must be crossed. All paperwork in order. Arrests must be logged. Evidence catalogued.
Awesome. I'm thinking of making a Suit Pilot Technician, a Danor ex-pat whose once noble family fled to Risur. As part of her thankfulness for taking her family in when they fled she went to work for the RHC, initially as support staff. But she proved loyal and adept and had an interesting idea involving some of the technology her family brought with them, and with the King's recent move towards technology and a more friendly attitude to Danor she's been allowed to test the prototype suit out on the streets.
The main issue is that a Technician's Suit has a hardness, meaning it basically has DR 5/- at level 1. The downside to that is that I'll be spending quite a lot of my stipend/wages repairing the thing. It takes 8 hours of downtime and 10% of it's cost to repair it. Since any kind of DR is kinda unusual at this level I thought I should mention it before working on the thing too much.
1. How long have you been on the force? (FYI the RNC is 30 years old. You start off at the bottom of the seniority list, so if you are a veteran, why haven't you advanced?) Less then a year.
2. What prompted the RNC to recruit you, or, if you applied, why did they accept your application? I was recruited off the docks for my healing skills
3. Why did you accept/apply? (Note: Candidates submit to extensive magical mind reading before they are accepted. The RNC has never been infiltrated by a spy, so no double agents allowed. Your loyalty to Risur is beyond reproach.) I accepted because I wanted to improve the lot of the dockers and thought I could do so being part of the RNC.
4. Brief character sketch. (You can even just describe your character in terms of other fictional characters, or just in terms of your ability score descriptions. A very friendly and good looking lady who loved performing on the docks and healing those injured workers in need running a small booth singing and healing and helping as she could until the RNC took notice and recruited her.
Sounds like the various Paths of War classes would be a good fit for the Martial Scientist theme/Polyhistor prestige-class; although I'm curious if the Dreamscarred Psionic and Akashic classes would also be suitable class options as well. ;)
GM Niles wrote:
Ahh. Similar to how Androids work in PF. That's good. I can work with that.
The Devas in Zeitgeist seem to be like a weird mix of androids and samsarans. ;)
Kul'Theraka is the son of a Cal, a sailor, and Tha'enga, an orc. Cal was left as a one man outpost guarding a resupply magazine as the navy pushed forward. He found Tha'enga at the base of a cliff, nearly dead. Her tribe had left her to die apparently after she fell. Cal took her to his small base as it was and treated her wounds and slowly fed her soup to keep her strength up. She developed a fever so it was some eight days before she regained lucid consciousness. Then she became hostile. Cal didn't force the issue since she was too weak to get up and do anything and merely continued to win her over with kindness; feeding her, changing her wound dressings, checking the splint. She began to calm. He made her a crutch so she could begin moving about. Surprisingly, she started helping with the indoor chores, cooking, building the fire, etc. Once she could walk without the crutch the amazing thing happened, she did not leave. When the navy returned to collect Cal, he claimed she was a servant he had taken on. His pay was docked for her transport but Tha returned to Risur with Cal. He then stepped out of the navy and took a dock workers job. Cal and Tha grew to love one another, not the way some other couples did, but they appreciated each other's company. They consummated their marriage and came together only a few other times. This resulted in Kul'Theraka, named by his mother of course.
They both raised him, taught him of their respective cultures, and tried to prepare him for the rough life in the city. Learning how the orcs abandoned his mother, Kul had no desire to seek them out unless it was to put an arrow in them. Instead, he embraced what the city had to offer. He faced prejudice because of his mixed race but he had little concern for that. Perhaps it was the orc in him but he began to revel in street fights that he inevitably found himself in. Fearing his son would turn to crime, Cal submitted Kul's name into a Veteran's scholarship lottery. Amazingly, Kul won and was given the opportunity to attend the local academy outside of Flint. Before leaving home, Cal gave Kul'Theraka his only ribbon for valor (gained for fighting a fire aboard ship) and Tha'enga gave him a traditional protective tattoo. With these two special gifts and the clothes on his back, he reported to the academy (assume age 13-18).
The academy was rigorous and challenging. Kul'Theraka had been introduced to prejudice early in life so the manner in which some treated him bothered him little. His athleticism and intelligence typically overcame most doubters of his worthiness to be there. It was constant orders and the lack of freedom that chaffed at him. The training was outstanding and he was able to lose himself in that. Of course being a martial academy, even one that emphasizes intelligent fighting, the boys would fight. Kul's chosen path of pugilism and wrestling gave him a bit of an edge when things came to fisticuffs. Still, the majority of the years were without major incident.
At graduation, all those in the top ten percent of the class were interviewed by the RHC. Kul was offered a position most likely because of his town knowledge and perhaps because his father was a Yerasol veteran.
Reputation: Kul seems to know all the young urchins on the street.
Signature Item: Kul keeps his father's ribbon on him most all the time.
Have a Reason to Be Brave: Tha'enga taught him orcs are always brave. Whether it is false bravado or not, Kul does not intend to ever let his mother hear of him being a coward. He would die first. Also, Cal's bravery in the face of death, a fire aboard ship, is a constant reminder of staying the course.
Defense:
Initiative +3 (Dex +3)
AC 16, touch 13, Flat Footed 13 (+3 Dex, +3 Armor, +1 Buckler)
HP 13 (10 + 2 Con + 1 FCB)
Fort +5 Ref +6 Will +1
Brawler's Cunning: If the brawler’s Intelligence score is less than 13, it counts as 13 for the purpose of meeting the prerequisites of combat feats.
Martial Flexibility: A brawler can take a move action to gain the benefit of a combat feat she doesn’t possess. This effect lasts for 1 minute. The brawler must meet all the feat’s prerequisites. He may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + 1/2 his brawler level (minimum 1).
Martial Training: At 1st level, a brawler counts his total brawler levels as both fighter levels and monk levels for the purpose of qualifying for feats. He also counts as both a fighter and a monk for feats and magic items that have different effects based on whether the character has levels in those classes (such as Stunning Fist and a monk’s robe). This ability does not automatically grant feats normally granted to fighters and monks based on class level, namely Stunning Fist.
Unarmed strike: At 1st level, a brawler gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. A brawler may attack with fists, elbows, knees, and feet. This means that a brawler may make unarmed strikes with her hands full. A brawler applies her full Strength modifier (not half ) on damage rolls for all her unarmed strikes.
Usually, a brawler’s unarmed strikes deal lethal damage, but she can choose to deal nonlethal damage instead with no penalty on her attack roll. She has the same choice to deal lethal or nonlethal damage while grappling.
Half-orc Racial Traits:
Unflinching Valor: half-orcs with this racial trait gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against fear effects, and a +1 racial bonus to CMD to avoid being grappled. This replaces intimidating.
City Raised: Half-orcs with this trait know little of their orc ancestry and were raised among humans and other half-orcs in a large city. City-raised half-orcs are proficient with whips and longswords, and receive a +2 racial bonus on Knowledge (local) checks. This racial trait replaces weapon familiarity.
Sacred Tattoo: Half-orcs with this racial trait gain a +1 luck bonus on all saving throws. This racial trait replaces orc ferocity.
Darkvision 60'
Orc blood: counts as orc and human
Theme Martial Scientist:
Martial Studies (Theme Feat)
Research is important for science and for combat. If you don’t know just the right fight- ing technique, you’re pretty sure someone else has published a thesis about it. Benefit: At 1st level, every martial scientist starts with the experimental strike
technique, detailed below. Throughout the campaign you will have the ability to learn new techniques from other martial scientists, either by reading their thesis or witnessing their technique in action. After resting for 8 hours, choose any one technique you know. You have access to that technique’s ability for the day.
Special: You can acquire only one theme feat.
Experimental Strike (Martial Scientist Technique)
Scientific breakthroughs are born of both careful study and wild experimentation. Your old reliable attack technique has failed, so it’s time to try option B.
Benefit: Whenever you miss with all attacks during a full attack action, you may
immediately make one additional attack at your highest base attack bonus. You must use this attack for some purpose other than directly attacking an enemy, such as slicing a rope to pin an enemy with a chandelier, or smashing a pipe to spray blinding steam on an enemy.
Gear:
Belt Pouch (loose change, caltrops, chalk x10, signal whistle, flint and steel, whetstone) 3#
Backpack (candles x5, rations x3, silk rope 50', pitons x3, 5 fish hooks, string 50', sewing kit, waterskin, torch x3, alchemist fire x3, oil flask) 16#
Leather studded#20 (AC 3 Max Dex 5 ACP -1)
Waveblade 2#
Hand axe 3#
Wooden stakes x3 3#
Light Load 58, Medium Load 116, Heavy Load 175
Total Gear Weight: 47 pounds, Light Load
OK, I've landed on a vekeshi mystic deva spiritualist. The phantom will be mutable in appearance (though statistically the same) representing the deva's past incarnations. I hope to have a submission in soon.
@GM Niles: The Rebirth discipline, is probably fine.
@JonGarrett: Ya, I don't know how it will work out in play, but as long as it doesn't ruin anyone else's fun, it'll be fine. There are counter measures that can be taken, and once the PCs become known to the big bads, they'll come prepared. Costs do seem low for what you're getting though.
@Today is a good day to... halp: If you can post a link to what you're interested in I'll take a look. I usually allow most stuff, with the caveat that if something ends up being broken in play, I'll ask you to tweak it.
To be honest, I'm getting a little concerned with some of the applications! Not to rain in my colleagues' parade, but the issue with certain third party stuff is exactly the fact it isn't balanced with the more "core" or "normal" stuff (which some of us, like me, prefer to use). I want to submit a character like I like playing, but I don't want to see myself in a party with others abusing things like Path of War, Spheres or any other busted thing :$ and my apologies for the sincerity if it offends anyone.
To be honest, I'm getting a little concerned with some of the applications! Not to rain in my colleagues' parade, but the issue with certain third party stuff is exactly the fact it isn't balanced with the more "core" or "normal" stuff (which some of us, like me, prefer to use). I want to submit a character like I like playing, but I don't want to see myself in a party with others abusing things like Path of War, Spheres or any other busted thing :$ and my apologies for the sincerity if it offends anyone.
Those are fair concerns, but I think there is only 1 actual person that super dialed in a 3pp class, a Suit Pilot Technician, which seems to peak early, fits the setting and there is already a prestige class that gives a steampowered suit in the player's guide. Also, no one has been selected yet, so who knows what the final party will be.
Ultimately, when it comes to 3pp stuff my general rule if something ends up being broken and not fun in play, I'll ask the player to tweak it. I want everyone to have a good time. (The same could be said for like a dozen high level spells (I'm looking at you Mass suffocation...))
If this game sounds like a table you'd like a seat at, make a character that you would enjoy playing. If you get picked and you don't think the party sounds like a fun, then you can always decline.
Great! Thanks for the feedback! I really loved the well thought recruitment post and pitch, and never had a chance to play Zeitgeist, so I was looking forward to try something. I will have a submission before the weekend :)
Ah. Well. Thank you for support, GM, but if it's going to be an issue with the other applicants I'll re-think my plan. I'd hate to cause someone else to miss out on a game they want to play simply because my choice of class isn't one they're comfortable with.
This might be of interest, somebody created herolab files for zeitgeist: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/5bmz9zyikbf3rmj/AAB7YVfLn6pc8ACfaDzWDb4ma
Anyway I've been looking into how to build a powder mage in pathfinder. There are actually some homebrew & 3p classes/archetypes out there but hard to say if they're balanced. Sticking to paizo material the thing that seems closest is 1 level of Siege Gunner Gunslinger plus the rest in eldritch archer magus. Normally I dislike dips but this seems to work. There are some alternatives such as the gunchemist alchemist but that doesn't quite seem to match the flavour, although that does sound like fun too. Biggest build issue is in the books some of the powder mages were quite charismatic but it's difficult to translate that to pathfinder without using traits to let int to work for some social skills. If anyone has some suggestions that would be awesome :)
Yeah, it was one of the reasons I was planning to pick up Additional Traits in part to get some more social skills, which is one way of doing it - but you still aren't great at gathering info, which is a nice thing to be able to do as elite police officers. And using a feat at level 1 can make it a bit awkward.
Two other options would be Arrowsong Bard, most of the fun ranged abilities working with a gun as well a bow. The downside is that you won't be firing spell-imbued ammo until 6th level, or 7th if you dip into Gunslinger. The upside is Charisma, some good spells that a Bard (and Magus) can't usually get and the usual array of bardic goodies making you both good at shooting and buffing, healing and chatting. Great allrounder.
Another possibility is Divine Hunter Paladin, as with Commonplace Guns mean you'll already be able to use a gun as a martial weapon (and at 25% of there normal cost you can also afford a pistol or dragon pistol, albeit without much else, or an Air Repeater with other toys). Depending on the flavour you're looking for, though, Smiting with ranged attacks, and using Divine Magic, might not be the 'Gunmage' you're looking for.
Thanks, additional Traits is very tempting, but at the end of the day I guess you can't be good at everything and I don't want to hog too much of the limelight (presumably somebody will build a party face).
I'd forgotten about those archetypes, I like both of them :) Of the two the bard is closer to what I had in mind but it doesn't really come on line till level 6 which is an awful long time in a PbP.
Anyway here's the background:
Adam 'Preacher' Buchannon:
Party role: Scary cop & the gun slinger literally.
Theme Feat: The Man with Two Guns is God.
Class TBD: Provisionally, Siege Gunner Gunslinger 1 / Eldritch Archer Magus X
How long have you been on the force? "It's been six months now since I joined the RNC, best decision I ever made! I was struggling before. I lost my parents when I was thirteen and ended up in an orphanage, that was ... a shock. My parents brought me up to do whats right and uphold the laws, the people I fell in with just did what they had to survive. Far too straight laced I stood out like a sore thumb, they called my The Preacher, guess the name stuck."
What prompted the RNC to recruit you? "Why did the RNC take a chance on a nobody like me? I guess the recruitment sergeant took a shine to me, said I was a good lad. I think he also liked my 20 yard grouping with the twins..." Preacher indicated his pistols.
Why did you apply? "At my parents funeral, as their coffins where lowered into the ground, I promised I'd never let them down. When I graduated I was at a turning point, the easy path would have been to fall in with some of the people I'd met. They had plans to get rich and famous, the usual. Felt I'd be letting my folks down, so really there was no other option for me. I may be young but I've learnt one thing, it doesn't matter how strong you are" Preacher thumped his chest, "It's what's in here that counts!"
Character sketch
Hands on his pistols, Preacher's leather duster flapped as stalked towards the ruined hacienda with the sun beating down on his back. The perp was inside, with hostages, he had to take them out before anyone else got hurt!
Genre: Flintlock fantasy E.g. Taniel two shot and General Vlora Flint from the earlier books before they took on mythic levels. Perhaps a dash of Waxillium Ladrian from the Alloy of Law.
Presenting Juliet D'Artangen. Juliet joined the RNC as a means to mete justice on the cruel and criminal. She enjoys fine things, and the deva's past selves manifest as her phantom, an unusual talent that has gained her notice in the RNC despite being a new recruit that has yet to be sent on assignent.
Name: Juliet D’Artangen
Race: Deva
Class: Spiritualist
Party Role: In combat, Juliet will be a melee fighter of moderate ability. Her skills, with good modifiers in Diplomacy, Perception, and Sense Motive, and her spells will provide some utility and buffing. Having cure spells and condition removal spells on her list will be helpful later, though as a spontaneous caster, Juliet may only have access to some of these spells via scrolls/wands. Juliet’s phantom (either a dedication or kindness phantom, I'm undecided at moment) will be used to buff party members and debuff enemies, as well as scout. The phantom will not be an effective damage dealer.
Campaign Theme: Juliet’s backstory lends herself well to the Vekeshi Mystic theme.
Character background concepts:
1. Born again: Juliet sprang into existence in an alleyway in Bosum Strand, between two warehouses a few short blocks from the harbor. Memories of past births flashed through her mind; mostly rooms but also a few carriages, and once even a carnival elephant’s wagon. Being born, the deva knew both instinctively and immediately, was never not traumatic. The deva collapsed to the alleyway’s ground and rolled to look at the smoke-clogged sky, a sliver of flat and grey peeking from beyond the warehouse roofs. Flint, she thought, gasping for air. I’m in Flint.
2. Lost and Found: Memories would come and recede, like the tide. Competing memories, feelings, and ideals from previous lives surfaced and crashed against each other. The deva stumbled through those first few months, almost catatonic, surviving with the help of an alms-house dedicated to those few like her born again.
A book would change everything. There, in the alms-house’s reading nook, lay a dog-eared copy of Vekesh’s teachings. The deva devoured the teachings, again and again and again. Defeat is only a tragedy if the story ends there. Discretion, the best part of valor. Those responsible for large-scale suffering have earned justice on a grand scale.
The deva left the alms-house and found the Vekeshi Mystics.
3. Past selves: Under the guidance of the Mystics, the deva learned to pull on the tether that binds her to her past lives. Her first conjuring of a past self was a young man - Rupert - lithe and hungry, who would die before his fifth year of incarnation, consumed by the scarlet plague. The man, pulled from beyond the veil, cowered in the summoning circle, howling and inconsolable. With a sigh, the deva sent Rupert back beyond the veil. It would take time, her mentor advised, to build trust with her past selves.
Mechanically, Juliet’s past selves are reflected in her phantom. She’ll conjure different ones with different personalities, but they will have the same statistics (they are all effectively the same phantom statistics-wise, just with a different personality and appearance depending on the past life).
4. Sensate, Vengeance: The deva mastered the arts of conjuring her past selves. She passed the initiation into the inner ranks of the Mystics, and blessed with the shared memory of the Great Malice, began her recovery. In recovery, she discovered a great enthusiasm for fine things, good food, expensive drink, and beautiful sights and sounds. She took the name Juliet D’Artangen, a nod to one of the great sensates of the previous century, Julie D’Aubigny. The tentpoles of Juliet’s personality became an appreciation for fine pleasures and new things, and - instilled by her training as a Mystic and the suffering of her past selves - a burning hatred for cruel people, and a desire to see them brought to justice. Juliet lives by the following code:
Never turn down the chance to experience something new.
An ascetic is a fool; life’s pleasures are like a lit candle in the darkness.
Justice in proportion to cruelty must be delivered.
Bravery does not equal stupidity; the arc of justice is long, and delay is better than death.
5. RNC:
Upon leaving the dreaming, Juliet applied for, and was accepted to the RNC, where she could use her authority to punish abusers, killers, and other criminals. She’s new to the Constabulary, having at game’s start never been on assignment. Despite her inexperience, RNC management is excited about the recruit’s prospects; Juliet’s talents are rare (and useful!), and her conviction to her righteous code is absolute. From Juliet’s perspective, her loyalty to the RNC is also absolute - she views her role with the Constabulary as an important means to bringing justice to abusers and making Risur a better place for future generations.
Character sketch:
Juliet is a woman with a dancer’s physique, fit and muscular, and yet still deceptively strong Strength 16+. Perhaps due to her past lived experiences, Juliet is a keen judge of character and perceptive Wisdom 16+. She tends to dress in finely tailored clothes, her appearance is well-kept, with her black hair often plaited in braids. When on the job, Juliet dons a porcelain mask, which is completely featureless except for its two eye-holes. Perhaps due to some yet as-discovered trauma from a past life, Juliet is terrified of birds.
Sticking with the steampunk theme, would you consider the Rogue Genius Games Engineer or the converted Eberron artificer? I see people already mentioned the Machinesmith.
My character offering. Ivan Barov, a dwarf from an immigrant family, interested in upholding the Law.
Ivan Barov
Dwarven Inquisitor, male, Black powder inquisition, Urban Infiltrator
Str 11
Dex 14
Con 14
Int 12
Wis 16
Cha 12
Combat stats:
initiative +2
HP 10
BA +0
Fort +4 Ref +2 Will +5
AC 16 FAC 14 TAC 12
CMB +0 CMD 12
Club +0 1D6
Dagger +0 1d4
Pistol +2 1D8
Feats:
Gunsmith
WP (exotic) firearms
Point blank shot
+1 to hit and damage with ranged weapons under range 30 feet
The Man with Two Guns Is God (Theme Feat)
You have discovered the coolest-looking fighting style in the world.
Benefit: You can draw and attack with firearms as if you had the Quick Draw and Two-Weapon Fighting feats. If you attack with a firearm in the same turn you draw it, the attack doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity. Additionally, you can requisition advanced Drakran weapons like grenades and rifles without increasing the Favor level of the request. (See Requisitioning Equipment, page 18.)
Special: You can acquire only one theme feat.
Inquisition: Black powder inquisitor
Judgement 1/day
Stern Gaze
Gifted Detective (Ex)
An urban infiltrator adds her Wisdom modifier as well as her Charisma modifier on Bluff and Disguise skill checks and on Diplomacy checks to gather information. Attempting a Diplomacy check to gather information never takes an urban infiltrator more than 1 hour.
This ability replaces monster lore.
An urban infiltrator adds Disable Device, Knowledge (history), Knowledge (local), and Knowledge (nobility) to her list of class skills in place of Knowledge (dungeoneering) and Knowledge (nature).
This alters the inquisitor’s class skills.
Racial features:
Darkvision 60 feet
Death’s End: Dwarves with this racial trait gain a +2 bonus to AC against undead and a +2 bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like abilities cast by the undead. This replaces defensive training and hatred.
Greed: +2 appraise check on non-magical metals and gems
Healthy: Dwarves with this racial trait gain a +2 racial bonus on saves against disease and poison, and they need one fewer consecutive successful save (minimum 1) to be cured of diseases and poisons. This racial trait replaces hardy.
Iron Citizen: Dwarves with this racial trait gain a +2 bonus on Diplomacy and Sense Motive checks, and Diplomacy is a class skill for such dwarves. This replaces stability. Stone cunning
Weapon familiarity (dwarf)
Pistol
20 rounds
Chain shirt
Gunsmiths kit
Holy symbol (wooden)
Holy book (cheap)
Backpack
Flint and steel
Belt pouch
Travellers outfit
Broad brim hat (2gp)
Club
Dagger
Background questions:
1.How long have you been on the force? (FYI the RNC is 30 years old. You start off at the bottom of the seniority list, so if you are a veteran, why haven't you advanced?)
Ivan has been on the force for about a year and has gained a reputation for being good in repairing guns, and for being very dedicated in his investigations. Seen as a bit morose, and somewhat grumpy, he has done some good work.
2. What prompted the RNC to recruit you, or, if you applied, why did they accept your application?
Ivan’s family immigrated to Risur from Drakr when he was small, and he grew up in Flint. Despite a fair bit of discrimination, Ivan was taught from a young age to obey the law and to be diligent. The RNC decided to recruit more minorities, and Ivan was recommended for the job by Dima, a dwarven priest working for the RNC, after helping her deal with some undead,
3. Why did you accept/apply? (Note: Candidates submit to extensive magical mind-reading before they are accepted. The RNC has never been infiltrated by a spy, so no double agents allowed. Your loyalty to Risur is beyond reproach.)
Ivan joined the RNC as he wants to help society and to promote his people in it. Although he has a somewhat gloomy, pessimistic, outlook, he supports the idea of the RNC and the kingdom in general. He sees the possibility of advancement in the RNC
4. Brief character sketch. (You can even just describe your character in terms of other fictional characters, or just in terms of your ability score descriptions.)
Ivan is a dwarf of average size and a keen perception of things. He is cleaning and checking his pistol (s) whenever he can and is happy to help maintain other constables firearms, though he is rather judgemental of those who do not keep them well. He is a good questioner, and good at gathering information. He is a stickler for the law and applies it fairly as he can.
Race: Human (Risuri Native)
Class: Slayer
Campaign theme: Yerasol Veteran
Party role: Primarily a melee damage-dealer, with a heavy focus on nonlethal damage and Intimidate to demoralize opponents. However he does have 9 skills per level, (6 class, 1 human, 2 background), and so could also serve as a decent skill monkey. (Just don’t expect much in the way of knowledge skills.) If a trap person is needed he can take the Trapfinding talent at level 2.
Background Questions:
1. How long have you been on the force? (FYI the RNC is 30 years old. You start off at the bottom of the seniority list, so if you are a veteran, why haven't you advanced?)
”Been about two years?” Erwin starts counting on his fingers. ”First year after the war I didn’t do much of anything. I needed ‘time to recover from both physical and mental trauma.’ Then I spent four years at the Battalion, pushing papers around until I couldn’t take it anymore. So yeah, been at the RNC for two years now.”
2. What prompted the RNC to recruit you, or, if you applied, why did they accept your application?
A slight smile crosses the battered face. ”I applied. As for why they accepted, dunno. Maybe they just didn’t want to turn down a vet. Or maybe they thought I could do some good, out there in the city. Never occurred to me to ask.”
3. Why did you accept/apply? (Note: Candidates submit to extensive magical mind reading before they are accepted. The RNC has never been infiltrated by a spy, so no double agents allowed. Your loyalty to Risur is beyond reproach.)
”They like givin’ us veterans cushy desk jobs. Serves the dual purpose of keeping us busy and keeping us close at hand whenever they want to trot us out like props. It wasn’t too bad at first, but I wasn’t actually doing any work there. Eventually I started to feel less like a man and more like a tin soldier. Every so often they’d take me off the shelf, but mostly they just wanted me to stay quiet and hidden away. Least I get to do things now, and mostly it’s useful things.”
4. Brief character sketch. (You can even just describe your character in terms of other fictional characters, or just in terms of your ability score descriptions.)
Erwin tilts his head, clearly thinking hard. ”What kind of character am I? Weird way to phrase that, but I’ll play along. I like to think of myself as a guy who gets things done. I like moving, you know? Doing stuff with my muscles, taking advantage of all this.” (He gestures, broadly encompassing his 6’8” height and muscular frame.) "Ain’t so good with people, most of the time. Unless I’m trying to scare ‘em. I’m real good at that."
"I like to think of myself as a patriot. Kind of have to be, you know? Otherwise the whole war was pointless. Have to admit though,” (his voice lowers), ”I’m not too happy with the military these days. The War went a lot worse than they like to admit. My big heroic tale? The one where I rescued a few of my crewmates? What they don’t tell you is that we weren’t in any kind of glorious naval battle. Gossip had it that we were testing some sort of fancy new cannon, so maybe that's how we blew ourselves up without an enemy ship in sight. They don’t like to mention that part. Or just how much territory we lost. Makes me worry about what’ll happen if there’s ever a Fifth Yerasol War.”
He looks a little ashamed. ”And, uh, don’t mention this to anyone, but ever since the explosion I’ve been a bit nervous around alchemists. I mean, I work with several of ‘em and they’re good people, but it’s just...how can you control something like that? If one of my swings go wide maybe I hit the wrong person. If one of those bombs goes off at the wrong time...I get why we’re so focused on technology these days. We’ll need it if we end up fighting Danor again. But it just ain’t natural.”
High STR: Erwin is most well-known for a feat he performed during the war. When his ship was ripped apart in an explosion, he repeatedly swam between the wreckage and the shore. In total he rescued fourteen people before collapsing. At the RNC it’s well-known that Erwin is the one to call if you need any heavy lifting done, and he’s happy to oblige.
Low CHA: Erwin avoids talking to crime victims whenever he can, knowing that his huge frame, scarred face, and pessimistic outlook are more likely to scare than comfort. Fellow officers sometimes joke that the easiest way to make Erwin panic is to shove a crying child at him.
Statistics:
Male Human Slayer 1
NG Medium Humanoid (Human)
Init +2; Senses Perception +5
------------------------------
DEFENSE
------------------------------
AC 12, touch 12, flat-footed 10 (+2 dex)
HP 15
Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +1
------------------------------
OFFENSE
------------------------------
Speed 30 ft.
Melee
Ranged
------------------------------
STATISTICS
------------------------------
Str 18, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
Base Atk +1; CMB +5; CMD 17
Feats Display of Heroism (Theme): Once per combat you may assist an ally who is imperiled. As a move action, you may move your speed to an ally. This movement doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity. You can lift the ally to his feet if he is prone. If he was dying, your presence stabilizes him and allows him to become disabled instead of unconscious. You and that ally gain a +2 circumstance bonus to AC and saves until the end of your next turn.
If you choose Yerasol Veteran as your character’s theme, the party’s Prestige with Risur starts at 2 instead of 1.
Toughness (Campaign Bonus): +3 hit points, +1 per Hit Die beyond 3
Skill Focus - Intimidation (Human Bonus): +3 bonus on one skill (+6 at 10 ranks)
Enforcer (Level 1): Demoralize opponent as free action when you inflict nonlethal damage.
Skills (6 class, 1 human, 2 background)
*Climb +8 (3 class skill, 4 STR, 1 rank)
K. Geography + 4 (3 class skill, 0 INT, 1 rank)
K. Local + 4 (3 class skill, 0 INT, 1 rank)
Intimidate + 6 (3 class skill, -1 CHA, 3 feat, 1 rank)
Perception + 5 (3 class skill, 1 WIS, 1 rank)
Profession (Sailor) + 5 (3 class skill, 1 WIS, 1 rank)
Sense Motive + 5 (3 class skill, 1 WIS, 1 rank)
Survival + 5 (3 class skill, 1 WIS, 1 rank)
*Swim +8 (3 class skill, 4 STR, 1 rank)
*ACP applies to these skills
Languages Common, Primordial
Special Abilities:
------------------------------
SPECIAL ABILITIES
------------------------------
Slayer
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A slayer is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, as well as with light armor, medium armor, and shields (except tower shields).
Studied Target (Ex): A slayer can study an opponent he can see as a move action. The slayer then gains a +1 bonus on Bluff, Knowledge, Perception, Sense Motive, and Survival checks attempted against that opponent, and a +1 bonus on weapon attack and damage rolls against it. The DCs of slayer class abilities against that opponent increase by 1. A slayer can only maintain these bonuses against one opponent at a time; these bonuses remain in effect until either the opponent is dead or the slayer studies a new target.
If a slayer deals sneak attack damage to a target, he can study that target as an immediate action, allowing him to apply his studied target bonuses against that target (including to the normal weapon damage roll).
At 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th levels, the bonuses on weapon attack, damage rolls, and skill checks and to slayer DCs against a studied target increase by 1. In addition, at each such interval, the slayer is able to maintain these bonuses against an additional studied target at the same time. The slayer may discard this connection to a studied target as a free action, allowing him to study another target in its place.
At 7th level, a slayer can study an opponent as a move or swift action.
Track (Ex): A slayer adds 1/2 his level (minimum 1) to Survival skill checks made to follow tracks.
Sticking with the steampunk theme, would you consider the Rogue Genius Games Engineer or the converted Eberron artificer? I see people already mentioned the Machinesmith.
The engineer might be fine, I don't have the document, so I don't really know the power level. Going to say no to the artificer, just because magic item crafting isn't really going to be a thing in the campaign.
I believe this is what people have submitted so far. Thought it would be nice to have in one place. No Eschatologists, Skyseers or Technologists yet, though it sounds like some people are brewing up some of the later.
Spirit Medium
GM Niles – Deva – Psychic
Yerasol Veteran
Songdragon – Human - Investigator (Empiricist)
ClearSpring – Human – Slayer
Docker
Edelsmirge – Human – Oracle(Divine Herbalist)
I actually have an old character for this... I need to make some massive adjustments for unchained and more modern resources, but the general idea is there.
Hi GM! It's Archlich here with my submission - Fayn in an Elf Kensai Magus going the Martial Scientist line, hopefully Polyhistor at some point!. I added all details (and a little more) to her profile but please feel free to let me know if you have any questions or concerns! :)
Sticking with the steampunk theme, would you consider the Rogue Genius Games Engineer or the converted Eberron artificer? I see people already mentioned the Machinesmith.
The engineer might be fine, I don't have the document, so I don't really know the power level. Going to say no to the artificer, just because magic item crafting isn't really going to be a thing in the campaign.
Fair enough. I can try and copy/paste what I can and DM you details on the Engineer... and if it becomes problematic, the character can be phased out.
I'm toying with the idea of a Dragonkin Arcanist with the Technologist theme, who's had to fight tooth and claw to be taken seriously as a researcher focused on combining magic and technology. He's joined the RHC as much out of hope of winning some respect in the supposedly more egalitarian organization as because he's hoping to have an opportunity to put his theories to practical use. I'll put together my complete application this weekend if that sounds like a reasonable idea in the setting.
1. How long have you been on the force?
Messer has been a member o the RHC for a couple of years, although until recently he’s been primarily in a support role. His mastery of spellcraft in addition to his unusual arm and ability to commune with the dead means that he’s recently seen action on the streets, where his ability to incapacitate criminals has been impressive.
2. What prompted the RNC to recruit you, or, if you applied, why did they accept your application? The ability to talk to the dead and read the history of an item, albeit unreliably for both, make Messer extremely useful in an investigation. In addition, Messer is a competent, if not exceptional, fighter. His spellcraft is very limited, but his focus on non-lethal fighting and magic mean he is lesser hindered in most situations than someone with a more traditionally militant fighting style. He’s smart, if not good with people, and is surprisingly personable despite his floors.
3. Why did you accept/apply?
After the events that saw Messer’s unusual state come to be during the last war, the ex-soldier needed something to do. His experiences left him literally half dead, and cost him a limb. He needed to find a reason for his suffering, and his sudden ‘sensitivity’ towards death and the otherworldly. The RHC has given him a purpose where his skills, and occasional oddity, isn’t simply tolerated but seen as a useful tool that can save lives.
4. Brief character sketch
Messer is highly intelligent, and surprisingly personable thanks to knowing the right words to get a good response. Frustratingly for him he finds it difficult to get information, despite this knack - he can make people friendly but getting them to tell him what he needs is often an exercise in frustration.
Physically weak, Messer is lithe and surprisingly tough. He does not always have a great deal of common sense despite his intelligence and often can’t resist sweets.
--------------------
Defense
-------------------- AC 18, touch 14 flat-footed 14 (Base +10, Dex +4, Armour, +4)
hp 9
Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +2 (Base Fort +2 | Ref +0 | Will +2 | Con+1 | Dex +3 | Wis +0)
Resistance: None
--------------------
Offence
--------------------
Speed 30 ft
Melee Artificial Fist - +4 to hit - 1d6+1 Bludgeoning - x2 Crit
Ranged
--------------------
Magic
--------------------
Level 0 - Unlimited Use per day - DC 13 Brand - Inflict 1 damage and place up to 6 letters on the target’s exposed skin.
Prestidigitation - Perform a variety of small but useful things like cleaning clothes or acting as a spice.
[i]Detect Magic - Detect and sense magical auras, gaining more information the longer you concentrate.
Level 1 - 1 Spell per day - DC 14 Frostbite - Inflict 1d6 +1 cold damage per level, and the target is fatigued. Cannot make a fatigued target exhausted.
+5 More 1st level spells
Str 12 (2 Point Buy)
Dex 18 (10 Point Buy - +2 Race)
Con 12 ( 2 Point Buy)
Int 16 (10 Point Buy)
Wis 10 (0 Point Buy)
Cha 7 (+4 Point But)
Base Atk +0; CMB +1; CMD 15
Bonus Feats Elephant in the Room - Gain the effect of Weapon Finesse, Piranha Strike and other feats.
Unfinished Business - Game Bonus Feat - Once per day perform a ritual that acts like Speak with Dead but it must be near where the target died and within one day or there death.
One per combat summon back the spirit of a target that died within the last five minutes and within 3 miles and have them use a single Standard Action.
Psychic Sensitivity - Human Bonus Feat - Gain several new uses for old skills.
Traits Student of Philosophy (Social) - Use Int for Diplomacy (bar Gathering Information) and Bluff (bar Feint).
Magical Lineage (Frostbite) (Magic) - Reduce the level of the chosen spell by 1 when dealing with Metamagic. This cannot reduce the spell to a lower level than it started.
Racial Traits - Human Bonus Feat - Gain one additional feat.
Skilled - Gain 1 more skill point per level.
Skills
Acrobatics - +4 (+4 Dex - 0 Ranks - Untrained Skill)
Appraise - +4 (+3 Int - 1 Ranks - Untrained Skill - Background Skill 1) - Psychometry - Make a DC 15 Appraise check to read an object’s aura, plus 1 piece of information for every 10 in which you succeed the check. Once a day.
Bluff - +3 (-2 Cha +3 Int - 0 Ranks - Untrained Skill)
Climb - +5 (+1 Str - 1 Ranks - Class Skill)
Craft (Food) - +7 (+3 - 1 Ranks - Class Skill)
Diplomacy - 4 (+-2 Cha +3 Int - 1 Ranks - Untrained Skill) - Hypnotism - Make a Diplomacy check equal to 20 + the target’s will save to either implant a suggest or help the subject recall a memory.
Disable Device - +4 (+4 Dex - 0 Ranks - Untrained Skill)
Disguise - -2 (-2 Cha - 0 Ranks - Untrained Skill)
Escape Artist - +4 (+4 Dex - 0 Ranks - Untrained Skill )
Fly - +4 (+4 Dex - 0 Ranks - Class Skill) Handle Animal - +0 (-2 Cha - 0 Ranks - Untrained Skill)
Heal - +4 (+0 Wis - 0 Ranks - Untrained Skill)
Intimidate - -2 (-2 Cha - 0 Ranks - Trained Skill)
Knowledge (Arcana) - +7 (+3 Int - 1 Ranks - Class Skill)
Knowledge (Dungeoneering) - +3 (+3 Int - 0 Ranks - Class Skill)[/s[
[s]Knowledge (Engineering) - +3 (+3 Int - 0 Ranks - Untrained Skill) Knowledge (Geography) - +3 (+3 Int - 0 Ranks - Untrained Skill) Knowledge (History) - +3 (+3 Int - 0 Ranks - Untrained Skill)
Knowledge (Local) - +4 (+3 Int - 1 Ranks - Untrained Skill)
Knowledge (Nature) - +3 (+3 Int - 0 Ranks - Untrained Skill) Knowledge (Nobility) - +3 (+3 Int -0- Ranks - Untrained Skill) Knowledge (Planes) - +3 (+3 Int - 0 Ranks - Class Skill) Knowledge (Religion) - +3 (+3 Int - 0 Ranks - Untrained Skill)
Linguistics - +5 (+3 Int - 1 Ranks - Untrained Skill - Background 1) - Automatic Writing - Make a Linguistic check after an hour of work to effectively use an Augury spell. Once per day.
Perception - +1 (+0 Wis - 1 Ranks - Untrained Skill)
Perform (-) - -2 (-2 Cha - 0 Ranks - Untrained Skill)
Profession (-) - +0 (+0 Wisdom - 2 Ranks - Class Skill)
Ride - +4 (+4 Dex - 0 Rank - Class Skill)
Sense Motive - +1 (+0 Wis - 1 Ranks - Untrained Skill)
Sleight of Hand - +4 (+4 Dex - 0 Rank - Untrained Skill)
Spellcraft - +7 (+3 Int - 1 Ranks - Class Skill)
Stealth - +4 (+4 Dex - 0 Rank - Untrained Skill)
Survival - +0 (+0 Wis - 0 Ranks - Untrained Skill)
Swim - +5 (+1 Str - 1 Ranks - Class Skill )
Use Magic Device +1 (-2 Cha - 1 Ranks - Class Skill)
Languages: Primordial, Danoran (Common), Sylvan, Draconic
--------------------
Special Abilities
--------------------
Arcane Pool (Modified by Golem Arm) - Gain points equal to half the character’s Magus levels plus there Intelligence modifier.
Diminished Spellcasting - Gain 1 less spell at each caster level, if you only known 1 spell of that level you only gaining a new spell if Intelligence is high enough to gain a bonus spell.
Golem Arm (Modifies Arcane Pool) - Gain a artificial arm that serves as a weapon, dealing damage as a Monk of two levels lower. It can be enhanced to a +1 weapon by spending a point from the Arcane Pool and at 5th level different weapon attributes can be added.
Improved Unarmed Strike (Modifies number of Cantrips) - Gain the Improved Unarmed Strike feat, but reduce the number of Cantrips known by 1.
Spell Combat - Cast a spell in one free hand and attack with a weapon in the other, both at a -2 to hit.
Favoured Class Bonus - +1 Skill
Appearance:
Messer is...distinctive looking, it must be said. The fact that one arm has been entirely replaced with a mechanical device that is not entirely sized for his body is a bit alarming to many, as the device is made of darkened matte steel and bronze highlights and quite impressive looking.
Despite it’s focus, and Messer’s disdain at the idea of attempting to hide the thing, Messer himself is not that much more normal. His brush with the next realm has left him physically altered as much as it did spiritually. His red hair is specked liberally with grey, which he typically keeps short. Anything beyond a couple of inches tends to make him look like a red-haired dandelion. His skin is painfully pale, even in the heat of summer it tends to only get very lightly reddened, with much of what colour it does have sprinkled on his nose in the form of freckles.
One thing that doesn’t stand out is Messer’s height, which is below average but not unusually so at around 5ft4, withly slightly broader than usual soldiers but a generally lithe form. His eyes are bright green and ringed with bronze around the iris and pupil. His right ear is pierced and holds a naval bronze stud in it, and speaks in a baritone bordering on tenor with a strong lower class Risur accent from Flint.
Personality:
Despite his slightly unusual past, Messer is actually quite cheerful and upbeat. His insight into death means he doesn’t especially fear or worry about dying, but equally he’s well aware that the living and the dead are, with strict exceptions, parted forever. Therefore it only makes sense to him to wring every last drop out of life that he can before he can’t do so anymore, and move onto other things when he has no other choice. He may not fear death itself but the idea of missing out on life does concern him.
Intelligent but uneducated in most regards, bar a bare-bones education he managed to to give himself during his early stint with the RHC while learning basic magic, Messer tries to read when he has some spare time. He’s often seen around headquarters when on break, staring studiously at books on philosophy, religion and magic, although almost as often it will be a penny dreadful or newspaper.
Intensely loyal to the nation as befitting an officer of the RHC, and well aware of the power they wield, Messer is focused and intent when it comes to his work. He’s painfully aware that his lack of certain skills means he works much better with others, and he tends to lack leadership skills, prefering to follow. He is dedicated to improving these skills, but can on occasion feel frustrated.
Backstory:
Messer was a young man, probably too young to go to war, when he chose to do exactly that towards the end of the Fourth Yerasol War. Recruiters tend not to be overly picky when a young ‘man’ from the Docks shows up and wants to fight, so long as he seems relatively fit, a decent size and his voice doesn’t crack when he answers the instructor.
Messer was at least old enough to fit into a uniform and learn to use the weapons he was given, and he was surprisingly decent with it - he wasn’t strong and didn’t have the brute force for many techniques but he was shockingly fast and many of the older men expressed frustration at there inability to hit them.
Within weeks he, and the others of his regiment, were being shipped out to reinforce the depleted veterans of the force that had been garrisoned at a small island not directly on the front lines of the fighting. There, the idea was that they could finish their training while integrating into their new unit.
Needless to say, war had other ideas. The green young soldiers were poured into what had become an active warzone. Worse, the regiment - now far more depleted than when their ship had left Flint - wasn’t holding there well located, well reinforced and fortified position on the coast, but a strange ruin that had been found within the jungle. The soldiers had no idea what the ruin was. There officers didn’t either, but it seemed important. The army commanders agreed, and the order was sent to hold it.
It was almost certainly that order, upon its interception, which alerted the Danor forces to the island and its location. Messer and the rest of the new recruits were quickly put to work, helping to build additional fortifications and exploring the ruins. Which proved to be both strange and trapped. After Messer revealed a rudimentary understanding of Draconic - a script seen several times in the ruins.
Exploring the ruins was long, grueling and had an even higher rate of attrition that the defence of the upper levels. Danor had a lot more soldiers on hand than Risur did, as the war wasn’t going especially well. It was becoming apparent that the regiment was going to have to pull out of the area long before reinforcements could arrive, if they ever would. They needed to find what was in there, take it - and have the sappers bring down everything else.
Messer, now probably the most veteran of the soldiers exploring the ruins, ran himself ragged as they tried to find out what secrets the building held. There had to be a secret, something worth trapping the place, something worth so many men dying over. But time ran out. When the order came to fall back Messer chose to set the charges himself. One last trek into the tunnels. One last job. The ruins exploded, and Messer himself...wasn’t there.
The sudden explosion of the ruins caused the Danorian forces to fall back, mostly out of confusion and fear that this was some kind of attack. As the Risur forces used the opportunity to fall back, some of the soldiers dug out the entrance, hoping to find the last stragglers. The only one they found was Messer...without his arm. Messer’s skin was deathly pale, his bright red hair flecked with white and gray, and his arm was gone, replaced with some sort of contraption.
Messer has no real memory of the next few months, as he slipped in and out of reality. Or perhaps it would be better to say the young man had no memories of this world. In his mind he travelled to places that humanity had not seen in centuries, watched the stars burn and spin away, heard the rumbles as the mountains moved. He led the Fey in his mind and learned their ancient ways, too.
In reality, Messer was barely alive. It was clear that he bordered death in a way few came back from. Yet he wouldn’t die, either. Other than his missing arm there was no clear wounds, and the arm itself was...fine. It was also clear that the mechanical replacement had, at least at some point, been part of a large machine. It’s armour could stripped off to reveal the delicate machinery within, but removing it seemed impossible. So Messer was fed broth and watered, his fevers and chills treated as best they could be, and they waited for the end, one way or another.
Surprisingly to most, Messer awoke. But he was...changed. He touched a bowl and could see another soldier shakily take a final gulp of water before succumbing to his wounds. The dead whispered in his ear, and with practice he could call on them. He could see the aura of things and people. And worse, it wasn’t simply battle shock. He proved - quickly - that what he saw was reality. Something in him was different.
Discharged from the hospital once he was strong enough, Messer wandered from odd job to odd job. While prosthetics weren’t uncommon it was the sudden gasps,jumps and yells that came from what he saw. It made it hard to make friends when he was a freak, and he felt aimless, pointless. Drink became a more and more tempting and necessary expense. It was while he was in the pub and while being mocked that his life changed, however. While some of the other warehouse workers were talking about a recent murder, one of them casually mentioned how it was a shame they didn’t have more ‘freaks’ on staff. Be easy to solve a murder if you could ask who dunnit, hur hur.
Messer realized that they were right. He left the bottle of rutgut he’d just bought on the bar and left, looking to investigate how to join the RHC. As soon as he understood the procedure and requirements, and making sure he was in a condition to meet them, he applied. While far from unique - something that came as a joy for him to learn - Messer’s talents were exceptionally useful, if not always reliable, in gathering evidence.
Given an initial support role Messer’s life changed. He began to focus, to look forward to life instead of focusing on his confusion as to what had happened. Reading led to understanding about the things he’d seen, whether hallucinations or some other reality, and acceptance. Life was for the living. The dead were always close, but for now, he wasn’t dead. His abilities could mean other people might get to remain in this world for a while longer, too. He began to learn magic from other officers and using some of his pay to get lessons, materials and books, to improve his abilities. While it was clear he’d never be a true Wizard his odd arm was also excellent for channeling magic, allowing him to do so while fighting.
Now, Messer intends to do whatever he can. For King and country.
I'm working my way through the Players guide now and have a rough draft of my Arcanist Technologist.
Would the Technologist feat be of any use?
He'd be someone recruited through an academy. The guy who just has to pull things apart to see how they work magical or technological.
This one?
Technologist:
Benefit: You are considered to be trained in any skill used against a technology-based subject. If the skill in question requires training to use even against non-technological subjects, you must still have ranks in that skill in order to gain the benefit of Technologist.
If so, then no. Dealing with the technology in the campaign just requires normal skill checks.
Party role: Ranged damage and either, scary cop (for the gunslinger/magus build), or good cop & party face for the paladin build.
Theme Feat: The Man with Two Guns is God.
How long have you been on the force? "It's been six months now since I joined the RNC, best decision I ever made! I was struggling before. I lost my parents when I was thirteen and ended up in an orphanage, that was ... a shock. My parents brought me up to do whats right and uphold the laws, the people I fell in with just did what they had to survive. Far too straight laced I stood out like a sore thumb, they called my The Preacher, guess the name stuck."
What prompted the RNC to recruit you? "Why did the RNC take a chance on a nobody like me? I guess the recruitment sergeant took a shine to me, said I was a good lad. I think he also liked my 20 yard grouping with the twins..." Preacher indicated his pistols.
Why did you apply? "At my parents funeral, as their coffins where lowered into the ground, I promised I'd never let them down. When I graduated I was at a turning point, the easy path would have been to fall in with some of the people I'd met. They had plans to get rich and famous, the usual. Felt I'd be letting my folks down, so really there was no other option for me. I may be young but I've learnt one thing, it doesn't matter how strong you are" Preacher thumped his chest, "It's what's in here that counts!"
Genre: Flintlock fantasy E.g. Taniel two shot and General Vlora Flint from the earlier books before they took on mythic levels. Perhaps a dash of Waxillium Ladrian from the Alloy of Law.
Description:
Adam is of medium height with a slim wiry build, short brown hair and a shaved chin. He habitually wears an old battered leather duster over a coat of mail, with twin pistols holstered at his hips. His chocolate brown eyes are suggestive of a keen intellect, his skin has a healthy glow to it and he has a ready smile.
Elevator pitch: Hands on his pistols, Preacher's leather duster flapped as stalked towards the ruined hacienda with the sun beating down on his back. The perp was inside, with hostages, he had to take them out before anyone else got hurt!
Personality:
Barely out of his teens, Adam is still young and idealistic. A patriotic Risur native, he passionately believes that joining the RHC is a public service that would have made his parents proud. A proactive member, he puts in 110% effort. He doesn't care if this is noticed by his superiors, law enforcement is a vocation not a job for him.
Adam was never the strongest and was often picked on as a result, but as he grew into a man he realized that there was more to the world than just brute force. The way of the gun was a revelation but one that had to be used with the utmost respect for the law and for justice.
Adam's difficult childhood means he lacks the well balanced education of luckier citizens but he has a keen intellect none the less.
As I was writing Preach's background I realized I was describing a paladin. Mechanically it's not quite what I was going for but it's close enough and I suspect having decent charisma be more fun out of combat which seems like a large part of Zeitgeist.
In terms of campaign flavor Risur natives favor arcane classes so I'm not sure if this is a stretch. I'd propose that Preach's divine powers come from the cosmos in general rather than a specific divine sponsor and we go with a generic paladin code.
Build (Holy gun paladin):
This build is missing some starter gear but is otherwise complete.
Adam 'Preacher' Buchannon
Human (Risur) paladin (holy gun) 1 (Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Combat 63)
LG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +3; Senses Perception +1
--------------------
Defense
--------------------
AC 15, touch 11, flat-footed 14 (+4 armor, +1 Dex)
hp 14 (1d10+4)
Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +2
--------------------
Offense
--------------------
Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)
Melee dagger +4 (1d4-1/19-20)
Ranged pistol +2 (1d8/×4) or
. . pistol +2 (1d8/×4)
Special Attacks deeds (quick clear), grit (3)
--------------------
Statistics
--------------------
Str 8, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 16
Base Atk +1; CMB +4; CMD 13
Feats Agile Maneuvers, Amateur Gunslinger[UC], Combat Expertise, Deadly Aim, Gunsmithing[UC], Power Attack, Precise Shot, Rapid Reload, The Man With Two Guns Is God, Toughness
Skills Acrobatics -3 (-7 to jump), Craft (firearms) +4, Diplomacy +7, Intimidate +4, Knowledge (engineering) +3, Knowledge (religion) +6, Perception +1, Sense Motive +4, Spellcraft +6
Languages Ber, Common, Dwarven, Elven, Primordial, Primordial
SQ finesse weapon attack attribute, prestige unseen court, prestige-flint, prestige-risur
Other Gear chain shirt, dagger, pistol[UC], pistol[UC], backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, flint and steel, prismatic crystal[OA], torch (10), trail rations (5), waterskin
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Special Abilities
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Agile Maneuvers Use DEX instead of STR for CMB
Amateur Gunslinger Although you are not a gunslinger, you have and can use grit.
Combat Expertise +/-1 Bonus to AC in exchange for an equal penalty to attack.
Deadly Aim -1/+2 Trade a penalty to ranged attacks for a bonus to ranged damage.
Deeds Finesse Weapon Attack Attribute Finesse weapons use Dexterity on attack rolls.
Grit Tracker Helper This is a dummy ability to add an extra entry for the amatuer gunslinger's grit in another section of the statblock (since it is shown with a different name in the two places, we can't use sbName).
Gunsmithing You can use a gunsmithing kit to craft/repair firearms and ammo.
Power Attack -1/+2 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.
Precise Shot You don't get -4 to hit when shooting or throwing into melee.
Prestige (Flint): 0 Most fantasy adventurers are “free agents,” with no boss but themselves, usually out on the edge of civilization with few allies they can call on in a pinch. In Zeitgeist, though, you and your fellow PCs may want to call in favors from the RHC, t
Prestige (Risur): 0 Most fantasy adventurers are “free agents,” with no boss but themselves, usually out on the edge of civilization with few allies they can call on in a pinch. In Zeitgeist, though, you and your fellow PCs may want to call in favors from the RHC, t
Prestige (Unseen): 0 Most fantasy adventurers are “free agents,” with no boss but themselves, usually out on the edge of civilization with few allies they can call on in a pinch. In Zeitgeist, though, you and your fellow PCs may want to call in favors from the RHC, t
Rapid Reload (Pistol) You can reload fast with one type of Crossbow or Firearm.
The Man with Two Guns is God Gunsmith theme feat. Fire guns swiftly and two handed
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If a paladin is a stretch thematically or just doesn't the party makup here's my original idea which I'm still happy to play:
Adam 'Preacher' Buchannon
Human (Risur) gunslinger (siege gunner) 1 (Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Combat 45, Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Combat 9)
LG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +3; Senses Perception +4
--------------------
Defense
--------------------
AC 17, touch 13, flat-footed 14 (+4 armor, +3 Dex)
hp 14 (1d10+4)
Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +0
--------------------
Offense
--------------------
Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)
Melee dagger +4 (1d4-1/19-20)
Ranged pistol +2 (1d8/×4) or
. . pistol +2 (1d8/×4)
Special Attacks deeds (gunslinger's dodge, quick clear, targeted blast), grit (2)
--------------------
Statistics
--------------------
Str 8, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 16
Base Atk +1; CMB +4; CMD 13
Feats Agile Maneuvers, Combat Expertise, Deadly Aim, Gunsmithing[UC], Power Attack, Precise Shot, Rapid Reload, The Man With Two Guns Is God, Toughness
Skills Acrobatics +4 (+0 to jump), Bluff +7, Craft (firearms) +4, Intimidate +7, Knowledge (engineering) +6, Knowledge (local) +6, Perception +4, Sense Motive +1, Spellcraft +3
Languages Ber, Common, Dwarven, Elven, Primordial, Primordial
SQ finesse weapon attack attribute, gunsmith, prestige unseen court, prestige-flint, prestige-risur
Other Gear chain shirt, dagger, pistol[UC], pistol[UC]
--------------------
Special Abilities
--------------------
Agile Maneuvers Use DEX instead of STR for CMB
Combat Expertise +/-1 Bonus to AC in exchange for an equal penalty to attack.
Deadly Aim -1/+2 Trade a penalty to ranged attacks for a bonus to ranged damage.
Deeds Use Grit to perform special abilities with your firearms.
Finesse Weapon Attack Attribute Finesse weapons use Dexterity on attack rolls.
Grit (Ex) Gain a pool of points that are spent to fuel deeds, regained on firearm crit/killing blow.
Gunsmith Gain free starting firearm that only you can use properly.
Gunsmithing You can use a gunsmithing kit to craft/repair firearms and ammo.
Power Attack -1/+2 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.
Precise Shot You don't get -4 to hit when shooting or throwing into melee.
Prestige (Flint): 0 Most fantasy adventurers are “free agents,” with no boss but themselves, usually out on the edge of civilization with few allies they can call on in a pinch. In Zeitgeist, though, you and your fellow PCs may want to call in favors from the RHC, t
Prestige (Risur): 0 Most fantasy adventurers are “free agents,” with no boss but themselves, usually out on the edge of civilization with few allies they can call on in a pinch. In Zeitgeist, though, you and your fellow PCs may want to call in favors from the RHC, t
Prestige (Unseen): 0 Most fantasy adventurers are “free agents,” with no boss but themselves, usually out on the edge of civilization with few allies they can call on in a pinch. In Zeitgeist, though, you and your fellow PCs may want to call in favors from the RHC, t
Rapid Reload (Pistol) You can reload fast with one type of Crossbow or Firearm.
The Man with Two Guns is God Gunsmith theme feat. Fire guns swiftly and two handed
Hero Lab and the Hero Lab logo are Registered Trademarks of LWD Technology, Inc. Free download at https://www.wolflair.com
Pathfinder® and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Paizo Inc.®, and are used under license.
@Today is a good day to... halp: If you can post a link to what you're interested in I'll take a look. I usually allow most stuff, with the caveat that if something ends up being broken in play, I'll ask you to tweak it.
GM Fanguar, outta curiosity, do you happen to have access to Rogue Genius Games' Anachronistic Adventures sourcebook? I had been mulling through the idea of using the Tough class with the Volur archetype. Haven't been able to find an online srd link for it though.
PS. Heh, not gonna lie, I had toyed around with the idea of using classes along the lines of a psionic Psychic Warrior class taking the martial initiator Pathwalker archetype (which might've needed tweaking, especially on the maneuver recovery aspects), the psionic Cryptic class taking the akashic Raveler archetype, or the akashic Guru class; possibly even the akashic Stormbound or the akashic Zodiac classes. Still keeping them on the board if the Anachronistic Adventures stuff doesn't go thru. ;p
JonGarrett wrote:
Ah. Well. Thank you for support, GM, but if it's going to be an issue with the other applicants I'll re-think my plan. I'd hate to cause someone else to miss out on a game they want to play simply because my choice of class isn't one they're comfortable with.
For what it's worth, I personally didn't find anything wrong with your initial spheres Technician build but I tend to favor the 3pp stuff anyways, so there's a slight bias on my end. ;)
FangDragon wrote:
Anyway I've been looking into how to build a powder mage in pathfinder. There are actually some homebrew & 3p classes/archetypes out there but hard to say if they're balanced. Sticking to paizo material the thing that seems closest is 1 level of Siege Gunner Gunslinger plus the rest in eldritch archer magus. Normally I dislike dips but this seems to work. There are some alternatives such as the gunchemist alchemist but that doesn't quite seem to match the flavour, although that does sound like fun too. Biggest build issue is in the books some of the powder mages were quite charismatic but it's difficult to translate that to pathfinder without using traits to let int to work for some social skills. If anyone has some suggestions that would be awesome :)
There is a 3pp class from Play Manga D20 called the Gun Bunny; while it normally doesn't use Cha for anything, there is an archetype for it called the Three Gun archetype that does (as does the Dhampir Gunlord racial archetype). All the relevant class features and feats can be found online too.
Ah. Well. Thank you for support, GM, but if it's going to be an issue with the other applicants I'll re-think my plan. I'd hate to cause someone else to miss out on a game they want to play simply because my choice of class isn't one they're comfortable with.
For what it's worth, I personally didn't find anything wrong with your initial spheres Technician build but I tend to favor the 3pp stuff anyways, so there's a slight bias on my end. ;)
Thank you. And yes, I personally love third party stuff - it opens up so many character builds that Paizo's own material can't handle, like poor Miselle's suit - but I understand for some it has a negative reputation, and I don't wanna spoil the game for others simply with my class choice. It's a co-operative game after all, and Spheres of Might looks complicated and potentially game breaking.
@FangDragon: Paladins would work fine, but just a heads up that a lot of the enemies in the campaign are neutral, so you might not get as much mileage out of the smite evil ability as you would in a standard campaign.
@Today is a good day to... halp: Tough class with the Volur archetype is probably fine, but I could see things getting a little busted depending on spell list/spells selected. So tentative yes, but things end up being unbalanced in play, then tweaks might be needed.
