Any strong feelings against the inclusion of an Elan? I was thinking what sort of out-of-the-box longevity methods an aspiring human student with only the resources of a humble fisherman could look into to get the kind of lifespan necessary for magical study, and thought that might be a fun one.
Figured, if you liked the idea of adding them to the campaign world, he could take a Psionics class like Aegis, and maybe psionics are super rare in this world and the only people who know them are the other Elans, which used to be a lot weaker than magic but suddenly has its chance after this huge magical paradigm shift (got that idea from the Dark Sun setting, the D&D post-magic-apocalypse setting where psionics are from) and could be this very rare group of ancient sometimes-evil sometimes-benevolent secretive weirdos, with exceptions in like the relatively new blood ones and whichever one Character was good enough friends with to sponsor them to be jumped in to the club (maybe by saving them from drowning?), if you wanted another arrow in your quiver to play with. Then, even though the entire reason he made the transformation was to get into magic ivy league, he'd have this other route that calls to him instead, either because once he was changed and no longer had the pressure of needing to make money for sleep and shelter, he found that studies didn't appeal and he'd rather see how far down the rabbit hole he could go, or simply because just as he was about to matriculate the world ended. Either way, his presence at the W would be more as one of those quad hanger-outers who might be quarter-time students or might just even-tempered local vagrants. You know the type? I always loved that type. He'd live on the beach and own pretty much like a pair of shorts and a guitar.
Or, if you don't want to introduce psionics but are fine with the Elans as a race, it'd be the same reason for changing but go with Shifter and not bother with anything psionic except the Repletion trait. (He'd only have the one power point a day without a psionic class, after all, and he'd spend one every day to not age.) In that case, I'm thinking of going Swarm Shifter as A Sizeable Crowd Of Very Irate Crabs. Because crabs are neat, and that would help a fisherman out something fierce. (This would probably also be the character concept for any non-Elan race, unless you object to both.)
For a glorious second I thought you meant you wanted to be the bard.
I was hoping to stick with Paizo stuff for character creation and most rules. It looks like this race and this version of psionics are from Dreamscarred Press.
Storywise, I don't want to undermine the system of longevity that I introduced as a core element of the pre-collapse rules of magic, at least not with anything other than the catastrophe that is about to undermine it completely.
If you want to be a UU quad-hanger-outer, you don't need longevity for that (thank the gods). Being a dropout of one of the other schools could be a fun character concept. Long life did make becoming a "real wizard" much, much more feasible pre-Thaw, but then, that's the whole point of the years of study just to live long enough to become a wizard gag. Or be born an elf.
If it's the psychic flavor you like, can you make an approximation of your character concept using Paizo rules? There are a ton of Occult and Psychic Classes. Not my cup of tea, maybe yours? But I know you like the look of the Shifter, too. Crab-Shifter would be fine.
** spoiler omitted **...That is eerily similar, isn't it? Feel free to run with it, or come up with something new if you've already been down this road once...
Hey it lets me tie in one of my favorite alternate human race traits. And Angus had been in four 'KM' games and never got out of the 'trading post.' No harm in using a similar back story for a character from an entirely different world.
Now I am deciding on Improvised Weapons route, or the Dirty Trick route....both would be entertaining...
Probably Dirty Trick for an extra Debuffs plus poking folks in the eye is cool kids!
I can see improvised weapons being magus-y through spellstrike etc., but I'm having somewhat more trouble picturing it working with Dirty Trick. Spell Combat-->True Strike-->Pants'd?
Dirty Trick (Trip, Disarm) are Attacks that qualify using Spell Combat and/or Spell strike.
I really wanted to do it with Improvised Weapons for the sweet looking visuals! But a Feat short! Need both Catch-Off-Guard and Imp. Dirty Trick...
At 1st level, a magus learns to cast spells and wield his weapons at the same time. This functions much like two-weapon fighting, but the off-hand weapon is a spell that is being cast. To use this ability, the magus must have one hand free (even if the spell being cast does not have somatic components), while wielding a light or one-handed melee weapon in the other hand. As a full-round action, he can make all of his attacks with his melee weapon at a –2 penalty and can also cast any spell from the magus spell list with a casting time of 1 standard action (any attack roll made as part of this spell also takes this penalty). If he casts this spell defensively, he can decide to take an additional penalty on his attack rolls, up to his Intelligence bonus, and add the same amount as a circumstance bonus on his concentration check. If the check fails, the spell is wasted, but the attacks still take the penalty. A magus can choose to cast the spell first or make the weapon attacks first, but if he has more than one attack, he cannot cast the spell between weapon attacks.
At 2nd level, whenever a magus casts a spell with a range of “touch” from the magus spell list, he can deliver the spell through any weapon he is wielding as part of a melee attack. Instead of the free melee touch attack normally allowed to deliver the spell, a magus can make one free melee attack with his weapon (at his highest base attack bonus) as part of casting this spell. If successful, this melee attack deals its normal damage as well as the effects of the spell. If the magus makes this attack in concert with spell combat, this melee attack takes all the penalties accrued by spell combat melee attacks. This attack uses the weapon's critical range (20, 19–20, or 18–20 and modified by the keen weapon property or similar effects), but the spell effect only deals ×2 damage on a successful critical hit, while the weapon damage uses its own critical modifier.
I have had this concept on the shelf for a while....
EDIT!
Scratch the flavorful Dirty Trick off the list! Stupid Standard Action to initiate so nope!!!
Weird that I never noticed that difference between it and the others, which can be used as part of a Full Round action! Bummer!
Looks like Trip it will be!
Still funny, although I really liked the variety offered by Dirty Trick.
Apologies!
I will have to wait until 5th for the real fun to start....hehe!
I played a magus from like level 3-11 and never thought that I could use spellstrike with a combat maneuver. That is pretty wild and makes the whip magus waaay more appealing. The possibilities are kinda boggling my mind right now. It's a little controversial on the rules forum with things like Tripping Staff seeming to indicate that it's not normal, but I'm ok with it for our game.
My magus was a True Strike guy more than a Shocking Grasp guy, so he would often TS up a trip when necessary. But I definitely would have followed up missed Grasps with TS->trip->discharge sometimes if I had that combo figured out.
The goal is some damage but really Debuffs.
Using Trip at 5th, he will be doing 3d6+9 plus Trip, Fatigue, Entangle all for 1 Standard...
Hmmm...Dirty Trick does work once I am done casting Frostbite! Frostbite grants level per uses, so Standard is fine for Dirty Trick!
Thinking... thinking....
*Sigh* I hate to be a downer, but whether it's due to depression, stress, frustration or just spending too much time on my computer. I feel like I probably shouldn't start any new games right now.
I was struggling with wanting to write Onnello's background yesterday, then got in a discussion with a GM I've known for ten years. We ended up rehashing posts that he missed or misunderstood, and it led to me dropping out of the game and him probably closing the game permanently.
I'm clearly not in the head space to start a new game in a world I'm not at all familiar with.
GM Parrot, I appreciate the invite and I do find you world intriguing, but I think I need to step away from this one. Unfortunately, I dotted and deleted in game, would you mind moving Onnello to the 'Previous Players' tab?
Again, thanks for running the game, I'll be reading along.
I can choose a different concept?
Hey RH: I think most people who have played this game more than a year or two can empathize with your situation. Any situation that brings people together in strong feelings can also drive them apart.
Silly line popped into my head now: sometimes the dungeon is the self, sometimes the dragon.
And FWIW, I really enjoy playing with you in the other game and I have immense respect for your talent as a writer. Leo's backstory is the best I've read--really blew me away when we first started with Dorian.
You're always welcome in this weird world I'm brewing up--just wave and hop in.
...
@Dorian: of course!
...
@Everyone I'm traveling, but I should have plenty of time to post (this post comes to you from a plane). Let's work on character designs. I might try to recruit a few folks from real life and/or a few from the boards.
Equipment Question:
I'm looking at Alchemical Reagents as a useful way of spending my starting gold and boosting my spellcasting.
There are two reagents listed that have the same effect, but at different costs: Cold Iron and Myrrh. Both grant a +1 to caster level for the purpose of caster level and dispel checks. Cold Iron requires 5 doses, which costs 5gp, and Myrrh requires 5 doses which costs 2gp. I assume this is an error on the editor's part.
My question to the GM is, can one of these instead provide a +1 to caster level for the purpose of spell duration, as I'm sure was intended, and if so, which one?
I am not married to any concept at the moment. I feel like my Muse requires, requests more Setting information....
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
And FWIW, I really enjoy playing with you in the other game and I have immense respect for your talent as a writer. Leo's backstory is the best I've read--really blew me away when we first started with Dorian.
You humble me sir, I needed a reason my first level human was going to be a second level fey...
@Parrot: 'eeey, I'm travelling too! It is a very good time for forum reading. Any chance you'll swing through the west coast?
And gotcha gotcha, I didn't know the Elans were third party. Makes sense, as they're well off the main race page, but I seem to have forgotten what little I ever knew about how the pfsrd is organized. Human is a fine default if not, but what would you think of Skinwalkers or Lycanthropes?
(Skinwalker falls under the 1-10 race points rule, at least, but Lycanthropes are a monster template and substantially stronger but also simpler; I bring them up only because I popped on the forums to help figure out a shifter build and the consensus seems to be that shifters don't really pull their weight in most parties, but I'm kinda attached to the concept and I'm spitballing ways to make it stronger without changing the theme. Admittedly might be overdoing it.)
@Robert Henry: Sorry to hear; I hope whatever situations are coloring your head space shift soon.
@Lolly/Spazz are you lurking out there? Just checking. I think we're at 5 players but there's really no reason to have a set number in a homebrew campaign. Still hoping Trag/Bane pops by.
Yup still here....got caught up in RL shenanigans, I'll get caught up on all the discussion!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
@Dust: It looks like there are already reagents for duration for various schools and subschools of magic, and the two you highlighted are for abjuration only, and are redundant. Pesh, for instance, costs 15 GP to add +1 CL for duration for enchantment spells. I think we could easily declare either myrrh or cold iron to be the +1 duration extender for abjuration spells unless you've found some exploit...
@Something: Skinwalker should be fine. I wonder if Shifter/Skinwalker might be a bit redundant, though. Were you going to be a werecrab who can change to a crab swarm, or like a werebear who has this strong connection to crabs? I am no expert on the class, but Shifter looks like a somewhat weak martial with a potential power spike at level 4, especially in a campaign where being able to fly or swim four hours a day is a huge boon. It could be a long while before we hit 4. What are you most excited about doing with the character? Maybe we can make a tweak somewhere.
Putting the Lycanthrope template on a PC at level feels like overcorrecting, though. That's a lot of crunchy power.
Where are you these days? Sacramento? I'm in Fredericksburg putting my turned-18-just-in-time-for-WWII granddad into Arlington. But we're living in Seattle still.
@Spaz: good to see you!
@Everyone: I can't figure out how to move RH's PC to the former players tab. Anyone know how?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
@Everyone: I can't figure out how to move RH's PC to the former players tab. Anyone know how?
If I remember correctly,, Go to edit campaign info page and tab on the 'edit this campign' tab on the right, go towards the bottom and uncheck him both under players and characters. I think that will do it.
Again, thanks for running the game, we players do really appreciate it. If I get to where I feel I can add another game, I may drop by and see if your offer is still open.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
@Dust: It looks like there are already reagents for duration for various schools and subschools of magic, and the two you highlighted are for abjuration only, and are redundant. Pesh, for instance, costs 15 GP to add +1 CL for duration for enchantment spells. I think we could easily declare either myrrh or cold iron to be the +1 duration extender for abjuration spells unless you've found some exploit...
I'm not good enough at these games to find exploits. I just think power components are a cool concept, and one of my starting spells is Abjuration and I noticed the redundancy and wanted to weigh in with you. It seems to me +1 to duration is more useful for me at lower levels. The +1 to caster level checks really isn't useful until 5th level when I get access to Dispel Magic. Although, I guess it could help in Casting Defensively?
Given the descriptions of each material:
"Cold iron is often used to produce alloyed metals, catalysts, and items that interfere with magic."
"Myrrh is an aromatic gum used as a base for alchemical remedies and as a sticky bonding agent."
It makes sense to me that Myrrh would grant the +1 to duration (it's sticky), and Cold Iron the +1 to caster level and dispel checks (disrupts magic). Also, Cold Iron is more expensive (barely) and is better suited for higher level spells.
Anyone besides Djdust have a concept/Class/Eye Color idea?
Melee? Ranged? Spell caster? Bard?
I never actually looked at Shifter...
@Parrot: yeah, that was my approximate thinking. Mostly it's that the Shifter class has so few minutes a day that it becomes a combat ability and that's all (moreso in Swarm or Adaptive options, the latter of which I've started to like more than the former. The Swarm Shifter doesn't actually get that power spike at level four, for instance, just one more minute a day of being a bunch of crabs; the swarm form ability replaces wildshape). I figure the fun of playing a shapeshifter would be more the non-combat getting around, problem solving, opening up more locations and just verbs for getting around the world in general, you know? Like, a guy who can't be hurt and can kill anything is all well and good, but it's kind of easy to make and not that much fun outside of combat; a guy who can sneak into places via drainage pipes and carry on conversations with housecats is more where it's at, I figure, especially with longform prose-gaming like here.
And, ah! For some reason I thought you were back in Virginia full time at this point. I withdraw my west coast question; condolences for your grandfather.
@Dorian AND @Parrot: Current concept I'm kicking around is a Seascarred Skinwalker who goes with it and becomes an Adaptive Shifter, attending the W as much to get some pointers from potential experts in shapeshifting as to actually learn the disciplines they teach. Sorta like that community college student who just inherited or won a business or something and is now scrambling to take some business classes and ask the professors questions after class without actually being focused on a degree or hireability. After all, my guy's probably not going to be that smart, but he'll be wordly wise, like, and the adaptive shifter comes with claws and a self-heal, so he should be a decent frontliner for his friends with more scholarly physiques.
I figure he'll have been training for Inuit/Sami-style fishing and hunting expeditions across the tundra and glaciers that used to be most of the world and suddenly have to veer into training for temperate oceans and marshes when the big whoops happens, but there's enough overlap there to get him started, at least.
Wow, Adaptive Shifter looks waaay more fun n' cool than the vanilla.
Wow, Adaptive Shifter looks waaay more fun n' cool than the vanilla.
S'pose that is why it's called Vanilla...
Still deciding, but Shifter looks like a druid without spells, but better Melee.
Not too shabby..lol.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
So what happens was....
I was just lazily browsing Races (PF1e) and I may have stumbled upon an idea....
I am envisioning him as a survivor of a cabal of Wizards at the "W" that may have perished during the Thaw, leaving the poor bastard to become a janitor while still pursuing his previous studies as a...Magus, Alchemist...one of those.
Hehe!
EDIT!
Not too certain that I can pull this part off though...
Purely rational and unemotional, wyrwoods see the survival of
Wrywood
Dude, their like a 20 PR build... Just sayin...
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
My gods--a player who wants to be a net full of crabs without the net and one that wants to be the sorcerer's apprentice, no wait, scratch that, the broom from the sorcerer's apprentice.
...more tomorrow when I'm not super tired!
...but thanks for your weird and wonderful selves...
My gods--a player who wants to be a net full of crabs without the net and one that wants to be the sorcerer's apprentice, no wait, scratch that, the broom from the sorcerer's apprentice.
I refrained from asking about animated objects as character options on the assumption that exasperating the GM who'd just invited you to a game was a faux pas, but if you're open to it...
Oops! Didn't realize that!
Back to the chalk board! (Hmmm...a chalk board...)
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Maybe I'll run a separate game titled "I, Object" about animated object lawyers for y'all.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Guess who's back. Guess who's back. Guess who's back...dadada!
Is it just me or is This Feat broken?
It circumvents every Feat Tax for a Flanking bonus, which is almost mandatory if Melee anyway....
Building my Brawler in my head and ran into this nonsense...lol.
Taking Combat Expertise @1st to open up Martial Flexibility (and a bit of AC bump).
Finding it difficult not to go
Str 16 Dex 16 Con 14 Int 10 Wis 8 Cha 12
Instead of Str 18:Dex 14
I like Dex too much!
Brawler is cool Martial because it feels like he will be casting Feats instead of Spells (no save!).
Probably staying 1/2 Orc for Race and still using the above posted Pic!
EDIT!
Going with Brawler (Hinyasi ).
He looks too sweet!
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
I honestly think this is the best fit you've found. The lowly janitor that turns out to be a beast with bucket and mop.
Maybe in the deepest level of the dungeon beneath the W where they train their wizards against foul aberrant terrors, there's a janitors closet with a mop that's soaked up so much demon and unicorn blood it's taken on a life of its own and awaits its master to wield it.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Someone has been a busy little bee....
Sweet! He can wear an eye patch!
Deadeye [Race]
Source Orcs of Golarion pg. 23
Requirement(s) Half-Orc, Orc
You have only one working eye, but that eye is especially keen. You receive a +2 trait bonus on all Perception checks involving sight.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Ok, made it through! A little tired still. Will get home on Wednesday and will likely have more for you then. I may have recruited a player from here in Virginia, too.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I'm thinking about a grippli monk, who will multiclass into rogue (unchained). He would specialize in webbed-handed b~&!@ slaps.
What languages are prevalent in Morgen?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
So do we have a number on how many payers or what class their building?
Um, I'm just asking for a friend :)
What languages are prevalent in Morgen?
Definitely Orc...
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
@Dominic: you can assume a normal high-fantasy spread of languages. Because the habitable world is so relatively narrow in latitude but very long in long-itude, there's plenty of isolation for local and subspecies-dependant languages to develop but also enough connection that people have developed a Common language as a lingua franca.
@RH we have a Grippli Monk/Rogue, an half-orc sanitation brawler, probably an Adaptive Shifter (perhaps crab-flavored), and a ratfolk cartomancer. I want to recruit an old friend from my hometown and gods only know what he'll bring to the table, but I haven't gotten him on yet (and he might not be able to play at all). So we have slaps, mops, crabs, and cards.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I totally forgot that I made this already...kinda!
It was for an Outlaws of Alkenstar conversion to PF1e.
*Shuffles Cards*
I want to recruit an old friend from my hometown and gods only know what he'll bring to the table, but I haven't gotten him on yet (and he might not be able to play at all)
If your old friend isn't available I may have a bard that would fit.
My concern was starting a game with a new character in a new class in a new world. Just a lot of new tricks for an old dog. But Naomi is an old soul and easy to play. I'll adjust a previous backstory with appropriate changes in the city. Would her parents have been able to learn 'bardic' magic at the university or would someplace else be more appropriate?
A Bard with 3 Melee and a Witch seems strong.
Down with covid. Had to cancel my flight back home. I'm feeling better than yesterday, will be better than that tomorrow, will be back soon!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
yuck, get feeling better GM Parrot.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
A quick recovery to you sir!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Plenty of time to get writing...lol.
Feel better Parrot!
Oof. Getting covid in the middle of summer is definitely an unconventional strategy, but I've doubted you before and always wound up with egg on my face, so I'll trust that you know what you're doing. Behind you all the way!
......