EltonJ |
Here we go again, time to find out who wants to play the BIRTHRIGHT Campaign. In this game, you play regents -- kings, princes, dukes, queens, etc. We will use PF1e for this campaign, as it is close to D&D 3.x . So, you will take a domain, and rule it to your best capacity.
Don't worry, the Birthright campaign makes it easier on you. We will play in Anuire, but in Anuire are different races from all over Cerilia ruling domains.
-- You will be a party of 4 regents. If you want to pick one domain and rule it together: one person being the Law regent (Barbarian, Cavalier, Fighter, Paladin, Inquisitor, War Priest, or Ranger), one person being the Temple regent (Cleric, Oracle, Paladin, Inquisitor, Monk, Shaman, War Priest, or Druid), one person being the Guild regent (Rogue or Bard), and finally one person being the Source regent (Sorcerer, Arcanist, or Wizard), that would work fine as well.
-- Races: There are a total of 5 races available: Elf, Dwarf, Halfling, Human (5 different cultures), Half-Elf, and Half-orc. Sorry, no gnomes or other races. Humans come in five different cultures: Anuirean (English), Brecht (German), Khinasi (Spanish Moor), Rujurik (Norse who speak English with a Scottish Accent), and Vos (Russian). Anuireans are imperious, Brechts are traders, Khinasi are scholars, Rujuriks and Vos are warriors. Those are the five stereotypes of these human races. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule.
What You Will Need
a. One Birthright campaign setting.
b. Pathfinder Core Rulebook (1e).
c. Ultimate Campaign and Ultimate Intrigue. Both of these will be helpful at certain times. However, the Birthright Campaign Setting will handle both of these situations with its own rules for AD&D if you don't have those two books.
Creating a Regent Character
* Level 1, don't worry, you'll get perks as a regent!
* 25 points.
* No elephant in the room, sorry elephant in the room lovers.
* Yes background skills
* First person paizo only
* HP is max at level 1. Then roll.
* Two traits, no drawbacks.
* The classes listed above are the only ones allowed for regents. If we were playing a non-regent campaign, I'd let you pick more classes. Except gunslingers.
Regents start off with a number of Gold Bars (GB) in their treasury, depending on which realm you start with. We are playing in the Southern Coast of Anuire. You may decide which realm you'd like.
EltonJ |
More information on your characters are a part of this piece:
The Gods
There are exactly eleven Gods in the Cerilian Pantheon. As always, this is a quick and dirty conversion to Pathfinder. All of the information contained in this post is regarding the Gods and how they work in Pathfinder.
Avani
Greater Deity
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Portfolio: Sun, reason, and magic.
Aliases: Avanalae (Anuire), Lana (Brectur), and Vani (Rjurik)
Domains and Subdomains: Animal (feather), Glory (Honor), Knowledge (Thought), Law (Inevitable), Magic (Divine), Sun (Day)
Paladin Support: Yes
Inquisitor Support: Yes, for a limited number of churches.
Erik
Greater Deity
Alignment: Neutral
Portfolio: Forests, hunting
Aliases: Aeric (Anuire), Iraikhan (Vosgaard)
Domains and Subdomains: Animal (Fur), Earth (Caves and Metal), Plant (Growth), Protection (Defense)
Paladin Support: No.
Inquisitor Support: No.
Druid Support: Yes
Haelyn
Greater Deity
Alignment: Lawful Good
Portfolio: Courage, justice, chivalry, and rulership
Aliases: Halaia (Khinasi), Holn (Rjurik)
Domains and Subdomains: Air (Wind), Animal (fur), Glory (Heroism), Good (Archon), Healing (Restoration), Law (Archon), Nobility (Leadership)
Paladin Support: Yes.
Inquisitor Support: Sadly, yes.
Belinik
Intermediate Deity
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Portfolio: Battle, feuds, fear
Aliases: Alenecht (Brectur)
Domains and Subdomains: Chaos (Demon), Death (Murder), Destruction (Rage), Evil (Demon), Madness (Nightmare), War (Blood)
Paladin Support: No.
Inquisitor Support: Yes.
Nesirie
Intermediate Deity
Alignment: Neutral Good
Portfolio: Mariners, explorers, and grief
Aliases: Nasri (Khinasi), Neira (Brectur)
Domains and Subdomains: Darkness (Loss), Good (Agathion), Protection (Defense), Repose (Souls), Travel (Exploration), Water (Oceans)
Paladin Support: Yes, but only females.
Inquisitor Support: No.
Sera
Intermediate Deity
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Portfolio: Wealth, luck
Aliases: Sarimie (Anuire), Sarma (Khinasi), Sirova (Vosgaard)
Domains and Subdomains: Chaos (Protean), Luck (Fate), Travel (Trade)
Paladin Support: None.
Inquisitor Support: None.
Cuiraécen
Lesser Deity
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Portfolio: Storms and Conflict
Aliases: Khirdai (Khinasi), Kirken (Rjurik), Kirche (Brectur)
Domains and Subdomains: Air (cloud), Chaos (Azata), Good (Azata), War (Tactics), Weather (Storms)
Paladin Support: Yes
Inquisitor Support: yes.
EltonJ |
More gods. . .
Eloéle
Lesser Deity
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Portfolio: Night, darkness, thieves and rogues.
Aliases: Éla (Brechtur), Elyal (Vosgaard)
Domains and Subdomains: Chaos (Demon), Darkness (Night), Liberation (Revolution), Trickery (Deception and Thievery)
Paladin Support: No.
Inquisitor Support: No.
Kriesha
Lesser Deity
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Aliases: Karesha (Rjurik), Kriestal (Brechtur)
Portfolio: Winter, monsters
Domains and Subdomains: Evil (Devil), Law (Inevitable), Water (Ice), Weather (Seasons)
Paladin Support: No.
Inquisitor Support: Yes.
Witch Support: Yes.
Laerme
Lesser Deity
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Aliases: Leira (Khinasi), Lara (Rjurik), Ayairda (Vosgaard)
Portfolio: Fire, love, art
Domains and Subdomains: Artifice (Construct), Charm (Love), Chaos (Azata), Community (Family), Knowledge (Memory), Fire (Ash)
Paladin Support: No.
Inquisitor Support: No.
Rournil
Lesser Deity
Alignment: Neutral
Portfolio: Night, Moon, Magic
Aliases: Rilni (Khinasi), Lirorn (Rjurik), Lirovka (Vosgaard)
Domains and Subdomains: Darkness (Moon), Knowledge (Education), Magic (Arcane), Rune (Language)
Paladin Support: No.
Inquisitor Support: No.
Witch Support: No.
Ouachitonian |
I don’t know Birthright well, but it sounds interesting. Initially thinking about an elf or half-elf duelist type. Since Swashbuckler wasn’t listed, maybe a Paladin (Virtuous Bravo) or Fighter (Aldori Defender or Ustalavic Duelist archetype with the setting filed off). But I reserve the right to change my mind.
EltonJ |
I don’t know Birthright well, but it sounds interesting. Initially thinking about an elf or half-elf duelist type. Since Swashbuckler wasn’t listed, maybe a Paladin (Virtuous Bravo) or Fighter (Aldori Defender or Ustalavic Duelist archetype with the setting filed off). But I reserve the right to change my mind.
I wanted to focus on Anuire for this game, but in Brectur, they have swashbucklers. Perhaps I can make an exception if you really want to play a swashbuckler.
EltonJ |
Two questions: What's starting gold, and I notice you've mentioned PF! being close to 3.5 a couple of times; if we want to take a 3.5 feat or something, is that something you're open to? I don't have any in mind just yet, just trying to get the full scope of options.
A1. Yeah, there was a reason. You're starting gold comes out of your treasury, so you start with max.
A2. You can start with leadership earlier (after all, you will be a leader). Aside from that, no you can't pick a 3.x feat.
EltonJ |
Its not listed as legal but it seems like a perfect fit for the Campaign
Would you accept a Courtly Hunter (the archetype is from Ultimate Intrigue but the base class is from Advanced Class Guide)
I looked at the archetype. Makes me wonder if the Siren is one. Actually, the Archetype works if we were playing in the Northern Marches (close to Rjurik). As you get to the Southern Coast (which is where we are playing) the hunter class would be more rare.
I will see what you make, though. Don't forget, you'll need a bloodline to be a regent.
EltonJ |
Everyone, as you figure out your characters, you will need a bloodline. It's a derivation from one of the Gods that perished at Mount Deismaar. The bloodline is figured by choosing one of the seven gods that perished, and then rolled for strength on a table in the Birthright Rulebook. The seven gods that perished are these:
Anduiras. God of rulership and nobility. Ancient god of the Andu. He was also the God of the weather. Which is why Haelyn grants the domain of Air, and Cuiraecen grants the domain of Weather. When Anduiras died, most of his power was inherited by his champion, Haelyn. His Forgotten Realms equivalent is Siamorphe.
Reynir. God of the forests and wild places. Ancient god of the Rjuven (now the Rjurik). He was also the god of the Earth. When he perished, his champion Erik absorbed most of his essence and ascended to be the god of wild places. His Forgotten Realms equivalent is Silvanus.
Brenna. Goddess of luck. Ancient goddess of the Brechts. When she died at Mount Diesmaar, Sera absorbed most of her power. Sera ascended to be come the Goddess of Commerce and luck. Brenna's Forgotten Realms equivalent would be Tymora.
Basaia. Goddess of the Sun. She was the goddess of the Basarji. During the battle at Mount Deismaar, it was her champion Avani that absorbed most of her power. Avani ascended to become the goddess of the sun and reason. Her Forgotten Realms equivalent is Lathander.
Masela. Goddess of the Oceans. She was the goddess of the Masetians, a people who were like the Egyptians. Her champion, Nesirie, absorbed most of her essence and ascended to become the goddess of the sea (and grief). Her Forgotten Realms equivalent is Umberlee.
Vorynn. The ancient god of magic. He was the patron of the Vos, who turned to Azrai instead. Rournil became the youngest Weaver, the greatest of Vorynn's mages. When Vorynn died, Rournil absorbed most of his essence, and assumed the mantle of the God of Magic. His Forgotten Realms equivalent is Mystra.
Azrai. Finally we come to the God of Pride. Azrai was patron to no one. However, he managed to sway most people to his worship. Belinik and Kriesha absorbed his power to become the champions of terror and winter respectively. Anyone who absorbed his power has since became Awnsheghlien. His Forgotten Realms equivalent is Cyric.
Zahir ibn Mahmoud ibn Jothan RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16 |
Zahir ibn Mahmoud ibn Jothan RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16 |
Zahir ibn Mahmoud ibn Jothan wrote:Ahhh, there were some great online Birthright games back in the 90s! Best setting TSR ever made if you ask me!Yep, it certainly had that potential. It's one of my top 3!
It was a clear successor to the Player's Option and GM's Option rulesets, from a rules perspective, and predecessor to Alternity in its mechanics. From a setting perspective, it was the chief inspiration for Paradigm when they made Arcanis. And while Arcanis was the best Living Campaign ever, the setting was still not as amazing as Birthright/Cerilia was.
pauljathome |
I have dropped my other idea in favour of an Anuirean human worshipper of Haelyn who has a derivation from Anduiras.
Mechanically, either a sacred fist Warpriest or, ideally, a monk/paladin hoping to become a champion of Irori.
Which gives me some mechanical questions.
1) is Irori close enough to Haelyn for a Champion of Irori to be acceptable?
2) are Unchained monks legal?
3) is a scaled fist monk legal?
He is the second son and so never expected to ascend to power. But an accident (or was it an accident?) killed both his father and oldest brother.
I have no problem if we're all from the same domain or have different domains. If we share a domain then he could be either the Law or Temple Regent, whichever the group needs
EltonJ |
I have dropped my other idea in favour of an Anuirean human worshipper of Haelyn who has a derivation from Anduiras.
Mechanically, either a sacred fist Warpriest or, ideally, a monk/paladin hoping to become a champion of Irori.
Which gives me some mechanical questions.
1) is Irori close enough to Haelyn for a Champion of Irori to be acceptable?
2) are Unchained monks legal?
3) is a scaled fist monk legal?He is the second son and so never expected to ascend to power. But an accident (or was it an accident?) killed both his father and oldest brother.
I have no problem if we're all from the same domain or have different domains. If we share a domain then he could be either the Law or Temple Regent, whichever the group needs
A1. Haelyn is the God of Kingship, Irori is the god of Monks. Haelyn's counterpart in Golarion would be Iomedae, not Irori. You're looking at Avani, Goddess of the Sun, for Irori. Of course both Avani and Iomedae also overlap (both grant the Sun domain).
A2. By the RAW, yes. However, a monk would ideally be a temple regent. And he would learn his skills from an exotic origin, like Aduria. He could come from the Anuirean colonies in Aduria.
A3. No, a Scaled Fist would not work. Cerilian dragons are a rare lot. And oriental dragons would exist in Arkadyria.
pauljathome |
Ok, changed slightly
He is an Anuirean human worshipper of Avani who has a derivation from Basaia
He is the third son of a Regent and so never expected to ascend to power. Once he became old enough he was sent off to manage a minor family estate in Aduria. There he became enamored with, and trained in, the martial arts.
A year or so ago his elder brother (the second son) died and he was sent for in order to make sure he would be available if necessary (the whole heir and a spare thing). He got home only to find that both his father and remaining brother were killed in what seems to have been an accident but may well have been an assassination. He has now assumed his position while still quite young (19).
Mechanically, he starts as an Unchained Monk who plans a 1 level dip into Paladin and will take the Champion of Irori(Avani) prestige class
I have no problem if we're all from the same domain or have different domains. If we share a domain then he could be either the Law or Temple Regent, whichever the group needs
EltonJ |
Ok, changed slightly
<snip!>
Mechanically, he starts as an Unchained Monk who plans a 1 level dip into Paladin and will take the Champion of Irori(Avani) prestige classI have no problem if we're all from the same domain or have different domains. If we share a domain then he could be either the Law or Temple Regent, whichever the group needs
Okay, looks good. I'll talk about domains after I get at least four applicants. So I'm saving domains for later. Domains are the complicated part of BIRTHRIGHT, so picking one for everyone to rule seems to be the smartest option.
Zahir ibn Mahmoud ibn Jothan RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16 |
A2. By the RAW, yes. However, a monk would ideally be a temple regent. And he would learn his skills from an exotic origin, like Aduria. He could come from the Anuirean colonies in Aduria.
A bit of a waste IMHO! Monks aren’t spellcasters, so they’d not be able to wield the strength of their regency to cast Realm Magic in defense of the kingdom.
pauljathome |
EltonJ wrote:A2. By the RAW, yes. However, a monk would ideally be a temple regent. And he would learn his skills from an exotic origin, like Aduria. He could come from the Anuirean colonies in Aduria.A bit of a waste IMHO! Monks aren’t spellcasters, so they’d not be able to wield the strength of their regency to cast Realm Magic in defense of the kingdom.
I have no idea what that means in practice. You're saying that unless you're a spellcaster you're at a major disadvantage?
pad300 |
@EltonJ, so we are using the original 2nd ed bloodline rules, not the 3.5 conversion at Birthright.net?
bloodline strength: 1d100 ⇒ 83
bloodline derivation: 1d100 ⇒ 27
@All, looks like we have a law regent (Ouachitonian), a source regent(Critzible) and a temple regent (Pauljathome); I guess that leaves Guilds for me...
EltonJ |
Zahir ibn Mahmoud ibn Jothan wrote:I have no idea what that means in practice. You're saying that unless you're a spellcaster you're at a major disadvantage?EltonJ wrote:A2. By the RAW, yes. However, a monk would ideally be a temple regent. And he would learn his skills from an exotic origin, like Aduria. He could come from the Anuirean colonies in Aduria.A bit of a waste IMHO! Monks aren’t spellcasters, so they’d not be able to wield the strength of their regency to cast Realm Magic in defense of the kingdom.
Perhaps I can explain. Monks are not spellcasters, so they can't wield Realm Spells in Birthright. Monks would do best as a law regent. A realm spell is a very powerful spell -- priests and those who do Arcane can only wield realm spells.
From the Birthright Rulebook:
"Realm magic exceeds the capability of any mortal sorcerer who doesn't have a regent's supernatural connection to the land. Cerilia is a mystical place with ancient ley lines and magical sources available to those who know how to harness them. The power of the magic commanded by a single mage is nothing compared to the power available in a great ancient forest or a cyclone. Wizards can achieve spectacular results by tapping into this power, but only wizards who control magical source holdings—i.e., regents—can do so."
"Like mages, priest (cleric or druid) regents may cast realm spells. Priests can cast these spells only in provinces where they control temple holdings and must pay Gold Bars and Regency Points in order to use these powerful abilities."
Monks are not a spellcasting class, so they can't use Realm Spells in defense of their holdings. So, Zahir is right, according to the Birthright Rulebook.
Zahir ibn Mahmoud ibn Jothan RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16 |
Zahir ibn Mahmoud ibn Jothan wrote:I have no idea what that means in practice. You're saying that unless you're a spellcaster you're at a major disadvantage?EltonJ wrote:A2. By the RAW, yes. However, a monk would ideally be a temple regent. And he would learn his skills from an exotic origin, like Aduria. He could come from the Anuirean colonies in Aduria.A bit of a waste IMHO! Monks aren’t spellcasters, so they’d not be able to wield the strength of their regency to cast Realm Magic in defense of the kingdom.
No. But the Temple and Source Regents can use the strength of their regency to cast Realm Magic.
In the books and sources, it is described as being massively powerful, able to turn battles. Descriptions of wagons full of material components, etc. meteor shower or fireball are great spells for a little 5 on 5 battle clearing a dungeon, but killing only 30 soldiers in a massive battle between armies isn't going to win the day. However, a Realm Magic version of either can wipe out whole armies and such.
Thus, it is wise for the Realm Regent to try and be on good terms with at least some of the various Temple and Source regents. This also allows say the Realm Regent to use his Law holdings to aid the Temple of his choosing to become stronger in a province. It's also why there is benefit in leaving a couple decent Magical Sources throughout the kingdom, for the Wizard to be able to wield power to support the Realm, PROVIDED they have run ley lines where they need to go.
In practice, and let me say I had a LOT of practice playing this game with 20+ other players back in the 90s, Law/Temple/Guild leaders will group together and start supporting one another t the exclusion of anyone else. It makes sense from a GAME perspective to eliminate all of the competition, but it doesn't make sense from a RP or "real life" perspective within the game world. Sure, sure, nobody wants a temple of the god of thieves and cutthroats in their province, but in game, there will always be something like that. It's rare that you'll find a game world, fictional world in literature, or even our own real world where there are a bunch of nations that are completely homogenous in their Law, Temple, and Guild affiliations.
Sure, sure, in the future all restaurants are Taco Bell, but did Demolition Man have only one religion? Not since before Martin Luther could you claim Europe, or even Italy, was truly united in its faith, and even then it would have been a falsehood. There were always schisms within the church, and Synagogues, etc.
Anyways, back to Cerilia. Some nations are MORE aligned towards certain gods, to be sure, but those gods were men and women in the "near" past. They were raised up to godhood by the power that leached into their bodies at the last battle. Some were barely below the threshold. This is similar to the gods in Golarion, who used to be mortal (Aroden, Iomedae, etc.), but have taken the test and ascended to godhood.
EltonJ |
@EltonJ, so we are using the original 2nd ed bloodline rules, not the 3.5 conversion at Birthright.net?
bloodline strength: 1d100 ⇒ 83
bloodline derivation: 1d100 ⇒ 27
@All, looks like we have a law regent (Ouachitonian), a source regent(Critzible) and a temple regent (Pauljathome); I guess that leaves Guilds for me...
No, we aren't using the rules on Birthright.net. Next time, we'll do so. I wanted to introduce the rules that is close to the original as possible, so people can get used to the concepts.
pauljathome |
Perhaps I can explain. Monks are not spellcasters, so they can't wield Realm Spells in Birthright. Monks would do best as a law regent. A realm spell is a very powerful spell -- priests and those who do Arcane can only wield realm spells.
Would I be better off (both in terms of effectiveness and in terms of my likely having fun) if I changed my character (mechanically) to a Sacred Fist Warpriest? Nothing about his personality or background would change, just the game mechanics (and lets face it a Sacred Fist Warpriest is pretty much a slightly different take on a Monk/Paladin/Champion of Irori anyway).
Hmm. I think I WILL do that. More roleplaying opportunities (I love playing clerics, they're so much fun :-)).
pad300 |
No, we aren't using the rules on Birthright.net. Next time, we'll do so. I wanted to introduce the rules that is close to the original as possible, so people can get used to the concepts.
@Elton, I would suggest using the blood ability definitions (LINK, as they make more sense in PF terms...
Also, that is going to get interesting (in the ancient chinese curse sense), when we start talking about how skills (PF) vs AD&D proficiencies interact with the domain management system...
EltonJ |
EltonJ wrote:
No, we aren't using the rules on Birthright.net. Next time, we'll do so. I wanted to introduce the rules that is close to the original as possible, so people can get used to the concepts.@Elton, I would suggest using the blood ability definitions (LINK, as they make more sense in PF terms...
Also, that is going to get interesting (in the ancient chinese curse sense), when we start talking about how skills (PF) vs AD&D proficiencies interact with the domain management system...
I MIGHT have to add more skills to support the Domain Management System. :) But as long as all the players have Ultimate Campaign and Ultimate Intrigue I might not have to.
pauljathome |
Bloodline Acquisition
0-10: 1d100 ⇒ 79 - Nope
11-19: 1d100 ⇒ 24 - Minor
20-28: 1d100 ⇒ 83 - Major
29-25: 1d100 ⇒ 76 - Minor
36-59: 1d100 ⇒ 94 - Great
Am I rolling too well? Elton, if you want to arbitrarily cut me back I'm fine with that. This is starting to seem foolishly strong.
ability1: 1d100 ⇒ 35 - Detect Lie (Minor)
ability2: 1d100 ⇒ 44 - Divine Wrath (Major)
ability3: 1d100 ⇒ 95 - Travel - Great. Not allowed
ability4: 1d100 ⇒ 98 - Travel - Great
ability 3 reroll: 1d100 ⇒ 8 - Animal Affinity (Minor)
EltonJ |
Am I rolling too well? Elton, if you want to arbitrarily cut me back I'm fine with that. This is starting to seem foolishly strong.
You just demonstrated why I'm not using psionics in this campaign. It's alright to have stronger abilities. Heck, the Realm Spells are beyond what clerics and wizards usually cast.
I can cut you back. Have you reroll your great abilities (my deceased cousin didn't like Birthright for the reason you just said). I can cut them back to major versions of Travel. However, having a Great bloodline is awesome, and if we play long enough, you might make that into a True bloodline.
EltonJ |
I only got the one great ability. Rerolling that
[dice=reroll great]1d100Heightened Ability (minor)
Not sure how that would work in Pathfinder
Hieghtened Ability: A scion with this attribute raises one ability score by one point if it is currently 14 or higher; he raises it by 1d6 points if the ability score is less than 14. Since you've picked Basaia, the ability raised would be Intelligence.
pauljathome |
pauljathome wrote:Hieghtened Ability: A scion with this attribute raises one ability score by one point if it is currently 14 or higher; he raises it by 1d6 points if the ability score is less than 14. Since you've picked Basaia, the ability raised would be Intelligence.I only got the one great ability. Rerolling that
reroll great: 1d100 ⇒ 55Heightened Ability (minor)
Not sure how that would work in Pathfinder
We're doing point buy, right? It would feel really, really cheesy to buy a 7 or a 13 so I'll go with a base of 10.
1d6: 1d6 ⇒ 4
So, Int of 14. That is a REALLY nice benefit.