Kingmaker

Game Master Rackal28

The map also doesn't go into detail about the Stolen Lands, which is good, 'cause exploring them is basically a huge part of the AP.

Changing the age is fine with me Polyfrequencies!

Also that's a pretty sick map.

Hey, Rackal! Just to confirm, should we expect the game thread to be up tomorrow morning? I just want to plan around it so I'll be around to take part! I'm okay starting the Gameplay whenever, as long as once we do start it, we're all ready to roll. :P

The gameplay thread is up now actually :) My partner required my attention today so it's a bit late I know but I made good on my word! I said Monday and it's still technically Monday! XD

Hot dog!

I'm headed to bed, but just to check, is it the 24th of Erastil or the 29th? And what time is it? I like to keep Wisp organized.

Very excited to start this game! The description's very evocative, and it's interesting to see the start of the campaign through one PC's eyes. :)

It is the 24th xP I just had a bit of a typo there.

And the time is around 1 in the afternoon.

And yeah, I thought it would be best to introduce the campaign from the perspective of one person so I didn't have to individually describe everyone's arrival to the scene independently.

And awww thank you for the compliments! You are far too kind~

A question of style now that we have begun! Would you prefer present tense or past tense to be the default? We have used both so far, and I'd like to be consistent if I can.

I use present by default, myself.

I tend to use present tense but it doesn't really bother me either way. So do whatever is most comfortable for you.

I prefer to use present tense. I think it flows better. :)

I confess I’ll be the disruptive force here :( I’ll try to keep things in either present or past tense, but confessedly I use both in the many pbp’s I play and had been inconsistent from time to time :( my apologies in advance, I can try my best to stick to either of them, but I *know* I will mess it up. At least I’ll try to be consistent within each single post if it helps :$

To each their own! As long as it's not first person, it's no issue for me. Besides, maybe it's a fun little reference to her being haunted by a phantom of the past? ;)

Also, I'm loving everyone's introductions! A lot of personality is coming through already.

And once again, "My character is soft-spoken, and always chooses her words slowly and carefully" runs amuck of "but talking more is fun and gives other players more to react to". Oh well. The Personality tab is really more like guidelines, anyways. :P

So, to be clear, my intention is not to roleplay Wisp as off-putting outside of first impressions of, "Oh, that gnome's dressed kind of weird." She has a 16 Charisma and is generally an easy-going, talkative person who's actually quite eager to make friends. I'm honestly not that interested in roleplaying that kind of party tension. It's not a ton of fun for me, especially starting out. Is Signy's dislike of Wisp going anywhere? Should I adjust Wisp in some way?

Well, I think a high charisma can also indicate that someone is very intimidating. It's like a stat to show how strong the presence of someone is, not necessarily on a positive way.

I hadn't notice any issues with the way you're roleplaying her, and honestly you should play your character as you'd like her to be played. Right now I think the reactions are what you'd expect from someone looking at a gnome girl using an animal skull over her head :)

My interpretation of Charisma is more, "you come across the way you want to". The point of Wisp is that she's very personable and friendly, and actually doesn't really try to be intimidating. It's what makes her occasional mean/creepy moments stick out.

That said, I'll take your second opinion on it. I may have been overly alert to the possibility of bad blood because I've been dealing with it in a lot of my other circles lately. I'm a direct person and appreciate the chance to check in!

Nah, it's just that Signy is discovering the meeting to be turning out very counter to her expectations. She thought she would be meeting a bunch of explorers, who would be dressed like explorers, and they would talk about exploring. They would consult maps and charts and make plans. Then they would go out exploring.

What she's gotten is a rider of the apocalypse, a High Lady, a weirdly dressed, crazy gnome, and one person who fits the profile and she knows. If Brental hadn't been there when she walked in, Signy would have apologized for interrupting the wrong room of people and left to look for the room with the explorers in it.

And she does want that coffee.

Oh, gosh, I totally see that angle now. That contextualizes Signy's reactions to everything really well. Thank you for sharing it!

Ooh, now maybe he should start worshipping the Horsemen...

That said, technically Meneas is wearing an explorer's outfit!

Just so everyone is aware the Ulfen dude is going to get them their drinks I just havent had time to post because I literally had to be at the doctors @.@ I'm exhausted and I'm gonna sleep now and I'll move the story along when I wake up. I'm sorry about the pacing issue I'll try to do better but yeah I wasn't expecting this.

Take care, I'll post to yall again in a few hours.

Doctor's visits take priority! We'll be fine for a few hours.

And Signy is dodging Meneas's question because she's never been exploring, or in a forest, or on a mountain, or (fill in the blank), pretty much anywhere except for city and riverboat.

She can't answer his question because she doesn't know what would even matter in terms of skill or abilities. Camping? Making fires? Tree climbing? Hunting? Map making? Nope, Nope, Yes!, nope, and nope.

She was figuring she'd manage like she always does: look serious and nod sagely and what the other people say, and figure it out as she goes. If he wants to hear about qualifications up front, that's a problem.

He was thinking more "how will you benefit the expedition, even if you're just going to hit things until they're dead?" But that's a legitimate response, too. :P

Signy's never killed anything either.

This expedition is a gift! Strings were pulled! Ears were whispered into!

I hope it's nothing serious and you'll feeling better soon Rackal!

Well, that won't last.

Well it's been a busy workday, and it looks like a lot happened! I'll catch up asap.

On another note, I have been scouring Google images for some potential images that came close to my idea of Brental.

This is relatively close to my idea of his face.
This is more what his hair looks like at the moment. But it will grow fairly quickly. He's trying to make a particular impression and cut it right before coming.
I like this vibe a lot, but the face is just way too young.
And this is the general physique and outfit.

I don't suppose anyone has an artistic bent?

Honestly, I've thought about trying to draw Wisp, but I'd be a little shy of saying I have an artistic bent. It's dabbling. :P

My wife does character commission art. You could talk to her about it if you were interested! Or rather you could speak to me and I could tell her xD she does charge tho so keep that in mind.

Jix Example

Here's an example of a character she did for me a while back, a ratfolk rogue. She does more human characters too this is just the only pathfinder art she's done for me :)

That is very cool! I love the detail and coloring! I will keep this in mind. My sincere kudos to your wife! I may make a request at some point :)

@Brental: The Human Lionblade avatar might be the one with the closest vibe to what you're showing!

That was the one I liked best even if it wasn't perfect. I almost picked that one.

Wisp had similar issues with avatars. There aren't a lot of nonwhite gnomes in Pathfinder art.

Alright! Finally got all caught up! Plot is moving on folks sorry for the delay <3

It took me ages to find the avatar I wanted for Meneas - it turns out it's an undead! Who knew?

Oh, if Meneas knew Signy's thoughts...

Well, actually, he'd probably agree with them. Much though he hates bandits, he acknowledges that a good sense of theatrics is important in building one's myth, so as to impress others. He still hates the Stag Lord and the man's use of such tactics, but it'd be kind of hypocritical to hate the tactic itself.

Funny enough, Wisp isn't gonna be the one to advocate befriending these bandits. For now, as far as she's concerned, they're just another group of professionals. She's not bent out of shape about their actions, but she's not protective of them, either. Her issue is that it sounds incredibly dangerous, and a lot like bounty hunter work, and she wants to make sure the payment is spelled out.

It's worth noting as well that Meneas' experience leads him to say that, and it's probably not just an attack on the Stag Lord himself.

Along with personal reputation there is something more substantial to Signy's take on the Stag Lord.

How does a religion maintain some sort of cohesive ethos when the clergy is notoriously non-hierarchical and there are no significant religious texts? The gods and their servitors are out there for sure, but precious few can ask questions of them and expect an answer.

In a case like Caydenite religion, guidelines about right and wrong behavior would be emergent within the body of worshippers rather than dictated since there is no clear authoritative source.

My thinking is stories, tales, fables, parables, and similar forms of exchanging information would serve this purpose. As they circulate and are repeated person to person, they educate and regulate behavior and thinking. They preserve an amorphous and informal, but mostly coherent system of norms among believers.

So, Signy's desire for a good story from the Stag Lord situation is partially about building her own prestige, but more about adding a piece to the set of religious guides traveling around among believers.

It sounds a lot like Desna's clergy, which makes sense, as she's basically the archetypical chaotic good deity.

For the record, Wisp's "there's a big difference between a common bandit and one with delusions of grandeur" was intended to be in agreement with the nobles, gently shutting down Lorna's notion of negotiations—"Some bandits can be paid off, but this guy seems like he'll be trouble."

It makes sense that the nobles would conflate what she was saying with her companions all saying, "Maybe he can be reasoned with," but I thought I'd clarify that from an in-character standpoint, Wisp is carefully avoiding any talk of bandit befriending. She doesn't have any particular feelings one way or another about the Stag Lord, but she knows that violence is the solution to most problems in her homeland. And the last thing she wants to come across as is a bandit sympathizer.

Also, I really like that flavoring for how Cayden's teachings are passed around. It's very Chaotic Good.

Not going to lie, I feel a tad bad for Brental ignoring Riftun. He's such a fun character, but Brental sees his behavior and words more as a good warning than anything else. So he's letting the others react and just soaking the situation in.

Also, Rackal--I really appreciate the effort you're committing so far! I know that we're all eager and will be responding as much as we can, but I will say that I don't expect this to proceed at breakneck pace. A single reasonable update that advances the story while giving us room to interact is solid. You've gone above and beyond that already. I don't see this as a delay at all! I would rather us keep a steady pace with interesting content than set an expectation of needing a daily novelette and all burn out. So cheers!

Also, Rackal--I really appreciate the effort you're committing so far! I know that we're all eager and will be responding as much as we can, but I will say that I don't expect this to proceed at breakneck pace. A single reasonable update that advances the story while giving us room to interact is solid. You've gone above and beyond that already. I don't see this as a delay at all! I would rather us keep a steady pace with interesting content than set an expectation of needing a daily novelette and all burn out. So cheers!

I second everything polyfrequencies has said here Rackal. Don't feel like you have to keep a really fast momentum if it's a strain on you. PbP is very much a marathon, not a sprint. The number one danger for a GM is burnout.

If you need to slow the pace, do so. If you need to take some time off, that's not a problem at all. Don't let feelings of obligation keep you from doing what you need to do to keep yourself healthy and running the game fun for you. You're doing by far most of the work. Just let us know what you need and it will all be okay.

Oh, Wisp would have so much fun bullying Riftun (in a friendly way! Mostly! By her upbringing's standards!), but she's trying very hard to make a good impression.

She also thinks he's a girl, but that's just because, well, someone had to make the joke, and Wisp is a pretty gender-agnostic person in general. Agnomestic, you could say. The joke's only even remotely funny once or twice, so I'm keeping her "oops haha the gnome called him a girl and he's too shy to correct her what a classic whacky mixup" powder dry for now.

Anyways, I second and third everything from Poly and rdknight. Steady is much, much more important than momentum. Dozens of PbPs start with 2-5 posts a day and then peter out to twice a week because guilt and burnout overtake the GM. We want you to post at the rate that is easiest and most comfortable for you. Especially as a first-time GM who's still getting a feel for a really fun but really challenging format.

Once or twice a day is a really, really good standard. It's really hard to maintain. By my measurement, you are doing fantastically. If we kept to one or two posts a day for the rest of the AP, with a few breaks here and there, I would unironically consider this to be one of the most successful APs on the forums. And nobody's expecting that kind of perfect posting record anyways!

Anyways, please take care, and don't feel any need to apologize. We're all enjoying exploring our characters. That's the great thing about the first week of play: For the most part, the players entertain each other.

Hey, I might not be able to post much tomorrow or the day after. I'll try to get at least something up if anything's needed, but don't expect more than a post per 24 hours. Sorry, I know the timing could be better!

If I'm not around when looked for, Wisp will go quiet, which is in-character for her—she's been doing a lot of intense social activity in an unfamiliar location, and she gets socialed-out sometimes. As the party proceeds, those who don't know her will notice for the first time her pronounced favoring of her right leg.

No worries Kobold it happens!

And awwwww you guys are all being so sweet about Riftun and my post rate D: a DM couldn't ask for beetter players <3

Also would you guys like to time skip to Oleg's or would you prefer to play out the journey? It's gonna be long and not massively exciting tho xD

Also because I find it entertaining to have a point of reference for the value of gold in Pathfinder. Your average farmer makes around 30 gold per month before taxes.

Don't push yourself too hard, and don't feel pressured by our posting rate - we can just chat with one another.

I have no preference to whether we skip to Oleg's or take a few scenes on the journey.

I wouldn't mind a scene or two along the way, provided there's anything interesting to spark interaction. Conflict and such.

Also, take care, Kobold!

How do you feel about taking 10 (or 20) on skill checks? I could make this Spellcraft by taking 10. But I can roll if that's preferred.