As the title says, I’m looking for 1 (maybe 2, at most) new players for an ongoing, rather high powered (PF1e) PbP campaign. Ideally someone willing to commit to doing their best to post 1/day on weekdays and once more over each weekend.
This recruitment is going to be a little bit unusual, I think, so please bear with me. I’ll try to share enough information right off the top that you can tell whether you have sufficient interest to keep reading through the details. The game is set in a (homebrew) world called Cardriss where the most unique and noteworthy feature is an impossibly tall tower that stands at its center. People can only enter this tower once every 9 years, and only after completing a special quest. Entering and exploring the Tower is the meat of the campaign.
The existent party that you’d be joining up with is:
N Human Wizard [scroll scholar] (divination)- knowledges, perception, utility spells
LG Human Cleric [theologian] (Sarenrae)- diplomacy, healing, item crafting, some blasting
NG Human Vigilante- dex-based melee, some scouting
The party has already entered the Tower but for this recruitment you’d be submitting a character that has not. The chosen player(s) would be run as quickly as we could manage through a (very abridged) version of the quest to enter, and then meet up with the rest of the party on the inside. For the recruitment, you’d be building a fairly typical 9th level character to submit. That may not sound like a high powered game but by the time we finish racing through the background quest your character(s) will have reached 11th level and have gained a number of additional powers/abilities beyond what most characters have. One of the unusual things about this recruitment is that I will not tell you what those extra powers are ahead of time (partly because I want them to be a part of organic character development for you like they were for the current PCs, and partly because your actions/decisions in the background quest will have some impact on exactly what they are); I will say that I think that no matter what character you make those powers will both improve what you’re good at and broaden what you can do.
I’ll give more information about the setting below, but the basic setup to get you started thinking about a character would be that Cardriss is a fairly typical fantasy world, maybe somewhere between Lord of the Rings and the Forgotten Realms. Elves, dwarves, orcs all exist but are clearly less common than humans. Magic isn’t commonplace but most towns have at least one person who can manage a couple spells. It’s more medieval than renaissance- there are no guns, alchemy is almost unheard of, and even swashbucklers are rare.
If you’re still reading after all that, you must be interested enough to start getting into the brass tacks, so here goes…
Starting level: 9th
Point Buy: 25 points (standard Paizo sliding scale, please don’t dump much as it could hurt you more in this game than some others).
Alignment: no evil, and I’d prefer nobody be chaotic-neutral
Humans- instead of gaining +2 to any one stat, gain +2 to any one physical stat and +2 to any one mental stat; cannot choose the dual talent alternative racial feature
Half-dwarf- exists. Half-dwarves are medium-sized humanoids with the human and dwarf subtypes. They have a movement speed of 30’ and darkvision 60’. They get a +2 bonus to any one attribute of their choice. Like their dwarven kin, they are hardy and gain a +2 racial bonus to saves against poison, spells, and spell-like abilities. Their dwarven capacity for carrying a grudge and human adaptability make them adept at fighting those who have wronged them; at 1st level, they receive grudge fighter as a bonus feat, ignoring its prerequisites. Half-dwarves are also gifted tinkerers; they get a +1 racial bonus to disable device, knowledge [engineering], and craft [trapsmith].
Orc- +2 Str, +2 Wis, and -2 Int instead of their standard attribute bonuses; lose the light sensitivity racial trait. (Their societies are historically LE in Cardriss, not CE like most settings.)
Halflings- not a race on their own but a rare variant of humans. Halflings are small-sized humanoids with the human subtype. Their movement speed is 20’. They gain a +2 bonus to Dex and +2 to any one mental attribute, but suffer a -2 penalty to strength. They gain a bonus feat at first level and one additional skill point each level as a standard human, and they can take alternate racial traits from the standard human list (though, dual talent remains unavailable). Because of their child-like appearance, they gain +1 to bluff and diplomacy checks against humanoids with the human subtype.
Classes: *Paizo Only* we will not be using any 3pp materials. As mentioned above, your context is basically a medieval fantasy setting so no guns (though a bolt ace gunslinger might be alright), and anyone using alchemy should be more herbalist than alchemist. Monks are allowed but should be flavored (and built, really) to reflect their culture (there is no Asian equivalent culture in Cardriss). I’d prefer to stay away from the occult classes for the most part but if you have an idea for one that you just can’t get away from you can submit it and I might make an exception if I like it enough. Classes that rely on companions (like the summoner or hunter) should be avoided (because pets don’t scale well in high power games, plus you’re going to be inside a tower so space may be an issue).
Feats: normal, with a couple exceptions. First, you don’t need a feat for weapon finesse and anyone with +1 BAB qualifies for feats as if they had weapon finesse. Second, all the slashing grace/fencing grace/dervish dance/etc feats are replaced with one feat called “Graceful Strike” which functions similarly to slashing grace (you can ask for details if you’re bold enough to pitch another dex-based melee character). Finally, there may be some campaign specific (homebrew) feats introduced down the road.
Skills: standard, plus background skills
Traits: pick 2, no campaign traits, no drawbacks. If you want a regional trait or something with a specific connection to Golarion ask and I’ll let you know how you can take it (or something similar) in Cardriss.
Hit Points: max every level (so I can really throw some challenges at you)
We’re using fractional bonus progression… If you’re not planning on multiclassing then this rule will have literally zero effect on you. If you are thinking about multiclassing let me know and I’ll go over it with you, but basically instead of gaining whole number bonuses to things like BAB and saves at some levels and nothing at others you gain a set fraction at every level and always round down. The result of this is that your BAB doesn’t get completely wrecked if you’re multiclassing between low or medum BAB classes but you can’t stack saves for a monster bonus.
We’re also using automatic bonus progression. If you’re unfamiliar with this system please read up on it here at this link, but the nutshell version is that everyone automatically gets the bonuses from the ‘big 6’ magic items as sort of innate bonuses. This helps keep the party a little more in balance with each other and also opens up those item slots for more fun/interesting items. To account for all the free bonuses, though, you only get half of the standard wealth. That means everyone will be starting with 23,000 gold. I’m not going to fool around with people having crafted specific items before we started but if you take any magic item crafting feats you get 2,000g extra per feat (8k max) to represent crafting work you’ve done before (you still have to pay full price for everything you start with though).
Cardriss is a continent roughly the size of North America (each square on the map is 100 miles by 100 miles). It's shape vaguely resembles Australia, or a kidney bean. There are around a dozen major kingdoms (depending on how you define major) and they have unclaimed lands or smaller nations in between them. These lands and nations are spread among seven distinct regions.
* Northreach- the northern coast of the continent has long harsh winters and a basically viking people/culture, the Svenik.
* Westfall- the western region is mostly plains and forests (though a mountain range cuts through its northern side). The culture and people (the Tengwar) here are the most stereo-typically (European) medieval.
* Eastwatch- the eastern region is also mostly plains and forests. The Atlaeans here have similar skin-tones to those in the west but nearly universally have a notable amount of freckles and blue or purple eyes. They are the most insular humans and their culture claims to be the remnant of a forgotten ancient human empire.
* Vinland- the western side of the southern coast has plains and rolling hills, which eventually give way to the rocky foothills of a mountain range that extends across the continent. Its culture and people--Vitolians--are vaguely Roman/Byzanthine.
* Suderan- the east side of the southern coast has a relatively narrow band of fertile lands surrounding a big desert; the Mbala people who live there are dark skinned and their largely tribal culture includes elements of a mishmash of Meso-American and southern African influences.
* The Southern Isles- islands, some of considerable size, dot the waters around the mainland, especially the southern half of the continent. Some of these (especially in the north) are part of mainland civilizations, but Kono’ana are a seafaring people that populates many of the islands in the south. These people, and their culture, are basically polynesian.
* Korryn- The Tower of Ages (also sometimes called the Axis of the World, or the Godspire) sits at the center of the world (and roughly the center of the continent); Korryn, the city at the center of the world, sprawls out around it. Some of the cities on the coast can be quite urbane or advanced, but none can match Korryn in it’s diversity or grandiosity. As a general rule, the farther inland you go the more of a melting-pot of peoples and cultures you find, and the more advanced the magic becomes (the main cities of Eastwatch being a notable exception to the last part). People from all over (and elements of their culture) can be found throughout Korryn and its region, and the city is marveled at for its integration of magic. Nice neighborhoods have magical streetlights and (low-level) municipal wizards directing unseen servants to clean and garden, and throughout the city complex underground sewers carry waste to otyugh dens.
Alright, that’s probably enough fluff for now. Please feel free to ask questions, and I can try to fill in some gaps for your backgrounds and what not. As previously mentioned, there is not an Asian culture in Cardriss. Most of the cultures/regions have unique fighting styles that focus on discipline and harnessing inner-strength to accomplish supernatural feats, and monks that use them. If you really want to build a ninja or samurai you could do so and basically be a rogue or cavalier influenced by that style. If you want to use “eastern armor” that’s fine; the Mbala people make elaborate armor with a lot of leather, bone, and treated wood… pretty much any eastern armor could be from there with only a small change to the description (different colors, and the masks would be animal heads instead of Oni faces). Atlaeans have retained ancient smithing techniques and any “eastern weapons” could be from there. Okay, now feel free to ask questions.
Application Window: I know 9th level characters take some time (especially in an unfamiliar world) but the party is currently in an ideal spot for adding new members and I’d like to move quickly to do so… sooo, I’m not going to set a hard deadline (sorry). I’ll plan on running recruitment for up to 2 weeks (until March 21st), but I’m going to reserve the right to end it early if I find an application that really seems like a perfect fit. If that does happen, though, I’ll give at least 12 (maybe 24) hours notice that we’re ending early so that people have a chance to change my mind (or grab the potential 2nd spot).
Application Requirements: Fully completed characters would be ideal, but I know that can be a big ask for higher level characters. The more finished the better but here’s what you need to be considered: a skeleton of your crunch (your stats, class levels, and the majority of your feats and even skills should be sorted out), what role the character would expect to play in the party, a description of their personality and outlook, and at least a little bit of general background (I can help fill in specifics during recruitment for those who want, or we can flesh that out after selection); either the personality or background should also give some insight into why they want to enter the Tower.
I hope I’ve still got the attention of at least a few of you; I look forward to answering your questions and addressing whatever things I missed.
Dotting to read more about the setting and see if I can spin something to join :)
Interesting. Gonna give this one a shot. Will definitely be a fighter type.
Welcome, first few interest expressers! It occurred to me that it might be helpful if I shared a note about names, since for some people (myself included) coming up with a good name is a big part of the process. Some of this you probably could have guessed pretty easily, but others are definitely not obvious.
The main influences on naming conventions, by region are:
Northreach- mostly Scandinavian and/or Ulfen
Westfall- Scots/Irish or English in northern coast, more German east of the mountains, and French south of them
Vinland- typically Greek or Roman, maybe a little Italian
Eastwatch- usually Basque
Suderan- generally Aztec/Mayan in the north and Swahili/Zulu in the south
Southern Isles- Polynesian (Maori, Hawaiian)
Korryn- the farther inland you go the more people are mutts; you could find just about any name in Korryn.
I am interested! Looks like you are currently lacking in rogue type areas, yes? I have been really wanting to play an aether kineticist VMC rogue lately, which has the ability to fully function in the trap finding / disabling role while also supplying a ton of utility and decent ranged damage. Being an occult class and requiring VMC (to get the ability to disarm magical traps), I know this requires approval, so thought I would ask out of the gate and see what you thought. Thanks!
Sorry, dwilhelmi, no VMC in this game. If you want a character that can disarm traps and sneak attack at range maybe consider an arcane trickster? A wizard with the Aether elemental school and a 1 level dip in uRogue (with the accomplished sneak attacker feat) could go into arcane trickster, if that would get you what you’re looking for?
Fair enough - I also just really like the kineticist in general. Would you consider that class, even though it is from occult? It is kinda unique in the occult classes in that it doesn't really have that occult flavor. I could do a 1 level rogue dip to get trapfinding too.
Brunhild Blackarrow! Lvl 9 Zen Archer Monk.
Hailing from Northreach, she comes from a long line of boyers. The Blackarrow Clan is known for making the finest bows that the north has ever seen, bows fit to Grace the hands of any Jarl. But for them, the finest bow they will ever make is for themselves. For it is said in the Clan that one’s own bow is an extension of one’s soul. And a dwarf cannot be called a true artisan until he or she makes his own bow. And from there on out the dwarf will always be judged by it. Moreso, it isn’t enough to just make the bow, as for it to be complete the bow must be used and then judged worthy. It is for this reason that the (surviving) Blackarrows are known a craftsman who are just as every bit warriors as well.
The material of this bow is never the same, for the dwarf is supposed to listen to the call, a feeling which only comes about when he or she is ready. For Brunhild, this was the antlers of an elk. She felt the call when she saw it, and she killed it with her own hands. And from there she poured her heart and soul into making her bow. But, she was not done. For while the bow has been made, it has not been properly tested. She has fought offs, giants, many a man and beast, and with every victory the bow has grown in power. Without a string it can fire, for the arrows it makes are formed from within her, given form my the latent magic within her blood. The arrows last just long enough to hit, and then vanish back into the void. But she is not done, for she knows that both she and her bow have more to grow. It is for this reason that she has quested to enter The Tower. For just as the falling brought her to the Elk that began the quest, so too has she felt the need to enter and conquer what is within.
She has come with the bare necessities needed. She has her bow, which is a part of her. Besides for that all she has is a ring which removes the necessities of food and water, and a shirt that protects her from the elements. One can only hope that it will be enough.
Still fiddling with crunch. But she should be some solid muscle and ranged firepower. She has decent stealth, perception, and face skills except bluff. Able to punch things when needed, but mostly being firing plenty of arrows.
Seems like the party has melee, divine and arcane. So time for some ranged. :)
There's a lot of interesting background and new mechanics involved; well, new for me! I'm interested!
I'm toying with the idea of an inquisitor of your world's version of Torag. He/she/they can handle melee and ranged combat (I imagine your pair of casters hate having allies get in the way of juicy damage spells). They have a few utility spells at their disposal. They can employ various teamwork feats even when their allies don't have them.
There is no Asian-equivalent culture in your world but are there those with Asian appearance within the existing cultures (eg. epicanthic eyes, fair yellow toned skin, black hair)?
@dwilhelmi- As I said in the initial post, if you really want to apply with an occult class go for it and if I like it enough I’ll make an exception (I am more comfortable with a kineticist than any of the other occult classes, I think).
@GermanyGM- I’m sorry, I should have said something about religion! Lots of gods are worshipped across Cardriss (many only in a single town or region); you can worship Torag (or any Golarion god) without any problem.
@SmushieBanana- Not really, no, sorry. Kono’ana (who you can read a little about in the link in the basic overview spoiler) are basically Polynesian, so they can have epicanthic eyes and black hair, but their skin is more tan than I think your envisioning.
@GM: I’m working on a concept for a dwarf sorcerer (going dragon disciple) from Northreach. Besides being a spellcaster (mostly about buffing and blasting) he’s actually quite sturdy and designed to be in melee doing damage. I ultimately wanted to get him to become a fjord-looking dragon, linnorn style.
I’m building him off green dragon as I feel acid and rock have a lot more to do with the flavor of dwarves :) even if you already have a full arcane caster in the party, I feel the concepts are quite different (and I imagine mechanically they fit different niches). My dwarf is really strength/wisdom based, two handed weapon Viking style, with the blood of dragons (mixed with empyreal, so wisdom-based casting).
I’ll need your help with deities too. In my mind I wanted to make him lawful good, worshipping Erastil (or similar) - a nature deity of sorts. I wanted him to be truly connected to nature, even if not a Druid or a divine caster.
I also thought about making him an orc - hoping they can be lawful good? It would look kind of cool to have him use big orc weapons too. Open for opinions! I’m mostly working on the background, but will get to crunch later.
Crunch should be done. Bow now has endless ammunition and called to better represent being a part of herself.
I am intrigued and have some questions!
First, is your "graceful strike" similarly limited as slashing grace?
Or more exactly, does it work on two-weapon fighting?
Second, how do you feel about the sword-devil ranger archetype?
It is official Paizo, but from one of the comics.
You can find it here.
@Arbiter: You're link to the Vitolians is the same as the Tengwar link. Just fyi. :)
@Everyone
Religion- there are lots of gods worshipped across Cardriss, many in only one area. As a result, you can worship pretty much whatever god you want (all the Golarion gods are fine although, obviously, some of them will require changes to their history/fluff).
Prevailing Alignments- while races and/or regions have prevailing alignments individuals from them are free to be of any alignment.
@Hayato- graceful strike does have the same restriction as those other feats (that it cannot be used with two weapon fighting/flurry), the big difference is that it’s not specific to a single weapon. As for sword-devil, I think I’d like to avoid things from sources like a comic or that vampire hunter D thing they’d did and stick with the real pathfinder stuff. Thank you for asking.
@Javell- thank you for catching that! I’m on my phone right now but I’ll post the corrected link tomorrow from my computer.
@CucumberTree- on a quick read through the only problem I saw is that when using automatic bonus progression you cannot buy extra of things that you get automatically (like another enchanted weapon, you could attune both to +1 or one to +2 and leave the other masterwork but you can’t attune one and then buy another). I’ll try to find time for a more careful read through tomorrow.
Have a look at Bron Frostbreath. He can be a meat shield, melee DPS, and maybe I can squeeze some skills to support other party members. A classical you shouldn't miss!
Thanks @Arbiter!
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This sounds interesting! I assume you want the character to be high-powered as per the title and that the other characters are similarly high-powered? And is refluffing of feats allowed?
Might remake an old character I once had, a paladin 7(x)/bloodrager 1/swashbuckler 1. He'd be a str/cha-based melee monster who fights by redirecting damage from his allies to himself and can provide flanking and such for the vigilante. Eventually he can also provide really powerful party buffs with a +3 version of Good Hope and the paladin's aura of justice.
@Everyone
@Hayato- graceful strike does have the same restriction as those other feats (that it cannot be used with two weapon fighting/flurry), the big difference is that it’s not specific to a single weapon. As for sword-devil, I think I’d like to avoid things from sources like a comic or that vampire hunter D thing they’d did and stick with the real pathfinder stuff. Thank you for asking.
Thanks for the honest answer^^
I've been looking to play that archetype for some time now, but if you don't like it, it's no use.I would have made that a greep/roman hoplite kind of character, fighting with shield and spear/sword, but no armor.
Anyways i'll do a uc rogue/uc barbarian then, i think.
Maybe only uc barbarian, have to think about it.
Do halflings get to pick from human racial feats as well?
@Everyone
Here is the correct link for Vitolians. Also, I just realized that I forgot to clarify normal vs unchained classes: summoners must be unchained if anyone wants to make one, and rogues should be as well; monks can be either, just be mindful of which options are available to which; for barbarians I definitely prefer the normal version but I'll accept an unchained submission from Hayato (or anyone else who started working on one already).
@Trevor86- the current PCs are not highly optimized. That's not quite true... they're not min/maxed at all (the wizard is fairly optimized but its for perception and initiative, not actual wizarding). The high power level really comes from all the goodies that will be amassed in the background quest. Refluffing of feats will be handled on a case by case basis, let me know what you want to do and I'll let you know.
@Hayato- Yes, halflings have the human subtype and can pick traits/feats/archetype/whatever as if they were human (but not normal halfling ones as they lose that subtype). Also, please see my note above about unchained classes.
This looks very cool! Sounds like the party's major needs are Support and Defense, with (strength) Striking and Scouting as strong secondary roles. In that case, I am working on a Human Arcane Duelist Bard. Bards are the masters of buffing and debuffing, and I'll probably build them to be more of a reach fighter with tripping shenanigans. Less of a skill monkey than I might normally build as a bard (no versatile performance to abuse), but they'll have ample skill ranks to scout around.
That may change as I read up more on your lore, but I'll have a chance to do more of that later this week.
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I had a few clarifying setting questions
1) Can any given person enter the tower once every 9 years, or can everybody enter the tower once every 9 years? In other words, is it like the Olympics where the tower opens every 9 years, or is it a personal time measure where you can choose to enter at any time, but once you leave you have to wait 9 years to try again?
2) Is the quest a one time only thing, and once you have completed the quest you can enter the tower any number of times thereafter, or do you have to redo the quest every 9 years also?
3) What is the normal end condition of the tower? Is it a fatal exercise for many people, or do most people just stop and retreat at a non-fatal point? Is there a "win condition", and if so, how many people reach it?
4) Is it normal to wait to try the tower until level 9?
The character I'm planning is someone who grew up in Korryn in the shadow of the tower, and entering the tower has been his lifelong goal, so I'm trying to find out more details of what that would look like.
I've put together Deguís, a human inquisitor of Torag.
Rajo Coybalt
Male human inquisitor of Torag 9 ( Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player's Guide 38)
NG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +6; Senses Perception +14
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Defense
—————
AC 23, touch 14, flat-footed 20 (+6 armor, +1 deflection, +3 Dex, +1 natural, +2 shield)
hp 86 (9d8+14)
Fort +9, Ref +8, Will +10
—————
Offense
—————
Speed 40 ft.
Melee +2 warhammer +12/+7 (1d8+6/×3)
Ranged mwk composite longbow +10/+5 (1d8+2/×3)
Special Attacks bane (9 rounds/day), dancing weapons (4 rounds, 1/day), judgment 3/day (2
simultaneous)
Domain Spell-Like Abilities (CL 9th; concentration +11)
At will— mending
5/day—artificer's touch (1d6+4 , bypasses DR and hardness 9)
Inquisitor Spell-Like Abilities (CL 9th; concentration +11)
At will—detect alignment, discern lies (9 rounds/day)
Inquisitor Spells Known (CL 9th; concentration +11)
3rd (3/day)— burst of speed UC, cast out APG (DC 15), cure serious wounds , fabricate
2nd (5/day)— bestow insightARG, calm emotions (DC 14), instant weapon , resist energy
1st (6/day)— divine favor , expeditious retreat , fabricate disguise UI, funereal weapon , protection from evil
0 (at will)— acid splash , brandAPG (DC 12), create water , detect magic , light, mending
Domain Artifice
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Statistics
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Str 18, Dex 17, Con 13, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 10
Base Atk +6; CMB +10 (+12 disarm); CMD 24 (26 vs. disarm)
Feats Collective Recollection, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Coordinated Maneuvers APG, Improved
Disarm, OutflankAPG, Point-Blank Shot, Power Attack, Precise Shot
Traits dangerously curious, tactician
Skills Acrobatics +3 (+7 to jump), Bluff +11, Climb +13, Craft (bows) +9, Craft (jewelry) +9, Diplomacy +4,
Disguise +12, Heal +6, Intimidate +16, Knowledge (arcana) +8, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +7,
Knowledge (nature) +11, Knowledge (planes) +11, Knowledge (religion) +11, Linguistics +11, Perception
+14, Ride +7, Sense Motive +18, Spellcraft +7, Stealth +15, Survival +6, Swim +10, Use Magic Device
+13
Languages Common, Dwarven, Elven, Orc
SQ monster lore +2, solo tactics, stern gaze +4, track +4
Combat Gear potion of fly , potion of tongues ; Other Gear mwk mithral chain shirt, mwk warhammer,
arrows (40), mwk composite longbow (+2 Str), boots of striding and springing , handy haversack , knightinheritor’s
ring , ring of force shield , bandolier UE, bedroll, belt pouch, candle (10), flint and steel, golden
holy symbol of Torag UE, hemp rope (50 ft.), manacles, mess kit UE, pot, soap, spell component pouch,
torch, trail rations (5), waterskin, 358 gp, 5 sp, 9 cp
—————
Special Abilities
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Artificer's Touch 1d6+4 (5/day) (Sp) Melee touch attack deals 1d6+4 damage to objects or constructs,
p1
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bypassing 9 hardness.
Bane (+2 / 2d6, 9 rounds/day) (Su) Make the weapon you are holding a bane weapon.
Collective Recollection As a free action, aid another on knowledge check in 30 ft grants you same info
as aided ally.
Combat Expertise +/-2 Bonus to AC in exchange for an equal penalty to attack.
Combat Reflexes (4 AoO/round) Can make extra attacks of opportunity/rd, and even when flat-footed.
Coordinated Maneuvers +2 to CMB if adj ally with same feat. +4 if trying to break free of a grapple.
Dancing Weapons (4 rounds, 1/day) (Su) Touched weapon temporarily becomes dancing.
Detect Alignment (At will) (Sp) Detect chaos, evil, good, or law at will.
Discern Lies (9 rounds/day) (Sp) Discern Lies at will
Improved Disarm You don't provoke attacks of opportunity when disarming.
Inquisitor Domain (Artifice) Granted Powers: You can repair damage to objects, animate objects with
life, and create objects from nothing.
Monster Lore +2 (Ex) +2 to Knowledge checks when identifying the weaknesses of creatures.
Outflank Increase flank bonus by +2 if flanking ally has same feat. If you crit, ally gets an AoO.
Point-Blank Shot +1 to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at up to 30 feet.
Power Attack -2/+4 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.
Second Judgment (3/day) (Su) Variable bonuses increase as the combat continues.
Solo Tactics (Ex) Count Teamwork feats as if your allies had the same ones.
Stern Gaze +4 (Ex) +4 to Sense Motive and Intimidate.
Track +4 Add the listed bonus to Survival checks made to track.
Deguís is a traveler from Westfall. He began as a journeyman, working his bowmaking trade (and jewelry-making hobby) across the continent, meeting people, picking up customs and languages. The conversations inevitably come to the Tower at some point and he's developed a fascination, even an obsession, with finding out what's inside the damn thing! They say that only a chosen few can get inside but no one knows anyone who's ever done it.
Deguís makes a good companion because he's so versatile, with a few utility spells, the ability to stand up in a melee or ranged fight, and a number of skills for avoiding a fight when he can.
Another quick question:
Do classes which provide weapon finesse get some other feature when it's kind of free for everyone?
@Hayato- I forgot this in my previous post but, a hoplite could definitely work if you want to go that direction. They usually do wear armor and a phalanx soldier fighter in a breastplate would be the easiest way to do that. If you wanted an unarmored version you could maybe mix that with something like a spear dancing monk? As for weapon finesse, no. Class features that allow finesse with extra weapons would still add those extra weapons and whatever other benefits come from them (like uRogue getting Dex to damage at 3rd), but you don't get any bonus feats for the change. Also, since you're clearly considering a dex build, I'll post graceful strike below so you can see it, but it doesn't make weapons count as piercing so if you're hoping to use it to wield a slashing weapon in some kind of swashbuckler build you may be disappointed.
@dwilhelmi- Great questions, I'm going to address them below tagged for everyone.
*More Info on the Tower*
The Tower of Ages is a (roughly) 200ft (60m) wide tower that rises so impossibly high that nobody has ever actually seen the top of it. Its sheathed in a field of azure energy that prevents anyone from entering it, or even scrying into it. If people attempt to damage the field it will (eventually) retaliate, and magic starts to fail as you move up it (so trying to fly high enough to see the top inevitably results in falling). There's a building at the base of the Tower that is home to an unusual construct made of white stone and gold which is called the Bookkeeper. It's called that because anyone wishing to undertake the quest to enter the Tower must be entered into the ledger that the construct keeps. There's also a stone archway in the building which is built right into the azure energy field. Once every 9 (solar) years, during a festival called New Tran (when the Solar New Year and the Lunar New Year fall on the same day), the portal can be passed through to enter the Tower. That is the only known means of entry.
Entering the Tower is usually considered by most people to be a one way journey. The Bookkeeper actually keeps 2 ledgers: one of people entering and one of people exiting. Currently, there are hundreds of names in the list of people entering and only a single name in the list of people exiting (and there are rumors that that one name never appears in the entry list). There are many theories about why people don't return- everything from it being so dangerous they don't survive to it leading up to other planes or the home of the gods.
Those who wish to enter the Tower have to present themselves to the Bookkeeper to be entered in the ledger, but the Bookkeeper doesn't always do so. It tells some people that they are not ready (basically, you have to be at least 9th level to begin the quest).
*The Feat mentioned in the OP*
Graceful Strike
You have been trained to nimbly strike at vulnerable areas rather than relying on brute force.
Prerequisites: Dexterity 13, BAB +1
Benefit: When attacking with a single light or finesse weapon you may add your Dex bonus instead of your Str bonus to the damage dealt. If your Str is below 10 you can only use this feat with light weapons as one-handed and two-handed weapons are too heavy for you to wield so gracefully. This technique requires focus and cannot be used when raging, or when attacking with a second weapon or using similar abilities (such as flurry of blows or spell combat).
Excellent, thanks! More questions:
1) How long is the portal open for? I assume since the current PCs are in there already, and more are going to be joining them, the answer is longer than a single day?
2) If nobody ever returns, why do people still go into it? Is there any known benefit, or is it purely for the sake of curiosity/exploration of the unknown?
3) What is the one name on the exit list, and does it belong to a still living person, or a person that anyone still living has met? Is there any known information that was given by this one person on their exit?
4) How many people tend to go into the tower during any given festival? How long has this 9 year rotation been going on for? Is there any lore on the history of the tower, when it was built, who built it, etc, or is it this unchanging thing that has always existed to kill the moths stupid enough to touch the light when it turns on?
5) Is there a skill I could take to represent having studied everything available about the tower? Something like Lore(Tower)?
@dwilhelmi (and anyone else interested in Tower lore)-
1) The portal is open for about 4 hours (from 2 hours before midday to 2 hours after). That might make it seem shocking that you don't already know the PCs, but I promise it will make sense in time. As for the timing, running through the background quest will be taking place before the current events in game and the new recruit(s) will catch up to the current timeline when they meet up with current group.
2) There are no benefits known for certain. Many do it for curiosity/exploration, some do it because they believe its a means of reaching some better place (home of the gods, land of eternal pleasures, a place of great power, etc), and others do it out of pride or some other personal motivation.
3) Most people are afraid of the Bookkeeper and wouldn't dare just ask to read its ledger, so the name itself is a bit of a rumor/legend. A PC who's put considerable effort into studying the Tower I'd probably share that name with before starting but it's not a thing many people know. Even such a learned sage wouldn't know any more than the name though.
4) On average, 8-10 people enter the Tower each festival. For such a significant and conspicuous feature of the world, there is frustratingly little known about the Tower with certainty. There was some kind of cataclysm 5-6 centuries ago and virtually nothing is now known about the times before then. The cycle of entering at the festival has been going on at least since people started keeping records again after the cataclysm. The Tower has existed in its current form for at least that long but virtually everyone agrees that it's much much older than that.
5) There is no Lore skill for the Tower, no. Partly because the information is so hard to come by and partly because it would really entail a number of different skills (arcana for its nature, engineering for its architecture, history obviously, local for the rumors and traditions around it, nobility maybe for noteworthy entrants, and so on)
Oh wow, i now have 2.5 very good character ideas for this.
Also love the flavor somehow.
Thanks for posting the feat, but either i would take uc rogue some levels with barbarian and that probably should i do a halfling.
(Sent you a PM AotT)
@CucumberTree- I'm not going to double check anyone's math or anything until we're finalizing a selected character (so their could be an issue there I'm not seeing), but otherwise your crunch looks fine. You are correct in thinking we'd have to refluff blackjacket weapon flair but please use the correct name for it in the meantime in case I need to reference it at some point. As for fluff, slavery isn't a normal/legal part of any major kingdom but certainly happens in frontier areas. Akmat is a small kingdom in the wastes of Suderan's deserts (near a significant orc population); it's King Ohtli could be the one who sent you.
@Everyone- I've responded to both PMs I got and I think answered all the questions that have been raised? If someone else asked a question and I missed it please feel free to bring it up again! Also, please feel free to ask new questions especially about the setting
Now I feel left out for not having a question...
You answered mine well. I've just had a very full day.
So, part of Bron Frostbreath's backstory is based on the fact that he was made a slave for some years. I know you stated that slavery is not a thing in Cardriss. But since then you added that it probably happens in lawless areas or border territories, I'm going to leave it as it is. I'll assume it happened in such a place and, after all, if the subject is chained and locked, there's little way he can report the transgression.
As you've probably seen, the crunch is still just s frame. I'll put myself to the task of making it proper today or tomorrow.
This seems interesting, I'll mull over some options tomorrow.
Out of curiosity, what is most GMs' issue with Occult classes? I've always wanted to play a Mesmerist or Occultist, but most PbP games seem to ban them for some reason.
@Brunhild- lol, you could always just make one up if you want attention! Or, feel free to ask specific question to flesh out your background if you like?
@Bron- I just realized that they're not labelled at all on the map I linked, but the outlined areas are major kingdoms, which obviously leaves a lot of room for small nations and wilderness outposts. The feedback I gave CucumberTree (at his request) was meant more to point out that a king being involved with slavery was a rarity; there are plenty of places where local warlords or whatever may be involved with it.
@Storm Dragon- I can't speak for other GMs but personally have 2 main concerns. First, the flavor of most of the occult classes feels kind of specific to me (since they're intended largely for horror type games, and mostly have a much later, maybe even Victorian feel) and that doesn't really fit with the feel of Cardriss. Second, I'm just not as familiar with them as classes so it's harder for me to design encounters for them and I can't really predict how they'll interact with things like the extra power/abilities characters will gain throughout the background quest.
Alright, I think I have a submission ready here for Zeru Oroitz, a halfling telekineticist/rogue. I tried to give a lot of detail in the crunch about the various mechanics in case you were unfamiliar with them. Please let me know if you have any questions or think I should clarify anything more. I'm open to tweaking the background as well if desired if something doesn't fit what you had in mind for the setting.
Rogue-ish trap finder/disabler, general utility, ranged DPS
Zeru is a hopeful, determined, and slightly arrogant man, prickly about his size, and eager to prove himself. He has been preparing for his whole life to enter the tower, and is both excited and terrified of finally going inside.
Zeru is very short, just barely topping three feet. His dark red hair is kept very short, long enough to be able to see the vibrant color of it, but short enough to not get in the way and to be easy to forget about. His piercing purple eyes shined with the hope and zest for life that lifted his eager feet into the sky so easily. His shirt was an immaculate white, a light and airy piece of clothing that flowed easily around him. There was a slight disturbance hovering in the air around him, some sort of distortion effect that was there one second and gone the next, never something you could focus on but always there nonetheless.
The Tower had been a major part of Zeru’s life for as long as he could remember. His father, Luken, had been obsessed with it; he talked about it constantly, taught Zeru all the odds and ends he had managed to learn over the years. Luken was convinced that the tower was somehow related to the Atlaeans, that their ancestors must have been the ones to build the tower and that it was their blood right to conquer what was left there.
Zeru was 14 when his father entered the tower. After years of planning, preparing, and training, Luken had gathered together a team and they left on their quest. Luken had been a mighty wizard, and he was convinced that his magic was up to the task of conquering the tower and unlocking its secrets.
For the days and months that followed the festival that year, Zeru would go out every night and stare at the dark expanse of the tower, looking for a sign that his father was OK. He dreamed about the adventures that his father was surely experiencing even then. Until the night of the magical lights came, anyway. It wasn’t much, no longer than a shooting star, but for just a moment he saw a weaving of magical signs in the sky around the tower. At the time, he was sure that signaled his father’s victory over the tower.
As the months turned to years, his belief in his father’s success wavered. Entering manhood, he could no longer avoid the far more likely truth that he had failed in his quest. Yet he never stopped looking up. The skies called to him, the heights of the tower, the same call to adventure tugged at his heart as it had his father.
So Zeru took up the same preparations his father had gone through. He had one advantage, though - his magic came not through the hours of study that Luken had gone through, not even through the blood magic of the outlandish sorcerers, but rather through the sheer weight of his mind and his will. As he developed his talents, he came to realize the potential benefits they gave him in taking on the challenge that the tower represented. He practiced disarming traps at a distance, to avoid any blowback from any mistakes. He pushed the boundaries of the weight he could lift with his mind, until he was moving several hundred pound objects. And he prepared himself in every way he could think of, with a wide array of magical trinkets that he thought would be helpful and every local rumor or historical nugget about the tower that he could find.
Like his father, he believed that his Atlaean blood gave him an advantage in the tower. He felt that it was his birthright to do what nobody else had been able to do. But for him, it was also personal. He wanted to know what had happened to his father, his childhood hero. He wanted to know what those magical lights were for. He wanted everything his father had sacrificed to not be in vain. He wanted to do what nobody in the centuries before him had ever been able to do - he was going to enter that bloody tower and he was going to beat it.
Halfling telekineticist 8/unchained rogue 1
CN Small humanoid (human)
Init +4; Senses Perception +18
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Defense
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AC 23, touch 16, flat-footed 19 (+6 armor, +1 deflection, +4 Dex, +1 natural, +1 size)
hp 119 (9d8+53)
Fort +13, Ref +12, Will +8
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Offense
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Speed 20 ft.
Special Attacks kinetic blast, metakinesis (empower), sneak attack (unchained) +1d6
Kineticist Wild Talents Known
. . Defense—
. . . force ward (regenerating temporary hit points = 8 + 4*burn)
. . Blasts— can alter with 1 substance infusion, 1 form infusion, 1 metakinesis
. . . aetheric boost (won’t use, it sucks),
. . . electric blast (4d6+2 electricity),
. . . telekinetic blast (4d6+9)
. . Infusions—
. . . bowling infusion (substance, 2 burn, blast also trips),
. . . extended range (form, 1 burn, increase blast range from 30 to 120ft),
. . . kinetic blade (form, 1 burn, blast as a melee weapon)
. . Metakinesis—
. . . Empower (1 burn, all variable, numeric effects increased by half)
. . . Furious (1 burn, add +8 damage)
. . Utility—
. . . air's leap (always on, always considered running start on jump, jump 2x as far),
. . . basic aerokinesis (create light breeze that gives +2 vs heat, cloud vapors/gasses),
. . . basic telekinesis (like mage hand except up to 20lbs and can move magic objects),
. . . kinetic healer (1 burn to heal amount = blast damage, 4d6+9),
. . . telekinetic finesse (Perform any sort of fine manipulation in close range, including attempting Sleight of Hand and Disable Device checks),
. . . telekinetic haul (increase basic telekinesis weight limit to 800lbs, 1 burn to increase to 8000lbs for 8 minutes),
. . . telekinetic invisibility (at will invisibility, but stealth bonuses are halved),
. . . telekinetic maneuvers (perform combat maneuvers within close range with telekinesis using dex/con instead of str for CMB)
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Statistics
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Str 8, Dex 18, Con 21, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 10
Base Atk +6.75; CMB +4; CMD 19
Feats Expanded Metakinesis (Furious), Extra Wild Talent, Extra Wild Talent, Iron Will, Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Weapon Focus (kineticist blast)
Traits natural flyer, scholar of the great beyond
Skills
. . . Acrobatics +16 (+1 while flying, +8 to jump from Air’s Leap talent, -4 to jump from base speed),
. . . Bluff +8 (+1 vs humans),
. . . Diplomacy +4 (+1 vs humans),
. . . Disable Device +19,
. . . Escape Artist +8,
. . . Fly +19,
. . . Knowledge (history) +15,
. . . Knowledge (local) +14,
. . . Perception +18 (+1 to locate traps),
. . . Sense Motive +10,
. . . Sleight of Hand +16,
. . . Stealth +20
Languages Common, Dwarven, Elven, Halfling
Combat Gear
. . . cloak of the hedge wizard (divination);
. . . mwk mithral chain shirt,
. . . boots of the cat[UE],
. . . campfire bead[APG],
. . . eyes of the eagle,
. . . handy haversack,
. . . headband of the wolf[ACG],
. . . heavyload belt[UE],
. . . ioun torch ioun stone[APG],
. . . ring of sustenance,
. . . robe of infinite twine[UE],
. . . bedroll,
. . . belt pouch,
. . . blanket[APG],
. . . masterwork thieves' tools,
. . . subversive vest[UI],
. . . trail rations (10),
. . . 2,453 gp, 4 sp
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Special Abilities
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Elemental Overflow (Ex) +1 to blast hit/damage per burn taken. +2 to dex/con if 3 or more burn taken.
Gather Power (Su) Move: reduce the burn cost of a blast by 1 or Full-round: reduce the burn cost of a blast by 2
Infusion Specialization 2 (Ex) Reduce burn cost of blasts with infusions by 2
Internal Buffer 1 (Su) Store 1 burn for use later
Sneak Attack (Unchained) +1d6 Attacks deal extra dam if flank foe or if foe is flat-footed.
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Thanks for answering my earlier questions, arbiter :) I'll do a toned down version of the character then, thanks for the warning. Probably going paladin/swashbuckler. I'm very cuirious to see what these strange powers will be, and I have a good idea for a backstory on why he'd want to enter/be pressured into entering a tower of no return...
Background is updated and in the profile. I turned Brunhild into a pure Str archer. Because if the group already has a dex melee, why not have a switch hitter based on strength? Switching race from dwarf to human, as this build requires the bonus feat.
Race: Northreach Ulfen Human (+2 Str, +2 Wis, Bonus Feat, Dimdweller)
Traits: Deadeye Bowman, Weapons Training (+1 damage longsword and longbow)
Stats: ABP gives +2 Str and +2 Wis
Str: 22 Dex: 13 Con: 14 Int: 12 Wis: 16 Cha: 10
Levels 1-7: Slayer (swift action studied target +2)
Levels 8-9: Sanguine Angel
Feats and Class Abilities:
Bonus Feat: Heavy Armor Proficiency
Lvl 1: Improved Shield Bash
Lvl 2 Slayer Talent: Rogue Talent - Combat Talent - Point Blank Shot
Lvl 3: Iron Will
Lvl 4 Slayer Talent: Ranger Combat Style Archery - Rapid Shot
Lvl 5: Weapon Focus Longsword
Lvl 6 Slayer Talent: Ranger Combat Style Archery - Many Shot
Lvl 7: Precise Shot
Lvl 8 Sanguine Angel: Maiden's Shield (A sanguine angel is treated as if she had the Two-Weapon Fighting feat as long as she is using a longsword and a shield. This allows her to take feats that require Two-Weapon Fighting as a prerequisite without meeting the Two-Weapon Fighting or Dexterity prerequisites, but she benefits from such feats only when she’s wielding a longsword and shield.)
Lvl 9: Deadly Aim, Furious Huntress (The sanguine angel adds her Strength bonus, rather than her Dexterity bonus, to attack rolls made with bows.)
This makes her into a switch hitter. Able to attack enemies at range, but also able to fight in close combat with sword and shield.
I figure...I've done a zen archer before. I know they work. But a Sanguine Angel strength archer? Only at lvl 9 does this build come together, so I couldn't imagine playing it from lvl 1. So I might as well throw it out there and hope that I can give it a go.
I will be submitting Pelipe Lightdriver for this game. She is a standard brawler with a unique past. Instead of leaning on the monk-like flavor, she leans more toward the fighter flavor. She utilizes a nasty sword to deadly accuracy, but has also spent so much time in bars, she's quite the unarmed fighter as well. Her hook is on her character sheet.
She is expected to play as primary/secondary melee slot but also can lend aid to the party through her unique adaptable combat methods. Her feat setup lets her take anything from improved spring attack to power driving attacks, to combat aids of her allies.
In personality, she is brash at times if you piss her off. This comes from her Westfall heritage on her father's side, but also can be gentle too, which comes from her Vineland heritage on her mother's side. She is full of life, self-sacrificing, loves people, and is a team player. She hates evil and has spent many years rooting out gangs and evil monsters that have invaded into the city limits of southeast Korryn where she grew up.
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@dwilhelmi- looks ready to me, thanks
@brunhild- wow, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sanguine angel before, I’ll look to looking that over soon
Me either, which was why I had to try it. It looks like a great class...it’s just too bad that it has such steep prerequisites.
I’ve also added a feat plan. The idea is “called” allows her to drop her bow without worrying about it, so if someone makes it to melee she can fight with her longsword. And at lvl11 she can have shield bashes with a buckler, with her slowly getting the most important two weapon fighting feats as she levels up. Leaning as heavy as I can on the Str based archery and two weapon fighting warrior.
Hi,
Please, meet Imara She is a Mbamba Monk 8 Sorcerer 1.
I am very intrigued by your setting and I have taken sometime to think about the world to propose a character with a good motivation to enter the tower. I have finished the background and most of the character sheet, missing mostly equipment and magic items. I still have to work on the appearance and personality but they are already suggested in the background. I will work on those parts in the next days.
As for Imara, she is a monk following a Lion Spirit Totem. I have build her with powers to be big and strong as a lion, able to take down prey and grapple as one. Slow to start but quick on the move.
Can you have a quick look and tell me if the character background and motivation fit with your vision of the world ?
Okay, I'm going to throw this guy in there: Maximus
I'm still cleaning up his sheet so it's WAY more understandable but this is the gist of him. Still need to purchase a few other things as well but that's just mostly mundane type stuff for the most part.