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.
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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?)
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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.
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. :-)
1) Assign the boosts and penalties listed for your race, and then gain an additional "free boost" that can be applied to anything that hasn't been boosted in this step. Example: Tengus gain +2 DEX, +2 WIS, -2 CON, and +2 to (STR, CON, INT, or CHA).
2) Boost one of the attributes listed in your background, and then gain a "free boost" that can be applied to any other attribute. Example: the Cursed background grants +2 (INT or CHA) and +2 (anything except what you just picked).
3) Your class grants an ability boost to a relevant attribute. This is generally the attribute that dictates your Save DCs or daily uses of class features, so it's often fairly customizable. I'm usually open to changes as long as it makes sense. Example: Barbarians gain +2 (CON or CHA) but can change it to STR if that's a better fit for the character.
4) Gain +2 to any four attributes. No, you can't double-up.
5) Optional: Take -2 to any two attributes to gain a single +2 to any stat.
If followed correctly, this will all-but guarantee a 16-18 in your primary stat regardless of your race and class. For example, an elven barbarian can easily have 16 STR and CON with no negative modifiers.
If we want to incorporate amnesia into the character-building process, my initial thought is to eliminate the "Background" step. Instead, you'd boost two stats of your choice. You'd gain a feat, class skills, and other boons as the game progresses - as chosen by me.
I'm very much open to feedback here, as I don't want to mess with character creation unless everyone's interested.
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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. :-)
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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.
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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.
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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.
Odeta’s memories of the earlier childhood are pleasant. She was born and raised in Lepidstadt. Her father is a professor at the university there, and her mother ran the household. She was a daddy’s girl, closest with her father, while her mother was a less warm and affectionate parent. She also knows that she later attended the university as a student.
More recent memories are limited and vague.
- She remembers her father treating her for some kind of congenital condition during her later teen years.
- She believes she assisted her father with his research. She also has the feelings about their relationship that are different from her earlier life, ambivalence on her part and disappointment on his.
- Her father hired an instructor to teach her to use a sword. He said about it “A young woman must know how to defend herself”.
- She and her father shared a secret of some kind. In reference to it, her father would often recite two phases in Ancient Osiriani: “Khu Ba Heteph”, meaning “Seek and you shall find”, and “Sek Ahmet Thul Khof”, meaning “Secrets kept remain mine”.
- She very vaguely remembers a few acquaintances at the university, other students, but no close friends.
Presently Odeta will find she possesses abilities, in combat and otherwise, that she simply cannot account for given what she knows of her life so far. The inability to reconcile herself in the present to her past will be extremely troubling for her.
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.
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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.
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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.
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@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. :-)
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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).
1. What's your characters economic situation, and the economic situation of their family? A desperately poor character with a rich family tells a very different story than a desperately poor character with a poor family.
3. Where was your character born? In Ustalav? Somewhere else? Why did they move to Ustalav, if they were born elsewhere?
Tassa grew up in Râșnov a tiny scrap of a village in the fens of Dipplemere Swamp, on the edge of the Shudderwood. The villagers put up with the dangers lurking in the swamp--and the greater ones in the dark reaches of the Shudderwood--in order to harvest the small stands of darkwood that could be found a few day trek into the forest. There wasn’t much of it there, certainly not compared with the great forests of Darkmoon Vale, but it was enough to keep the families of Râșnov fed and housed.
Her father, Sergil, was a fisherman and a forester who braved the Shudderwood to collect darkwood. Her mother, Lyuba, was an armorer who crafted darkwood shields and darkcloth armor to sell.
While Lyuba was pregnant with her first and only child, half of the village--including her husband--set off for their twice-yearly trip into the Shudderwood to harvest Darkwood. The next morning she awoke to the screams of her neighbors. Following the sounds she found the remains of Sergil and the rest of the logging party. Whatever had beset them had eaten much of them, but decorated the border of the village with the their remaining viscera.
Lyuba and the other survivors spent the day cleaning up the remains of their friends and family’s bodies, striving to bury what they could before it was all eaten by crows and buzzards. Life in the fens of Ustalav was rarely kind, and almost every year they lost someone on the darkwood expedition. Never before though had Lyuba witnessed anything like this cruel massacre. A the end of the day--horrified, sick with fear and rage--she fell into a fever-dream. In it, she cried out for power. In her utter abandonment to dreams of revenge, she found a willing patron: the Great Old One, Bokrug, whose unimaginable appetite for vengeance matched her own.
When she woke, Lyuba called the rest of the village together. She taught them the sacrifices they must perform to protect their village from further threats. Distraught and desperate for safety, they quickly agreed and Lyuba became the Witch of Râșnov.
4. How did your character become whatever class they are or learn the skills they have?
5. What does your character do for a living? How did they get into doing that?
As Tassa grew, her mother tried--and failed--to teach her witchcraft. Tassa utterly lacked the gift. Lyuba muttered about it with obvious frustration. ”You are my only daughter. You should be the fulfilment of Bokrug’s promise. Surely you can learn a simple spell!?”
While Tassa lacked in magical aptitude, she did inherit her mother’s gift as a craftswoman. Lyuba contented herself that she could at least pass on the to Tassa the secrets of how to work darkwood and darkleaf into armor. Tassa found that the patient focus needed to work the ebony wood distracted her from the anger she felt at her bleak, unfair life, surrounded by so much fear and pain...and from the hunger growing within her.
Like most Râșnovers, Tassa was trained early to fight with bow, sword and shield, and when she reached maturity she joined in the biannual expeditions into the Shudderwood to bring back darkwood. On her most recent foray she slew a pair of harpy whose baubles included a strange lump of black metal.
Tassa was immediately drawn to it, and when she touched it she was overwhelmed by powerful visions. Rather than show it to her fellows, she chose to quickly tuck it away until she was home. Lyuba recognized it instantly as the starmetal, adamantine. Though at first the starmetal resisted Tassa’s forge, with the aid of her mother’s witchcraft Tassa managed to create a fire hot enough to work it. As she did, Tassa entered a dream-state. She worked it relentlessly, sleeping little and missing meals for days on end. Finally she could tell that she was done. She donned the gauntlets and went to show her mother.
When she arrived at her mother’s hut, it turned out that Lyuba was out back in the garden. Tassa was greeted instead by her young neighbor, Yoska, delivering fresh bread to the Witch of Râșnov. ”Look what I just made, little one!” she smiled. The 9-year old baker’s apprentice marvelled at the metalwork, and at the motif of tentacles, scales, eyes, and teeth that covered them. As he looked at them, time slowed down. Tassa realized how she’d neglected to eat while forging them, and how ravenous she was. She glanced at the fresh bread, and then back at the boy. An alien hunger rose within her, and then her world went black.
When Tassa came to, her mother was in the room, shouting. Yoska’s half-eaten corpse lay before her...and Tassa saw that her own arm had been replaced with a mass of writhing tentacles covered with impossible eyes and teeth. Wiping her mouth, she realized that it was dripping with blood.
Tassa was horrified to see what she’d done...and equally horrified to see the smile on her mother’s face. ”Oh dearie, Bokrug’s gift has finally unfolded within you. Don’t fear. The death of the boy is unfortunate, yes, but this is the gift I prayed to Bokrug for when you were still within my womb. This is the tool with which you will bring vengeance upon the horrors that plague us.”
”NO!!” Tassa shook her head in disgust and ran home. As she did, the tentacles faded and--to her great relief--her arm returned. She packed her backpack quickly and called to her dog, Pată, to follow her. It wasn’t until Pată backed away from her, growling, teeth bared, that the tears finally came. Sobbing, she headed Southwest, down the road to Lepidstadt.
6. What is their personality like?
Tassa is terrified of the thing inside of her, and terrified that perhaps her mother is right. That this is what she was born to be: a horror created to kill other horrors.
She’s new to life outside the cult-village of Râșnov, and weary of strangers. Even more so, she’s weary of the horror within her. At the same time, she’s lonely without her mother, her village neighbors, or her dog, Pată. Alone, she hungers for companionship.
She hasn’t seen much true Goodness in her life. When she first encounters it she’ll likely be both suspicious and fascinated.
7. If your character is religious, explain why and how. If not, there may be a reason for that as well.
Tassa was raised in a rural cult of the Great Old One, Bokrug. She has made sacrifices to him all her life. Her mother had always referred to her as Tassa “Bokrugscu”, meaning “Child of Bokrug” in Varisian. Until recently she’d taken the appellation as merely a way of honoring her mother’s patron (or wishful thinking on her mother’s part). Now she suspects it means a great deal more.
All that said, the sacrifices she offers to Bokrug are more reflexive than heartfelt at this point. She has yet to be exposed to any other religions, though I suspect she might eventually come across and grow to resonate with Calistria’s faith.
8. Much of the campaign will involve traveling all over Ustalav and foiling the plots of various horrifying monsters. Why does your character care about doing this? Is he an Ustalav patriot, a Pharasman undeath hunter, a monster slayer for sport, or something else?
As Tassa Bokrugscu comes to terms with the horror within her, she is becoming fixated on slaying horrors. It seems that that alone can, perhaps, justify the horror within her.
9. What are your character's moral lines? What would they never do? What can they not stand by and watch? What will they always take advantage of?
10. If you have a character who has sworn a code (such as a Paladin or Cavalier, for example) be explicit in what that code entails.
Tassa wants to say she she would never murder an innocent, and yet...didn’t she just eat Yoska, only a week ago? She grew up surrounded by horror. She was raised on daily stories The Massacre, and constant promises of vengeance. Now she has changed in some horrifying way. She doubts who she is, and who her mother is. She’d like to say she’d never kill without justification...but she knows now that something inside her disagrees.
Other notes
Tassa is reluctant to return home at the moment: Partly to face the family of the boy, Yoska, who she ate; partly because she’d have to face her mother, and she doesn’t want to know more of her mother’s plans for her.
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!
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.
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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.
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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. :-)
Just checking back. I think Shifter will work great for me.
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.
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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!
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.
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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.
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.