Esinti's rope dart is somewhat like a spiked chain, but instead of melee attacks, it makes ranged ones. It doesn't use ammo, it has considerably less range than a bow, and it can't use the feat manyshot. It is a +1 mithral weapon.
The sylph darts forward with astonishing speed and focuses his fatal administrations on the wicked blue woman. The dart sings when Esinti spins the rope and then, after a kick, is launched at the woman.
Move action: move 30ft (towards Blue woman)(Esinti has 65ft movement thanks to haste) | Std action: Std Attack (40ft range) Attack:1d20 + 11 ⇒ (15) + 11 = 26 Damage:1d4 + 9 ⇒ (2) + 9 = 11
Estini's technique with the seemingly unwieldy rope dart is on point, and his aim was excellent. The problem was, despite hitting her in the face with enough force to impale and seriously wound any normal person, the only damage was a minor scratch.
She made a strange sound that could have been laughter but Valeria's magic warped it into incoherence. Her claws sought out St John's flesh, he expertly parries one claw but leaves himself open to another which gores his left shoulder.
---- Round 5 ---- Triphylla Lope Shield Estini Mage Armor Blue Woman Valeria Diana Crushing Despair St John Poisoned (3 rounds), One Dex damage ---- Round 6 ---- Triphylla Lope Shield Estini Mage Armor Blue Woman Valeria Diana Crushing Despair St John Poisoned (2 rounds), One Dex damage
Damage Log:
Round: 2
Canine was hit by Lope for 20 (total damage taken 20)
Canine was hit by Estini for 3 (total damage taken 23)
Canine was hit by Estini for 2 (total damage taken 25)
St John was hit by Blue Woman for 5 (total damage taken 5)
Blue Woman was hit by St John for 4 (total damage taken 4)
Lope was hit by Canine for 7 (total damage taken 7)
Round: 3
Canine was hit by Lope for 21 (total damage taken 46)
Canine was hit by Lope for 27 (total damage taken 73)
Canine was hit by Estini for 1 (total damage taken 74)
Canine was hit by Diana for 15 (total damage taken 89)
Blue Woman was hit by St John for 7 (total damage taken 11)
Round: 4
Canine was hit by Lope for 22 (total damage taken 111)
Canine was hit by Lope for 20 (total damage taken 131)
Blue Woman was hit by Estini for 3 (total damage taken 14)
Triphylla was hit by Wasps for 6 (total damage taken 6)
Diana was hit by Wasps for 4 (total damage taken 4)
Valeria was hit by Wasps for 4 (total damage taken 4)
St John was hit by Blue Woman for 10 (total damage taken 15)
Blue Woman was hit by Estini for 1 (total damage taken 15)
St John was hit by Blue Woman for 8 (total damage taken 23)
HP 26/59 (NL 5) AC 27 TAC 20
fly 7 min
crushing dispair
black blade strike 1 min
arcane pooled sword (+1, flaming) 1 min
bb pool (1/2)
arcane pool (6/7)
spider climb 70 min
ablative barrier 6 h (25/35 hp)
shield 7 min
Female Human Wizard 7 | HP 38; AC 11 | CMD 10 | TAC 11 | FAC 10; F +5|R +5|W +8; Init +1; Perc +13
Diana keeps concentrating on her illusion, having it slash at the demon, but being careful not to have the blade actually hit her.
I'm pretty sure there's nothing more I can do to help out now - I could try to hit it with a crossbow bolt, but I don't think I'd get over her DR even in the unlikely chance that I hit.
Valeria takes careful aim with Dignities barb, sending a bolt into the blue woman's center of mass with a loud clack! Unfortunately despite hitting exactly where Valeria wanted, the bolt harmlessly bounced off.
Diana keeps on focusing on her defensive illusion.
St John bravely ploughs on, landing a solid hit with his Falcata which left a shallow wound which bled freely. Unfortunately his buckler just bounced off and the woman evades his other attacks.
Triphylla expertly lofted a bottle of Ghast Retch which to everyone near's instant regret shattered on the blue woman's face, earning the halfling a tongue tied tirade of gibberish as Valeria's earlier spell continued to hold.
Fort DC 12:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15 <--- PASS
Lope having flown up to meet the blue woman, takes full advantage of her fixation on St John to plunge Gloria into her flank. It was like thrusting into a brick wall, but he felt something give as he pressed home causing his blade to sink several inches into flesh, causing her to gasp.
Estini's rope dart flicks out again, and again another excellent hit that left a small pinprick that slowly oozed blood.
Attack:1d20 + 11 ⇒ (13) + 11 = 24
Giving Lope a disdainful look the blue woman dabs a finger in her blood and uses it to draw a glowing door in air which she steps through before it abruptly winks out!
Concentration, sickened DC 23:1d20 + 19 - 2 ⇒ (9) + 19 - 2 = 26 <--- PASS
Spellcraft DC 19:
She cast dimension door. She can't have gone far.
Perception DC 15:
You get a glimpse of the room beyond, which seems to be a tower room converted into an ostentatious boudoir with a luxurious looking four poster bed covered with silks and furs and gems.
For now there's no foe you can see, but you don't feel you can let your guard down just yet. Note if anyone wants to try another Kn: Planes check DC you might discover how to bypass the DR.
"I... Can't be absolutely sure about the spell she just cast, but I did catch a glimpse of the room beyond her door. Seemed like some kind of tower room that was converted to a luxurious bedroom. I saw a large four poster bed with exquisite silks, furs and expensive looking gems."
Triphylla should know what just happened but for some reason she can't figure it out. From her vantage point on the ground she gets a glimpse into the richly appointed tower from which the witch likely hails.
She screws her face to try and figure out the nature of the dimensional traveler's immunity to damage.
Male Human Class Fighter (Rondelero Duelist) 7 | AC 24 T 14 FF 21 | HP 55/60 | F +8 R +6 W +4 | Init +3 | Perc +12
St. John's head snaps up as he hears the description of the room, "That sounds like someplace she would like to be!" He then flies off to the room looking for the woman.
Spellcraft:1d20 + 14 ⇒ (20) + 14 = 34 Perception:1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21
Lope nodes softly while still being vigilant "She dimension doored, she cannot be too far away"
The Aldori looks around in the air, for what room might be the tower.
Based on this creature clearly being evil, possibly with a distant relationship to dark fae you think a blessed weapon of some sort would be effective, and possibly cold iron weaponry. Unless I missed something the party does not have cold iron weapons, but such things are available to buy. Also there are a number of cheaper ways of getting a weapon to have good alignment.
St John and Lope soar around the room searching for where the blue woman might have gone. They quickly notice that the catwalk level provides entry to the building's three towers. The western tower door is locked. The central tower door is is crowded with human-size dressmaker’s dummies, each wearing an elaborate gown, shawl, or cloak. The floor near the dummies is cluttered with pairs of nice shoes. The northwest corner contains a set of stone stairs leading up.
A quick look into the lower eastern tower room reveals a boxy room carpeted with elaborate rugs of Keleshite design. Additional rugs hang from pegs driven into the brick walls. A stone staircase ascends to the northeast.
Getting up to the catwalk for those unable to fly looks challenging, since the metal stairs that once lead up are either gone or part of the crumpled mess in the centre of the room.
At some point during this investigation the summoned insects below wink out.
Esinti follows after St. John. It wouldn't do to split up in a place like this. When they move, Lope's wounds become apparent, and their severity is a cause for worry. "Can we apply magic to ease Lope's wounds, perhaps? If not, I have a wand of healing for whoever can wield such magical devices."
Esinti has a wand of CLW with 50 charges. Feel free to use it when needed.
It occurs to Triphylla that the mind-capturing monster is certainly evil and demonic in nature.
"A blessed weapon, or a weapon of good alignment should more easily defeat the succubus. Cold iron would cut to her nature. I have in my kit six doses of weapon blanch that bestows a cold iron quality. It is most effectively used on ammunition; Dignity's Barb could be made more lethal. Does anyone else have missile weapons to use? Otherwise I can coat our blades which will be good for one hit, so make them count. You could drop a blade after the first strike and take up a second which has also been coated. Give me your weapons and I will work quickly."
While the rest of the group is searching for the demon, the halfling prepares their weapons for the final battle.
Ever since young Prince Carrius II died in a riding accident the question of who will succeed Grand Prince Stavian III has kept loyal Taldans awake at night. Attempts at resurrection failed and Stavian separated from his wife Etroffe and refused to remarry, leaving no direct male heir. After Stavian would the crown really pass to a distant and untested cousin? What of Princess Eutropia, his estranged daughter, could she beat the odds and change the law of succession?
You begin as undercover agents of Lady Martella Lotheed, the illegitimate daughter of the prestigious Lotheed noble family and burgeoning spymaster. She has hired you to perform various missions during a large ball to celebrate the Grand Day of Exaltation. This is the biggest date in the Taldan calendar, a culmination of a week-long holiday whereby by tradition The Grand Prince elevates a commoner to the ranks of nobility.
This year's Grand Day of Exaltation is poised to mark a historic shift in the governance of the empire. Stavian's only daughter and eldest child Princess Eutropia has forged a powerful coalition of senators, aiming to reform four thousand years of inconsistent and often sexist laws. The reform effort kicks off with a vote to repeal the ancient law of agnatic primogeniture. The law states that royal power can pass only to a male heir. Lotheed supports Eutropia and needs your help to ensure the vote goes off without a hitch.
What sort of AP is this?:
This AP caters to the secret agent / power behind the throne fantasy. The PCs are Taldan loyalists, who are deeply invested in reforming Taldan and helping Eutropia claim the crown. This is the most RP heavy AP that Paizo have published, although there is still a fair bit of combat (much of which is indoors). In addition to physical combat expect social combat (verbal duels!)
Please note the way you go about things directly influences the kind of ruler Eutropia ends up becoming.
NB this AP is not supposed to be a commentary on US politics, I don't live in the US and have no interest in US politics.
I’m proposing to run an abridged War for the Crown, books 1-4 doubling down on the central conflict which is the battle for emancipation of female rights (plus sweeping reforms to four thousand years of archaic and contradictory laws) in the face of traditionalism bordering on fascism.
I aim for this to take three to four years in total.
Why abridged:
There’s a few reasons for this:
*I believe the arc of books 1-4 provides a fulfilling story with a few tweaks to Book 4. Books 5-6 feel like the sequel to a novel that wasn’t really needed. In addition Book 5 has a plot device that's likely to annoy most players.
*I aim to finish what I start and very few full APs have been run on these boards. The odds of completing the story arc are much greater if we aim for something a bit shorter.
*APs have quite a bit of filler content to give enough XP for party's to level up as expected. This harm's PbP pacing so I'll merge/skip encounters that are not important for the plot.
* Pathfinder 1st edition
* Level 1
* 20pt buy, attributes in the range [7..18] after racial adjustments
* All CRB races and others on a case by case basis. Taldor is primarily a human nation and at least half the party will be human or pass for human
* All classes except summoner are allowed, where applicable unchained is preferred
* Paizo material only with one exception: Elephant in the room feat taxes.
* Two traits, one must be a campaign trait. No drawbacks.
* Background skills = yes
* VMC is allowed
* Max starting gold for your class
* Firearms = emerging
* Max HP level at 1, average rounded up for subsequent levels
* Allowed alignments: LG, NG, CG, LN, N
* Your character is likely Taldan or has spent most of their life in Taldor, beyond that almost any background could work, bearded or otherwise.
* A profile is not required for submission but I want to see fully developed characters and builds with an idea of where you’d like to take them over the next few levels (i.e. are you building towards a prestige class or particular feats?) Gameplay hooks are appreciated.
Expectations:
* An AP is a multi-year commitment and keeping it going is a team effort. I’ll do everything I can as a GM to make combats smooth and the NPCs engaging but you need to put the effort in too. On average please try to post daily during the week and once per weekend. I understand real life happens so no worries if you go on holiday etc and can’t post for a while but I’d like to have a heads up on absences and a BOT ME section in your character profile to make life easier for me. This is especially important for casters.
* I will try to recreate your characters in herolab and will provide you the bb code upon request. I’m used to the herolab format although it does lack detail in some areas (e.g. FCBs and alternative racial abilities).
* I don't use XP in my games, you'll level up at the appropriate story points.
* I’d like to see RP and party banter and not just at the beginning. I want to know what your character thinks about the situations they’re in even if it’s not something they’d say out loud. Make this a game you and I want to engage with!
* Expect Verbal duels! (I grant situational bonuses for good RP)
* I use Google Sheets (+photoshop) for maps and for this game I’m going to require that you’re able to move your character yourself (or even better draw a line showing the movement you plan so I can figure out AOOs) most of the time. Google Sheets has a good Android App which allows editing from a phone. I don’t mind moving things for you occasionally but please not every combat!
* Please keep a status line up to date on your forum profile, showing current AC, saves etc including effects from buffs. Example
* There are ways of manipulating the dice roller, please don’t. Please be consistent in the order in which you roll dice for your abilities. E.g. the order in which you roll for crits.
About Me:
I’ve been running games on these boards since 2015. In that time I’ve run Cult of the Ebon Destroyers, Strange Aeons up to Book 3 (my players didn’t really like the dream quests so we decided to try some homebrew instead), Shards of Oberon (ongoing homebrew campaign), Ruins of Adventure (loosely based on the 1E FR module) which will finish sometime in the next six months.
I will select 5 players (possibly 6 if we have strong submissions) in two weeks from now at 9pm GMT on September 10th. Good luck!
Interested! I've been wanting to make a social/intrigue-focused character for a while now. Will start scheming and re-reading the player's guide as it's been a while (applied a while back for a War of the Crown game but haven't played).
I'll provide a hero lab output and can share the file when I make my crunch. I'm a big fan of good ol' hero lab.
Also, that's my favorite posting rate.
Maps: That's essentially how I use google slides. Is sheets better than slides for that?
Sébastien of The City of a Hundred Fountains Halfling Swashbuckler (Okayo corsair) going into Devoted Muse.
Campaign trait:
Rising Star: All too often, great minds must suffer for
their art, but you’re one of the lucky ones. Your skills
attracted the attention of a noble patron who pays for
your food, housing, and tools. As your patron introduces
you to other cultural elites, you’re slowly learning to
navigate the treacherous waters of high society, but you
still remember the lean times when each meal was a
hard-won treasure. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Sense
Motive and Survival checks, as well as checks using a
single Craft or Perform skill of your choice; one of these
skills is always a class skill for you. Once each day, you
can invoke your patron’s reputation or name one of your
own prominent works to gain a +2 circumstance bonus
on a single Bluff, Diplomacy, or Intimidate check. You
begin the game with a masterwork musical instrument
or tool appropriate to the Craft or Perform skill you
selected, a gift from your patron.
I think I have a cool concept, but it requires GM approval.
There is a inquisitor archetype called
Sword of the Eldes which I would like for my character, an inquisitor of Magd, however, it requires being a Gathlain.
The issue with Gathlains is that they get a fly speed at level 1, which I would dislike a fair bit if I had to GM it. And could get rather hard to get into an urban campaign.
I would much prefer to be a Fey foundling/Fey Magic human/Elf/Half Elf, who will have some very reasonable reasons to be devoted to Magd.
So that's a charisma based inquisitor with extra spell slots instead of teamwork feats. In principle that doesn't sound like it would be problematic. OK I'll allow that although I'm curious why Magha an Eldest of the first world would send an agent to Taldor :)
My idea is to go battle spirit shaman with hampering hex at first level for debuff and combat reflexes and enlarge person for some combat effectiveness and a beefy combat familiar spirit animal with an idea of improved familiar to get to axe beak goodness.
Most likely going with aasimir and looking for GM blessing to go with a racial type because I need MAD help to get to wandering spirit of lore at 4th level and the feat at 7 retrained at 8 to allow life spirit 10 minutes a day which along with spells should help out with major healing buff and debuff build with young reformer as my trait since I will be having a 14 int for the build and going with know local
Hi Edelsmirge which racial type did you have in mind?
I'm not saying no to Aasimar but they generally turn heads unless they have pass for human alternate racial trait and may get unwanted attention. Also I'm going to need a compelling background story explaining how and why Lady Martella Lotheed chose them to work on her behalf. I want to understand their motivation for getting involved in Taldan politics.
I'm not aware of any rules that would allow an Axe Beak familiar (its a valid animal companion however), is there some splat book that allows this?
Also you wouldn't always have such an obviously ferocious pet at hand since it would be hardly welcome in polite society.
The only change I had to make was the alignment from CN to CG but I think that will still work out and maybe make her even more interesting given her curse.
She is meant to be largely a "bad touch cleric" with lots of face skills as she tries to show that the Redeemer Queen has truly changed from her old ways.
Hi Drogeney how did Valaria end up working for Lady Martella Lotheed? Presumably she's sympathetic to Princess Eutropia's cause, what does her father think?
Mightypion wip submission, I am currently working on background, as well as on what simple weapon I can bring into polite society. I kind of doubt that a big Scythe would be all that wecome :).
Sent you a PM what Magds possible interest could be, also have her actual background as an idea, just need to write it up.
I came up with a pretty interesting backstory idea tying a rather minor noble house to Magd.
My character was found as a Fey foundling (as per the feat), by the childless Arithos Valaris. He adopted her and raised her as his own, when she, at the age of just 6, expressed her desire to worship Magd, making any possible succession by her even more implausible, her adoptive parents cried but accepted.
1 year later, they were blessed with 3 healthy female triplets , and 2 years later by 3 healthy male triplets. Given that Lady Eurythnia Valaris was 42 at that time, it was indeed quite unusual.
Eurythnia now publically worships Magd, which is viewed as rather eccentric by her noble peers. House Valaris, especially during the time where they had female triplets as possible heirs, was very very keen on the reform agency, and developed pretty warm ties with house Lotheed.
House Valaris, which is a fairly minor house, but one notable for its excellent library, great assortment of wine orchards and few foes.
Considering Bard, of course, given the AP. Kitharodian Academy is in town, and there are feats on Nethys related to being a student there, but they are faction feats and have side requirements.
FIRST: I am a LONG way off from picking a direction or character type. I saw something interesting and am trying to understand if it is even an option, let alone how it would work.
NOW:
The side requirements are "TPA" or Total Prestige Award. As per THIS forum discussion one can estimate earning ~5 Prestige per character level.
So, would these feats be considered available? Or is this a "too complicated and not something I want to work through for a curiosity as opposed to an honest build attempt?"
Additional side note: Apparently (new info to me, honestly) the Lion's Blades are based out of the Kitharodian Academy, and such an association would go a long way towards taking that Prestige Class. Not that I'm really looking at that bit, either, just something I saw while I was exploring potential options.
The feats in the series I was spotting are:
Master Performer (15 TPA)
Grand Master Performer (20 TPA, Lvl 8 min)
Silent Performer (15 TPA, Lvl 12 Min)
Verbose Performer (15 TPA, Lvl 8 min)
Again, just looking at options. Not even sure this is where I'm going to want to go. ABSOLUTELY not thinking far enough ahead for Lion's Blades other than as "Oh, what's this?"
I like the idea that this is as much roleplay and intrigue as it is swords and sorcery.
I have a couple of ideas for characters but one is a little left-field so I wanted to check with you, Fang Dragon, before I go ahead and flesh it out.
It would be a Kelishite who has travelled from Kelesh to support Martella's mission. A big gregarious man who on the outside is a party animal who likes his drink, in Oppara as a traveller and trader. His real nature is very serious, he is here from a like minded cell in Kelesh to support Martella, in the hope that if she is successful it will support his cell's goals in Kelesh. As far as mechanics (class etc.) I'm not sure yet...
What are your initial thoughts? I know Taldan locals are recommended but there are references to Keleshites in the town in the player's guide. Essentially I want to make sure I'm not ruling myself a no go right out the gate.
Hi Drogeney how did Valaria end up working for Lady Martella Lotheed? Presumably she's sympathetic to Princess Eutropia's cause, what does her father think?
It's in the last part of her backstory but wasn't very clear.
"Valeria was unsure how to proceed with her task but then her father brought her a rather...unique opportunity that just might help her start to solve her problems, a job working for Lady Martella Lotheed. If they wouldn't listen to Valeria's words then she would show them with her deeds. "
I edited it a little to make it more clear. Her father is rather progressive minded for a noble and is likely know to Lady Lotheed. It makes a nice connection for Veleria to become involved.
So I have to make changes to Torin to fit the CC rules for this campaign, but he did partake in a partial campaign before the DM left us. His backstory is also complete. I will get started on getting him submission ready.
I imagine he'll choose the monk half of his gestalt to start. Unchained monk is the standard yes?
Excuse me no animal companion brain mix up. I would use the little pouncing dino with the mauler archetype. I would also keep the main aasimir for Wis and Cha. For reasons I would need to take the human trait for enlarge person to work on me, eh?
Hey DM Fang Dragon, I posted in your 'interest thread' with Kunala. He's a 'dandy' ranger, with a penchant for dancing and dueling. Who has a vested interest in how women are treated here in his beloved Taldor.
If you look at his campaign history, you'll see he's been in a couple of WftC's already, but he didn't get very far. I figure four books and a satisfying story is better than PBP limbo.
If I can answer any questions about him, please feel free to ask. Thanks for running the game, we players appreciate it.
@Mightypion/Alithera Valaris thanks for the pm, I pretty much only know what's written about Magdh from the wiki. The prophecy angle seems the most likely aspect to pique her interest (of course there's a prophecy mixed up with things). Otherwise she strikes me as being very focused on the first world and is presumed to be single-handedly protecting the First World by her peers.
@Houstonj Sorry that link doesn't work for me. I'm a little wary of inspire courage optimisation since getting inspire courage +3 at a very low level is rather strong. On the flip side the Kitharodian Academy is very Taldor and a 100% thematic match for this AP. I'll tentatively allow this since gating prestige behind levels makes potential balance issues much less of a problem. Just to check if I understood correctly, Master Performer becomes available at level 4? The Lion's Blades are involved in the AP and I'll need to reread that section to check if an association would be problematic.
@Louxman A Kelishite is certinly possible although it would be good to understand how he found out about Lady Martella Lotheed (or perhaps she found out about him?) and what motivated him to undertake such a long journey. What makes a Kelishite invested in Taldan politics? One angle
that could work is from what I understand of Kelishites they'd likely view Taldans treatment of women as rather backward.
@Torin Yes unchained monk is generally the standard. I'll be happy to review the build once you've removed the gestalt parts.
@Edelsmirge yes you're right an Aasimar wouldn't normally be able to use enlarge person.
@Kunala sounds like your character had quite a tragic upbringing, I can see why he'd support Eutroipia. How did he come to the attention of Lady Martella Lotheed?
@Hustonj Sorry that link doesn't work for me. I'm a little wary of inspire courage optimisation since getting inspire courage +3 at a very low level is rather strong. On the flip side the Kitharodian Academy is very Taldor and a 100% thematic match for this AP. I'll tentatively allow this since gating prestige behind levels makes potential balance issues much less of a problem. Just to check if I understood correctly, Master Performer becomes available at level 4? The Lion's Blades are involved in the AP and I'll need to reread that section to check if an association would be problematic.
it loops back to your recruitment post for me, now, too. Weird. Trying again? This time it works from the post preview, so . . .. (Going back and looking at the post, I think I forgot to Ctrl-V the link into the URL tag. :facepalm:)
Knowing if links to the Lion's Blades will be problematic would absolutely be important! Not necessarily a show-stopper if playing through divided loyalty questions is a relevant play point, but that's a corner case.
Like I said, I'm not sold on any of this, stumbled across it and went "Hey, that could be cool!" I'm having the same reaction to the Dandy Ranger archetype. Still looking for what feels like the most fun approach. Noble Fencer Swashbuckler, Straight social Rogue build, and Celebrity, Negotiator, and Wit Bard archetypes are all on the table right now as well. I'm just indecisive.
In the linked thread, they were saying you should be able to take the TPA 15 stuff at Level 3, but, I agree that not until Level 4 was EXACTLY how I thought that would work, too. You can't get the points for being a level until you ARE that level. Otherwise it is like trying to take a Prestige Class with a pre-requisite of 5 skill ranks at level 5, because you'll have the ranks once you finish leveling up. It just isn't how things were meant to work.
Did some altered backgrounds, one or several Magds believe that what happens to Taldor could, in some way, effect their interests (regarding prophecy in particular), and they thus have placed Alithera there, to act as eyes on the ground.
I had fun writing the background :), also went for a more unusual version of physical description.
Definitely interested in being part of a War For The Crown game. Got a Arcane Duelist who's a Julie d'Aubigny riff. Stats should be up soon with fluff coming a little later.
Hi, I'm expressing interest! I like the abridged mentality for this, and a lot of what you plan on doing (no XP, clear guidelines for post rate, an expectation of everyone's responsibility to an AP, etc.) is similar to how I've run games.
The one thing I'll call out is the two-week recruitment period. I predict that you are going to get a lot of applicants, which could make your selection process harder. But maybe you're expecting this and fine with it, in which case disregard what I've said.
I plan on leaning heavily into the theme of the campaign and creating a vigilante, which is a class that I've wanted to try for a while, but I haven't had a better opportunity to do so. The plan is to create a human noble, choosing why his family is no longer in favor based on an appropriate campaign trait and however his backstory evolves.
If the mechanics don't outright contradict, I'm planning on having him start without a vigilante identity, and he has to start creating one whenever his work for Lady Lotheed dictates.
@Kunala sounds like your character had quite a tragic upbringing, I can see why he'd support Eutroipia. How did he come to the attention of Lady Martella Lotheed?
Good question, when Martella was younger she would have taken private dancing lessons at Master Destrie's school, where Kunala would have been her partner. She would have also seen Kunala and Padmavati dance as entertainment at parties or in dance competitions. Recently, she probably would have seen or heard about Kunala dueling after a party. Also, her 'spy network' would have made her aware of Padmavati's 'situation' and that Kunala had worked his way out of the families 'good graces' by voicing his opinion about what should have been his sisters right to decide what to do with her own life.
I'm not sure of Martella's age, I have Kunala at 21, if he needs to be older to have been a 'partner' for Martella I can adjust his age to make it more reasonable.
Absolutely interested. Dotting til I can get the character written up, but I really want to take a shot at building a human wizard, a court advisor type, though I'm not sure exactly how I'll go about it...yet.
Hi Fang Dragon! I'm interested in joining. I have a character in mind that I will draw up: Henrika Karthis, a human Vexing Daredevil mesmerist. She is an aristocrat's daughter who has come of age, but her father died about ten years ago and when her uncle took over the estate, he refused to recognize her claim. Surly and disillusioned, she has taken to hanging out with a group of rogues and ne'er-do-wells at a public house called the Lion's Head, and though she doesn't countenance crimes, she does enjoy their company and certainly has an interest in the succession.
I'm working on a very infiltration skilled, human investigator (Student of Philosophy for face skills and Young Reformer for the cool flavor and help with certain skills like intimidate). Will start off as a weak melee striker and get pretty serious after a little while. I think she will be a young idealist, philosopher, and well-dressed woman who becomes angrier about the realities of power politics and lets out her rage monster (mutagen and rage through vmc barbarian at level 3, maybe a natural attacks build).
Investigators are such skill monkeys that they do have trouble keeping up in combat. I'm hoping to get the Inspired weapon enhancement later on and this puts constraints on what fighting styles are possible. Inspired can't be put on all weapons but can be put on simple weapons. Unarmed strikes are explicitly simple weapons. The amulet of mighty fists "can grant melee weapon special abilities, so long as they can be applied to unarmed attacks." I just want to confirm, do you agree that I could eventually get an Inspired Amulet of Mighty Fists? The logic seems sound to me but I want to make sure my planning will be ok.
I'm still working on the BAP sections, but here is the mechanical portion of the character I'm submitting.
Magdaluza is a Human Seducer/Mirror Witch.
She's from Tregan, in the North of Taldor, which is no place for the daughter of a mere Baronet to get ahead in the world. Her ambitions are set on a Senate seat, and sooner is better than later. Being an eldest child and daughter herself, Magdaluza can sympathize with Princess Eutropia and supports her claim as heir to Taldor's throne.
Magdaluza will do what she can to help the Princess, especially if doing so will move her up in the world as well. Taldor is a rough place, and she sees no reason why the two of them can't prosper together. Magdaluza like cats, and she's a blast at parties. She specializes in burning down people she doesn't like.
I'd like to submit Diana. I built her for another War for the Crown PbP but she unfortunately didn't get picked.
I'll try to update her sheet later today to be inline with the character creation rules for the game, but the general character idea will still be the same.
Backstory:
As a noble born into house Lotheed, Diana has always had a scholarly appoach to most things, loving to just analyze and understand a given subject. The Taldan court was just another of her favorite subjects, and as an expert in deception and misdirection herself, she enjoyed watching the moves of her fellow nobles, both those that were expertly done and the ones that were amusingly obvious and inefficient. All of it in support of their collective grand illusion, the idea that Taldan mantains its past greatness, mainly due (and not in spite of) its aristocracy. It was similar to having an illusionist believing their own illusions - something that would surely lead to madness!
She was mostly content being an observer, but knew she also had a part to play now, namely, finding an appropriate husband for a lady of her house. But, unsurprisingly, she found most suitors too focused on their own ego or personal advancement. Until she met Alan - who shared most of her views on the current state of their nation. But where she had simply been a passive observer all this time, Alan believed it was up to them to change the system for the better, and was actually invested in making it happen - and helped her see just how broken the system truly is. He had been secretely working with like minded people, nobles and non nobles, to both help out people where possible, like secretely helping tenants move away from an abusive noble's domain; and also to gather enough court support to try to change the course of the nation's course.
His determination to fix Taldor was a breath of fresh air among all the court intrigue. They fell in love, but tragedy struck just as their families were starting talks of marriage arrangements: during an hunting trip (that Diana knew to be a front for a meeting with his contacts in the region) Alan and his guards were found dead in his room along with the bodies of commoners the local authorities believed to be anti-nobility terrorists. Diana was heartbroken when she heard the news, and tried to stay away from court, instead focusing on her academic pursuits as a way to cope. But as she started to accept her loss, she has decided that her best course for honoring his memory is to try to realise Alan's dreams towards a better Taldor.
Mantaining her image as a grief-stricken scholar, she has recently been traveling around the nation, furthering her knowledge of its history - while secretly getting in contact with her lover's former allies to continue Alan's work. And, when possible, to investigate details of his death - she suspects the "terrorists" were the contacts he was meeting, which would mean his true killers and their motives are yet unkown.
@hustonj I checked, the Lion Blades are fine. If we agree that TPA 15 is available at level 4 then it's approved.
@Mightypion/Alithera So you had a litter of introduction to Lady Martella, interesting. Not something I'd thought of, full marks for creativity.
@Andostre Sounds good
@Kunla Martella is in her thirties. Seems like a plausible way to come to her attention.
@eriktd Henrika sounds like one of Eutripoia's grass roots supporters. Could we expand a little on how and why she came to the notice of Lady Martella? Doesn't need to be anything overly complex, Lady Martella is likely on the look out for potential reformers from within the nobility.
@caster4life unfortunately RAW you can't have Inspired AOMF. However I'm pretty sure you can enchant Handwraps with Inspired since Handwraps are a simple weapon. Handwraps not quite as flexible as AOMF (no flying kicks) but maybe they work for you?
@Monkeygod all of those sound viable. Not sure if this helps I'm probably going to favour a sneaky party over brute force. Will be interesting to see how many divine casters we get.
@Patrickthekid This is tricky, I understand the desire to make multiple submissions but on the other hand I'd feel really bad if folks made multiple characters and I ended up with a lot of submissions and they didn't get chosen. For now please choose the one you're most keen to play.
@Magdaluza Seducer witch is a personal favourite archetype, looking forwards to reading the background.
@Diana, A Lotheed... Interesting. How closely related to Lady Martella are you thinking that Diana is?
A note on selections: I'm going to aim for a party that covers all the bases (arcane & divine magic, balance of skills and offensive capability). Ideally the party will have a good range of campaign traits. For those who have been around for a while I'll also be checking RP in other games. I'm willing to take on at least one new player if any are interested.
@Fang dragon
A letter of introduction that politely included information that was of considerable use to her. Martella would likely be "why in the 9 hells is a Fae eldest interested in Taldor? What's next, Nocticula sending a friendly assassin to support our side out of shared opposition to misogyny?", but figure, after some research, that having Magd, who is known to send her servants on weird but typically succesfull errands, and who tends to reward fairly those who assist them, inside the tent pissing out is likely a wild card in her favor.
I also added a plot hook policy, and since Magd doesnt have them edicts and anathemas, I added some as well. They are reasonably restrictive, but not overly so.
@eriktd Henrika sounds like one of Eutripoia's grass roots supporters. Could we expand a little on how and why she came to the notice of Lady Martella? Doesn't need to be anything overly complex, Lady Martella is likely on the look out for potential reformers from within the nobility.
Sure thing! Lady Henrika is unusual among the aristocracy because while she comes from a very prestigious noble house-- well-respected in the Senate and among the military-- because of her uncle's machinations she has decided to throw her lot in with a group of rogues and dissidents. She cares about Taldor, but she has lost faith in anyone's ability to do things "the right way." She hasn't yet descended into actual criminal behavior, but she's teetering.
Perhaps these circumstances could have led Lady Martella to discover Lady Henrika in a "spot of bother"? A raid on the Lion's Head, possibly in the aftermath of one of the patrons' roguelike capers, could have landed Dame Ren in jail. If Lady Martella has the influence to see that Lady Henrika was released without having to notify her uncle, Lady Henrika would be extremely grateful. I could envision them having a lovely scene where Lady Martella explains that she has need of reformers in the nobility to help with her endeavors, but that they must be above reproach in their morals and conduct. Henrika's response would be haughty but ashamed, and she would quickly become one of Lady Martella's staunchest allies.
Dotting in.
Will be providing a Mesmerist for your consideration. (The class seems fun but not very viable for many AP's - it seems a decent fit for this one, though.)
She's a Half-Elf Calistrian with Disgraced Noble campaign trait.(which plays into that whole revenge thing Calistria encourages so.)
Her initial motivation would mostly be based on that but who knows where adventure will take her?
Mechanically she is done and planned, but I want to re-read the Players Guide before putting the Background into writing - as there is quite some time left until end of the recruitment I may ponder one or two angles before deciding.
A letter of introduction that politely included information that was of considerable use to her. Martella would likely be "why in the 9 hells is a Fae eldest interested in Taldor? What's next, Nocticula sending a friendly assassin to support our side out of shared opposition to misogyny?"
Well I wasn't going to apply, but that idea is so fabulous I might just have to...
Question for the GM. Are you running this in the canon timeline? I'd like to know if Nocticula is still a demon lord or if she's close enough to her ascension that she might feasibly have a CG person she could send to help out with this.
Hi, I'm expressing interest! I like the abridged mentality for this, and a lot of what you plan on doing (no XP, clear guidelines for post rate, an expectation of everyone's responsibility to an AP, etc.) is similar to how I've run games.
The one thing I'll call out is the two-week recruitment period. I predict that you are going to get a lot of applicants, which could make your selection process harder. But maybe you're expecting this and fine with it, in which case disregard what I've said.
I plan on leaning heavily into the theme of the campaign and creating a vigilante, which is a class that I've wanted to try for a while, but I haven't had a better opportunity to do so. The plan is to create a human noble, choosing why his family is no longer in favor based on an appropriate campaign trait and however his backstory evolves.
If the mechanics don't outright contradict, I'm planning on having him start without a vigilante identity, and he has to start creating one whenever his work for Lady Lotheed dictates.
Hi, I'm withdrawing interest. It sounds like a lot of fun, but in taking a look at what I've got on my plate, it's best I don't join another PbP unless one of my existing ones drop.
I'm a fan of the The Redeemer Queen, so let's hand wave the timeline a bit. Looking forward to reading the background of a friendly assassin sent by Nocticula!
@GM Fang Dragon: My knowledge of the AP and the inner workings of the Lotheed family is a bit limited, so I'll probably need your input answering the question - ideally, I'd like for her position within the family to be whatever leads to the most interesting character situations down the line (whatever leads to the most drama :p)
She can be closely related to Martella if you think that's the best option. Her motivation to join the cause is strong enough for whichever option you prefer, though - if they're not close, Martella could have found out about what Diana has been doing from her spy network or mutual contacts, and figure she'd be a good help for what she needs - or she might even have asked her allies for someone to help at the gala with no names being given, leading to an awkward family reunion at the start.
@hustonj I checked, the Lion Blades are fine. If we agree that TPA 15 is available at level 4 then it's approved.
Cool.
Gonna stop fooling around with the Noble Bard build and go for a commoner who got into the Kitharodian Academy, then. I'll actually have honest-to-goodness traditional Rogue skills, too. At least, that's what it looks like the plan will be . . ..
GM what do you think about an Ulfen, come down from the lands of the Linnorm Kings in hopes of joining the Ulfen Guard? Obviously he isn't experienced enough yet, and will have to work his way up the ranks of lower-ranking nobles, making his name as a bodyguard (presumably working for Martella or an associate of hers at the moment). Admittedly it's less of a social/secret agent type of character, but I feel like it fits into the Golarion lore. Probably a barbarian, though in theory such a character could be a ranger, slayer, fighter, any martial really.
