Darkness in the Heartlands - a Pathfinder 1e / Forgotten Realms Adventure

Game Master Tara Ravenheart

Welcome, one and all!

Hello hello! Thanks for choosing me Tara!

Thank you very much!
Hi folks. Ezmelda has been converted to full bard so hopefully will be the source of many useful bonuses ;)

Thank you for the invitation.

Checking in - thank you for allowing me to answer the call! Looking forward to what sounds like it's going to be a fun party and game.

Hey everybody delighted to be here! And thank you for having me Tara!

Thanks for having little Gadibrand in the mix! I am bringing all the healing love. Just need to fix my profile, should have it sorted out tonight.

@Tara: Will we be starting with the characters not knowing each other, or will all or some of us have prior relationships of some kind?

Probably depends where we are actually starting but I'm always happy to look at establishing prior relationships where they make sense.

I do wonder about the "where" part, the Eastern Heartlands covers a lot of territory

Yeah, should be interesting.

Greetings, and well met adventurers. Apologies for the delayed response, I was involved in a charity event over the past two days that took up considerably longer than anticipated (16 hours on Tuesday alone!). But enough of that - I am excited as we prepare to embark on this Grand journey together! I want to thank you all for submitting amazing characters - we are already starting with a number of fun and unique hooks from many of your backgrounds, which I will try to work into the game in the coming months.

Before we launch off into the great unknown, I suppose it's important to share a little bit about my thoughts on gaming itself. I grew up playing sports and doing theater, and I feel the common factor there was the sense of camaraderie. I draw much of the same enjoyment from role playing games. We are crafting a story together, we are two sides of the same coin, rather than adversaries. I never much enjoyed playing with DMs who viewed it in a “me versus them” approach, trying to beat the players.

The game will be hard and challenging at times, which is what will inspire the great moments to feel far more heroic. But in order to have heroes, there needs to be evil, and there will be bad people doing bad things. This will be kept more to the pulp, fantasy side, with a relative rating of PG-13. If there are any topics that are sensitive to you, please share anything you would like us to be considerate of.

On the much discussed topic of ability scores, we do have in this party players ranging from the highest rolls to the lowest rolls. For those with an ability score point buy total below “48”, you may spend points to get you to that level (Trawets 17 pt, Mark Thomas 12 pt, Ridge 8 pt). These points may be spent per normal point buy, according to the rules below:
- If you did not roll an 18, you can increase one score to 18.
- No other scores can be increased above 17.
- Two scores may be increased by up to three, the rest by no more than two.
- These changes should all be based on the original ability scores rolled, prior to modifiers for race or level.

At this time, if everyone could take a few moments to give a quick short synopsis of their character, including any significant aspects and stand out abilities, it would help to begin introductions. Perhaps even include a few sentences about yourself. The party will be starting not knowing each other, unless anyone wants to tie their backstories together (which is absolutely permitted).

Looking over profiles, I'm still seeing a few updates that were discussed in PMs not listed, please make those adjustments as appropriate.

I have opened the gameplay thread so everyone can dot in and then delete

As per normal point buy rules (eg. going from 13 to 14 costs 2 pts)?

Exactly!

Thank you for the adjustment. I won't say no to higher stats.

Stats before modifiers
.
.
.
.
STR 12 (2 pt) 12
DEX 14 (5 pt) 16 (10 pt) 5
CON 16 (10 pt) 17 (13 pt) 3
INT 16 (10 pt) 18 (17 pt) 7
WIS 14 (5 pt) 14
CHA 9 (-1 pt) 11 (1 pt) 2

Total point spent:17

Synopsis will be next.

Str 11 (4pts) Str 14
Dex 18
Con 13 (4pts) Con 15
Int 18
Wis 11 (2pts) Wis 13
Cha 13 (2pts) Cha 14

Total points spent = 12

Synopsis:
As a Spelldancer, Lythrana is the perfect combination of her Sword Dancer of Eilistraee, and Cormyran War Wizard parents. To her movement and magic are inexorably bound with one being an expression of the other. She is filled with an innate font of magical energy, the living Weave, that she expresses through her spelldancing, both with dynamic motion effects and enhancing her weapon. (Able to use her Arcane Pool in a variety of ways to enhance herself, weapons and defenses)

Though born, raised and trained in Waterdeep, her inherent borderline hyperactivity and need to travel, learn and explore has thaken her towards her father’s homeland, the fabled Cormyr and the associated Eastern Heartlands in search of adventure.

I'm figuring by now most everyone has noticed that Joska's background info is blank and the information that is available references Golarion and her past as a former Gray Maiden. I'd meant to have those changed over for this campaign by now, but bad timing and random disasters (most notably a case of covid that absolutely flattened me for a while) has kept me from getting it done yet. It's finished as far as discussions about it with Tara goes, but I probably won't be able to get it written up and added until this weekend.

Also, if nobody minds, her background information will still be sparse. There are some things about her past that Joska wouldn't be eager to share too quickly. I could go ahead and put in the whole story with it being an in game surprise, but since it isn't there already, it could also be a real surprise coming out at some point. That sounds like it could be fun to me, but if you want to know up front I'll post the entire background. I'll just say now that her background is modified to fit the new setting rather than being entirely different.

Fighters don't tend to lend themselves to great degrees of variety, so as you'd expect Joska is about hitting things until they're dead. The particular flavor of that she'll be going with is sword and shield bash two-weapon fighting. Her damage won't be as high as it possibly could be with a different combat style, but she'll have a couple of tricks to compensate. While I need to map out how much extra I'll be able to add considering the extra feats we get, I'm pretty sure she can work in the bullrush line of feats for some battlefield control and intimidation feats for debuffing. I plan to wait until armor training 2 comes along before upping her armor to full plate so she keeps 30' movement the whole time.

As for personality and so forth, I'll just be transparent. Joska is kind of 2 parts Bobbie Draper from The Expanse to 1 part Jessica Jones from the TV series, to 1 part what I added melding the parts together and fitting it to the campaign setting.

I, on the other hand, am quite boring. I live in Portland, Oregon. My background, education, prior employment and such is in socio-cultural anthropology. I am now a case manager for the Oregon Department of Human Services, where I work with the schools I'm assigned to on improving attendance along with the typical case management stuff. I have a dog that's obsessed with me, a cat that's obsessed with the dog, and half-time my son who is now 17 so of course he is obsessed with 1. his girlfriend 2. jiu-jitsu 3. rock climbing 4. everything that isn't figuring out what to do after he graduates, 5. what to do after he graduates, .......... 37. me, the dog, and the cat. I'd like to claim I have hobbies that are as cool as my son's, but mostly I read, watch some tv, and bike a little when I find the time. I do make a wicked shepherd's pie when it's suitably chilly and a slow weekend, so not very often.

Okay, 8 point boost to abilities...

Strength 12 up to 13 (1 point spent)
Dexterity 18
Constitution 15 up to 16 (3 points spent)
Intelligence 15 up to 16 (3 points spent)
Wisdom 11 up to 12 (1 point spent)
Charisma 18

With the boost to INT i'll need to add a language and some skills. Be a bit

Oh, that reminds me, Joska is due a second language for INT and I'm not sure what to choose. I'd like a second language that's practical given the location rather than something exotic or esoteric. Probably I'm looking for the second most widely spoken language after Common. Also, which language exactly is "Common" in Faerun?

My apologies, I have likewise been delinquent been updating my character sheet. Trying to get it done today.

60 Second Synopsis Gadibrand Underhill is the combination of Friar Tuck and Peregrine (Pippin) Took. An eternally jovial heart on an endless quest to help others (especially his kinsmen) and help the injured, with a nose for getting into a touch of trouble, but a warm personality to talk his way out of it.

Mechanically, he is a skill heavy divine caster, with a massive focus on healing. I have invested heavily in the feats that boost the Heal Skill, and he is surprisingly mobile for a wee folk.

Trawets believes magic can solve any problem and is the best way to solve problems. He pities those that can't use magic. He is tall and young and fervently devoted to Mystra. He can usually be found tinkering with some cantrip or other. He prefers to get along with others as that is usually the best way to get things done. He will help others when he can but will put mission first usually.

Currently Burning hands is his main damage dealing spell so please leave him room to cast it. He needs a 5' gap or else someone is going to get burnt. Next level it should switch to fireball. The BBEG isn't his target, all the mooks are.

At this time, if everyone could take a few moments to give a quick short synopsis of their character, including any significant aspects and stand out abilities, it would help to begin introductions. Perhaps even include a few sentences about yourself. The party will be starting not knowing each other, unless anyone wants to tie their backstories together (which is absolutely permitted).

Anyone is free to look OOCly at the profile if they like but the short version of Ezmelda is this: Ezmelda is a half elven (Moon descent) bard who has had little control over her tragedy filled youth, and now bucks at other attempts TO control her. This does not mean she's an idiot who can't work with others, just that folks PRESUMING authority over her are likely to get ignored. She is a good person who, despite some vanity and head strong moments, can be kind and generous. She loathes slavers and the like. She might make a good face for the party (THough I see she's not the only one) and likely will be buffing folks up a great deal so don't forget those if she is revving the party up :)

Helpfully copied from my earlier notes - I like it when past me does smart things!

Aelanurel has a combination of control and support spells and abilities; her hexes are focused on pacifying foes or aiding her allies rather than debuffing. She has strong knowledge skills, profession skills, and some solid face skills (diplomacy and sense motive), a combination of her breadth of experience and reading of people. With healing abilities and energy channelling, she straddles some of the divide between arcane and divine magics, which fits her role of ‘mystic’. I’ll be looking to pick up incredible healer to go with healing hands and hex channeler adds some versatility, if not a huge amount of power without some feat investment (mostly I picked it as I think it fits well for flavour reasons, plus I’ve never seen anyone take it because ordinarily you’re trading out your hexes). Her versatility means she can potentially lean more or less into some of these aspects and gives her plenty of options both in and out of combat, though she’s never going to be much of a damage dealer. I intend to progress into the Stargazer prestige class as it’s a clear fit for her personality and abilities and I like the flavour of it.

She’s lived a long time and done a number of different things. Generally she’s good natured and has a fairly magnetic personality, though she can also be a little distant. She’s a good diplomat but not probably not always the face for every situation.

@ Tara Ravenheart, any idea on when we're likely to get going?

This is not feeling great, is it? I have reached out to Tara but with no reply. I'm assuming nobody else has heard anything?

Obviously I think everyone understands that life happens, often unexpectedly, so I'm happy to wait a bit longer. Mostly just hope that she's ok.

Well, waiting is free so I'll be around.

So we're about a week away from it being a full month since the GM's last post, which doesn't bode well. Hopefully they're okay, and not caught in one of those areas currently devastated by storms, but it looks like we're caught in the irony of being picked for a game that'll never get started, while the people picked from the leftover applications have a game that's happily chugging away.

it looks like we're caught in the irony of being picked for a game that'll never get started, while the people picked from the leftover applications have a game that's happily chugging away.

Maybe it really is possible to be too lucky? :p

So....do we look for a new GM or just cut our losses?

Well, it seems to me finding a new GM would be a problem in this case. If the campaign is running one of the Paizo APs then all it takes is someone who has the AP and is willing to run it. The new GM just steps in.

In this case it's a homebrew. It never started so aside from the location everything needs to be created. I don't think we're going to find anyone willing to create a campaign from scratch. I'm not saying we shouldn't try, but I really doubt it will work out.

Good point. I guess this is a wash.