Here is a thread to begin discussion of my upcoming PF2 game. (Invitation Only). I'm considering the following at this time.
* Campaign based in the Lost Lands. (Fiddlers Lament, Aegis of Empires). Like this land, but the fact that it's not in Demi-Plane might complicate things.
* 2E conversion of Mummy's Mask. Like Lost Lands digital resources are limited... but this is one I've always been interested in running, and I have a 2E conversion.
* Outlaws of Alkenstar Of all the 2E AP's this one interests me most... though I'd be inclined to provide Level 1 characters for everyone to make sure this AP's unique challenges are covered. It would be all you after that.
I allow Ancestral Paragon, and Free Archetype, and with the retraining Down-time options you'd be able to quickly make the character your own.
House Rules (There may be more but at first glance this is what I've come up with.
+ PF2 is designed with no "Preparation or Pre-buffing actions" but I've modified that a bit. If you roll a 20 on initiative you get a "Pre-Initiative Action, and if you roll a NAT 20 you get two. This applies to all participants, and after these actions Initiative proceeds as usual.
+ In a similar vein if using the DEFEND Exploration activity you can choose to either have your shield raised... or a weapon in hand. In my opinion as your exploring, you're not walking around ready to jump at anything as your looking around doing other things.
+ I hate using limited resource things like healing spells and potions to end up with a 1, so I've adjusted this a bit. You drop a die size and add 2. For higher level spells with multiple die rolls only one die gets this treatment. For instance, if you heal 3d8 you now heal 2d8+1d6+2. This only applies to limited resource things not towards skill usage.
+ PF2 RAW calls for a lot of hidden checks, but my players hated that so I let them roll almost everything until they prove they can't keep from meta-gaming. One group I run is fine, the other struggles. "Why are you rolling perception on that chest as well. Your party rogue just did (Rolled a 1). Do you not trust him?
+ I don't like the Critical hit and miss cards, but wanted something to punish terrible rolls, since good rolls are rewarded. In my games if you roll a 1 on an attack roll you roll a d4 and one of the following is your reward...
^ 1- Slowed 1 till the end of your next turn
^ 2- Fall Prone
^ 3- Drop weapon
^ 4- Clumsy 1 till the end of your next turn.
I might have a few more... but this is all I can think of at the moment. If you're interested please comment, and we'll discuss.
You had me at 'Lost Lands'.
Thank you for the invite scranford - I am not sure how much I can contribute to homebrewing PF2e, being as noob as I am. But I will drop my thoughts anyway, as usual :P
First one is that the Lost Lands rule! (assuming you mean the Frog God Games Lost Lands)
Reporting for duty. Having learned from Albion’s thread, I’m just gonna say: whatever you think is best, will play as you have ‘brewed. It also helps that I don’t have a problem with any of your changes!
One thing - I’m assuming this is using the Remastered rules - I’m wanting to play an Orc ancestry. Is that going to be problematic? Wanting to try out the remastered Witch…
As for adventures, I think you should run whichever you are most comfortable with. Given Albion’s love of the Lost Lands, and your own familiarity of it, I say go with that. I would vote Mummy’s Mask over Outlaws of Alkenstar, only because from what I’ve read of reviews of OoA seems to make it more Wild West rather than Weird Magic West. But given Lost Lands adventures and OoA are straight up 2e adventures compared to the effort of converting MM I leave it entirely up to you…
No problem with using the Orc or the remastered Witch, and remastered is in play. That's two votes for Lost Lands. I'll wait till a few others pitch in before deciding for sure.
I'll give it to the end of the week, then if we've got no more players from this game, I'll reach out to some others I've gamed with and enjoyed. Also, open to any suggestions you guys might have for additional players. Anywhere between 4 and 6 is good for me.
Alright, I’ll bite. :)
Having run both Mummy’s Mask and Outlaws of Alkenstar, I’ll also vote for Lost Lands. I crave new experiences!
Lost Lands it is!!!
There is a lot of Lost Lands information available online, and I have almost everything based in the Setting, so feel free to query.
Okay. Looks like we have three onboard. I'll reach out to more good players Monday, and we'll give it a go. Even three is Okay as I do Free Archetype, and Ancestral Paragon, and can use "Mimic Fight Club" to adjust the encounters if we end up with (3) Only.
The AP... especially early features quite a lot of undead, and some haunts and traps... so I would recommend a healer, front-liner, and roguish character to start with... but feel free to try whatever you like, as the archetype and feat selection can offset many of the class specific requirements.
I'm a big fan of working together both as a group and with GM input for character design, so since we're in no hurry let's start that conversation.
At my (2) Tabletop games we've found that with use the "Exploration" Activities are really becoming loved.
For Example...
If you're investigating, you make Recall Knowledge checks on things you see.
If you're Searching, you make Perception checks for traps and hidden things.
If you're defending, you either have a shield or weapon ready.
Scouting is still a +1 to Party initiative.
Eliminates spamming rolls, and you can freely switch modes if you want to do something else.
The AP... especially early features quite a lot of undead, and some haunts and traps... so I would recommend a healer, front-liner, and roguish character to start with... but feel free to try whatever you like, as the archetype and feat selection can offset many of the class specific requirements.
I think I'll still go with an Orc Witch, Hold-scarred Heritage, and Orc Weapon Familiarity and Hold Mark (Death's Head) as ancestry feats with the idea of grabbing Sentinel Dedication at level 2 with free archetype . Taking the Field Medic Background to round out some in-combat Healing capabilities.
Essentially trying to be not-completely useless in battle, learn a little bit about casting in PF2 and have some healing. Not sure it covers undead or haunts/traps, but I'm not quite wanting to build to adventure expectations...and perhaps Patron/Lesson choices might round it out even more - going with Wilding Steward as Patron, but can't decide on a Lesson yet. They all look pretty fun...Life would be good for teamwork, Protection would be good personally/or for teamwork, Elements would be nice for blasting, Vengeance would be good for flavor. Not really a fan of Dreams, though it looks useful. I guess the Mental trait and how it affects Undead might be a core issue for a few Witch abilities...
Familiar is a crab, looking to mostly pick Construct and Tough abilities (Construct requires Tough) to reflect an empty carapace given eerie life...
It's not exactly a bunch of optimal choices, but hopefully not sub-optimal either. So a little selfish in that it's mostly about flavor - and again, hoping to use what team-synergy I can find to make it work.
A quick search of the Lost Lands setting lead me to the Kingdom of Nyaslan, which is ruled by nagas and has a caste of nagaji servants. GM, would I be able to play a nagaji? Specifically a nagji with the sacred nagaji heritage?
I'm good with any character design that can be justified and placed into the setting. Having said that if your character is unusual or unique there will be Roleplaying consequences to being different.
The adventure is based mainly in the Kingdoms of Foere, so keep that in mind. It begins in the Cathedral City of Nains, capital of the county o E'stil.
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Here is a good "World Anvil" link to learn more about the lost lands.
Kingdom of Foere
The Kingdom of Foere is the heir of the Hyperborean Empires of old and to this day maintains a claim to most of the lands of Akados as well as large portions of far Libynos beyond the Sinnar Sea. At one time, the overking’s arm really did stretch that far. But today, Foere is now a mere shadow of its prior greatness. It still commands, at least nominally, the loyalty of the Duchy of Ysser, the County of Coutaine, the County of Roy, the Barony of Baldenar, the Duchy of Saxe, the Duchy of Mains, the Duchy of Listonshire, the Duchy of the Rampart, Aachen Province, the County of Vourdon, Exeter Province, and Cerediun Province. However, the domains east of the March of Mountains are in reality mostly semi-independent, as Foere has little ability to enforce its edicts at such a distance. And the lands no longer under the command of the overking far exceed those that remain. The breakup of the Foerdewaith Empire has left much chaos in its wake as the rule of law crumbles and new kingdoms have little reason not to go to war against each other.
Cathedral City of Nains
Broad walls of black stone surround this fortress-like city that sits on the main trade road from Reme and the Kingdom of the North Heath into Foere. The white stone pinnacles of the massive Cathedral of Saint Angeline rise from the center of the city, dominating its skyline and acting as a beacon to travelers as they approach the city walls.
While nearby lands supply cattle, sheep, and large amounts of corn, wheat, and sorghum, the main driving forces of the economy here are tourism and trade. The trade caravans traveling through provide ample opportunities for shops selling provisions as well as taverns, gambling houses, and brothels. Equal to those is the constant influx of pilgrims coming to see the cathedral and to worship in its holy halls.
Lord-Captain Joucalt Chenare is in charge of a significant military contingent here. He is responsible for patrolling the trade road and keeping it safe and in good repair, while his duties within the city are largely restricted to maintaining control of his troops. All other aspects of the city are under the rule of His Grace, Archdeacon Melijan Velon, Voice of Mitra, a man whose faith barely matches his charisma and forceful personality. The overking has chosen not to assign this city to any civilian lord, believing, justly, that a competition between the personalities of the archdeacon, the lord-captain, and a third party would be bad for the city.
So…Medieval fantasy France. I guess the orcs might be living in Brittany… /joke.
@Scranford: I guess there is a tension between more old scholl/traditional settings and more modern takes given that the Lost Lands, our setting is fairly grognardic whole our ruleset has modern sensibilities - i.e. goblins, orcs and leshies in the Player Core. Where is a good place for my possibly outcast (or last survivor of some hideous pogrom?) Orc tribal war-witch to be from? I’m thinking she’s a refugee of some kind and has made their way to Nains.
Alright, I will likely play a halfling cleric then. :)
Been stupid busy these past few days - should get back to it tomorrow.
Think I will again go with something simple. A Paladin. Or at least I hope it is simple
Perhaps out of Troye or Reme, or even Bard’s Gate or Endhome?
Alright, I will likely play a halfling cleric then. :)
Oh well, was looking forward to playing along an uplifted snake-person...;)
Play what you want! Just be prepared for the reception :-).
I'll mull it over some more before I decide, I suppose.
I think if we want to go full out on classes and races, Lost Lands might not be the best fit? We can perhaps go with another setting, like Golarion? :)
So apparently, the 'best' way to play a Paladin is actually being a Fighter with the Champion (Paladin) dedication? Is this something I would take at level 1 with the Free Archetype?
Free Archetype kicks in at Level 2.
Have you looked at the Champion (Paladin, Redeemer, or Liberator Tenet)?
NOTE: While The Lost lands are not as "Fantastical" as some settings, I want you all to play the character you are interested in most. While a Nagaji is distrusted, and feared almost everywhere in this land, it is possible to play one... just be prepared for the drawbacks... Hotels difficult; Shopping difficult; Social interaction difficult; Finding appropriate gear challenging.
But playing as an outcast is an acceptable way to play. A whole party of outcasts might be difficult.
So…Medieval fantasy France. I guess the orcs might be living in Brittany… /joke.
@Scranford: I guess there is a tension between more old scholl/traditional settings and more modern takes given that the Lost Lands, our setting is fairly grognardic whole our ruleset has modern sensibilities - i.e. goblins, orcs and leshies in the Player Core. Where is a good place for my possibly outcast (or last survivor of some hideous pogrom?) Orc tribal war-witch to be from? I’m thinking she’s a refugee of some kind and has made their way to Nains.
The Most likely place to be from would be either The Elderwood which are full of Goblin Tribes, the Old Tors which have orc tribes... but also the Black Monastery is here, or The Shadrack Forest which is full of Gnolls that you might have escaped capture from.
I'll take the Shadrack Forest for 50 sovereigns! I picture my orc as a forest/herbalist type that was part of a band of more-than-usually militaristic orcs - perhaps a roving warband. Now deceased, or as you say, captured.
NOTE: While The Lost lands are not as "Fantastical" as some settings, I want you all to play the character you are interested in most. While a Nagaji is distrusted, and feared almost everywhere in this land, it is possible to play one... just be prepared for the drawbacks... Hotels difficult; Shopping difficult; Social interaction difficult; Finding appropriate gear challenging.But playing as an outcast is an acceptable way to play. A whole party of outcasts might be difficult.
How...distrusted are Orcs in the Lost Lands? I seem to remember from my limited research on half-orcs in the LL for Albion's game that orcs are pretty much "monsters". I guess I'm just trying to work out how much of an outcast I'll be as it's not a decision that exists in a vacuum.
So apparently, the 'best' way to play a Paladin is actually being a Fighter with the Champion (Paladin) dedication? Is this something I would take at level 1 with the Free Archetype?
I don't have much experience with Champions in PF2. What I can tell is that they play a little differently depending on the subclass ("cause") you take - Paladin (LG) Redeemer (NG) or Liberator (CG), as Supreme Being has indicated (though the alignment stuff is gone in the Remaster, and the Champion as a class won't appear until Player Core 2 later this year).
As they appear in the PF2 CRB, they each have a reaction to defray part of the damage an ally takes, possibly with added effects.
It is a little janky via PbP as the ability is a reaction to something already happened, but not overly onerous. They have good armor but lag behind Fighters in that they start Trained instead of Expert in weapons. Stupid if you ask me. Monks, Barbarians and Rangers suffer the same ridiculous lack. But that's how "tight" the maths is. Apparently. ;)
I wouldn't touch a multiclass dedication with a 1000 ft barge pole. They almost all suck. I've heard the psychic dedication can be gamed for mad skillz - but look at the Champion dedication - you don't get the reaction ability until....6th level. Even with Free Archetype that is hopeless.
Of course scranford/Supreme Being might have further/alternative insights...
They are usually considered monsters. Disguise will be helpful if not required
I will try to hammer him out - any suggestions of a character creation tool to use? I have long ago canceled my Herolab Online subscription, and Pathbuilder 2 option for Free Archetype is only available in the paid version.
I use Pathbuilder 2 but have the paid version. I think it was pretty cheap...
If all of you want, you can PM me your email address and I'll send you a share link to my DemiPlane Nexus content. I've got all the rulebooks, and Lost Omens content which you can access with this link. I believe it also lets you create a couple of free characters. It's pretty, but some of the options are difficult to access, and there is no option to save/print to pdf currently.
For instance, in the main Character builder page there is a link below the poitraits to take you to where you can turn on the options. It's kind of hidden. "Preferences & Rules" button.
Got Pathbuilder 2, but it has no format to export to which will work here in the Forums?
There is no BBC export feature. PDF, Stat Block, and JSON (Foundry).
I usually take the Stat Block printing, Copy/paste it then format manually for these boards. This may be a feature only for the paid version... not sure.
I'll also offer to share my DemiPlane Nexus content with you if you want to PM me your email address. I have most of the "Non-Adventure" content.
Stat Block Export
Sebastian LibreWizard 1
NMediumHumanVersatile HeritageHumanoid
Perception +4;
Languages Aklo, Common, Diabolic, Draconic, Fey, Muan
Skills Acrobatics +2, Arcana +7, Athletics +0, Crafting +7, Intimidation +4, Lore: Legal +7, Medicine +4, Nature +4, Occultism +7, Society +7, Stealth +5
Str +0, Dex +2, Con +1, Int +4, Wis +1, Cha +1
Items Unarmored, Backpack, Bedroll, Chalk (10), Flint and Steel, Rope, Rations (2), Torch (5), Waterskin, Soap, Material Component Pouch, Spellbook (Blank), Steel Shield (Hardness 5, HP 20, BT 10)
AC 15 (+17 with shield raised); Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +6
HP 15
Speed 30 feet
Melee Fist +5 (Agile, Finesse, Nonlethal, Unarmed), Damage 1d4 B
Melee Throwing Knife (x2) +5 (Agile, Finesse, Thrown 20 ft.), Damage 1d4 P
Melee Staff +3 (Two-Hand d8), Damage 1d4 B
Ranged Crossbow +5 (Crossbow), Damage 1d8 P
Bone Spikes (Rare, Deviant, Evocation, Magical) Troll Classification Sharp shards of bone tear forth from your elbows, wrists, or other parts of your body. For 1 minute, you can make bone spike unarmed Strikes, which deal 1d6 piercing damage and have the versatile S and sweep trails. When you take the Bone Spikes action, you can choose one weapon on your person and duplicate its weapon runes onto your bone spikes (with the exception of any runes that couldn't apply to the bone spears). Awakening Your bones grow longer, lashing flexibly at range. While you have bone spikes, you can Interact to give your bone spikes reach 10 feet until the end of the current turn. Awakening Grooves in your bone spikes form a channel for venom. Your bone spikes deal 1d4 persistent poison damage, which increases to 2d4 at 10th level and 3d4 at 18th level.
Drain Bonded Item (Arcane, Wizard) Frequency once per day Requirements Your bonded item is on your person. You expend the magical power stored in your bonded item. During the current turn, you can cast one spell you prepared today and already cast, without spending a spell slot. You must still Cast the Spell and meet the spell’s other requirements.
Arcane Prepared Spells DC 17, attack +7; 1st Force Barrage, Gravitational Pull, Breathe Fire; Cantrips Detect Magic, Telekinetic Hand, Protect Companion, Daze, Read Aura, Telekinetic Projectile
Arcane Innate Spells DC 14, attack +4; Cantrips Electric Arc
Focus Spells (1 points) Force Bolt Range 30 feet; Targets 1 creature You fire an arrow-shaped bolt of force, one of the most common and reliable forms of battle magic. It automatically hits and deals 1d4+1 force damage to the target. Heightened (+2) The damage increases by 1d4+1.
Additional Feats Arcane Tattoos, Familiar, Fleet, Intimidating Glare
Additional Specials Arcane Bond, Arcane School (School of Battle Magic), Arcane Tattoo (Electric Arc), Arcane Thesis (Staff Nexus), Spellbook, Wizard Spellcasting
I use Pathbuilder just to help me take the necessary steps and in the correct order. Then I use Archives of Nethys to cut and paste the abilities, feats etc to my Paizo character. It's laborious, but only because of the arcane and obscure way I meticulously list everything on my character sheets. Sometimes twice.
Now to see if Pathbuilder is up-to-date with the Remaster with regard to the Witch...
@scranford - sending you a PM with my email...
Thanks scranford, I used the Stat Block for a test drive.
Used Iomedae just as a reference.
Telurion
Fighter 1
LG Medium Human
Versatile Heritage
Humanoid
Perception +6;
Languages Common, Jotun
Skills Acrobatics +0, Athletics +7, Diplomacy +5, Intimidation +5, Lore: Iomedae Lore +3, Religion +4, Survival +4
Str +4, Dex +0, Con +2, Int +0, Wis +1, Cha +2
Items Chain Mail, Steel Shield (Hardness 5, HP 20, BT 10)
AC 17 (+19 with shield raised); Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +4
HP 20
Reactive Shield Trigger An enemy hits you with a melee Strike. Requirements You are wielding a shield. You can snap your shield into place just as you would take a blow, avoiding the hit at the last second. You immediately use the Raise a Shield action and gain your shield's bonus to AC. The circumstance bonus from the shield applies to your AC when you're determining the outcome of the triggering attack.
Shield Block Trigger While you have your shield raised, you would take physical damage (bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing) from an attack. You snap your shield in place to ward off a blow. Your shield prevents you from taking an amount of damage up to the shield's Hardness. You and the shield each take any remaining damage, possibly breaking or destroying the shield.
Reactive Strike Trigger A creature within your reach uses a manipulate action or a move action, makes a ranged attack, or leaves a square during a move action it’s using. You lash out at a foe that leaves an opening. Make a melee Strike against the triggering creature. If your attack is a critical hit and the trigger was a manipulate action, you disrupt that action. This Strike doesn’t count toward your multiple attack penalty, and your multiple attack penalty doesn’t apply to this Strike.
Speed 25 feet
Melee Bastard Sword +9 (Two-Hand d12), Damage 1d8+4 S
Vicious Swing (Flourish) You unleash a particularly powerful attack that clobbers your foe but leaves you a bit unsteady. Make a melee Strike. This counts as two attacks when calculating your multiple attack penalty. If this Strike hits, you deal an extra die of weapon damage. If you're at least 10th level, increase this to two extra dice, and if you're at least 18th level, increase it to three extra dice.
Additional Feats Assurance, Ride
@scranford - I haven’t received an email? Or am I supposed to go to Demiplane?
Not sure how it works. You might have to create a DemiPlane "Free" account using that email address first, then you might receive a link???
On my end I put in your email address then hit "Share content"... so not sure if you get an email from me or DemiPlane. It might all happen inside the site. Let me know if that's correct.
So, a bit about timing of the campaign.
* I'll be working on mapping options over the next few weeks. Still not sure how I'm going to proceed, but I've got some ideas.
* I'd like to have everyone interested with concepts done by the beginning of March. We can then work together over the first week filling in any holes in the lineup and finalizing things.
* The game will kick off in the small town of Raven in the Kingdom of Foere a day's SE of the Cathedral City of Nains.
* The Monster Core I rules are released on 3/27 so I would think that 4/1 would be a good "Kick-off" date for the game... however we need not wait till then to start.
* I would like to run some mini-adventures for each character to roleplay their journey as to why they are in Raven. We'll begin these after the first week of March as soon as your character is approved. This will be used to build your background as well as explain why you're in Raven.
* You can be from the Raven area if you wish. It's a small village with not much to be famous for. There is a large ancient decrepit ruin about 1-mile outside the village, and about a day's journey SE of Raven is a famous asylum known for its care for Non-violent patients, called the Compton Asylum.
@scranford- yep, all your shared content available now. Many thanks. Looking at the kineticist (RoE) and inventor (GnG) for funsies...I have SoM and DA in physical copies...
This is what I have so far for my witch...it doesn't reflect Ancestral Paragon nor more granular info about my familiar...and I've added some italics for spells etc....
Adayil
Witch 1
Medium Orc
Hold-Scarred Orc
Humanoid
Perception +3; Darkvision
Languages (None selected yet)
Skills Acrobatics +1, Arcana +7, Athletics +5, Crafting +7, Diplomacy +3, Lore: Warfare +7, Medicine +3, Nature +3, Occultism +7, Stealth +4, Survival +3, Thievery +4
Str +2, Dex +1, Con +2, Int +4, Wis +0, Cha +0
Items: Unarmored, Clothing (Ordinary), Grappling Hook, Rations, Rope, Sack (5), Waterskin, Repair Kit, Musical Instrument (Handheld)
AC 14; Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +5
HP 20
Speed 25 feet
Melee Falchion +2 (Forceful, Sweep), Damage 1d10+2 S
Melee Longspear +5 (Reach), Damage 1d8+2 P
Melee Club +5 (Thrown 10 ft.), Damage 1d6+2 B
Melee Dagger +5 (Agile, Finesse, Thrown 10 ft., Versatile S), Damage 1d4+2 P
Ranged Javelin (x2) +4 (Thrown), Damage 1d6+2 P
Battle Medicine
Primal Prepared Spells DC 17, attack +7; 1st Heal, Breathe Fire; Cantrips Gouging Claw, Disrupt Undead, Electric Arc, Caustic Blast, Prestidigitation
Focus Spells (1 points) Phase Familiar
Trigger Your familiar would take damage. Range 60 feet;
Targets your familiar
Your patron momentarily recalls your familiar to the ether, shifting it from its solid, physical form into a ghostly version of itself. Against the triggering damage, your familiar gains resistance 5 to all damage and is immune to precision damage. Heightened (+1) Increase the resistance by 2.
Wilding Word Range 30 feet;
Targets 1 creature Defense Will;
Duration sustained up to 1 minute
Your patron's majesty - or their displeasure - comes in a growl from your throat, making other creatures reluctant to harm you. The target must attempt a Will save; if the creature is an animal, fungus, or plant, it takes a –1 circumstance penalty to its save.
Critical Success The target is unaffected.
Success When the target attempts an attack roll or skill check that would harm you, it takes a –2 status penalty to its roll.
Failure As success, but the target also becomes sickened 1 each time it damages you.
Critical Failure As failure, but the sickened value is 2.
Additional Feats Diehard, Hold Mark, Hold-Scarred Orc
Additional Specials Familiar, Familiar of Keen Senses, Hex Spells (Phase Familiar), Hold Mark (Death's Head), Patron (Wilding Steward), Witch Spellcasting
Sharing some opinions and thoughts.
So, a bit about timing of the campaign.
* I'll be working on mapping options over the next few weeks. Still not sure how I'm going to proceed, but I've got some ideas.
I know PF in general lends itself to playing with a grid, but I would suggest going Theater of the Mind. I have found creating maps to be a lengthy process, which can actually detract from PbP.
* I'd like to have everyone interested with concepts done by the beginning of March. We can then work together over the first week filling in any holes in the lineup and finalizing things.
* The game will kick off in the small town of Raven in the Kingdom of Foere a day's SE of the Cathedral City of Nains.
Concept: Telurion is an orphan brought up in the local Temple of Thyr - for now he is content with his life in Raven (I will look for info on the town) - maybe he is part of the guard, and spends the rest of his time helping around the temple and the village, and training. Character motivations might be wanting to know more about his birth parents, perhaps go looking for them, show them he has grown up to be a worthy man. He also sees himself as a protector of Raven. Planning on grabbing the Champion Dedication at level 2 (this is the Free Archetype, right?).
* The Monster Core I rules are released on 3/27 so I would think that 4/1 would be a good "Kick-off" date for the game... however we need not wait till then to start.
What are these Monster Core I rules? :)
* I would like to run some mini-adventures for each character to roleplay their journey as to why they are in Raven. We'll begin these after the first week of March as soon as your character is approved. This will be used to build your background as well as explain why you're in Raven.
Some notes added above. I think this is a great idea but I would advise you to thread slowly - multiple threads with multiple characters can quickly drain out a DM.
* You can be from the Raven area if you wish. It's a small village with not much to be famous for. There is a large ancient decrepit ruin about 1-mile outside the village, and about a day's journey SE of Raven is a famous asylum known for its care for Non-violent patients, called the Compton Asylum.
Added motivation - does anything ever 'spill' out of those ruins, which could pose a threat to Raven? Is it considered a dangerous place in general? Telurion would want to go there then.
Thoughts on creating a Discord server for this game to make sharing images and files easier? Thinking about a hybrid theatre of the mind with images on discord to set the scene ?
Perhaps if we can get the timing down an introduction session using the voice chat?
I am already on Discord, so it sounds good to me.
It makes for a more 'immediate' way to discuss stuff about the game, and there are actually a lot of people playing PbP on Discord (myself included).
I am very reserved in my personal life, but as I get older I am more and more inclined to think what we take from this life are experiences - and a discord voice chat intro session would be a first for me, and thus welcome. If we like it, we like it. If we don't like it, we leave it at that. Game on!
I’d prefer to keep things on Paizo…but I guess I might be persuaded to branch out a little. I do have Discord, but have found in the past that Discord blows up with a million conversations and I’m just at the level where I can cope with the forums.
I know Brainiac is running our Rusthenge game essentially theatre of the mind, but I do prefer battlemaps because so many abilities require current knowledge of positioning - I would argue that the opposite is true - having to ask for positioning and/or posting caveat-style posts both takes longer and breaks immersion.
I’m like the opposite of Albion! And while I agree that what we get from life is experiences, I’m much more the type who more and more makes sure those experiences fit very well within an extremely moderated and curated range! ;p Reserved doesn’t cover half of it!!!
Ultimately scranford I would suggest you tell us how things are gonna be and we fit in where we can…
I am also ok with keeping things in Paizo, and not doing a Discord live voice session. All good.
For me, battlemaps are a bottleneck when DMing PbP. I have tried Google Slides, Documents and Spreadsheets. Think I also tried Roll20. It is just extra work, and it is usually hard to do from a phone or tablet. But I do know of a lot of DMs here on the boards who easily manage it all.
First part of this week will be crazy for me... but I'll try to keep up. Feel free to discuss. I've invited (2) other players whom will probably be checking in soon.
So currently we have a Orc Witch, and a Human Paladin.
I'm leaning towards using Discord for maps, images, and files as it's much easier than saving to my Dropbox, then copying the URL's... but I'll mess around with it this week to see how it works. Don't necessarily have to do the voice chat Intro.
"Link to Discord Server"
The village of Raven where the campaign officially kicks off is not Developed in the Lost Lands Gazetteer, but I'll draw a sketch of it before the official date of the campaign.
It's a small village off the beaten path... but if you are visiting or admitting anyone to the nearby Asylum it's the nearest settlement of any worth.
Thanks for the invite Scranford!
I still need to brainstorm on what to play. Out of curiosity, do the Lost Lands have technology? Would things like Inventor, Gunslinger, android, etc, be in that setting? Not that I am saying I'd want to play something like that, but I'm curious.
I think, at the moment, I'm leaning toward swashbuckler (since the internet says that they suck and I like challenges), druid, or kineticist, but I haven't fully made up my mind yet.
Oh, what about versatile heritages? Do they exist in the setting? They can be a lot of fun with Ancestral Paragon.
Also, yeah, maps are a PITA, as I've been leaning while running Sky King's Tomb.
Thanks for the invite Scranford!
I still need to brainstorm on what to play. Out of curiosity, do the Lost Lands have technology? Would things like Inventor, Gunslinger, android, etc, be in that setting? Not that I am saying I'd want to play something like that, but I'm curious.
I think, at the moment, I'm leaning toward swashbuckler (since the internet says that they suck and I like challenges), druid, or kineticist, but I haven't fully made up my mind yet.
Oh, what about versatile heritages? Do they exist in the setting? They can be a lot of fun with Ancestral Paragon.
Also, yeah, maps are a PITA, as I've been leaning while running Sky King's Tomb.
Kind of out of touch today and tomorrow... but had a free minute. There is gunpowder in the setting, but not much in the way of more advanced technology... however if you have your heart set on playing an Android, construct or something like that... we can work it out.
1st level...
1st level, free archetype, and ancestral paragon.
So, witch, paladin, and rogue so far. I've been debating between gunslinger and swashbuckler, though I may go in other directions and hope to have a character submission sometime in the next day.
Potential house rules in body of first post. Open to input...
+ I hate using limited resource things like healing spells and potions to end up with a 1, so I've adjusted this a bit. You drop a die size and add 2. For higher level spells with multiple die rolls only one die gets this treatment. For instance, if you heal 3d8 you now heal 2d8+1d6+2. This only applies to limited resource things not towards skill usage.
+ PF2 RAW calls for a lot of hidden checks, but my players hated that so I let them roll almost everything until they prove they can't keep from meta-gaming. One group I run is fine, the other struggles. "Why are you rolling perception on that chest as well. Your party rogue just did (Rolled a 1). Do you not trust him?
+ I don't like the Critical hit and miss cards, but wanted something to punish terrible rolls, since good rolls are rewarded. In my games if you roll a 1 on an attack roll you roll a d4 and one of the following is your reward...
^ 1- Slowed 1 till the end of your next turn
^ 2- Fall Prone
^ 3- Drop weapon
^ 4- Clumsy 1 till the end of your next turn.I might have a few more... but this is all I can think of at the moment. If you're interested please comment, and we'll discuss.
Almost total PF2 noob as you know, but I can offer opinions.
Of course the healing thing is good for us, so I say yes :D
Hidden Checks I think can help speed up things in PbP - players just need to say what they want to do and DM adjudicates/rolls. I like that. I think it also reduces the metagaming a LOT. I like rolling, but mostly in combat ;)
I will be honest, I hate dropping a weapon on a 1, or falling prone :/
Maybe lose an action?
What I would really like to see gone is the double damage on a critical hit. Think it makes PF2e too swingy. Maybe just do max damage?
My 2 cents.
Removing double damage on crits could end up with monsters being too tanky. Especially ones that are lower than the party level as they are more likely to be crit and yet are still threats if they are not dropped fast.
Also, just max damage on a crit means that if you crit, and I don't, and my dice are good, then I get the effect of the crit, making them much less impactful.
As for the crit misses, I am more than willing to give that a try. However, I worry that it will penalize the PCs much more than the monsters. Except for Clumsy 1, all of the crit-miss aspects take at least one action from the character it applies to.
Also, while they are rare, what if the monster, or the player, has a reaction that can proc on a crit miss? Does just that reaction apply? Does the reaction apply and your house rule?
I think the removal of crit miss effects in 2E is to not overly punish players when they have bad die rolls, but as I said, I'm fine with trying the idea out.