Strange Aeons (Inactive)

Game Master Whack-a-Rogue

@Sir Longears: That's an interesting question, and not one I've considered before. After glancing over the relevant feats/talents, I think a reasonable ruling would be to make Unarmed Combatant an "associated feat" for the Wrestling Sphere's Iron Grip talent. My reasoning is that each of the "unarmed" spheres focuses on a different combat maneuver, so it doesn't make sense for all of them to grant a grapple bonus. :-)

@Tassa: Using a in-post tracker is equally acceptable. As long as I don't have to go clicking through everyone's profile to check active effects, current hp, resource expenditure, etc, players can use whatever method is easiest for them. :-)

Checking on a couple of things regarding skills.

Has Appraise been removed as a skill? It's given as a Rogue class skill but it isn't included in your character template.

Deception isn't listed as a Rogue class skill. Is that correct? Seems strange.

One of the projects I've been putting off is going through all of the classes and fixing their class skill lists. Now's as good a time as any, so if you check the page again, things should be cleared up. :-)

Re tracker: Great, thanks. If at any point you need me to change how I'm doing it, just let me know,

Re associated feats: my understanding is that they mean "this talent counts as this feat, for prereqs", and "if you'd be granted an associated feat, you can take the associated talent instead", NOT "this talent grants this feat". In other words, if I'd be granted Mobility (feat) I could choose to take the Athletics (Mobility) talent instead. And if I'd be granted Improved Grapple (or Unarmed Combatant) I could take Iron Grip instead...but I *don't* gain the benefits of the feat, where they're different from the talent. E.g., neither the Wrestling sphere nor Iron Grip (which has Improved Grapple as an associated feat) lets me make grapples without triggering an AoO. Instead, it relies on SoM's model of trying to get folks Battered before initiating a maneuver.

Does that sound right?

Yes, that's correct. "Associated feats" are relevant for things like the Two-Weapon Rend feat. If you have the Dual-Wielding Sphere, the Mercurial Flow talent, and the necessary BAB and DEX, you qualify for that feat.

In most cases, taking the talent is a better choice than keeping the "associated feat," but there are a few edge cases where you might want both. For example, the Dual-Wielding sphere lets you attack with both weapons as a standard action, but if you're at least BAB +6 and want to full-attack, you'll probably end up taking the Two-Weapon Fighting feat as well.

Thanks.

Now a follow up: taking the Wrestling sphere grants IUS normally. What, if anything, does it grant in your house rules? Unarmed Combatant?

All of the "unarmed" spheres (Boxing, Brute, Open Hand, and Wrestling) have IUS as an associated feat. This is so characters with these spheres can make unarmed strikes without provoking AoOs. For my houserules, that benefit still applies, but players won't get the other benefits of Unarmed Combatant. Instead, Unarmed Combatant becomes the associated feat for the Wrestling sphere's Iron Grip talent.

Sounds good, thanks. In that case I'll keep Constrictor drawback.

Do you want us to do purchases yet? If not, I'm ready to go!

Almost there I think.

Does Unarmored Training from the Equipment Sphere include bucklers when it says no armor, or does it work with a buckler?

@gyrfalcon: You can do purchases now, but everything may not be accessible to your character at the moment.

@Arberie: Unarmored Training works with all types of shields.

Okay. I think I'm done except for gear, which won't take long.

Just to double check, as a Human in this game with no background, Arberie should have 2 feats right? 1 for first level and 1 for human?

That's correct: A Human would start with two feats.

I've added an editable map to the campaign header.

@Arberie: I think I've ninja'ed you!

Eh, based on the map, the cells are solid walls except for the barred doors so we can't see each other being in the same side of the room. Can't really ninja each other if we don't know what's going on with each other except what we hear. :)

I'm just waiting for a "yes" or "no" on being able to grab those keys...

Eh, based on the map, the cells are solid walls except for the barred doors so we can't see each other being in the same side of the room. Can't really ninja each other if we don't know what's going on with each other except what we hear. :)

I'm just waiting for a "yes" or "no" on being able to grab those keys...

You mean as a reflex thing? In my last post I had Baldrek move outside the cell and throw the keys for you.

Mostly wanting to know if any dice rolls are needed for success on the throw or grab before I start doing things assuming it's all worked out.

It's easier to hold than to retcon if I'm wrong.

No rolls needed to grab the keys. :-)

Sorry for the silence. Weekends are hard for me because I have a 3yo girl and a 9 months boy, so there is little actual time for anything and even when I catch a break I usually use it to just recover my mental energy.

Now, about the lack of knowledge skills, I feel we should address it ASAP.

@Tassa: You are the only one with Nature as class skill. Do you feel picking it up?

@Mya: As a time oracle, you are the only one with Nature as class skill. Do you feel picking it up?

@GM: Considering none of us are Int-based and none of us have Occult as a class skill, how do you feel about letting either me or Arberie swap K. Dungeoneering for Occult as both a class skill and trained? I feel it is the most important knowledge skill for this campaign at it would be a shame if we miss information and foreshadow because of this fluke! That being said, I understand we should have thought about this beforehand and I think it just slipped since we were RPing even before finishing our sheets.

@Baldrek: I think you mean Knowledge (Arcana), but yep, I was already going to pick it up next level up. I've got Divine, History and Planes but did not want to spread too thin on level 1.

EDIT: But also I agree regarding the lack of Knowledge (Occult). Unless TBD thinks it can also be interesting to have a party with no such access. If Arberie does not want to do what, which is their prerogative, I also offer Mya as a possible Knowledge (Occult) trainee.

@Baldrek: I think you mean Knowledge (Arcana), but yep, I was already going to pick it up next level up. I've got Divine, History and Planes but did not want to spread too thin on level 1.

EDIT: But also I agree regarding the lack of Knowledge (Occult). Unless TBD thinks it can also be interesting to have a party with no such access. If Arberie does not want to do what, which is their prerogative, I also offer Mya as a possible Knowledge (Occult) trainee.

Yes, I meant Arcana!

I mainly asked for me or Arberie because we both have K. Dungeoneering trained and as class skill and considering how starved we are, it felt like a good idea if one of us could do the swap. If we had more traits, I'd gladly pick one that would give me Occult (with some change, since it is a new skill).

I mainly asked for me or Arberie because we both have K. Dungeoneering trained and as class skill and considering how starved we are, it felt like a good idea if one of us could do the swap. If we had more traits, I'd gladly pick one that would give me Occult (with some change, since it is a new skill).

Ah, I hadn't realized that, my bad!

Honestly, I think the lack of Knowledge (occult) is fine for now. PCs are expected to be completely lost for the beginning of the campaign, and the primary focus is simple survival and escape. As a result, there's only a couple situations where Knowledge (occult) comes into play, and not having the skill isn't game-breaking. After the first few levels, it'll become more useful, but by that point, you'll have access to additional resources to supplement the skill. :-)

Honestly, I think the lack of Knowledge (occult) is fine for now. PCs are expected to be completely lost for the beginning of the campaign, and the primary focus is simple survival and escape. As a result, there's only a couple situations where Knowledge (occult) comes into play, and not having the skill isn't game-breaking. After the first few levels, it'll become more useful, but by that point, you'll have access to additional resources to supplement the skill. :-)

Perfect, then! If it is not going to "ruin" the adventure, not being trained in that is perfectly flavorful, then.

If there will be opportunities ahead for picking up new skills Arberie is a good candidate to do it. Lots of skill points per level, but not a whole bunch of class skills to put them in.

Good call to sort this out.

...and OK, I see Arberie and Mya are tied for highest INT...at 12.

I can certainly start investing in Nature next level, though with a 10 INT I'll never be more than passable at it.

Also since Arberie can build in the direction or INT or CHA for the things she'd be doing like feinting, I can invest more in Arberie's INT as time goes on. I probably will favor CHA since it seems a bit more efficient for some things, again like feinting, but I could still easily go to 14 INT.

I'd though maybe Arberie would branch into some spell casting later, but now I'm not so sure. Even if I did pick up a magic trick or two, I still wouldn't need any particular mental stat to be sky high.

I can, in a few levels time, go the Life Sphere route as well, so nobody feels pressured to heal. Also, being an Oracle and having high UMD can probably be enough for that as well.

I think I might have murdered everything. Some great rolls.

I'm going to wait on everybody for this. They are fearing shapeshifters and we have someone going through some transformations. I have the Influence skill but no Deception.

Arberie has a decent enough Influence to make a roll, but I think we have a major problem here. If I'm understanding the posts correctly, Tassa still has tentacles flopping about all over the place. Not much point in Arberie trying to convince them to believe her instead of their lying eyes.

OK, good to get confirmation from our DM here.

Arberie is right: I was planning on keeping the transformation up (assuming it's been < 10 min). I suppose it's *possible* that they haven't seen me yet? If no, I can dismiss it.

Otherwise: maybe this is Diplo, to let them know that we're trying to escape (as they likely are, I suspect) and that it seems perhaps one of them did something weird to me but I'm on yall's side?

So far, Baldrek and Mya are the only people who have left the room, so there are a few options. I'm curious to see what you decide to do. ;-)

Just doing a quick check-in. While there are a multitude of ways to proceed, they mainly boil down to three general options: talk to them, attack them, or leave and explore elsewhere. :-)

I assume we'll talk! I was mostly waiting for everyone to say anything, I'll lead the way this time.

@GM: From which door did we arrive in this new room? Is there a hole in a wall or something? It appears the only door is to the north.

Ah, shoot, I misread the white space on Mya's profile picture as a second door. I'll tweak the map to accommodate. ;-)

@Mia: Are you using any melee weapon? I'd like to flank, but if you are unarmed, it won't work!

If you are not, I'll move and ready for when Tassa joins in the flanking.

@Baldrek: I am! I have a dagger that I assumed I could carry while also using the Time Sphere abilities. But since I haven't made that clear on my posts, I can leave it up to YBD.

I'm glad I chose a character that buffs/debuffs, because my rolls have been rough!

@Mya: You didn't take the Somatic Components drawback, so your magic doesn't require a free hand. As such, I see no reason why you shouldn't have a dagger drawn - especially when you're hunting for doppelgangers. ;-)

@YBD: That's true, I apologize, still defaulting to RAW PF sometimes!

@Baldrek: So yes, totally go for the flank.

@Arberie: Marked Target is actually a Swift action, so your Standard is still available this round. Did you want to do anything with it?

@Mya: The fascinated condition automatically ends under a few conditions - such as a weapon being drawn. Would you like to change your action?

@YBD: I do! I read the condition to make sure but assumed it was about being drawn in regards to attacking me. Oops. I'll post right now.

@Arberie: Marked Target is actually a Swift action, so your Standard is still available this round. Did you want to do anything with it?

Ooh! That's pretty awesome! Sure, I'll add an attack.

So everyone's aware, the doppelganger will still be alive after Tassa's attacks. Does anyone else want to take an action?

So everyone's aware, the doppelganger will still be alive after Tassa's attacks. Does anyone else want to take an action?

Hopefully it is dead now!

Oh! Wasn't expecting that! Arberie has now joined the curb stomping.

@TBD: Hey, quick question. I wrote my last post ambiguous enough for whatever the case, but I was wondering if we were doing the whole Spellcraft (or homebrew equivalent) for item identification and such. I'm not sure you list them because we will not or just for quickness sake, to not have a back and forth every single time.

Good question! In Spheres, detect magic is pretty much locked behind the Divination sphere - which isn't commonly taken. As such, as long as there's a caster in the party, I automatically identify magic items to prevent Divination from becoming a "sphere tax" for Level One characters. :-)

Here's the thread for Strange Aeons. As a reminder, we're on the second stage of recruitment: character concepts. No real crunch at this time - I'm looking at party roles to make sure things are relatively balanced. The amnesia aspect of this campaign leaves the potential for things to go in interesting directions, so I'd like to know your thoughts regarding incorporating some "character creation during gameplay" elements. When I ran this in person, I started with freeform RP and then handed out pregens based on player actions, but that's not a great idea for a PbP with a group of strangers. ;-)

My idea is to play an elven barbarian for this, precisely because that's not a usual combination. (Could consider another race if necessary) I was thinking his rage(s) are being fueled by the trauma of whatever happened to him that caused his amnesia. (Perhaps, at least for the start, extreme moments of stress might "accidentally" trigger his rage? Just tossing it out there.) Thinking of either Pugnacious or maybe even Mind-Swapped for a Trait.

I was thinking that he might have odd memories of some martial training, but frankly, would not ever remember being a "bezerker" of any sort.

But who knows what's true and what's false memory, right? Maybe he was a Ranger before...? Who knows?

I love the idea of character creation on-the-fly, as we go. Never tried that before. Sounds fun.

Hello! As mentioned, I’m submitting an elven soulweaver here. I love the idea of organically sorting out the character crunch of an amnestic character through the RP. I also look forward to sorting crunch choices of this brand-new class to me in the gameplay.

I think the idea of someone with such a long-life losing all of their memories is such an interesting and dizzying concept (similar to the idea of a samsaran losing the memories of multiple lives lived) - especially since some elves are blessed with eidetic memories. I may be flirting with madness with this character build, methinks.

I’m all about it! This, BTW, is my first choice (though MM is a close second and I will not be disappointed with wherever I wind up, so long as I wind up, ya know?)

Personally don't know how to think about this "character creation during gameplay" thing until know how it will work. Totally agree that pregens with a group of strangers isn't good.

While at this stage you are requesting us not to worry about crunch, I believe that it would be better if we at least knew the building rules because that might influence our choices in which roles to take.

As an example, take the Barbarian. As a melee combatant all three physical stats are important and since charisma was house ruled into its practitioner stat, then it is also important. We are then looking for 3-4 good/decent stats which is quite MAD. Now, take a Wizard in that if you have a very good intelligence you are already golden, even if dexterity and constitution are also desirable.

Depending on the rules, we might gravitate towards roles/classes that are more SAD than MAD, so choosing roles before knowing the rules could lead to further frustrations.

My current idea (I already crunched a bit, just to get a feel for the system), is an Aasimar rage prophet specializing in the open hand and berskerer spheres, fighting with an unsettling combination of open handed grace interspersed by reckless and brutal savagery.

Which is complemented by the shattered psyche curse she gets for being a rage prophet.

In terms of party roles, she would have surprisingly high AC (for a barbarian that is, I anticipate starting with 17ish, reaching 21ish by level 4 and the platueing in the low 20s) and be a damage dealer/face.
She would be surprisingly independent of equipment.

Rage power Totem wise, I am looking at the world serpent totem, which I expect to be pretty valuable.

I have not yet decided on what casting sphere to use. War seems the obvious choice, but enchantment, protection, life, time and warp seem rather interesting, and would add out of combat utility. Particularly warp does a lot for movement.

I am going back on my idea of an Armorist! Now that I see you have Investigators dedicated to Mathematics. Likely will still go with Samsaran for the race still, the idea of someone losing multiple lifetimes of memories is too enticing not to take.

Will hash out more vague details once I get a disaster Cleric build ironed out.

@Sir Longears: You make a fair point, so let's start that conversation. :-)

I'm very much open to feedback here, as I don't want to mess with character creation unless everyone's interested.

I'm ok with this background approach. I'll take a further look into the classes/races before committing to something.

Now, another question... what should we be aiming for this phase of the recruitment?

Asking this because if the AP assumes we are amnesiac and that we'll figure out our background as we play, then we can't discuss it now. This would leave the crunch then, but it is not the moment for it either lol.

On the Mummy's Mask recruitment it makes more sense because I believe people will be discussing their background and connections now.

For this AP, this phase should be really quick: what class/role are you going for. I want to make sure I don't select (for example) a full party of support casters and zero damage dealers - or the reverse: a party of martial beatsticks with zero skills, knowledges, or magic. :-)

Ok. For me it will most likely be a gladiator, so either a fighter or barbarian.

Don't really want to deal with the spheres of magic since it feels like a whole different system lol. If needed, could take a shot at the rogue or ranger.

For this AP, this phase should be really quick: what class/role are you going for. I want to make sure I don't select (for example) a full party of support casters and zero damage dealers - or the reverse: a party of martial beatsticks with zero skills, knowledges, or magic. :-)

I call those latter “axe-potatoes”. And don’t get me wrong - potatoes are delicious.

A few rules things everyone should be aware of:

Glance over the SKILLS page as there are quite a few changes. For example, Knowledge (arcane) no longer identifies constructs, Climb/Swim/jump/run checks are now made with Athletics, and Knowledge (occult) can identify curses and Lovcraftian horrors. Due to their highly-situational nature, if a Background gives you a Lore skill, you'll gain a free rank in it each level.

Feint and Demoralize are no longer skill-based. Instead, they're "psychological maneuvers" based on BAB + CHA. They're opposed by an opponent's "psychological defense" based on 10 + BAB + WIS + CHA. As these are now based on BAB, they're easier for martial classes to perform, which was the intent. A Sorcerer shouldn't be inherently better at fencing than a Fighter. ;-)

Combat spheres that grant skill ranks have been changed as necessary to accommodate the above changes. For example, Athletics now grants a scaling bonus to Athletics checks made with a particular movement mode. If you're familiar with the system, this is akin to what happens when a character has both the Warleader and Leadership spheres.

Speaking of Spheres, while I love the system, I don't blanket allow everything. Technomancy, Veilweaving, Leadership, Tech, and Pilot are banned. If you want something in Bear, Conjuration (unless you're a Summoner), or Weather, run it by me first. This also applies to Advanced/Legendary talents. I'll generally be fine with it, but there are a few that I'm not a fan of (like the "STR to AC" one from the Wuxia Handbook).

I've incorporated the "spend hit dice" mechanic from 5e. If you're unfamiliar with it, characters gain a daily resource pool equal to their character level. It can be spend to activate a background-based ability OR (during an extended period of rest) used to self-heal.

I submitted in the other thread but figured I'd clarify some character ideas since you posted.

I was orginally thinking Conjuration/Life Spheres for Halfling soulweaver but the Conjuration sphere does seem pretty involved, its like a Summoner Lite, can be a lot, I see.

I'd probably just switch to Fate/Life Sphere, really lean into the Lucky Halfling healing/support character.

I'll put Rogue on the list of classes to seriously consider then.

But, the 'blank slate' version of character building is tripping me up. I always build from background and personality to mechanics. Sure, I might have a class in mind first, though not usually. After I have the outlines of who the person is, I choose a class, assign ability scores, and pick build details based on what I know about them from personality and background. It's hard for me to choose anything in particular with a huge black hole where my starting point used to be.

I've built a couple of characters for Strange Aeons before, it's remarkable how quickly those campaigns folded, one of them in the third room visited. But anyway, both of those imposed a blackout period of a few years immediately prior to the start of the adventure, and allowed a sketch of a background before that.

Of course I knew her whole backstory as a player, but only the elements in the example were available to the character. The memory fragments weren't entirely accurate and reliable either. It gave me enough to build on, even if most everything was locked away in the game itself.

@Codanous: That's why I mentioned Conjuration in my last post. ;-) As you saw, it's quite involved (and powerful), and heavy investment in it can easily lead to a "one-man party" situation. Both the Fate and Life spheres are nice. The former has a lot of interesting abilities, and the latter can be extremely strong with investment.

@rdknight: No problem! I'm the complete opposite when it comes to character building, so almost all of my characters begin as blank slates. If you asked me to start with a detailed backstory, I'd be completely lost. ;-) I'd say if it helps your process, feel free to create a bit of backstory. However, keep the last 5-7 years blank. Depending on what you've written up, if you're selected, I'll give you a few additional memory fragments.

Hey!

Again, never played Spheres, but I'm willing to try. I'm down for this kind of character generation if you want to.

My general idea (if it's up to me to build) is a Gnome Oracle, Time Mystery and Wizened curse. The idea is a gnome who wakes up in the Asylum (I read the Player's Guide! Don't know anything else.) with amnesia and Bleaching and all they remember is that they were not bleaching before. Is it a 'sympton' of the Wizened curse? Something else?

The role would be buffing/debuffing (Time Sphere seems to deal with both). The overall 'vibe' of the character would be the Driven by Guilt trait. I don't know if we are doing traits, but it would just be the general behaviour and an extra reason, maybe, for the Bleaching.

No idea about what other Spheres to explore, but I am starting slow.

Anyway, this is my entry!

@Wyshart: A bleachling gnome is a nice choice. I've always been a fan of that bit of flavor. Spheres is pretty simple once you understand the basic premise. It's very similar to Skyrim's perk system: each Sphere has a base ability and unlocks additional functionality as you invest talents into it. Combat is slightly more complex in that it's a combo-based system revolving around the "attack action." This makes fights much more mobile and positioning-based. I will warn you that it's easy to get overwhelmed with "option paralysis," so I'd recommend choosing only a few spheres that fit your character concept ("ice mage," "curse specialist," etc) and sticking with that.

So far an Elven Occultist, a quirky fellow who was always laughed at and ridiculed for his delvinf into the occult.

As a student of the occult he seeks the strange secrets of the worlds around him locked into this network of unseen mysteries of the various planes effected by the realms beyond the sky and its connections to the planes.

Still trying to take all the stuff in so this isn't firm yet, but I'm liking the idea of playing a Human who's a fairly good natured ne'er do well, not fit for a straight job. A wanderer who's dabbled in shady stuff here and there, but when the sh** starts going down finds religion real quick.

Start as a Rogue for a level or maybe two, then multiclass into Cleric of Desna.

Barbarians have STR to AC while unarmored (up to their class level), this is fine right?

I think the Tatoo based martial tradtion

Tattooed Warrior

Tattooed warriors turn their bodies into weapons through the use of magic symbols engraved onto their very flesh.

Bonus Talents:

Equipment: Unarmed Training, Unarmored Training
Bonus Feats: Dragon’s Tattoos, Zodiac Tattoos
Special: Tattooed warriors gain 1 bonus skill point that must be spent on Craft (tattoos) each time they gain a level in any class.

What confuses me a bit is that you get a martial tradition at level 1, but these tatoos basically have a level 5 requirement. I guess I get them level 1, but they only become active level 5?

Its the second time playing spheres for me too.

@GM: Are we allowed to use options not listed on your site? Like, for the fighter, advanced weapon/armor training.

Also, what about other archetypes?

Finally, with the new abilities in the classes, would you be open for customized swaps of abilities? In my case, I really like the idea of a fighter very focused on the gladiator sphere, however I don't think any of the new "spell parry" fits (I don't think it fits the fighter at all to be honest. He isn't a magus, imo). Would you let me trade these for something else? Otherwise I'll just pretend they are never there.

@Mightypion: Yes, Barbarians get a scaling AC boost, meaning DEX becomes less necessary. The two tattoo feats really just allow you to apply weapon/armor enhancements to your body. This means you don't need to purchase an amulet of mighty fists, bracers of armor, or brawler's handwraps.
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@Sir Longears: Options/archetypes not currently listed can be decided on a case-by-case basis. PF has a ton of options ... and most of them are pretty crappy. ;-) I've spent quite a long time whittling them down, but it's very possible that I overlooked something awesome.

The premise behind the 'spell parry' mechanic is that a Fighter is so ordinary that it's difficult for magic to affect him. I felt the class needed a better niche than 'guy who fights good.' It's not for everyone, though. We can potentially look at ability swapping if it's a dealbreaker, or we can swap back to a 'vanilla' Fighter. Another option, though, could be to check out the Sentinel class. It keeps the 'mundane' flavor it sounds like you're looking for, and the Laughing Hyena archetype is quite focused on the Gladiator sphere.

Current Applicants
Codanous - Halfling Soul Weaver (healing + support)
Critzible - Elven Occultist
dinketry - Elven Soul Weaver
Imaginary Crayons - Elven Barbarian
Mightypion - Aasimar Rage Prophet
rdknight - Human Rogue/Cleric of Desna
Sir Longears - gladiator
Violant - Samsaran Investigator
Wyshart - Bleachling Gnome Time Oracle (buff + debuff)
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An interesting mix of ideas so far. :-)

So on the Rogue levels I'm thinking I'll stick with the classic Trapfinding for the Skill Specialty. Imperceptible is tempting, but it seems to be one that benefits more from a long term investment and Rogue will be more of a dip for me.

Don'y know about martial traditions yet, but it would be something compatible with Rogue of course.

Depending on how much dips hurt casters in this system, I might come back later for another Rogue level or so, it might be nice to pick up Finesse Training, which would take 3 levels of Rogue.

I'm also weighing standard Cleric compared to Warpriest. Cleric would favor some investment in Charisma, while Warpriest doesn't have channeling and might be better with the stat boosts going to Intelligence.

@Sir Longears, +1 on how awesome Sentinel is! It's the best implementation of a defender/tank in Pathfinder that I've ever seen, since they're good both
at staying standing AND at making it difficult for foes to ignore them.-

- - -

I think I'm surprising myself, and my concept of someone with some horrifying, hungry thing "awake" inside of them is drawing me more right now than my Mummy's Mask idea.

I know you've explicitly asked us *not* to write a backstory, but with your indulgence I'll share one from a short-lived Ustalav-based horror game, that my character inspiration comes from. The intent is NOT to have this be my Strange Aeons character's backstory–I'm fully bought in to the backstories being unveiled, and surprising us–but to give you a sense of what I imagine (that you could ignore or draw from, as makes sense, if I end up in the final party).

Crunch-wise...I'd think of her as a melee character (maybe gish)...but class-wise I'll probably have to work with you.

@gyrfalcon: After glancing over that backstory, if you're wanting a similar sort of character, Shifter would be an interesting choice. I use the Spheres Shifter, not Paizo's, so you'd be able to do things like turn an arm into a tentacle at-will. For the character in the spoiler, I'd probably take the Famine Spirit archetype as well.

OK, I know Sphere Shifter a bit but don't know the archetype at all. I'll check them out!

Seems we got a pretty good mix of stuff!

So many cool options! Lets try to narrow it down for me in terms of my sphere of power:

I get one sphere and 2 talents.

5/5

I am currently looking at war, warp or enchantment, and can be convinced to grab life if we lack healing or condition removal.

Will we be using the Strange Aeons campaign traits?

Typically in my games, characters gain a single trait. This can (but does not have to) be a Strange Aeons campaign trait.

Current Applicants
Codanous - Halfling Soul Weaver (healing + support)
Critzible - Elven Occultist
dinketry - Elven Soul Weaver
gyrfalcon - monster is living inside me
Imaginary Crayons - Elven Barbarian
Mightypion - Aasimar Rage Prophet
rdknight - Human Rogue/Cleric of Desna
Sir Longears - gladiator
Violant - Samsaran Investigator
Wyshart - Bleachling Gnome Time Oracle (buff + debuff)
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We have four applicants who've expressed interest but haven't sent in a character concept, so I'm giving them a couple more days to decide. Unless I hear otherwise, I'm thinking end-of-day Tuesday. At that time, I'll make my final selections.

I've liked the idea of Sentinel + Laughing Hyena for the gladiator idea. Most likely human.

I like the aesthetics of trident and net, but I'm not sure how viable it is lol.

I'm leaning towards the Mind and Warp spheres for my elven soul weaver. Yup, leaning hard into the boundaries of sanity.

I'm also inclined to take the Enduring Stoicism trait for my character. She's got a name, too, though she doesn't remember it.

These spheres are intriguing, to be sure. A new wrinkle in my play - keen to try them out.

It's surprisingly viable, actually, by slightly modifying an existing martial tradition.

Gladiator Training (gain 12 weapon proficiencies)
Net Master (improves nets)
Spear Dancer (tridents are one-handed finesse weapons)
Gladiator Sphere

Your first-level combat talent would then be used to go deeper into the Gladiator sphere, unlock the Lancer (impale people) or Dual-Wielding (trident + net as a standard action) sphere, or something else entirely. :-)

I haven't said it officially, but I guess I should. I've dropped the multiclass idea to favor of going full Rogue. Probably it will be the standard Rogue, but I'm eyeing the Assassin archetype as well. There are things to really like about it, kind of a Knife Master / Scout combo from Pathfinder.

Just checking back. I think Shifter will work great for me.

I think Divination and maybe Alteration or Conjuration for his Implements.

Question i dont get alot od the Spheres or 2e sruff so Ill need to figure alot of ir out

I'd like to alter my Barbarian's race from elven to Tiefling, if that's ok?? I'll be keeping his raging strongly tied to the trauma of whatever he experienced that presumedly caused his amnesia.

Sounds good, everyone.

I've been torn, because I really want to play Mummy's Mask, but I also don't want to miss the chance to play in a YBD game. So, after thinking about what I'd play in Strange Aeons, I've decided to cautiously express interest here as well-- I'm imagining a fetchling fey adept, obviously heavily invested in the Illusion sphere but also with a bit of Life.

Question:

(Note: All casters gain 2 bonus talents and a casting tradition the first time they gain the casting class feature.)

Is there something similar for that for combat spheres?

And how exactly does one get a combat sphere?

Question:

(Note: All casters gain 2 bonus talents and a casting tradition the first time they gain the casting class feature.)

Is there something similar for that for combat spheres?

And how exactly does one get a combat sphere?

I'm new to this, but as far as I understood, you can spend one combat talent to gain a new combat sphere.

For combat spheres, many classes gain a "martial tradition" at Level One. This is a themed set of four combat talents. I shared an example tradition a few posts upthread that could represent a net-and-trident gladiator.

Hey YBD, Shifter seems like a great way to build my character. Thanks for the suggestion.

Famine Spirit is EXACTLY the right flavor/image, but I worry about how the archetype works with your house rules:
- DDS Shifter is a mid-caster (and full caster in Alteration)
- DDS Famine Spirit gains some goodies in exchange for dropping Alteration CL from full to mid
- Your shifter is a low-caster (and full caster in Alteration); in exchange for going to low caster and losing 5 talents it gets full BAB and d10 HD. That seems like a reasonable trade, but…
- Your Famine Spirit drops from full in alteration to low, unlike the DDS Famine Spirit that at least shapeshifts at mid-CL. I’m worried that’s a trade that would cripple her effectiveness.

Would you consider allowing Famine Shifter on DDS’s original (3/4 BAB , mid-caster) Shifter instead of your modified version? Or some other way to keep from playing a Shifter who is a low-caster in Alteration?

Thanks for considering!

I would like to throw in my hat with a human arcanist. His goal will be to try and fill his lost memories with knowledge.

Mightypions WIP submission here, I just noticed "tactical totem":

Tactical Totem (totem)

When you activate this totem, choose a teamwork feat you possess. Allies within the totem that qualify for that feat gain the benefits of that feat. In addition, all allies are considered to have that feat for the purpose of determining whether other allies benefit from that feat. For every 10 caster levels, choose an additional teamwork feat. When you create this totem, you may choose to spend a spell point. If you do, you may share any teamwork feats you qualify for, not just teamwork feats you possess.

So, the number of teamwork feats I qualifiy for at level 1 is 19. The party will enjoy this. A lot of them wont work (f.e. stealth synergy because I break stealth when I use my totem), but it includes some goodies like escape route, bonded mind, shake it off and is pretty rad.

I may distribute my stats a bit differently to qualify for precise strike.

Current Applicants
Codanous - Halfling Soul Weaver (healing + support)
Critzible - Elven Occultist
dinketry - Elven Soul Weaver (mind + warp)
eriktd - Fetchling Fey Adept
gyrfalcon - Shifter
Imaginary Crayons - Tiefling Barbarian
Mightypion - Aasimar Rage Prophet
rdknight - Human Rogue
Sir Longears - Human Laughing Hyena Sentinel
Violant - Samsaran Investigator
Wyshart - Bleachling Gnome Time Oracle (buff + debuff)
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Just a quick check-in. I'm going to officially close recruitment tomorrow evening around 7pm MST. That's approximately 27hrs from now. At that point, I'll select party members, and we'll get things started. If you've been on the fence about anything or want to make any last-minute changes to your character concept, now's the time to do so. :-)

@eriktd: I'd been wondering if you were going to jump in on this thread. ;-) Fetchling is one of my favorite races, but it's rare for me to see one submitted.

@gyrfalcon: I have zero issue reverting back to the original (3/4 BAB, d8 hit die, mid-caster) chassis. The "full BAB, low-caster" tweak is actually a recent change, as the Shifter player in my in-person campaign wanted a more martially-inclined version. :-)

@Malinor: Unfortunately, this is a continuation of a multi-stage recruitment thread. As you missed the initial step, it wouldn't be fair to the other applicants to let you throw your hat in the ring. Apologies for the confusion. Feel free to follow along if you'd like; this thread's full of great people, so the campaign should be quite fun to observe.

I suppose my only question is, how sharply defined are you looking for before tomorrow? Is "Rogue, skillmonkey, combat support, and a whiff of low magic" enough or do you want archetypes, traditions, spheres and such nailed down as well?

While you can get specific about traditions and spheres and such, all I'm needing right now is what you just posted. :-)

Example: Vuvuzela Bard who debuffs enemies, has a bunch of Knowledge ranks, and fights with a Gnomish Battle Ladder.

Party roles for me:
--pretty tanky frontline with good ac and high mind affecting will save.
--Quite a bit of scaling party support, including for casters and defensively, some clutch saving throw rerolls an such things.
--Pretty reasonable face
--budget Paladin once per day (minismite)

Actively bad at:
Any Int or wis skill including perception
Stealth and reconaissance.

In a way similar to a Paladin in several ways, in some senses trades having much less direct physical damage for having more and different ways of improving he party.